Suggestions for my first lever action rifle?

At this point I'm beginning to focus on a Win 94 pre-64 in 30-30.

- timeless and will last forever
- will hold it's value
- iconic and a piece of history
- forged receiver
- no real need to scope as I don't hunt or shoot rifles competitively
- price should be relatively reasonable
- would also look at a 2017 if need be

Firing a couple tomorrow and also checking out a few Uberti's through a contact where I've bought handguns in the past. Looking forward to accessing EE whenever they let me in ;-)
 
Nibe said:
At this point I'm beginning to focus on a Win 94 pre-64 in 30-30.

- timeless and will last forever
- will hold it's value
- iconic and a piece of history
- forged receiver
- no real need to scope as I don't hunt or shoot rifles competitively
- price should be relatively reasonable
- would also look at a 2017 if need be

Firing a couple tomorrow and also checking out a few Uberti's through a contact where I've bought handguns in the past. Looking forward to accessing EE whenever they let me in ;-)
Click to expand...

Can't go wrong with the Win 94 as a classic "first" lever action, peep sights are how you scope a pre-64 30-30..... :)

It most likely won't be your last!

When your shooting the 94 tomorrow, experiment with different lever hand positions.... I find it more comfortable to keep my lever hand thumb along side the wrist of the stock instead of draping it over the top while shooting. Sometimes I will also wrap my fingers around the outside of the lever instead of leaving them inside. Lot's of options. The changed grip relaxes my wrist angle and makes it feel more like a pistol grip Marlin 336.... :)
 
Can-down said:
Can't go wrong with the Win 94 as a classic "first" lever action, peep sights are how you scope a pre-64 30-30..... :)

It most likely won't be your last!

When your shooting the 94 tomorrow, experiment with different lever hand positions.... I find it more comfortable to keep my lever hand thumb along side the wrist of the stock instead of draping it over the top while shooting. Sometimes I will also wrap my fingers around the outside of the lever instead of leaving them inside. Lot's of options. The changed grip relaxes my wrist angle and makes it feel more like a pistol grip Marlin 336.... :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. Here’s hoping I don’t throw one in the ceiling.
 
Nibe: As Can-down already suggested, train yourself to keep your thumb along the side of the wrist. Will take a bit of practice, but mastered very quickly. Another tip: Instead of having all three fingers inside the lever, just keep the middle and ring finger inside, with the pinky on the outside. What that does is shift the hand rearward, which adds more leverage to the stroke. Think of it as adding a bit more length to a lever. Its an old trick used by many cowboy action competitors, to ease the effort of cycling the lever when operating at speed. Also works when the lever is cycled at moderate speed, too. Works with most lever action rifles....though you may still have to use the entire hand with rifles that are very stiff, or new. This too, takes a bit of practice until it feels natural.
Another tip: For good control of the rifle, keep your support hand as far forward on the fore stock, as possible. Using the fore end cap as an anchoring point. This will give you a very strong and stable grip when operating the rifle. Rearward pressure by the support hand holds the buttstock firmly into the shoulder. And as Can-down says: Work that lever with authority!
Al
 
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The grip on the fore stock is intuitive but getting my head around the lever action will take a bit of work (but fun). But hey, 20 yrs later I'm still working on my golf grip. So I've got grit if nothing else :rolleyes:
 
Nibe said:
The grip on the fore stock is intuitive but getting my head around the lever action will take a bit of work (but fun). But hey, 20 yrs later I'm still working on my golf grip. So I've got grit if nothing else :rolleyes:
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True grit, one more tip. Try and work the action with the gun's butstock anchored on your shoulder, you can lift your head up a bit and relax but keep the stock ub against your shoulder.
 
Can-down said:
True grit, one more tip. Try and work the action with the gun's butstock anchored on your shoulder, you can lift your head up a bit and relax but keep the stock ub against your shoulder.
Click to expand...

Stock against cheek?

(Off to the range)
 
Nibe said:
Stock against cheek?

(Off to the range)
Click to expand...

No you can lift your head off the stock and release your cheek weld, just keep the butt anchored in your shoulder so all you need to do is come back to your cheek weld and sight picture.... it can be done with a cheek weld as well but most people seem to drop the gun out of the shoulder pocket and work the action down low then bring it up again. Try it all!
Have fun.
 
Can-down is right. And the key to maintaining that firm anchor is the forward hand. Lock the forward hand firmly, maintain rearward pressure and the rifle will remain firmly planted on the shoulder, even when the cheek weld is broken. Ideally you want to maintain a good cheek weld, particularly where follow-up shots may be required. But....sometimes that isn't possible or practical. Particularly during reloads.

The technique works well when doing fast reloads....either from the top(with top eject rifles), or through the loading gate. The technique is not hard to master....but does take practice. Which can easily be done at home. And yes.....it can be a lot of fun!

A quick way to see whether you are doing it right: Mount the rifle. Allow the shooting hand/arm to fall away a bit from the rifle(Mimic the movement of reaching to your belt for a cartridge, etc.). Does the stock still remain more or less seated on the shoulder? If not, apply a bit more pressure with the fore end hand. It may be necessary to allow your hand to slide back a bit toward the receiver.* But as long as you maintain some pressure, the rifle should remain in a controlled position. It doesn't take a whole lot. You may notice that the rifle's muzzle will want to drop a bit. Let it...this helps maintain contact. Follow throught with the reload(simulated or real).

Have fun at the range!

Al

* The forearm hand should slide back at the same time you release the grip on your shooting/lever hand and reach for a cartridge.

ps: It may seem hard at first to get your head around some of these techniques....particularly with using the lever, reloads, etc. But, none are all that hard to master....with practice. Start slow...observe what you're doing....adjust where necessary(everyone's approach will be slightly different....use what works best for you)....then repeat....repeat and repeat some more, until all the movements feel smooth and natural. It will take time.
 
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Back from the range

So they only had one lever action to 'lend' me and it was a Win '94 30-30. The RO didn't know much about the gun (surprising) but I'm guessing pre 64 as it was top eject, no safety. The gun was well-used and the stock was worn but it was tight, no rattles, and gave me a decent grouping. The 30-30 had more kick than I expected but working the lever seemed natural for this pistolero. Fun as heck, actually.

I'd post pics but not allowed yet on this site. Nor do I have access to EE so can't check your link Freddy (#$%&).

Who's got 'juice' with a mod? ;)

Have a line on some new Uberti's which I hope to check out later this week.

Stay fresh,
nibe
 
The link is for a beautiful Uberti 1873 in .357 mag that just went up in the EE today.

There are lots of post 64 Win 94's with top eject and no safety. Only for sure way to tell is look up their serial number. If you like the recoil, you really can't go wrong with the classic 30-30, plus ammo is available everywhere. My personal favorite Win 94 is the Saddle Ring Carbine, have a look at those while you are at it.
 
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