School me on lever action rifles!

[Hokkmike]

I have a beautiful pre-64 Model 94 in .32 Special that is giving me some accuracy problems. Thinking of going to either a Henry or Marlin in .45 Long Colt. Don't know which I prefer at this point. Still doing the research. As much as like the 94 I don't think, especially in 45LC, that it would cycle as well as the other two.

[Hokkmike]

There's a difference between shooting a ton and hard racking an action repeatedly over the course of 500 rounds. The Big Boy wasn't designed for competition. Henry never said it was. I was advised against using one for SASS, but I'm hard-headed and had to find out for myself. Truth is, SASS is hard on all lever actions. They were not made for the rigors of competition. I've had to tighten or tweak something on all of mine and my wife's leverguns at one time or another. Outside of competition, my Henry works perfectly fine for everything else I've used it for.

Henry could have told me to pound sand because the damage falls under excessive wear, which is not covered under warranty. To their credit, they fixed my hurt without a single qualm, and that makes them mighty in my eyes.

What would be your #1 choice for SASS? I am looking to buy a lever in .45 LC soon.

[Ronin]

What would be your #1 choice for SASS? I am looking to buy a lever in .45 LC soon.

Depends on your budget and how competitive you want to be. The 1873 is king when it comes to SASS. But they are expensive new ($1k+) and not much cheaper used. If you want to be competitive, figure an action job and probably a short throw lever. Marlins are rock solid and reliable if they're pre-Remington. They're not as fast as a 73 due to a long lever action, and no amount of gunsmithing can change than. But there's a lot you can do to improve the trigger pull and smooth out the action. My wife runs a Marlin 1894 in .38/.357 and she loves the thing.

The 1892 is the best in between rifle, IMO. You can get a Rossi for about $500-$600 from Kentucky Gun Co. It won't be smooth out of the box, but you can easily slick it up to be fast. Still not as fast as an 1873. I went the Rossi route and got an M92 in .357. I bought a Palo Verde Spring Kit and Stainless Steel Magazine Follower and used this guy's videos to smooth out my R92:



If you're near Lebanon, check out Enck's Gun Barn. They're appointment only right now, but they usually have a large selection of Cowboy Guns if you want to get a feel for a rifle before buying.

[Hokkmike]

Ronin, thanks for the info. A local dealer had me set my sights on a Henry Big Boy in .45 Colt. After reading your and some of the other comments I am reconsidering. Apparently the other choice I had, a Marlin 1984, also has its share of problems.

My naive approach to SASS is that I want to shoot but am not concerned about scoring. Friends here say that won't last and the itch to improve time will take over. I am always a little upset with competitions where you can "buy your way" to the top. Still, I want to try it so will keep looking for a rifle. (I wish they had an intermediate competition that did NOT requires 4 guns...) Well, thanks for your input.