My Boys Want a Lever Action

[General RE LEE]

My 11 and 14 year old learned about lever actions in their hunter safety training.

Are Marlin 336s worth a dang anymore with Remington going belly up?

Should I get a Henry?

 

[Hand Skills]

Lots of Marlin and Henry fans out there, nothing wrong with them.

Personally I would look for a good used win 94 or savage 99.

Browning BLR is a pretty safe way to go too - it's more like a lever operated bolt gun. They are a little heavier, but have a detachable magazine and a really good reputation for accuracy.

 

[Idaho Lefty]

I like,.. the Tube Fed, SIDE EJECT,.. HENRY's in, 44 Mag. All Weather for, ME !
Skip, the side load chit, as it's a PITA to load, that way, fingers pinched and another "slot" to get, Dirt / krap in !
The .44 Mag. Henry, looks awesome for, close range Deer Hunting with, shots to about,.. 150 Yards, using a 2 x 7 scope !
After much reading of, many reviews,.. I'm convinced it's about,.. "As GOOD as,.. IT gets" !
The 1-20 Twist, is Perfect for, MOST .44 Mag Bullets, too !
ALL I need to do now is, convince myself that,.. I "need" another, Rifle !

 

[CMP70306]

Depends on what you are doing with it, if you are just looking for a smooth shooting, light recoiling rifle look at something like the Winchester 1873. I have one in .45 colt and it is a hoot to shoot though they can also be had in .38/.357. Henry also makes a few rifles in pistol cartridges and even .22 LR.

If you are looking for a hunting gun you could look at some of the large frame Henry's, the Browning BLR or wait a bit as Ruger will be offering new Marlins in the future as the get the product line up and running.

I personally just picked up a Chiappa 1886, it is in .45-70 with a case hardened frame, walnut furniture and a threaded barrel. Should make a fun little gun to shoot suppressed with light loads.

 

[kmcclain]

I have a Marlin Model 36 30-30 made in 1946, a 1977 Marlin 336 in 35 Rem, a 2006 Marlin 1895 Cowboy in 45-70, a 1894 Cowboy in 45 Colt and a 1913 Winchester 1894 in 30-30. The Marlin 1894 Cowboy 45 Colt is my favorite of all of them by far. The Winchester 94 kicks like a mule even though it just a 30-30. It is very handy, but very light. But it does have a steel butt-plate. But If I was buying a new one right now it would be a Henry. They will warranty it if it has problems. And they are nice guns. Ruger isn't warranting the Marlins at this point.

 

[Ckgworks]

Lots of Marlin and Henry fans out there, nothing wrong with them.

Personally I would look for a good used win 94 or savage 99.

Browning BLR is a pretty safe way to go too - it's more like a lever operated bolt gun. They are a little heavier, but have a detachable magazine and a really good reputation for accuracy.

What he said.......
I really like the Win 94 and older 336 in 44 mag that I have handled and shot.

 

[General RE LEE]

Light recoil deer gun shots under 200. I was thinking 30-30

 

[xsn10s]

I just sold a Win 94 earlier this year. With the plastic recoil pad they aren't that "light" recoiling. But I prefer Winchesters and Marlins. Only problem with the older Marlin 30-30 was the Micro groove barrels. They are fine with jacketed bullets. They can get fouled up bad with lead bullets. However for a cool factor lever actions are hard to beat!

 

[Calvin45]

Light recoil deer gun shots under 200. I was thinking 30-30

This is probably what half the people on this forum learned to shoot on as far as centerfire rifles go

 

[Ol' Red]

It really depends on what you are using the rifle for. Like Calvin45 said, many people, including myself learned to shoot centerfire on 30-30 rifles. I have a Savage 99C in .308 win and a Browning BLR in .243 that are good for coyotes, pronghorn and deer within reasonable range. If they are target shooting or small game hunting a Marlin or Henry in .22 through .357 would work good. Lever actions are just fun to shoot!

 

[xsn10s]

A student of ours brought in a Browning BLR in 308 Win. It was an accurate rifle!

 

[Tom Erickson]

I have a Henry .17HMR fun little gun. I'm looking at a browning lever in a .243 lots of good choices all depends on what you want To hunt

 

[DJ Fergus]

My 11 and 14 year old learned about lever actions in their hunter safety training.

Are Marlin 336s worth a dang anymore with Remington going belly up?

Should I get a Henry?

Nothing at all wrong with them. I had a 336 35 Remington. It would shoot 150gr core lokt ammo into a 1.25" three shot group regularly. Never gave me one problem in the 25 years that I owned it.

 

[asd9055]

I have a Marlin 336 in 30-30. I think it is a fun gun. It should be fun for your boys. But any of the ones others suggested would be fine as well. To me a lever gun is fun gun to have