First lever action for mostly plinking

[Bigeclipse]

I know this is a long range forum but I value everyone's opinion here. I have never owned a lever action and I'm looking to buy one. Of course when I personally think of a lever I think 30-30 so that was originally what I was going to get but now I'm contemplating a pistol cartridge such as a 357 or a 44mag because the chance this gun would ever do hunting is slim and none and I'd just use it to plunk at the range. What are your thoughts on this? What model lever guns should I look into? I don't want to break the bank on this one. Thanks!

 

[Gwine]

I've got a Henry in 45lc that runs pretty smooth and is fun to shoot. Very little recoil, kids enjoy shooting it.

 

[milo-2]

Big Boy Rifles | Henry Repeating Arms

Back when the West was still wild, a lever action rifle in the saddle and a revolver on the hip was the loadout of choice for putting meat on the table, surviving the night, and serving up frontier justice to put outlaws behind bars. Though the West was tamed and fenced long ago, its spirit...

www.henryusa.com

I NEED one too, lol
I like the steel, but the silver is talking to me, 357 mag.

 

[WildRose]

I know this is a long range forum but I value everyone's opinion here. I have never owned a lever action and I'm looking to buy one. Of course when I personally think of a lever I think 30-30 so that was originally what I was going to get but now I'm contemplating a pistol cartridge such as a 357 or a 44mag because the chance this gun would ever do hunting is slim and none and I'd just use it to plunk at the range. What are your thoughts on this? What model lever guns should I look into? I don't want to break the bank on this one. Thanks!

Pistol caliber LA's actually make a lot of sense and the 44m, 45LC in particular make excellent short range hunting rounds as well. Just figure that even for deer sized game 50-75yds should probably be your upper limit.

The .444m and 45-70 aren't cheap to shoot and neither is lacking for recoil but they make outstanding short range game cartridges suitable for any game in North America. Marlin also did a substantial run in .338 Marlin Express which is an excellent round as well and it pretty well mirrors the 30-06 ballistically for about 500 yards.

The older JM stamped Marlins as well as the most recently produced Marlins are excellent rifles. There were a few years after the move however where they had some fairly serious QC issues.

The Henry's are pricey but excellent rifles.

 

[Deputy819]

There were a few years after the move however where they had some fairly serious QC issues.

Yep, pretty sure I fell victim to one of those a while back. Levers are fun though for sure!

Excessive Headspace.....for reference.

Picked up a Marlin .30-30 a couple weeks ago for fun and hunting in heavy timber/cover (never owned one before) and it's currently on the way back to Marlin/Remington. Scoped it, bore-sighted it and noticed bulged primers right off the bat. Didn't even make it through a box of Factory ammo...

www.longrangehunting.com

 

[357Mag]

Bigeclipse -

Howdy !

I've owned and shot an 1894SC .357Mag, and M1895 .45-70, a M-336 .35 Remington; and currently a CT-made M-336 XLR .35Rem

The .35 Rem's have been the most versatile to shoot. I have not used them for hunting live game, but for informal shooting and
accuracy load / target work.

The .35 Rem case had ideal case capacity for .358" cal ( IMHO ), which puts potential powder choices squarely on the zone of benchrest powders like H4198,H4895, H322, LT-30, LT-32 Benchmark; VV-133 et al.

My XLR shoots just stupid accurate using reduced loads. 14.5gr of Trailboss will completely fill the case, under Rem 150 PSPs.
SR4759 loads in the 18.6gr range have shot very well for me, and recoil is more than acceptable for shooting off a bench.

Lately, I have been working on loads using H4198 under Cutting Edge turned brass .358" cal 150gr Extended Rage " Raptor"s.
These shoot ito one ragged hole @ 50yd when I do my part. I am working on expanding the range to 100yd, switching over soon to use of my new CVA Hunter .35 Rem.

.35 Remington is often very underestimated as a target / accuracy round.


With regards,
357Mag

 

[Bigeclipse]

Bigeclipse -

Howdy !

I've owned and shot an 1894SC .357Mag, and M1895 .45-70, a M-336 .35 Remington; and currently a CT-made M-336 XLR .35Rem

The .35 Rem's have been the most versatile to shoot. I have not used them for hunting live game, but for informal shooting and
accuracy load / target work.

The .35 Rem case had ideal case capacity for .358" cal ( IMHO ), which puts potential powder choices squarely on the zone of benchrest powders like H4198,H4895, H322, LT-30, LT-32 Benchmark; VV-133 et al.

My XLR shoots just stupid accurate using reduced loads. 14.5gr of Trailboss will completely fill the case, under Rem 150 PSPs.
SR4759 loads in the 18.6gr range have shot very well for me, and recoil is more than acceptable for shooting off a bench.

Lately, I have been working on loads using H4198 under Cutting Edge turned brass .358" cal 150gr Extended Rage " Raptor"s.
These shoot ito one ragged hole @ 50yd when I do my part. I am working on expanding the range to 100yd, switching over soon to use of my new CVA Hunter .35 Rem.

.35 Remington is often very underestimated as a target / accuracy round.


With regards,
357Mag

I think extreme accuracy is less of a concern for me. Basically, I have an at home metal plinking range. I only have a couple ar550 rifle targets but many more steel ar500 and non-ar500 pistol targets. Since ill likely never use this rifle for hunting, I was leaning towards whatever would give me some cheaper ammo options with lower recoil for some fun iron sight shooting out to 100 yards. I know 357/38special is probably cheapest to shoot but I was leaning towards 44mag since I own a 44mag revolver and im already setup for reloading that as well.

 

[tr175]

I know this is a long range forum but I value everyone's opinion here. I have never owned a lever action and I'm looking to buy one. Of course when I personally think of a lever I think 30-30 so that was originally what I was going to get but now I'm contemplating a pistol cartridge such as a 357 or a 44mag because the chance this gun would ever do hunting is slim and none and I'd just use it to plunk at the range. What are your thoughts on this? What model lever guns should I look into? I don't want to break the bank on this one. Thanks!

Love my Marlin 1894 in 357/38spl. Fun to shoot but still a viable close range hunting rifle with a quality bullet loaded in 357.

 

[357Mag]

Bigeclipse -

Howdy !

Didn't want to over-emphasize the accuracy potential of the .35 Rem, as-much-as mention how well it shoots in a M-336 XLR w/ reduced loads. Charges of 18.6hr SR4759, 20.4 gr H4198, and the like under 150gr .358" cal bullets lie in the realm of .357Max and .357 AutoMag loads, but are reduced loads when put in the .35 Rem case.

I had an M1894SC .357Mag, that I purchased w/ intent to try shooting it in 'Factory Class" 100yd score shoots.
While well balanced and certainly handy, the 1894 .357Mag was not all that happy; when pressed to 100yd ( target work ). The M-336 XLR .35 Rem however, has been a better fit ( for me ) for target work out to 100yd.

I also have loaded for and shot an H & R SB2 Ultra .357Max, and a bolt rifle .357AutoMag ( set-up as .358" caliber, for shooting .358" cal rifle bullets ). And still, the XLR .35 Rem mentioned above has seen much more use than all the others.

Best of luck in your endeavor !


With regards,
357Mag

 

[Mackinaw BOB]

I have a Henry steel big boy in 357, a Winchester model 94 in 30-30 and a marlin 1895 in 45-70. All nice rifles. If it is going to be mostly a plinking rifle I would go 357 mag, ammo is way cheaper and you can run 38 specials ( even cheaper) and it won't break the bank, and I like having a revolver and rifle in the same caliber. I've shot a couple of squirrels with my Henry's and am currently working up a load that will shoot well out of both. In a pinch you can drop a deer with a 357. Good luck on what ever you decide, shooting a lever gun is a hoot

 

[86alaskan]

Since it seems lost in the thread, and you don't wnat to hunt with it, get a good older Marlin 357/38spl or a rossi 92 in 38spl and have fun. The rossi is very capable and a fair amount cheaper but ejects out the top. the marlin will be a nicer gun and ejects through the side, so optic mounting is made easier. The 38/357 is where you want to be, anything else is just spending unnecessary money. It'll ring a plate the same as anything else, along with low recoil 38's being very less noisy on their own.

 

[Coyote_Hunter]

Dad gave me his Browning B92 .44 Mag rifle back in the 1980's. Plenty of fun and cheap to shoot. I also have other levers in .22LR, .30-30, .375 Win and .45-70. All are good, all are capable hunters withing their range limits. Have taken deer and elk at ranges over 300 yards with the .45-70 and would easily do so at 300. The .375 Win is a step beind the .45-70 in terms of the range I would use and the others are behind the .375 Win.

If you are never going to hunt with the rifle a pistol cartridge chamber makes a lot of sense whether you shoot factory or handloads. With no diminishment of the fun of a lever. In that case I would probably go with a .357 Mag for low recoil and cheaper ammo/reloads.

 

[soundwaves]

I know this is a long range forum but I value everyone's opinion here. I have never owned a lever action and I'm looking to buy one. Of course when I personally think of a lever I think 30-30 so that was originally what I was going to get but now I'm contemplating a pistol cartridge such as a 357 or a 44mag because the chance this gun would ever do hunting is slim and none and I'd just use it to plunk at the range. What are your thoughts on this? What model lever guns should I look into? I don't want to break the bank on this one. Thanks!

Marlin = 308 marlin Express. Or you could buy a magazine fed Browning BLR in 30-06 or eaven 300 win mag and go hunting with it

 

[sp6x6]

page 6 classifieds theres a Marlin 44