Thinking of Purchasing a Lever Action this Weekend - Opinions?

abbynormal

abbynormal

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Soooo - for whatever reason I caught the 'Lever Action' bug a few weeks ago.

'Been doing a little bit of research, and I am kinda leaning towards a Winchester '73 in .357 / .38 sp.

As Lever Actions are totally new to me - I'd like to hear people's opinions on what they like - and why.

Let's think duel use for this puppy - plinking and / or small game.

Abby
 
I own both Winchesters and Henrys in 357/38 and I would recommend you look at the Henry Big Boy (steel or brass) in a 16 inch barrel for a few reasons:
Much lighter to carry around.
Henry parts are much easier to get than new production Winchesters.
The Henry action is much smoother out of the box than any other lever gun on the market.
The Big Boy will cost you 10-15% less to purchase.
Upgrades like aftermarket sights are easy to find.
357/38 is a great choice for small /medium game.
 
Just a word about barrel length. Depending upon how close to 50 years old you are, a short barrel will result in a front sight that is just a hazy blur unless you install a tang peep sight.
 
Lever guy here and I bought my first pistol cartridge Marlin 1984 last year in 44 mag. WOW!! New Remlin and hand picked. Even then the bluing was so crappy I took the plunge and had it cerakoted. It actually improved the cycling which I was somewhat concerned about.
Anyway, it's my go to rifle for bush carry when hunting deer. Very easy to swing and shoot. Virtually no kick yet the target is hit hard.

cheers,
 
I'm partial to 73's, in my opinion there the slickest and fastest action. 92's are lighter and stronger action if you feel the need to hot rod the 357 for some reason. Henry's are a great gun with second to none warranty, but many people don't seem to like there loading system. I find it's fine, better in some ways to a loading gate.

Just get whatever you want to get, can always buy another in the future lol
 
I have owned most of them at one time or another, the Henry Big Boy is a solid recommemdation, but they are very heavy, including the 16" version... personally, I like the extra heft, I find it really steadies me when shooting offhand, which with a lever action you will be doing 99.5% of the time... the Henry action is SLICK! They are a beautiful rifle to boot.
 
Win 38-55 said:
Just a word about barrel length. Depending upon how close to 50 years old you are, a short barrel will result in a front sight that is just a hazy blur unless you install a tang peep sight.
Click to expand...

Just 'had the cure'. Had cataract surgery on both eyes, the front sight is clear as a bell once again and the cross hairs are slim and thin again. The difference is unbelievable :d :d :d !!
 
Have several large bore Levers, for 357/38spl, I shoot the Marlin 1894CP, 357/38spl, rear peep sight on a picatinny rail, compact package, light & fast..
 
hoytcanon said:
Congrats, Johnn... gettin" old sucks, don't it!?!?!?
Click to expand...

Sometimes, it does that alright but, especially with some of the ;) 'correctable' options available today, it still beats the alternative. In the case of my eyes, the surgeon informed me the procedure and lenses are covered by the medical plan. He inquired as to what activities I take part in and I made mention of shooting, handgun and rifle plus hunting. After going into some detail of each, he highly recommended 'symphony lenses'. The up side, they'd be best suited to my 'activities'. The down side, they're $1,500.oo/eye additional cost. I'm only going around once so I opted for his recommendation for the clarity close up and at distance.
 
Im thinking of getting another lever gun myself and am looking at the Henrys.I was looking at Cabelas site and they have them on sale, although I do not know if they are good deals.

Henry Big boy steel carbines are $849. .45 colt, .44 mag and .357 38 spl. Others are on sale too.

Damn ,those are all calibers I shoot in my wheelguns !!!

Are those good price ?
BB
 
BlackBrant said:
Im thinking of getting another lever gun myself and am looking at the Henrys.I was looking at Cabelas site and they have them on sale, although I do not know if they are good deals.
Henry Big boy steel carbines are $849. .45 colt, .44 mag and .357 38 spl. Others are on sale too.
Damn ,those are all calibers I shoot in my wheelguns !!!
Are those good price ?
BB
Click to expand...

I got my Henry Big Boy Steel Carbine for $1,000.00 and my Big Boy Brass for $1,100.00
 
c-fbmi said:
I like lever guns.........Here's a photo of some of them..........



There's a couple more racks of them there as well.
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I sea sum variance in yer rithimm there Douglas..........must-ahh-bin the vino.
Start out with bawrel length posishunn'in and then stagger a bit.
Them four awd bawls on the right, they don't seem tuh fit.
I'll abbskawnd with them jest tuh git'tim owt yer hair.

You still have lawks don't you?

Ohh wait, think'in that t'uther bow baby................:nest:
 
sheep100 said:
I got my Henry Big Boy Steel Carbine for $1,000.00 and my Big Boy Brass for $1,100.00
Click to expand...

Yes ,I was looking at various dealers and vendors ,the Cabelas price seems good.

DAMN it......I just bought two rifles during the holidays and now the Henry is not in the budget.Hopefully the sale is on for awhile !

BB
 
I have an Uberti '73 clone in 45 Colt, goes with the Ruger Vaqueros you know. Good accurate rifle, very smooth action. I had a smith work on the trigger and adjust the lever safety function. My only grip is it has the crescent butt stock and not shotgun style, but the 45 doesn't kick much.
 
Win 38-55 said:
Just a word about barrel length. Depending upon how close to 50 years old you are, a short barrel will result in a front sight that is just a hazy blur unless you install a tang peep sight.
Click to expand...

Actually, it depends on the person and if they wear glasses.

I'm 60'ish and I use prescription bifocals that were made to have a closer focus than usual, as well as reading lenses that extend out to focus at about 24". That way, when driving, I can read my dash instruments and still read things at 3 or 4 feet away, while reading highway signs at 50 yards. Beyond that, I don't get the sharp focus usual to the distance lenses that you get if you don't specify a distance.

With my prescription, I can still manage to use open sights. It's not perfect, and the target is fuzzier than I would like, but I can still turn out good groups.
 
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