I have been wanting to buy a lever action for the past 4 years and I have some extra income so went looking around and now have a few questions if anyone can help? First this weapon is going to mostly be used as a Ranch gun carried around for snakes and hogs. She wants it to be 357 mag like her wheel gun and also I cast and reload for both 357/38. She is short so I'm also looking at sticking with a 16 or 18" barrel. I have seen a lot of lever guns for sale. I'm not looking for some Henry/Winchester rifle that's going to cost my $1k+. Are there any companies that I should stay away from? Issues with the weapons? Not looking for anything fancy at all I will add that the wife said she does want a red dot optic on it . Thanks
Henry is a great choice, reasonably priced and will likely out last you! Marlin, now a part of Ruger, have aways been a solid choice, many folks ( My self included) prefer the grip of the marlin, though you can also get the strait grip as well. Winchester are the gold standard of Lever actions, they don't need any words one way or the other, you ether know, or....... Rossi, a very good choice, most are copies of the Winchester/Henry designs, but somewhat improved and an excellent value for what they are, and because they are inexpensive, they make perfect truck guns. That's about the size of it, you really cannot go wrong with any of these choices, and your caliber is not going to leave you wanting, unless you also plan to hunt, then you might want to step up to the .30/30. Note here, IF your encountering Hogs on a regular basis, you really need a more potent Rifle Caliber, with .30/30 being the least I would ever consider! Something harder hitting might be better, like a .458 Winchester! Just sayin, hogs are TOUGH to kill, might need to weigh that in making a decision on which rifle to get! Where things get interesting: Savage Mod 99's can be had in most modern calibers ( Not sure if they were ever offered in pistol calibers though) and would make an AWESOME rifle to have. Taurus makes the Circuit Judge, a modern take on my all time fav. the Colt 1855's only cool in their own way! The beauty of the CIrcuit Judge is Caliber, both .45 Colt at FULL rifle spec, AND, .410 shot shells, which add to the versatility in a very compact and light little Carbine that handles exceptionally well, and are lightning quick, might just be the slickest option outside the Lever Action requirement, just tossing that out there as an option you might not know about! Those little Taurus Carbines catch a lot of folks off guard, not realizing just how slick and handy they are! Now, if you were looking for the ultimate in Lever actions, that would be the Winchester 1895 series from FN, Winchester, and Browning, John Browning last rifle design and a fitting end to his legacy! My all time fav, Go to Lever action! Rifle Calibers ONLY, and the most powerful calibers of their time too!
Spend the coin on a Henry X model 38/357 and don't look back...fun as hell and you will never regret it...just buy it!
URa-KI lays out some nice lever-guns but he's also a ba-ka-zillion-air, I think Elon has to borrow cash from him every so often for walk around coin?
I'd personally go for a 45/70 and utilize it for the wide range of loads you can go with, even if you may only load for .357/.38 currently. I think the Marlin may be a little over $1,000, but Rossi makes one under $800 and Henry has one around the same price. A set of Lee dies for it is cheap as chips, the brass is easier to locate and the bullets are everywhere. Plus, way better ballistics and versatility. I dunno, YMMV.
I was going to chime in as well, but you gents have covered it well. I just wanted to point out that adding a red dot may limit choices somewhat.
One of the most nifty parts of the .45/70 is that you can load the brass with Shot just like a normal shot shell, so you have that advantage over most other rifles/calibers! Not sure if they can handle .410 shot shells, maybe single loaded, but would be pretty slick if they can! Another nifty deal with .45/70 is the ability to down load it AND use black powder, making nifty little low powered loads for close in work! I run Marlins exclusively ( not to mention the Sharps replicas) in this chambering, a very versatile rifle to have close at hand! I usually carry my XLR in/on the tractors and other equipment, never know when I might run into Mr. Grizz or his buddies, Mr. Catamount, and Mr Wolfie! We don't have wild pigs up here, but plenty of other large critters, and especially large predators, so I need the power!
Ha, not even close, if I had Elon's money, I'd thrown mine away! Besides, like Elon, I built my meager fortune the hard way, from Nothing, and now I'm retired and enjoying my sweat equity! It also helps the Wife is a hot shot surgeon who makes way more they I ever did!
Picked up two Henry lever guns a year ago .30-30 X-Model and .45-70 All Weather. A year later I am not even a little bit disappointed with either.
