which lever action rifle

Good eyes, 94 in 30-30
Iffy eyes, old Marlin 30-30, 35rem or 44mag

Ohhhhhhh Jay, let me know when I can git me thumb thing back, intack’d with the 35rem struckture.
 
I've recently came a 45 Colt fan ( Some folks get triggered by the term LC, although with advent of 45 CS...LC works now). Had 44 mag...touch lively, well they are RH's, to be expected with factory fodder out of a Carbine with a 12" bbl I suppose.
Even my son, who is much bigger physically than I... commented he wasn't a fan of the 44 mag in the RH...he moved it along...but kept the 18" '92 in 44 Mag. Much better fit he figures. Just more pleasant to shoot 45... a gentle round to use.
 
reb said:
The Winchester 94 in 30 30 has been doing it all for a long time.
Easy and affordable to get ammo, throw it on the Quad behind the truck seat and it will be ready to go when you need it.
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That's my vote as well. I've owned one or more 94's since c.1967, both in 30-30 and 32Winchester Special. 30-30 are easy to load for, 94's are nice to carry. I hunted whitetail for a few years with my 94 carbine in 32WS, and with a 94 Canadian Centennial carbine.

If I could only have one rifle these days, a 30-30 94 would do me just fine. But what do I know. :p

I do have .44 mag and 357 levers as well, and enjoy shooting them. I cast for all my rifles, and have powder and primers to last the rest of my shooting days, so my situation might be different than others.
 
But have you seen the price of M94 30-30's lately! Sweet mother of god they have gotten expensive. I bought my 1920's SRC from Epps a few years ago for $400. You can't even get a post 64 for under $800 now a days.
 
Hard to do better than a mod 94 in 30-30 imo, looks good, easy to carry, good for everything in the country inside 100m…. I would go with that! Find a pre 64 if you can!
 
frankbonaiuto said:
Hi everyone hope all had great Christmas, I'd like to buy a lever rifle but there is just to many options, where do I start? There is no particular reason for it other than I don't have one yet. Fire away with your suggestions not looking to spend crazy money just want to add one.

Thanks

Frank
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Since you have no particular reason usage wise, then if I were in your shoes, I would go with this parameter:

If you have good eyesight and can use any manner of Iron Sights, then there are many models and manufacturers to choose from. Myself, I gravitate towards the older Marlin model 1893's and 1894's with open sight or Tang sight, and also Win M1886, and M1892 copies, same sight configs as the Marlin's.

If your eyesight does not work well with Iron Sights, then I would suggest one of the Marlin models ie. 336, 1894, 1895 as they are suitable to mount optics.

Calibre is probably not so important if you don't have a set purpose. For me, some do have a purpose, and some they're just fun to plink with. That said, my Browning 1886 Carbine in 45-70 is just a plinker, but a fun one at that! Those 100m gongs really swing when walloped with a 405gr slug.
 
If you buy a 45-70 there is many choices to use in it. From 300 grain up. I prefer a 350 grain bullet myself. I wouldn't unless it's cheap buy a Model 94 made in the last couple of years up to 1964 as they are very poorly made . Get a bit older or made after the retrofitted the machinery and made the better.
 
Interested in a lever for the same reasons as the OP. Since my AR15 is a safe Queen now I've been looking at the Henry long Ranger in 223. The marlin 1895 SBL looks real nice but that would be getting into another calibre and pricey.
 
Just fondling my all-steel Henry 45-70 with an 18.4 inch barrel--solid, beautiful rifle for sure. Shoots the factory Hornady 325 gr FTX in tight groups, point-of-aim. No need for a goofy scope on this one.
 
I got the new Marlin 45-70. This is a rifle you can hunt anything with. I got mine very early so they are getting hard to find but put your name in at Prophet River, they are the best $$ and have more coming in. You will not be disappointed, best Marlin since the glory days of Marlin & less or same price for a new rifle over the crazy asking prices for the older jm marked ones being sold right now in any calibre.
 
marlin58 said:
I got the new Marlin 45-70. This is a rifle you can hunt anything with. I got mine very early so they are getting hard to find but put your name in at Prophet River, they are the best $$ and have more coming in. You will not be disappointed, best Marlin since the glory days of Marlin & less or same price for a new rifle over the crazy asking prices for the older jm marked ones being sold right now in any calibre.
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Glad to hear it, I had a feeling that Ruger would right the ship and get them sorted as soon as it was announced a couple years back that they were going to bring Marlin into the fold.

I feel that Marlin of 30 years ago and Ruger as of late both as a company share the same core values and build quality.
Rugged, reliable decently built firearms built by north american workers paid a living wage for consumers of the same description.
 
marlin58 said:
I got the new Marlin 45-70. This is a rifle you can hunt anything with. I got mine very early so they are getting hard to find but put your name in at Prophet River, they are the best $$ and have more coming in. You will not be disappointed, best Marlin since the glory days of Marlin & less or same price for a new rifle over the crazy asking prices for the older jm marked ones being sold right now in any calibre.
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A guy has a new Marlin 45-70 trapper in the EE right now if anyone wants one at over 40% over rental, lol
 
Buy a pre 64 Winchester lever or a Marlin made in the 1950 to 1980's period. Or maybe a Savage produced from 1950 to 1975 or so. Newer offerings are not so great IMO. You can only build a rifle so cheap then quality starts to suffer.
 
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