I have wanted one for years, but that's all it is...a want. Like my other firearms, that are not for SD, it'll just be a range toy.

So that leads me to my buying criteria... Must be in a common caliber and the rifle itself must not cost stupid money. Hopefully, I could get one in 22LR or 40 S&W as I amnot really wanting to stock another caliber.

What should I be looking at? I can wait till all this panic buying bs dies down to actually make a purchase FYI. Prefer used actually to save $

Wait until Ruger gets the Marlin line back up and running.  Otherwise, look for something used maybe.

Henry makes a number of lever action rifles in .22lr all made in the USA, which is nice.

Henry Rifles

I just got a Rossi .357 carbine, 16 inch.  when compared to my 9 year old Rossi .44, Rossi has improved quality quite a bit. the new gun is well fitted & finished, smooth, nice trigger & hits right where it should.  the .44 cost about $450 back then, the .357 was $699 plus tax. I offered $700 flat & got it. I wouldn`t have bought it if the quality was the same as the .44.   I`ve had to work on it quite a bit.  I ordered some easier-to-see sights for it

I don't think anyone makes a lever gun in .40s&w.  There are good guns in 22.  Rossi and Henry are a great place to start.

You should be looking for a used Marlin 39a   .22 the trigger is gold  plated. They shoot precisely but tougher to find.  I like the Henry also if you cant find an old marlin but the  interior parts on the Marlin are machined steel not alloy like the Henry. The Henry does shoot well.   I am not aware of any .40 S&W lever guns they are usually  .357   .44M  45-70   30-30 of those I would recommend the 44M as it makes a  fine hunting cartridge without the expense of .45-70 ammo.

There is a way to get a 10mm 1894 lever action, but it's $2500.  .40 may or may not work.

It would obviously be cheaper to get a different caliber and stock the additional caliber ammo, even these days.

For .22s, the Marlin 39a is the Cadillac, but the Henry versions still seem to put smiles on folks' faces, and they're considerably more available.  The Golden Boys are nice versions of the H001.

I have a Henry lever action .22....  That thing is a hoot.  Very accurate.

I just wished it was easier to suppress...
No room to thread it without losing the front sight, IF I did that, then I would have to remove the Can everytime I reload the inserting and removal of the ammo tube.

If you are looking for fun, it's hard to beat a .22 lever gun.

My base model Henry is a blast. I can "ghost load" it by filling the tube up then push a round above the loading slot then drop one in then put the rod back in. One extra round for free and it's just fun on a bun. One of my favorite things to shoot.

We really love our Winchester 1873 Sporter Octagon Pistol Grip in 357mag/38sp. We also love our Henry Golden Boy in 22LR

I have a Henry .22 and it is a blast. Rossi also makes a lever and a  pump .22.

I read they have a new factory (CBC?).

Looks like Marlin or Henry 22 it is!

not sure about that, but there is a heckuva difference between my old rifle & my new one, quality wise.  If I came across another .44 I might buy it & sell off the old one.

Henry makes a lot of levers in 22, 38/.357 plus a bunch more. A Winchester 94/22 or a Marlin 39 would be a good choice. If you want center fire then I would go with a 38/357.

Good luck to you
Find ammo might be a tough one unless your reloading...

They do and they're producing the same old junk. If they just did a little QC they might put out some decent guns.

If you go with a .22 get the Marlin 39 and do not look back.  You will have no regrets.

I agree the Marlin 39a was a great rifle . Hot setup is the Lyman aperture rear sight . The Marlins originally were very well built and unlike many rimfire rifles they were full sized , not smaller boys rifles.

Who knows what Ruger will do to the line? My bet is the finish will be so-so and the Ruger trigger will be 10 or 12lbs.

Lever guns and their ammo is pretty much hard to find and stupid expensive at this point .

I wouldn't get too excited in trying to match caliber to ammo you have (40 S&W is not in the cards) . Not like you are going to run through lots of center fire ammo in a lever gun . Sniff around and keep a ear to the ground with friends and co-workers and with some saved money in your hand you might get lucky. Worry about the ammo after you get the gun . If you time it right you might find some one who is disappointed they can't find ammo and is dumping their gun a couple of months before some of the ammo companies get their production ramped up.

If you just want something to play with most any lever will do . I own 45/70 , 375 Winchester (big bore) several 30-30s , a 44mag ,two 357's and a 22. Different but all a hoot to shoot .

45/70 for the raw power
375win because it is odd (ammo was a bitch for this before we had ammo issues!)
30-30 factory ammo was cheap , very useable for hunting and suitable for cast lead loads
All the pistol calibers were very versatile with lots of different available
Rimfire is good just because.

Some folks are not into it but most all the centerfire calibers will shine if you reload . The lever doesn't depend on cartridge power to run the action so you can load them from mild to wild somewhat depending on brand.

Lever guns in my mind sort of define the gun you don't need , it is a gun you want just for the joy of shooting.

It is about impossible to wear out a lever gun . If you take a quick look at a used gun and it has not been obviously abused you are generally good to go.
Marlins made right after Remington took over were dogs , avoid them but most anything else is decent.

Winchester is the current king of factory lever rifles.  They're made in Japan now by Miroku who makes phenomenal guns.  The current Winchesters are better than they've ever been, IMO.  But they are somewhat pricey.  Usually they hover around the $1,000 mark.  One of the only real issues with the current Winchesters is they eject straight from the top so scope mounting is a real pain in the ass.  The newer Model 94 series rifles in 30-30, 450 Marlin, 38-55, etc., do have what's called angle eject, though, and they are drilled/tapped for a scope.  The cases come out of the top eject port at an angle (hence the name) so they can clear the scope.  Depending on the scope you have the cases will still hit it, but because of the angle they come out at they just fall to the ground afterwards and not back into the action.

Old Marlins are great rifles.  As of late Marlins have been hit and miss in terms of QC, but improving from what they were in the early Freedom Group days.  With Ruger taking control they should be pumping out new guns in Q3 of this year according to Ruger.  I'd wait for them as there's a shortage on Marlins right now and they demand a premium that I wouldn't pay for the quality you're getting.  Once they are back in production under Ruger the prices should normalize again.

Henry makes solid rifles as well and now that they have a side gate I wouldn't hesitate to get one.  They're pretty fine quality.

I have to disagree. Picked up a Rossi R92 in 45LC about a month ago. It has no BS the best out of the box action of any of my six lever guns, and I have Rossi, Marlin (JM and Remlin) and Winchester. Needed it to match my Cimarron SAA.

I also have one of the older Interarms Rossi's in 357, pre top mounted safety, and comparing the two side by side is amazing. That little 357 is one of my favorite riles, just a joy to shoot and does everything from mouse fart 38's to full bore magnums with ease.

The new Rossi shows much cleaner and more refined workmanship, and quite bluntly is a nicer build than the older Rossi and my 70's Winchester too. My Marlins are well built, but the Marlin action is heavier, the whole gun is beefier really. But that's half the fun of the little '92's. They're tiny, light, and easy to shoulder or carry.

A new Rossi in 357 would be tits. It's a great caliber for these little carbines, and can be pressed into deer service if needed, let alone SD.

I have 3 Rossi's from 2015 ish and two from the new CDC factory...let's start with number 1...

1) is a 24" SS .357. It would not cycle the long .357 rounds. It also had some tool marks on the top of the barrel. This was my first lever guns, if fact it was the first gun I purchased in 15 years. I sent it back to Braztec and they managed to fix without making a mess.

2) a new 44m carbine with a 16 barrel. It cycled beautiful but I couldn't hit a basket ball at 25 yards. It was all over the place and I didn't reload at the time.

3) 20" short rifle in .357. Its really a beautiful gun for a Rossi. Not one single problem other than the mag tube. It had to have been pounded in with a mallet. I can't remove it. Its a good shooter, I just hope I'll never need to remove it.

4) CDC: 20" blued finish .357 which is very beautiful. Rossi really does a good job bluing guns. The sight are both canted to the left. I don't know about assembling the barrel to the reciever. It's like the barrel was screwed in just a little too much. It cycle great and is a very accurate gun. I inspected it and shot it 3x before I noticed the barrel problem. That one is on me.

5) CDC: Same gun as #4 except in 44mag. I CAN hit a basket ball at 25 yards with this one, most of the time. I think the barrel is a little oversized. I believe its best to slug the barrel and see what I have. It's no where near accurate with my reloads.

IMO, Rossi really does a good job with the blueing. I just happened to get 5 guns that need/ needed some work.

Oh yea, You'd think I would have learned and not buy 5 of them. I was hoping they would have put out a better product from the new manufacturing plant. So yes, I'm crazy
__________________
It takes a lot of balls to play golf the way I do.
Happiness is a warm gun.

Sorry to hear about your issues, does sound like a bad run for sure.

Is 2015 your newest? My new one has a manufacture date in 2020, so I'm wondering if they've made some improvements? Maybe I lucked out, lol.
The Interarms I have is pretty ugly internally, but runs fine and shoots accurately. I guess I'm lucky, but I'd buy another Rossi today if the deal was right.

No, the 24" SS .357 was bought new in 2012. #2) the new 44 16" carbine was bought in 2014 and so was #3, the 20" short rifle. The CDC 20" .357 was bought late 2019 followed by the CDC 20" 44 in early 2020.

The sale price on the two CDC guns was $467.99 each, before tax and other from Buds.

Another thing that I didn't bring up was the rear barrel band screw. I don't know what it is with Rossi but they feel the need to over tighten that screw (#5 CDC 44 mag) this screw was over tightened and broken before I recieved the gun.  I was able to replace it from a vendor online...
NJ
I love the model 92. IMO, the 20" carbine in .357 is just about as good as it can get when it comes to a lever gun. I want the Rossi to shine as much if not more then the next guy.

That barrel band screw has been a problem for years, its not just the CDC guns. It's just stupid for this kind of problem to go from factory/shop to factory/shop.

Just to be fair, I purchased a brand new Miroku Winchester 92 short rifle in 45 long colt two years ago. Its beautiful gun but the forearm stock was loose. A day at the range made it worse. I had to send it to Missouri (somewhere back there) for repair and It was back in 10 days.

I wanted to add this link incase somebody needs a barrel band screw for their R92.
https://jack-first-gun-parts.myshopify.com/collections/rossi-92-357-lever-rifle/products/rossi-92-rear-band-screw

I have a 16" Rossi 92 in .45LC.  I have not had it long, but it has immediately become my favorite gun.  So much so that I have considered selling off my AR's and related parts to buy more lever guns.  I have not shot it enough to have any trouble.  

My comment is about the fit and finish of the gun.

My gun was the display model from PSA, so I'm sure it was fondled by hundreds of people before I bought it.  The bluing and wood are all perfect.  There is one knick in the stock that I'm pretty sure happened from being used as a display gun and it's less than 1/8th inch long and near the butt plate.  The only complaints I have about the gun are the heavy extractor spring making the action rough at the opening and closing of the bolt.  This is a known issue that a spring kit can fix and that is on my agenda to get done.  Also I personally feel that the hard corner on top of the fore end and the polyurethane finish looks cheap.  It is not a defect, but I feel that it looks cheap.  I plan to fix this by using a trim router to knock the hard corner down to a rounded profile, and then strip the wood and refinish with an oil finish.  The wood fits the gun very nicely and the polyurethane finish on the wood is very good, but the finish doesn't look as nice as an oil finish.  This is a personal preference sort of thing

I also realize that the Rossi 92 is the entry level lever gun, and these are points of concern that have been addressed with $30 worth of parts online over and over.  

$1k? Not even in consideration here. $400 or less. This is not a need. Just a paper punching toy

Good luck finding anything including a Henry .22 for $400 or less. $1000 is actually a decent priced lever action nowadays.  I don’t see any coming down until ruger is putting out Marlins again and the current panic climate relaxes a bit.

Bass Pro is selling Henry .22 lr carbines for around $300 and a few other stores by me are selling the Rossi .22lr levers and pumps for the same. I am tempted to get a Rossi, while not as classical as the Henry line-(wood furniture), the Rossi has fiber optic sights and a rail, if I remember right. The action on the Rossi feels really nice and fit and finish are spot on.

This.  Marlins being out of production right now is driving the cost up of other lever actions and inflating the market for them.  I just sold my Winchester 1886 DLX on GB a few months ago.  They were going for about $1,800 when you could find them before the pandemic.  Mine went for just over $3,000.

OP, if you want a good lever action for anywhere near that price you're probably going to be waiting until Ruger has Marlins being made again just as CaptShiess said.  Your best bet is waiting for that to happen and the prices coming back down, in which case Ruger made Marlins will likely have better QC than the Remington made guns... putting the Remington made stuff into kind of an "ugly duckling" category as they'll be less desirable with the JMs still circulating and the new Rugers out in the market.

I hope so! I hope the prices drop so much gun shops will be begging people to take them home. I'll fill my safe with them. The early Remlins sucked, but the later guns were as good or better than JM Marlins IMHO.

I've got one of what must've been the last run of 1894 CSBLs; quality on it blows away most every 1894 I've ever seen to include the years I worked a counter (but most 1894s I ever saw were historically clunky and rough, even brand new off the line).

Yeah, like has been said ad nauseam, the early ones were complete junk in Remington should have been ashamed to let those leave the factory I read about a shipment going to one dealer that lacked rifling in the barrel. Poor fitting wood and very poor finishes etc. I remember being astonished at their appearance while examining them at a gun show. I don't know when they finally got their act together, but that would be good info to store away for future purchases. My 1894 has a birthdate of October 2019 and the quality is better than any of my JM guns.

Browning also makes lever action .22's, I bought mine 25 yrs ago and it's been a fun shooter. They feature a short throw lever, or did, which is very nice. Looked at one on the lgs shelves recently, quality looks to be on par with mine.

The Browning has gone up in price lately, but it is a very well fitted rifle.  One of the best.  BL-22.



Also Marlin.

Marlin Model 57 Levermatic with Weaver K4.

Corporate culture - the fish rots from the head.

4 levers. 3 Henry's (.22, .44 brass big boy, .45-70 brass) and one Winchester 94 (70's era 30-30). My dad gave my niece my Sears .30-30 lever (a rebranded Marlin 336). I did tell her I want it back if she doesnt want it anymore.

I bought a new Rossi .357 (blue 16") for $450 a few years ago.  Later bought a new Henry Steel .357 (blue 20") for $650.  

The extra $200 for the Henry buys you better quality, fit and finish, and access to parts and service.

They both shoot quite well both with factory and reloaded .357 or .38spl.  I prefer Henry's easy painless front loading gate.
The Rossi traditional side loading gate requires some work to operate smoothly.  It is a short rifle and great for training young or small people safe gun handling and marksmanship.

The Henry would be my 1st choice for hunting or self-defense.  The Rossi is just plain FUN!

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