Best Lever Action Rifle

[mmpsteve]

My Henry Frontier has a half cock notch.
It's actually more like a 1/4 notch.
Just used it this morning.

Must be the rimfires have the half cock, but not the centerfires. At least not my two. Good excuse for me to get out my small game carbine in 22 WMR and shoot it! Been too long.

I wish Henry would put one out in 17 HM2, like in this picture:



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[mmpsteve]

I just ordered a Henry in .44 mag. Any pics of the red dot? Not sure what optic if any I am going to use if any. Beautiful gun btw.

So, the placement on the Henry of the Leupold DPP is not optimum. The mount for the DPP is a Marlin mount that happens to fit the rear tapped holes on the Henry, but Henry only taps one hole on the front of the receiver, instead of the two that Marlin does. The position you see here on the Henry does work very well, but doesn't look the best. The mount does fit the receiver profile of the Henry perfectly, like it's made for it, and if I decide I like the dot on it, I may have a 2nd whole tapped on the front position of the receiver.

The other option is to use the Henry scope-mounting rail section, but then you have to add a way to mount the dot on that, and then you're getting pretty high above the barrel bore, and I don't like that option.







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[Hookeye]

Why not use a mount that goes in the rear sight dovetail?

Skinner thought made one

 

[teddy12b]

I've owned marlin 336, 1895 regular, and 1895 guide. Currently only own a Legacy/Puma 92. They're all good guns, but I will likely buy a Henry Ranger in 6.5 at some point in the future. You can do everything with that caliber, and I've always wanted an excuse to buy a Henry.

 

[Dalan]

A

Hey ya'll,

I'm new here and have developed an interest in finding a good lever action rifle. The purpose would be for plinking, but I would also like it to be chambered in something powerful in case I need to ward off zombies with it. I definitely can't afford to shoot anything that would be 10$ a round, but I understand there is are some powerful rounds that won't break the bank too much. I would love to hear your opinions and bonus points if it comes with mounting rails for optics/flashlights.A

A Winchester model 88 is a lever operated bolt action rifle in .243 , 270, & .308 and some rare others like Roberts etc. There is nothing else like it.

 

[Michigan Slim]

A

A Winchester model 88 is a lever operated bolt action rifle in .243 , 270, & .308 and some rare others like Roberts etc. There is nothing else like it.

Little hardware in Syracuse had an 88 in .243. I was tempted.

 

[Bstarkey_46947]

.22 LR, .22 WMR, .45 LC, .30-30 Winchester's and 1 Henry. Started picking these up 30 years ago for $300-400. .357 and .44 are always on my list but scarce. They wear socks in the safe.

 

[two70]

Why not use a mount that goes in the rear sight dovetail?

Skinner thought made one

FYI, Pearson no-drill mounts.

 

[Refrigerator27]

Late to the party but I love my Henry .357 X, running it suppressed is the best. .38 sound fantastic though it as they are naturally subsonic.

 

[comm2679]

You actually picked exactly the wrong time to get into lever guns.
They are at some of the highest prices I've seen in my life.
Marlin was the lever gun king ( in my humble opinion) for some 40 years or more, then hit a huge quality problem shortly after the sale to Remington.
Things got better at the end of Remington's run and quality picked back up, but too late.
Ruger recently purchased the Marlin brand and have started producing quality guns again under the Marlin name.

Now, setting brands aside, let's talk calibers.
Pistol calibers are some of the most popular, and can be economical if you handload.
.357 mag , .44 mag, .45 Colt..will all "kill zombies" but not inexpensively.
You may want to look at something like the .30-30 Winchester.
It is an iconic American deer cartridge, not terribly expensive for factory ammo, can be found most everywhere, and if handloading, can be loaded down to squirrel power loads or up to buffalo loads.

I second the opinion that this is the worst time in history to be getting into lever guns.

OP I’d recommend a pistol caliber like .357 or .44 that you could pair with a revolver.

 

[mmpsteve]

Why not use a mount that goes in the rear sight dovetail?

Skinner thought made one

I thought about that, but wanted to keep the dot as low as possible to the bore axis. By the time you add an adapter from the dovetail mount to your red dot, you're getting up pretty high. Probably works just fine, just not what I wanted.

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[BigNyaKelly]

Hey ya'll,

I'm new here and have developed an interest in finding a good lever action rifle. The purpose would be for plinking, but I would also like it to be chambered in something powerful in case I need to ward off zombies with it. I definitely can't afford to shoot anything that would be 10$ a round, but I understand there is are some powerful rounds that won't break the bank too much. I would love to hear your opinions and bonus points if it comes with mounting rails for optics/flashlights.

I love a marlon - I have a 44 and it's delightful.

 

[GasTube138]

Is anyone right handed but left eye dominant? I shoot rifles lefty due to my eyes and don't usually have an issue, but I'm concerned levers would be a tough adjustment with my non dominant hand. Actuating a selector and pulling a trigger is one thing with the wrong hand, but actually manipulating a lever quickly and without getting tripped up is another.

 

[Indyhd]

Seldom mentioned are the Browning BLRs. Not only do they come in a wide variety of calibers both short and long actions, but also have a box magazine which is the better option if wanting to use anything but a flat or round point rounds.
Available from .222 all the way up to .405 I believe.

 

[ratames]

Something that's been running through my mind of late. Like the OP, I'm newly interested in a lever gun and I have a pretty good idea of what I want, I'm just waiting, not so patiently, for prices to drop. What I've been wondering about though, is whether or not TV shows like Yellowstone are part of what is driving up prices? That's what made me decide to take the leap so if it affected me, I wonder if it also affected others and prompted them into buying a lever gun. Well, also I have assume that Bidenomics is also playing a part in the higher prices too, but then what isn't it affecting?

 

[model1994]

curse this thread for reminding me of my lust for an old savage. i don’t even have my first 30-30 yet. although, that centennial musket in the classies is beautiful

 

[duanewade]

I thought about that, but wanted to keep the dot as low as possible to the bore axis. By the time you add an adapter from the dovetail mount to your red dot, you're getting up pretty high. Probably works just fine, just not what I wanted.

.

I just bought one of the Pearson dovetail mounts for my red dot and after I get it mounted I'll post a picture of it. Will probably be tomorrow evening before I can get to it. I've got a Rossi r92 in .44 mag

 

[two70]

curse this thread for reminding me of my lust for an old savage. i don’t even have my first 30-30 yet. although, that centennial musket in the classies is beautiful

Assuming you don't want that old Savage chambered in .250 Savage or .358 Win, you can probably find one for less than most 30-30s are currently going for. Ammo is a different matter, of course.

 

[snapping turtle]

The high demand is causing upward shift in lever action prices. I highly think Yellowstone has anything to do with the demand. Maybe a bit of 1883 where they used them but Yellowstone is using mainly modern rifles.

This demand will wain with time and as new models and runs of batches come online in the manufacturing environment.

What I do not see happening is prices falling anywhere near the point we have seen in the past. Inflation and the fear of missing out makes the day of the 300 dollar 30-30 a thing of the past.

 

[model1994]

Assuming you don't want that old Savage chambered in .250 Savage or .358 Win, you can probably find one for less than most 30-30s are currently going for. Ammo is a different matter, of course.

.300 ideally, but finding a high grade or unique gun (or screaming deal) will always trump desired round. I’m no collector and usually more practical, but in this case I’m waiting for a 1899 with all the fixins like brass counter, in user-shape. I have found very good condition examples but can’t afford the premium for those, especially with the expectations of using it afield often once I have it. But I’m also not looking very hard, just dreaming.