Lever action help
 

I'm looking at getting a lever action rifle but having a time weeding through models. I'm going to be using it mostly on the range, also ampossinility hunting.
So could you guys post what models you have/had and the honest pros and cons of each?
Thank you so much for you help.

Browning BLR is probably the most accurate lever action on the market today, you cant do much with a lever actions 40 pound trigger pull or you cant do much for accurizing one either (EG bed the action free floating the barrel)
lots of different calibers to choose from
22-250 up to 300 win mag

Marlin 336BL
 

30/30....relatively cheap to shoot, great deer or close range moose getter at 100 yards or less....won't break the bank....great second rifle to have if you ever do move to another.

I have several models, 30-30, 35Rem, 444Marlin and .308. Winchester, Marlins and Browning. All of them are good shooters and have taken game. They are a lot of fun to use and are easy to carry in the field. For me they fit very nicely and shoulder fast. Follow ups are quick as well. I have nothing bad to say about them. They are a different platform than a bolt action for sure, but in my opinion just as effective in real life hunting applications. Probably not the greatest choice for long range shooting or precision shooting. If you reload, you can get a lot out of them.
If you are looking at a Marlin, I would look at a used JM stamped model for better build quality than todays Marlins. Having said that a buddy picked up a great new 45-70 that is a tack driver and very well put together.
Hope this helps. and welcome to the forum.

Yup, depends on what you're looking to do with it. Browning BLR's are great as they come in the widest range of calibers and you can use pointed bullets to take full advantage of some of the calibers long range capabilities it's chambered for.

Full disassembly and cleaning nearly requires a gunsmith or at least a very experienced amateur as they are complicated and need to be timed properly.

Marlins are great for their simplicity, easy to take completely apart and clean, lube, etc. They don't have the selection of calibers the Browning does but can use a PSP bullet of some fashion if you use Hornady FTX ammo.

I have Marlins in 35 Remington and 45-70 and they are accurate and function great. Just not much use beyond 200 yards. It can be done but there's better options.

Lever guns are not really designed to be paper punching, unless you are practicing off-hand, they are primarily a hunting rifle. Have owned virtually all makes of lever guns. For shooting spitzer bullets and ranges out to 4 or 500 yards stick to BLR, Winchester 88 and 1895 and Savage 99. Any of the tube fed guns are limited to flat or round nose bullets that have lousy BCs and generally are limited to a couple hundred yards.

I have a couple of Marlin 45/70s that will shoot well under an inch at 100 yards so accuracy from any lever gun can be pretty good. In terms of what ones typically group the best I would rate them Winchester 88, 1895, BLR then Savage 99, in that order.

If you hand load do NOT load your ammo hot. Locking up a lever is a really unfun thing to do!

Win. Model 88 is awsome

Find an older Marlin with JM stamped barrel. My 3030 was made in 1975 and it will shoot 5/8"@100yd with a 150gr fed fusions. I love this gun, it does everything one needs.

I also have a blr rebarreled in 7-08, that thing is a tack driver with 140gn ballistic tips. Its a great rifle but nowhere near as handy as a marlin. To me it feels like a bolt rifle when i shoulder it and i just don't seem to handle it as what i'm used to with marlin.

Either one is a great rifle, good for targets, great for hunting.

I have a 1958 Winchester 88 in .308. 60 year old rifle shoots as good as my Browning A-Bolt II in .270. Only complaint about the 88 is it has a pretty stout kick back. I thought about putting on a recoil pad but in that is was my grandfather's rifle I will leave it with the stock butt plate.

My son's graduation present last spring was a Henry 30-30...the H009B with the brass receiver and octagonal barrel.
Like the .22 Henry we have the action is butter smooth and it looks so darn pretty https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/the-henry-3030/
And if you do any research you will find that Henry has the best customer service in the shooting world.

That is the perfect application for the Limbsaver slip on recoil pads. You get recoil relief without changing the gun one bit.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1320_.jpg

The recoil issue is the result of the angle of the stock. Putting a recoil pad on it is not the answer, as most issues and complaints concern the recoil felt on the cheek of the shooter.

In this case a limb saver would be the way to go I think, as my shoulder is what feels the kick from this rifle. Definitely will look into it as I do enjoy shooting the rifle once and a while.

If it’s going to be primarily a range gun, why do you want calibers that are gonna cost you at least a buck per, when you can go with a pistol caliber for MUCH lower operating costs?
I’ve owned lever guns in .44mag, 45/70, 30-30 that have all gone to other owners. The one that’s become my all time favourite, “go-to” bush & truck gun is my Rossi in .357mag/.38spl.
It began like as a Ranch hand, had a model 92 stock added, and now it’s a super short, light, fast little gun, surprisingly accurate out to a hundred yds, with enough oomph to drop a deer at that distance.
Really versatile caliber. You can load .38 spl nice and light for the range, that work great for rabbits, squirrels, etc. .357mags with a 180 gr hard cast bullet and it’s a deer/hog gun. A warm .357 round out of an almost 13in. Bbl delivers almost the same kinetic energy at 100yds as a .44 mag from a 6in. Revolver at the muzzle. .44 mag was the round of choice for bear defence in Alaska for decades, until some of the newer monster rounds started making headway.
That round dropped a lot of game, and a lot of big bears over the years...it, and .357mag are still common carry guns for bears in Alaska...Not everyone can afford to upgrade to a .460 or a .500, and a lot of experienced hunters see no need to.
Sure, the safety margin is greater; doesn’t mean the old stand-bys have become less capable.
For me, range trips are only fun if everyone has a good time. My wife isn’t very recoil tolerant, and even a .44 lightly loaded is a bit much for her after awhile. The 45/70 is a great round, but I start to flinch a bit from it after 20 or 30 rounds...then it’s not as enjoyable. .38 or .357, she can shoot hundreds of rounds in a day and still enjoy shooting it.
I’ve taken coyotes here with it, and hogs in S.E. Arkansas with it. It does a fine job with each, and it doesn’t destroy half the meat.
I just never really got on the bandwagon of going as big as possible, every time. I don’t get the logic of using the same gun on a 150lb whitetail as you’d use on a 1200 lb moose, especially when the cartridge is a big, honkin round designed for taking animal weighing more than a thousand pounds.

I've always liked lever guns. Currently I have only one in .35 rem that I had the barrel just cut down to 16.5". I'd like to get one in 45/70 and probably get rid of the .35 rem. Then add in a .44 mag and a Centennial Winchester in 30/30.

For range time can’t beat the 38special / 357 mag
I have two.
A Rossi ranch hand with extended stock... still fun and way more accurate now
A Rossi 20” carbine. Fun little gun with lots of zip. Fast and fun running 38s then fast fun and a decent punch running 357 loads
It would be a fine deer gun inside 100 yards.
As for hunting lever I’d go 308 win in a Browning BLR. My buddy had one before he lost it in the fire. I really did like how it handled. And a 308 spitzer really helps extend ranges well beyond the old 30-30. I had a jm stamped marlin and regret selling it. Very good 200 yard deer gun and 100 yard moose/bear gun. Took 2 deer and one bear with the 30-30. All one shot drops.
135 yard doe...drop
110 yard spike ... drop
45 yard black bear ... drop

Flat point really imparts all its energy in a hurry. All 2000 ft/lbs dumped in about 10” of animal.

Ask around and maybe get to try some out. If you are near me I’d let you try the Rossi’s one day.

Fordtruckin, you decide to get rid of that 35 let me know please.
Always wanted one.