School me on lever action rifles!

[zachomega]

I've been watching Westworld and now have a hankering for a lever action rifle. I figure with all of the down time, i have plenty of time to research and make an educated decision on what i actually want.

My only experience with a lever action rifle was a Marlin .22. i guess it was nice enough but not really what i wanted. And now that Remington owns Marlin, forget it.

I was thinking of something chambered in .357 Magnum just because i already have the ammo around and there is nowhere for me to shoot further out than 100 yards in the area anyway. Plus i could load up 38 special and shoot at any indoor range too.

So what do i need to know about lever guns? Is there a better caliber choice? Yeah, i know better is subjective so explain why you like whatever caliber you prefer please. What brands (other than Henry who are top of the list so far) should i be looking at?

-Zach

[God's Country]

Not much to know. Find one that suits your personality and have at it.

Henry makes a nice selection of basic lever guns that are competitive with Marlin pricing. I recently purchased one in .357 and one in 45LC for $670ea.+tax. I personally find the octagonal barrels too heavy and off balance. Nice to look at, but not very functional, IMO.

ETA: of course the Henry's are a tube mag as opposed to a gate fed.

[Pilot321]

There are TONS of older Marlin lever action .30-30's around. Start there. I reload for that cartridge so can make them as light or pounding for game as I want. It's easy.

[Walleye Hunter]

I have a .30-30 with Sears engraved in it. How would I know who made it?

[God's Country]

I have a .30-30 with Sears engraved in it. How would I know who made it?

Likely Winchester. Top eject?

[Walleye Hunter]

Likely Winchester. Top eject?

Yes, top eject.

[Xringshooter]

I have a .30-30 with Sears engraved in it. How would I know who made it?

Go here to cross reference to the original manufacturer: https://www.gunpartscorp.com/brand-cross-reference

[Boots_DE]

Go here to cross reference to the original manufacturer: https://www.gunpartscorp.com/brand-cross-referenc

The 'e' is missing from your link.

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/brand-cross-reference

[cephas]

I have a .30-30 with Sears engraved in it. How would I know who made it?

If you have a model number somewhere on the rifle this list may help, scroll down to sears:
http://www.hoosiergunworks.com/catal...reference.html

[heatheroo]

assuming we are talking tubular magazine rifles, the standard disclaimer applies about only using round nosed bullets or leverevolution type to prevent chain fires.

The Marlin 336 action is generally more scope friendly than the Winchester 94 action