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Posted: 11/19/2008 6:12:07 PM EDT
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Hey guys,
Was hoping someone here could recommend a good lever action model. Thinking 30-30 or 30-06. Maybe Marlin? Not too fond of the new Winchesters. I think the pre-company sold version's action is by far nicer. Thanks, JG |
| I'm a Winchester guy, so I'll always recommend them. One of mine is the 16" Trapper model, standard top eject. It's a great all-around "plinking" rifle. The other is a 24" 94AE model, so mounting a scope on it would be easier. Both are 30-30's. If you know you are gonna scope it from the beginning, then you may be better served by a Marlin. My father bought a NIB 336 probably 40 some years ago and still has it. It's a great rifle as well. |
Well I have marlin myself. Given to me by my mother when I turned 8 years old for christmas. Sighted in that day and took an 8 point the next.
Also own a marlin 1894 cowboy compition. Good rifle but will only shoot lead bullet well due to the rifling setup. Marlin 336 model is the best action out there right now for 30-30 and can take a scope. It's what I got 37 years with no issues. You can get a winchester model 95(i think thats the model) in 06 but it is costly and hard to find. Last one I saw was a plane jane that had an 1100 buck price tag. Browning makes a good lever their BLR in 06. pricey Other levers on the used market- Savage model 99- look for either the 300 sav or 308 with the rotery mag and shell counter. This puts the rifle in the manufacturing time frame where quality was real good. Mine is in 300savage. Granddad's rifle I inherited. Butter smooth action and shoots .5 inch groups all day with federal. Winchester 88 in 308= hard to find due to the quality of the pre 64 models, people will not part with them easily. |
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Well I have marlin myself. Given to me by my mother when I turned 8 years old  for christmas. Sighted in that day and took an 8 point the next.
Also own a marlin 1894 cowboy compition. Good rifle but will only shoot lead bullet well due to the rifling setup. Marlin 336 model is the best action out there right now for 30-30 and can take a scope. It's what I got 37 years with no issues. You can get a winchester model 95(i think thats the model) in 06 but it is costly and hard to find. Last one I saw was a plane jane that had an 1100 buck price tag. Browning makes a good lever their BLR in 06. pricey Other levers on the used market- Savage model 99- look for either the 300 sav or 308 with the rotery mag and shell counter. This puts the rifle in the manufacturing time frame where quality was real good. Mine is in 300savage. Granddad's rifle I inherited. Butter smooth action and shoots .5 inch groups all day with federal. Winchester 88 in 308= hard to find due to the quality of the pre 64 models, people will not part with them easily. hookem, you are the man. Thank you. Did not know Savage made a good LA. I love their bolt actions for out of the box hunting rifles. Have a 22-250 and 270 win both with their accutrigger. Great rifles out of box. It's a shame it's no longer in production. I suppose Marlin it is for me. Thanks guys for replies. Cheers, Justin |
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Unless you need to regularly reach out past 200 yards, I'd recomment a Marlin 1895 in whatever configuration appeals to you. Factory loads tend to run mild (e.g. 405gr bullet at 1300fps) to VERY hot (e.g. 350-400gr bullets at/above 2000fps). Handloading will cover this range as well as give you the option of powder-puff plinking loads –– a 405gr cast bullet at 1100fps is nice for punching paper...
Another option would be a Marlin 1894 in 44 Mag –– easy on the shoulder and lots of fun. |
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I've got a 336 in .30-30.
Lever Revolution ammo brings the old lever rifles into a whole new playing field. The 336 is cheap... really, really cheap. You can get one new for under $400 or pick up one of the million used ones out there. They are great rifles... except for the standard sights 
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I have a Marlin 336C in .30-30, put the XS sights on it and it is a dream to shoot. I shoot it more than I do my AR. Wal-mart ammo for fun, Hornady Leverevolution for serious stuff. Easy to mount a scope to if needed but I just use irons for now. Dang it, there seems to be a resurgence in lever discussion around here, and each time I hear this kind of thing I am a little closer to blowing money on one..... |
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Unless you need to regularly reach out past 200 yards, I'd recomment a Marlin 1895 in whatever configuration appeals to you. Factory loads tend to run mild (e.g. 405gr bullet at 1300fps) to VERY hot (e.g. 350-400gr bullets at/above 2000fps). Handloading will cover this range as well as give you the option of powder-puff plinking loads –– a 405gr cast bullet at 1100fps is nice for punching paper... Another option would be a Marlin 1894 in 44 Mag –– easy on the shoulder and lots of fun. What he said......+1 |
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I have a Marlin 1894S in 44 Mag. The previous owner must have dipped in the blood of each deer he killed with it as the stains on the bluing were pretty bad. I got the rifle from him for $100.
I stripped at and parkerized it and then black powdercoated it. Looks great. Shoots 240g XTP handloads like a dream. |
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You may want to take a look at the Mossberg 464. It has similar styling to the Winchester (top eject) but in a modern design. I am thinking hard about picking one up.
"...Now comes the new Model 464 .30-30 lever-action rifle from O.F. Mossberg & Sons––a gun that faithfully evokes the traditional look, feel, and appeal of the traditional Winchester while also incorporating several unobtrusive refinements and design improvements that make it worthy of any 21st-century shooter and hunter...." More info: http://www.shootingtimes.com/longgun_reviews/ST_mossbergmodel464_200806/ |
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Marlin
They have lots of history and experience behind them and the prices on these right now are excellent. The Brownings are nice, but to me, browning means hunting cal semi auto or fancy bolt gun. The winnies are nice, but the new ones are NOT the rifle the old ones were. I have a marlin 39A .22 that is just tons of fun to shoot. To me it is more fun for plinking than a 10/22 ever will be. It will hold 26 rounds of .22Short and fire every one without jamming. The only real downside of levers are the typically poor sights compared to bolt guns. A good scope will make all the difference, or better yet, a tang-mounted peep sight is a lot of fun and nearly as accurate as any other proper bolt action with a diopter that I have shot. |
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I have a Browning BLR in .308
It's a beautiful rifle and accuracy is excellent. My wife has a Winchester model 94 and I had a Marlin 336. The browning is far superior but it isn't a "traditional" lever action. If I were looking for a lever action just to have a lever action I'd go with the Marlin. |
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Unless you need to regularly reach out past 200 yards, I'd recomment a Marlin 1895 in whatever configuration appeals to you. Factory loads tend to run mild (e.g. 405gr bullet at 1300fps) to VERY hot (e.g. 350-400gr bullets at/above 2000fps). Handloading will cover this range as well as give you the option of powder-puff plinking loads –– a 405gr cast bullet at 1100fps is nice for punching paper... Another option would be a Marlin 1894 in 44 Mag –– easy on the shoulder and lots of fun. What he said......+1 Heck yes a Marlin in 45-70 does it all in from 4 +1 shot giude guns to cowboy action 9 +1 shooters 
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In my opinion, anything outside of a pistol cartridge makes a lever gun a pain in the ass. The physical effort involved in cycling the lever over 90 degrees is a waste of energy...all for what - owning a lever gun?
For larger cartridges like the 06, they're better suited for bolt actions or semi autos such as the Remmy 7400/7600. YMMV. Proud owner of a Marlin 1894 44mag and Marlin 336. |
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I've been thinking about a .357 lever gun, but was wondering how to mount an aimpoint on this platform? Any thoughts? Bolt on rails are readily available. Be careful what you get. Marlins and Winchesters should be drilled and tapped, but I have a 16" Rossi .357 and it is not. If you want to add optics, make sure you check first. |
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Any of the Marlins or Winchesters if you can find one for a good deal as they have really spiked in price after the production halt. I have the 1895 Guide gun in the 45/70 caliber with a stainless finish and a Legacy Sports Puma that is a companion gun to mt Freedom Arms model 83, this rifle will share the 45 LC and 454 rounds with my pistol and provide an option with a SHTF scenario and condensing the carry weapons into shared calibers. |
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A marlin 189X in 357 mag is a really nice low key/PC assault rifle. re: .357mag lever/PC assault rifle I've mentioned this is a couple other threads lately and I completely agree. Thats why I bought my Rossi .357 lever rifle, that and it was a good deal
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In my opinion, anything outside of a pistol cartridge makes a lever gun a pain in the ass. The physical effort involved in cycling the lever over 90 degrees is a waste of energy...all for what - owning a lever gun? For larger cartridges like the 06, they're better suited for bolt actions or semi autos such as the Remmy 7400/7600. YMMV. Proud owner of a Marlin 1894 44mag and Marlin 336. Physical effort? I dont find it very difficult to work the lever on my Marlin GG 45/70 |
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In my opinion, anything outside of a pistol cartridge makes a lever gun a pain in the ass. The physical effort involved in cycling the lever over 90 degrees is a waste of energy...all for what - owning a lever gun? For larger cartridges like the 06, they're better suited for bolt actions or semi autos such as the Remmy 7400/7600. YMMV. Proud owner of a Marlin 1894 44mag and Marlin 336. Physical effort? I dont find it very difficult to work the lever on my Marlin GG 45/70 clap clap clap |
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In my opinion, anything outside of a pistol cartridge makes a lever gun a pain in the ass. The physical effort involved in cycling the lever over 90 degrees is a waste of energy...all for what - owning a lever gun? For larger cartridges like the 06, they're better suited for bolt actions or semi autos such as the Remmy 7400/7600. YMMV. Proud owner of a Marlin 1894 44mag and Marlin 336. Physical effort? I dont find it very difficult to work the lever on my Marlin GG 45/70 clap clap clap I'll see your clap clap clap and raise you clap clap clap clap clap clap Sides 45/70s in bolt rifles is stewpid 
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I've had just a couple of the rifles mentioned.
Winchester 94 .45 Colt- It was a nice enough gun, but really didn't do anything for me. Kinda...sloppy feeling all around, and I hated the excessive lever stroke required to chamber pistol cartridges. Sold this one off about six months ago, and don't really miss it. Not to bag on all Winchester '94's. I have one in 38-55 that is a blast to shoot, and extremely well made. Puma .45 Colt- had two of them. One carbine, one rifle. Carbine was VERY well done, smooth handling, excellent fit and finish, straight shooting, good handling, etc. Rifle is decent. Not quite as nice as the carbine was, but still better than the Winchester. It's based on a model 92 action, which was designed for shorter, pistol length cartridges. The tang safety is much nicer than the hammer block safety on the forementioned Winchester. A nice enough gun, but I think if I were buying another one, it would be in person, due to seemingly spotty QC. Marlin 1894 .357 Dayum I miss this one! well made, rugged, smooth, accurate as hell, cheap, plentiful ammunition, versatility, and it really developed alot of smoke for a pistol cartridge. Had this one growing up. I traded it to my brother who traded it to my father who traded it outside of the family.  One day, I hope to own another one.
Marlin 1895 45/70- The current crown jewel of my gun safe. beaten, scratched, rusty, and still smooth, accurate, and reliable as ever. Living in Alaska, it makes me feel warm and cozy to have a rifle capable of killing living creature on planet Earth. I love it's versatility and ability to shoot caribou (and have plenty of good meat left) up to p!ssed off bears, or bipeds. Mine is one of the older ones, with a 22" bbl, and pistol grip. I've got no interest in a shorter bbl. or a straight grip. It feels good as it is, remains reasonably compact, and I like the longer sight radius and increased muzzle burn. love 'em all, just some more than others.
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