Lever Action gaining in popularity?

[kokopelli]

I think a lot of people are getting over the whole mall Ninja Tactical fad and remembering what a good, old fashioned, reliable gun the lever actions are.

I just ordered a new stainless 16" Rossi 92 in 45 Colt from my guy on Monday after seeing a used one in the shop in a 20". I've had a couple other levers over the years and the 92 is my favorite. Not much you can't do with one- hunting, target, home defense, etc...

[buffalo]

I have several Winchester leverguns and just a few weeks ago got a Rossi 92 16" 45lc and despite the horrible stories i have heard about Rossi the gun is awesome,no feeding trouble and the lever is pretty darn smooth. I like tinkering so i am going to slick it up some but also plan on getting one in 45-70 and 44mag now. My fondness for leverguns comes from thier reliability and growing up watching John Wayne movies with my grandpa,to me leverguns are a symbol of America.

[QuarterHorse]

I just ordered a new stainless 16" Rossi 92 in 45 Colt from my guy on Monday after seeing a used one in the shop in a 20". I've had a couple other levers over the years and the 92 is my favorite. Not much you can't do with one- hunting, target, home defense, etc...

Could you message me the shop info?

[us.marine]

I believe lever guns are great. Yes, AR rifles are cool but I don't understand why there is so much attraction to the "tactical" guns for people that have no tactical/military training whatsoever. I guess the concept of personal choices applies there. Personally, i own a pistol cartridge carbine, because I am tired of dealing with tactical m16s and m4 carbines. Plus, I believe big caliber guns are the best for home defense. Whoever home-invading dirtbag I shoot with a 300g .45 bullet is not standing up again. Apart from that, lever guns are simple, attractive and fun to shoot! I get compliments on my Henry every time I go to the range. Maybe there is still a cowboy in me.

[Creek Henry]

I just think people are buying more of all types of guns. Put it down to affluencey and fear but lever guns are not going out of style.

[Rumpelhardt]

I'd almost be willing to bet that there are more lever guns per capita here than any other state. if there was such a thing as a State gun the 94Winchester in 30-30 would be Maine's. Having said that i must confess that I have never owned one. Borrowed one a couple times but I have always preferred a bolt action. I have always found the Model 92 style Rossi's in 44 Magnum to be intriguing but stories of poor quality from various sources have kept me away.

[Salmoneye]

Those are some great pics.

Darn right they are!

Thanks for sharing, Sheik!

[Striker1]

I've owned a EMF Model 92 20" carbine in .357 for about 8 years and never had any problems. Light weight, holds 10 rds and is accurate for me out to 100 yds or so.

Great little rifle IMO.

[TX Hunter]

I have re discovered my love for the Lever Action and am tricking mine out a little. Over the winter I hunted Hogs with some young Houndsmen, three of them used Winchester 94s and one used a Rossi Carbine, they looked at me a little strange when I showed up with a Yugo Mauser. LOL

[ATPBULLETS]

Great Pics..... thanks for sharing...

[Jack O'Conner]

Some guys are hooked on plastic stocked bolt action rifles. But thousands of hunters still enjoy hunting with their walnut stocked leverguns. This Marlin is chambered in 444 which is a real powerhouse!

Jack

[KnightofCydonia]

Hi,

Finally got somewhere nice while looking for black bear to take some pictures of my new to me Savage 99C in .308. Hiked up a logging road to the very top, looks like a forest fire burned everything down, it was really eery up there and super quiet. Lots of signs of bear and deer though.

This gun is a dream to carry at the receiver, it fills your hand and the smooth contours are easy to grasp. I like it more than the Marlin/Winny slab sided receivers. It balances well too and comes to the shoulder quick. No scope for this rifle, maybe a peep sight on the back, but with the stock iron sights, this rifle was plenty accurate for hunting.

[Comanche]

Fell in love with lever guns once I bought a winchester model 94AE which was my primary deer rifle that never let me down.

Since Then I have become very affectionate to Marlin lever guns and scored a model 336RC 30-30, a .444 XLR and a.308 MXLR.

As far as accuracy and incredible ballistics The .308 MXLR is by far my favorite not to mention a work of art to look at.











Can't wait to get some leather buttstock sleeves with bullet loops to dress them up even further.

Silver scope on the .444 is just sitting there upside down in the pic since I was in the process of mounting it.

I know some guys frown on putting scopes on lever rifles but after getting burned for not being able to see deer in low light or in heavy cover I have come to find that a quality scope can help you get shots you never thought possible.

I nailed one with a heart shot in heavy cover as it was ducking behind some trees and moving an inch at a time in a very shadowed area.
I would have never made that shot with open sights let alone been able to even see the deer in there but the leupold scope made it so easy it was almost wrong.

[III-Percent]

I think a lot of people are getting over the whole mall Ninja Tactical fad and remembering what a good, old fashioned, reliable gun the lever actions are.

I wish you were right, however, I went into my LGS a few weeks back and saw a "tactical" lever action complete with composite instead of wood, a collapsible stock and rail system. There were about 10 guys standing around the guy holding it oohing and awwing at that travesty of a firearm haha. My grandfather would be rolling in his grave if I even held that damn thing. I wanted to find whoever made it and cuff up upside the head, personally.

Also read an article about how the .30-30 is the new "tactical" round and that lever action .30-30's are "one of the best" firearms for home defense - blah blah blah and they went on as if you would soon be seeing lever action .30-30's back on the battlefield.

Personally, I have a pre-'64 Winchester .30-30 and love it. Their classics, fun to shoot, and I love most any rifle with a wood stock. Wouldn't dream of trading that wood stock for polymer and a rail system, but, to each their own I suppose.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

got a couple, & love them... the pistol caliber guns are a new departure for me, since I started CAS... however either the 38 / 357, or the 45 Colt, have quickly become a couple of my favorites...

[Colt46]

Found a stainless, rossi, '92 too cheap to pass up in .45 colt and took a chance. I love it. Accurate, hard hitting and handy. Short and lightweight. It goes everywhere.

[salvadore]

Here's my Tanker 94. I also shoot a 39A, 32/20 94CL, an Uberti short rifle deluxe and shoot them all with my cast bullets....welll...not the 39A.

[QuarterHorse]

It's rediculas, I've got two shops with orders in to their supplierse trying to find me the SS Rossi I'm after.

The Marlin 1895SBL in 45-70 is on my "gotta have it" list too.

[8MM Mauser]

I never really got the point of lever guns to be honest. Bolts are usually more accurate, semis shoot faster.

Then I held a well-used Winchester 94 at Cabelas a couple weeks ago. I get it, it handles like a dream. I love my Mauser but that gun made it seem clunky by comparison. It was honestly hard to put it down!

Almost needless to say; a decent lever gun is somewhere in my future...

[osbornk]

I never really got the point of lever guns to be honest. Bolts are usually more accurate, semis shoot faster.

It's because many of us of a "certain age" have always wanted a revolver and rifle that looks like the guns we saw in the cowboy movies and shows we watched as kids. Both my "cowboy" revolver and rifle are 22lr because I wanted to shoot them affordably and often. I have larger guns for more serious shooting.

[csmsss]

For me, the charm of lever guns is that they are the ultimate utilitarian rifle. Notwithstanding some of the beautiful examples above, for the most part the lever gun is one you throw in the trunk of your car or behind the seat of your truck, have with you at all times, and pretty much never pamper or baby. It's there when you need it, never complains or is picky about ammo, and you never expect more of it than it can deliver (ie few, if any of us, demand 1 MOA accuracy from any lever gun).

It's just what you need, when you need it.

[jmr40]

I don't really think they are any more popular. If anything I think they are in decline overall. Marlins quailtiy has been down recently and Winchester's have been out or production for a while. Except for some high end Japanese imports. I think some guys are starting to look for other options. Guns such as the Rossi are filling the gap. They may be having trouble meeting demand, but I still don't think that demand is nearly what it was 30 years ago.

There are roughly 14 million used Marlin and Winchesters out there. Any of those are my prefered choice.

[Keg]

There are roughly 14 million used Marlin and Winchesters out there. Any of those are my prefered choice.

I agree with this.....

K of C....I like those pics.....

[KnightofCydonia]

Thanks Keg,

I went to Cabelas and looked at some nice lever guns on the used rack.

The Winchester 1895 was a beast, solid, crescent buttplate, solid action, heavy at the receiver, but balanced well.

Remlin 1895 45/70 Govt were ok.. the fit of the stock to receiver was bad.

Savage 99's Pre-60s were slick, they feel heavier than mine built in the 70s, probably due to the extra weight of the internal magazine.

Winchester 1892 was awesome, I'd like to pick up a Rossi 92 or Marlin 1894 to get into shooting pistol ammunition.

Marlin 1895 is also in the works.

As for lever action 22's, didn't see a 39a, 9422, or Henry.

The Browning BLR didn't tickle my fancy, gloss stocks, and just stylized angles of the receiver didn't make it feel like 'apple pie' so to speak.

[Scrumbag]

About to pick up my first lever gun today: Winchester 9422

Hoping it'll compliment my S&W17.

One way to find out