Let's talk lever actions

Pistol caliber carbines are pretty neat. I have a few Marlin 1894s all in 41 mag to complement my revolvers. One thing I’ve noticed is the carbines seem to like full power loads. Accuracy with my mid-range handloads isn’t great. Factory rounds and full power handloads work best for me.

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:rofl:

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@Richard332 Welcome to the community, we are glad to have you here. Stay safe, Bruce and Nancy. :+1:

Pre-64 Winchester 1894 in 30-30. I prefer the rifle over the carbine incarnation, but both are excellent!
Savage 99 in ,250 or .300 Savage.
The Marlin in .357 Magnum is the preferred 'yote medicine among local ranchers around here, even over the AR in .223/5.56

I LOVE my lever actions in two flavors, OLD and pretty. My current favorite is my latest acquisition. Uberti 1873 in .45 Colt.



Matching 30 WCFs from the EARLY 1900s. Winchester model of 1894 and Marlin Model of 1998

And here’s one of my “modern” ones, a 1959 manufacture Winchester Model 88 in .308. One of my bucket list guns that just finally made it into my life.

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Very nice!!

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I’m usually not a fan of “pretty” guns but those are absolutely gorgeous :heart_eyes:

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I have always been a big fan of lever guns. And the cowboy action shooting has really helped there popularity. Especially the reintroduction of some old models. As well as bringing back to life some old caliber’s.
But I think the manufacturers are missing out on an untapped market. I do think there would be a market for lever guns in modern calibers. I would like to see a lever action 9mm, 40, or 10mm.

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Has anyone mentioned President Theodore Roosevelt’s favorite lever action?

I love my Winchester model 1895! Mine is in 30-06 some day hope to have one in 405 Win.

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That would be fun but it’s tough to make lever actions work with rimless pistol rounds. But there are some fantastic models in 38-.357 that will do just about anything those pistol cartridges with do from mild cheap.38 wadcutter loads for target shooting and small game to heavy 180gr .357 mag loads that can be used for game like deer and hogs to great effect!

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It’s not a pistol caliber but the first lever action I had was a Stevens high power in 30 Remington. It is a rimless version of the 30-30 Winchester

Yep, and the .35 version of that round is still pretty popular in Marlin lever actions. I think the issue is with the smaller thinner rims in pistol ammo. Some companies have tried and reliable extraction has become an issue since you don’t have the recoil to assist as you do in a semi-auto action.

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Lever actions are my favorite rifle platform. My daughter learned to shoot with a Henry youth model. Lever actions have been around for 160+ years or so. If you count the Sharps. With a wide range of calibers and the newer all weather models, l don’t see them fading away any time soon.

Hey Jerry I have a .405 Win in a Ruger #1. That’s a lever gun without a magazine. Maybe almost qualifies.
It’s an interesting caliber. It is said .41 cal pistol bullets can be loaded in.405 cases for plinking.
Haven’t tried it yet. Hope I can get back to shooting some time next year.

Hope you find that Win 1895.

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I flew a Super Cub in Alaska one glorious Summer.
According to AK state law I had to carry a firearm and ammunition.
According to Canadian law I couldn’t bring my revolver across the border.
Shotguns with slugs were very popular but shotgun barrels aren’t very strong
I figured a crash landing would make a shotgun unusable if the barrel was bent or crushed, and besides, the ammo is bulky and heavy.
The name of the game after all, was survival.
So I opted for a martially marked Winchester '94 carbine, 30-30 vintage WW1. because that’s what was available to me, It fit nicely in the pole hole of the Super Cub.

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I too have a 88 /308cal. Bought it new when I was 15 back in the early 60’a paid $110 first gun that I ever bought.got my first deer with it plus several more over the years great shooting gun

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Hmm, I bet 38 Super would work great in a lever gun. :slightly_smiling_face:

I know this thread is getting long in the tooth, but I have a lever action ammo question. I’ve recently converted my Henry .357 into a redneck AR, with a picatinny rail, flashlight, and Seeall Open Sight. Figured since I’m not a hunter, it would be a good project to turn it into a home defense/anti-personnel gun. However, most .357 ammo you’d use for rifle hunting isn’t the best for up close work, and I’m afraid most handgun hollow point loads would disintegrate at rifle velocities, which may not be a bad thing but leads to inconsistent results. I’m thinking Hornady’s Critical Duty bullet would perform well, but the studies and reviews I have found discussing lever action rifles for self defense never discuss ammo terminal ballistics. I have considered 38 +p, but have had some feeding issues with 38s in my Henry.

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I would think anything with a bonded jacket would be fine.

Here are some real world measurements/comparisons stolen from unknown web experts.

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