[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Lever Gun question (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 5/1/2012 6:21:21 PM EDT
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what caliber lever gun should i get 
toss up between 45 long colt or 44-40. |
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You don't say what you want to do with it. We could be more helpful if we had more information.
Also think about the .44 Magnum if you are going to hunt with it. It runs at a higher pressure than the .45 LC, and out performs it. The .44-40 is a pain in the ass to reload because the brass is so thin. PS: You will get so much frigging advice here that your head will explode. |
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If it's just between those 2 calibers, I'd say .45 Colt
Personally, I'm looking for one in .357mag first...then maybe I'll branch out to .44mag, or .45 Colt. (.45 Colt with "+P" loads would be a hoot! Might be worth investing in a .454 Casull levergun from Rossi to make sure it can handle the pressure, though.) |
.250 Savage  . Why? The Savage 99s had this totally awesome rotary magazine with external round count. Get one with a 1:12" or 1:10" twist rate so 100 grain bullets are accurate. Very beautiful rifles, accurate and about the perfect deer rifle with modern bullets. Sadly, mine is a 1:14" twist because Art Savage wanted 3000 FPS bullets in 1917 when this rifle was made. But with Hornady 87 grain (not a misprint) bullets, it is a reliable deer rifle. |
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Quoted: .250 Savage . Why? The Savage 99s had this totally awesome rotary magazine with external round count. Get one with a 1:12" or 1:10" twist rate so 100 grain bullets are accurate. Very beautiful rifles, accurate and about the perfect deer rifle with modern bullets. Sadly, mine is a 1:14" twist because Art Savage wanted 3000 FPS bullets in 1917 when this rifle was made. But with Hornady 87 grain (not a misprint) bullets, it is a reliable deer rifle. My dad has a feather weight savage 99 in 250-3000 |
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Depends on what you want it for.
Of the two you mentioned the .45 Colt is the better choice. If all you are going to do is plinking then maybe a lessor expensive round might be the right choice. If you want to hunt I'd recommend the .44 mag. Personally in lever actions, I own a Marlin 1895 45-70, Marlin 1894 .45 Colt, and a Marlin 1895 .44 Mag. Granted, with the exception of the 45-70 mine are all pistol calibers, so again - what do you want it for? |
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If your reload, get whatever you want.
.45-70 can be loaded mild to wild. .45LC is a great cartridge for levers and Revolvers, very American. .357mag is probably the cheapest to shoot and reload and it benefits from the longer barrel for improved ballistics. I'd personally go with a Marlin series lever action, preferably not a newer "RemLin" specimen. |
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45LC.
You can buy high pressure loads like those offered from Buffalo Bore if you don't reload. From a Barnes 225gn XPB solid copper HP @ 1500fps to a 325gn lead flat nose travelling at 1,300fps/1270+ ft/lbs muzzle energy, the +P .45LC loads are great medium sized game thumpers.(Think those are pistol length barrel numbers too) Expensive though, you are much better off spending a few hundred bucks buying some reloading gear. Then you can make a practice light load that matches point of impact with your heavy loads. 
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: 30-30 so you can buy ammo at any Walmart...and it gets cheaper right after hunting season closes.  As much as I love all those other calibers, this is the correct answer. Unless all you want it for is plinking, then it's too expensive.... If you want a plinker, get a 22LR. |
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30-30 so you can buy ammo at any Walmart...and it gets cheaper right after hunting season closes. As much as I love all those other calibers, this is the correct answer. Unless all you want it for is plinking, then it's too expensive.... If you want a plinker, get a 22LR. Unless you want a nice lever action that do both plinking and hunting depending on how you load it....
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Quoted:
You don't say what you want to do with it. We could be more helpful if we had more information. Also think about the .44 Magnum if you are going to hunt with it. It runs at a higher pressure than the .45 LC, and out performs it. The .44-40 is a pain in the ass to reload because the brass is so thin. PS: You will get so much frigging advice here that your head will explode. Ross Seyfried on .45 Colt. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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What is OP going to use it for?
If I were going to be hunting, I'd like a Marlin .336 in 35 Rem. Probably order components and dies and load my own, too. For fun, I'd get a .357. Hell, even in .357, you can get some pretty heavy bullets and make some pretty stout loads. |
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What caliber? I really depends what you want to do with it.
If you want it practical: 45-70 or 30-30. If you want it practical AND in a revolver cartridge: 44 Magnum or 357 Magnum. If you are quasi traditional 45 Colt. If you are a true purest of the Wild West then it would be in 44-40 (the rim of the original 45 Colt was too narrow for the cartridge to be used in Lever Actions. the cartridge that "won" the west was the 44-40) |
