Lever Action Gun

[Big L]

I am looking into getting a lever action rifle for the firing range. Strictly recreational use. What is a good reliable brand to consider? Thanks for any input.

[robinsre]

Originally Posted by Big L

I am looking into getting a lever action rifle for the firing range. Strictly recreational use. What is a good reliable brand to consider? Thanks for any input.

Marlin is the brand to go with.

If you have a sportsman's warehouse near you they have an EXCELLENT deal on the .45-70 this month. It's a great versatile catridge.

If you're ONLY looking for recreation you might also consider a .22

Ammo cost has recently been good in .30-30 as well. I pay 10.50 per box of 20.

[rockerz71]

you can get the marlin that I have, the 336W, at walmart for something like $375. Walmart also sells .30-30 ammo for $11.50 around here.

[Brickboy240]

On another thread, we have been discussing the Marlin lever actions - mainly the 1894 in 44mag/spl. Consensus is that Marlin makes a great lever action.

I own three Marlins: a Mod.336 in 30-30 and two 1894s in 357 and 44mag/spl. All have been great guns that I'd never part with. My Dad also owns 2-3 Marlins; one is in 45-70 and he loves them as well.

I also own two Winchester 94s and they're good shooters, but not as accurate as the Marlin 30-30. The pistol caliber Mod94s don't seem to feed as well as the 30-30 versions - probably because the 94 actin was designed for rifle length rounds. The Mod.92 Winchester is great fun...but genuine ones are very pricey. The 1895 Winchesters are good rifles, but again, they're pricey.

I also own a 1963 made Savage 99 Featherweight in 243 Win that is as accurate as any 243 boltgun I have ever shot. My father-in-law also has an old Savage 99 in 300 Savage and he has shot tons of deer and pigs with the thing. The Savage 99 is a great lever action, if you're looking at long range shooting or possibly deer hunting. The Savage 99 can be had in flatter-shooting calibers than the 94 Winchester or 336 Marlin and they're easy to mount a scope low and centered on the receiver. I use my 243 Savage 99 as a coyote gun and for that purpose, it has been stellar. The bad thing about Savage 99s is that since they stopped making this model, it has risen in price and has a sort of cult status attached to it. They're not as easy to find in the used racks these days and good ones could easily run 450-600 bucks or more. A nice 99 Savage in 308 Winny will do just about anything you could ever want to do in the USA.

Another choice that some people really like (but I have never owned one) is the Browning BLR rifles. They're not inexpesive but can be had in very powerful rounds like 7mm mag, 270Winny and even some of the Short Magnum calibers. For maximum punch - these are probably the most powerful lever actions next to the 99 Savages.

Which one is best or your purposes might depend on how far away you're planning on shooting and how accurate you want it to be. Since Hornady came out with their LeveRevolution 30-30 ammo, the old 30-30 has alot going for it and CAN be a 200yd gun. A 336 Marlin in 30-30Win caliber is not overly expensive and might be a good place to start looking.

I see nice used 336 Marlins in pawnshops all over the place...look around and you CAN pick one up for much less than 200 bucks.

- Brickboy240

[Big L]

Thanks for the responses.

[Plinkomatic]

Since you don't need a hunting caliber, be sure to also look at the Henry.
Marlin .38/.357
Henry .22/.17HM2/.17HMR
Those would be my tops for a range lever action.
I have a Marlin lever in .38/357 and it's awesome, but considerably more expensive to shoot than a rimfire.

[dobbsjv]

Browning makes a beautiful lever .22, just got done shooting my friends today. Love the gun, if I had some extra cash i'd own one. Shot 500 rounds for $10, can't beat that.

Ruger makes a lever .22 also, or they used to, don't know if they still do. Got one for Christmas a few years back, if they don't make them anymore you can find used ones everywhere.

[J-ville]

I had a Marlin 1894 in the .38/.357 set-up. It is an excellent combination. Some have used it in Africa for smaller deer species at closer range. Others feel it is an excellent home defense round.

Load it with Corbon ammunition and you have ballistics that approach other larger .30 caliber lever guns. It is inexpensive to shoot with bulk .38 ammo and when you want to get serious run the magnum stuff through it. If you own a similar caliber revolver it is good to have the ability to cross weapons with the same ammo.

[invssgt]

Originally Posted by Big L

I am looking into getting a lever action rifle for the firing range. Strictly recreational use. What is a good reliable brand to consider? Thanks for any input.

Get a .357. You'll have a decent centerfire round that can be shot as cheap as anything, and reloaded even cheaper. It'll pull defense duty quite well if you need it, and there are some hunting loads available that'll really get it up on it's hind legs if you ever decide you want to do that with it.

I don't generally recommend south american guns but my single exception is the Rossi/Puma lever actions, which are based on the 92 winchester action. I prefer them to any currently-made US lever action in this caliber. Those folks down there have been making these little rifles a long time, and they have it right. You might get lucky and find a used one without that silly-assed safety they mount on the bolt these days.

[PTCgunsmith]

John Browning will leap out of his grave and strangle me for this. however, from a gunsmiths point of view, the marlin 336 is as good as it gets