Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default School me on lever action rifles!

    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

  2. #2
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    Default Re: School me on lever action rifles!

    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.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: School me on lever action rifles!

    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.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: School me on lever action rifles!

    I have a .30-30 with Sears engraved in it. How would I know who made it?
    Gender confusion is a mental illness

  5. #5
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    Default Re: School me on lever action rifles!

    Quote Originally Posted by God's Country View Post
    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.
    Hmm. I'm familiar with tube fed. No idea about gate fed.

    I agree about the heavy octagonal barrels. I picked up a Henry before and the weight was pretty high. I'm sure for shooting off of a bench it wouldn't matter, but standing is another story.

    -Zach

  6. #6
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    Default Re: School me on lever action rifles!

    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

  7. #7
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    Default Re: School me on lever action rifles!

    Quote Originally Posted by Walleye Hunter View Post
    I have a .30-30 with Sears engraved in it. How would I know who made it?
    Likely Winchester. Top eject?

  8. #8
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    Default Re: School me on lever action rifles!

    Quote Originally Posted by God's Country View Post
    Likely Winchester. Top eject?
    Yes, top eject.
    Gender confusion is a mental illness

  9. #9
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    Default Re: School me on lever action rifles!

    Quote Originally Posted by God's Country View Post
    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.
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't some of the .45LC lever actions (my Uberrti comes to mind) limited to 14,400 PSI? I also have a Marlin Model 1894 - which Marlin has confirmed has a 40,000 CUP Max - which just about covers the heaviest of 45LC loads.

    I don't know what the maximum loads are for the Henry 45LC.

    Maybe the OP should keep an eye open on auction sites as a possible source for a lever action that is right for him in .357 or 45LC? They do pop up from time to time. Rossi has a Model 92 lever action but it "only" holds 9 rounds - which matters when a competitor shoots a 10 round string and can't move to the firing line with a round in battery.

    Just some thoughts...
    - bamboomaster

  10. #10
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    Default Re: School me on lever action rifles!

    Quote Originally Posted by zachomega View Post
    Hmm. I'm familiar with tube fed. No idea about gate fed.

    I agree about the heavy octagonal barrels. I picked up a Henry before and the weight was pretty high. I'm sure for shooting off of a bench it wouldn't matter, but standing is another story.

    -Zach
    Gate fed just refers to loading the ammo via a gate on the receiver (like a Marlin 336) vs dropping them in from the muzzle end into a tube. Henry does have gate fed options as well.
    Not all Henry's are octagonal. The two I purchased are cylindrical. A more basic model.

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