Lever Action for hunting/Target shooting

[kh1911]

I was looking for a lever action for hunting and recreational shooting, but i dont really know to much about lever action companies except of course winchester and henry. i was looking to spend at the highest between about $400-$500. i want something with real wood no laminate, doesnt matter if its blued or stainless, anyone got some tips?

[hornetguy]

Go to a good pawn shop and look at used Marlin leverguns. You can still find older guns (better quality) for around 300-325 dollars. I don't think you can beat an older Marlin for dependability, smoothness, and overall quallity. Most of them, unless you find a Glenfield version are walnut and blued steel.
Great guns.

[FloridaVeteran]

Do you have a caliber in mind, or a range of calibers or bullet weights? Also, are you looking for rifle caliber or pistol caliber (like .45 Colt or .357 Mag)? And are you set on a new rifle or considering a pre-owned one?

[jmr40]

Go to a good pawn shop and look at used Marlin leverguns.

Here ya go.

If you find good Winchester that is another possibility, but Marlins have been consistenty better over the years. Winchester has had good runs of guns and bad runs and it is often hard to know until you start shooting. It is rare to find an older Marlin that will give you trouble and not shoot straight.

You will get more gun for the money in 30-30. The pistol caliber guns are fine, but sell used for a premium. The 30-30 is a better chambering anyway.

[Hawg]

30-30 Winchester or Marlin. I prefer Winchester but that's just aesthetics.

[schwarzwildabknaller]

Check gun shows and shops with used rifles in stock. For $400-500 you should be able to find a Savage 99 in good condition (no rust, mirror bore, stock with no cracks) in either 300 Savage or 308 Winchester, two multipurpose hunting rounds, the latter having been derived from the former in the early 1950s. I prefer the 99C model with removable magazine, because I have been on drive hunts for boar, on which quick magazine changes can be necessary. I set up my 99C models (243, 284, 308, 358 Win.; 7mm-08 Rem.) with Williams aperture and front sights with a see-through scope mount and scope with 40 mm objective lens diameter. Fixed 4 or 6 power or variable 2-8 or 3-9 power will cover most hunting. Sight picture through either the scope or the aperture sight is excellent, as long as the buttstock is not a Monte Carlo style, which places the cheek and eye too high to use the aperture sight. With the 308 Winchester chambering, various bullet weights are suitable, 150 gr. for deer, 165 or 180 for deer and black bear. Until the Winchester round was developed, many Easter/Midwestern woods hunters swore by the 300 Savage with either 150 gr. spire point or 180 gr. round nose bullets. I handload the 180 Nosler Partition bullet in 308 Winchester, and have taken my share of deer with one-shot stops and heart area bullet placement.

[schwarzwildabknaller]

On second thought, kh1911, if you're set on a lever-action of traditional design with tube magazine, I agree with both those who prefer Marlins for design and quality and those who prefer Winchesters for esthetics. Your target price of $400-500 should get a good-quality used rifle of either brand. The only Marlins I have are a 39AS in 22 S/L/LR and a few variants of the modern-production 1895 (S, SS, XLR, LTD-V) in 45-70 Govt. I never bought a 30-30 Win. or 35 Rem., prefering the 45-70 chambering only because, depending on where I hunt, I could have tags for deer, black bear, or both, with unlimited hogs as targets of opportunity, and a scope isn't necessary in thick woods. However, with a Marlin's side ejection, scope mounting is uncomplicated for greater visilibity in low-light conditions and/or older eyes. If you find a Marlin (30-30, 356, or 375 Win.; 35 Rem.; 308, 338, 444, or 450 Marlin) drilled and tapped (on left side of the receiver, near the hammer) for a Williams or Lyman aperture sight, mounting either of these will provide a better target picture and more accurate shooting than the barrel-mounted rear iron sight. A hunting friend of mine in New England long ago mounted a Lyman aperture sight on his Marlin 336 in 35 Rem., and Remington or Winchester factory ammo with 200 gr. bullets has bagged enough deer for him.

[BLUETIP]

If someone didn't already say it, marlin tears down with one screw. Gotta love that

[10-96]

Another, and possibly overlooked, option for keeping your cost down is to look for the Ted Williams or Sears marked rifles. They are the same one's made by Marlin or Winchester- they just aren't stamped that way. They were sold... well dang, I can't think of what I'm trying to say- but they were sold to the big box stores that way. No clue why Wally World hasn't gone to something like that.

[Hawg]

The Ted Williams, Sears etc. had cheaper wood and weren't finished out as nice. I don't think manufacturers do that anymore. I think it would cost them more these days to split manufacturing to use the cheaper materials and still keep up production on the regular stuff. I know a lot of folks think Wal Mart buys cheap models but they really don't. They buy the same guns as everyone else but they buy in large enough quantities to get a better discount.

[Edward429451]

I agree with the suggestions to get a used Marlin in the Caliber of your choice. Marlins are good guns and do dis-assemble very easy.

[kai44]

I agree with the marlin. I have a .44 mag that's about 50 years old and works great and is really fun to shoot.

[ChasingWhitetail91]

I'm pretty sure most Winchester lever actions eject the shells out the top. If you can get used to coming off target to reload you should be fine but i would go with a Marlin over Winchester for hunting.

[K1500]

I like the handling and aesthetics of the Winchester over the Marlin. I have no real experience with the post 64's, but my pre 64's are real gems and good shooters.

[TylerOutdoorsman]

You can't go wrong with a Marlin 336 in 30-30 Winchester. Mine shoots 1-1/2" groups at 200 yards with Hornday Lever-Evolution ammo. Accurate and smooooooth...

[coyota1]

I am passively looking for a 30 30 carbine myself. I like the older marlins that don't have the cross bolt safety. If I happen upon a pre 64 for a good price, then I will grab it. I saw a nice solid 336 in 35 Remington, but I don't want the added recoil. I think the price tag is 350.00.

[tahunua001]

alright your calibers of choice are
30-30(generally the cheapest rifles with the best ballistics for medium game)
45-70(big bore, big game getter, stiff kick, fun as heck)
357 mag(good for deer but not really suited to anything past 100 yards)
44 mag(good for deer and smaller predators such as cougar, wolf, and black bear, also restricted by range)
45 colt(kindof in the middle of 357 and 44)
35 remington(no personal experience with this one)
32 special(hard to find, generally expensive but great for anything smaller than elk)

I own a pre-Cerberus Marlin 1894 in 44 mag that is rapidly becoming my favorite rifle to shoot. it is the only lever in my collection

my brother-in-law owned one in 32 special that was also a neat rifle but appraised at double your budget
he now owns a post-Cerberus Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and since he reloads all of his own ammo it is the most versatile rifle I've ever seen.
he has bird shot loads
round ball loads at pistol velocities
shoulder crushing hard cast 416 grain bullets
and my favorite are his "bucking balls": roundball backed with bird shot. low recoil, low volume, surprisingly good penetration and decent birdshot patterns...I kindof want a few for the 44 for home defense loads

[bamaranger]

Unless you have a substantial wallet, you won't shoot much .30-30 "recreationally". Center fire rifle ammo is expensive. If your a loader, you can do abit better, but it is still big $$$.

For fun shooting, a .22 is the way to go, and the Henry is the affordable option.

A slightly more affordable option for a more powerful dual role lever (fun and hunting) is a pistol caliber carbine, likely .357, and to load for it.

[coyota1]

How about loading for a 30 30??

[NWPilgrim]

The .30-30 brass will not reload as many times as say .308, and the .357 or .44 will reload many more times than those. The .30-30 family of brass is probably the least suited for many reloads of all the caliber options.

Reloading itself is pretty easy for the .30-30, typically using faster powders than the .308. In a lever action you will have less selection of flatnose .308" bullets than the spitzer .308 Win or multitude of .357 or .44 bullets.

For a combination of recreational shooting and hunting it is an easy call if you reload, and tougher if you do not. If you reload then the .44 Mag may be the best all around for both economy and terminal effectiveness to 100 yds at least. The .357 is even less expensive to shoot but you give up terminal energy and momentum for hunting. The .30-30 would be great for hunting but more expensive for recreation if you reload since the cases do not last as long and it uses a lot more powder than the .44.

If you do not reload then the .44 can be expensive to feed, about the same as the .30-30 or maybe a little more for hunting. The .357 would be the best for non-reloader recreation shooting since you can shoot the less expensive .38 special or still fairly cheap .357 mag.

[coyota1]

I didn't know 30 30 was not as suitable for reloading. Why exactly?

[Axelwik]

For a general, multi-purpose rifle my vote is a lever action Marlin. Mine is a 45-70. For longer ranges I also have a bolt gun in 270 Winchester (also a Marlin).

[UtopiaTexasG19]

No one said the 30-30 was not suitable to re-load. I have been casting and re-loading 30-30 for 42 years and my Marlin 336 in 30-30 is my favorite rifle. What someone above said was in his experience the 30-30 brass was not reloadable as many times as some other calibers.

[coyota1]

I asked why it wasn't AS suitable.

[hulley]

I'd say marlin 336 30-30 would the gun. I bought this 1969 model earlier this year for $269 and its in very good shape and shoots well.