Best lever gun caliber

[RCB]

I have matching caliber sets in lever actions guns and revolvers in:
.22lr
.22wmr
.327Fedmag
.357mag
.44mag
.454 Casull

I need a revolver in
500S&W, one in .45-70gvt, and another in .35 Remington...

What model is your Casull lever?

 

[cg21]

I have matching caliber sets in lever actions guns and revolvers in:
.22lr
.22wmr
.327Fedmag
.357mag
.44mag
.454 Casull

I need a revolver in
500S&W, one in .45-70gvt, and another in .35 Remington...

Better yet…. I will take the 500 lever off your hands to ease the burden.

Edit to add: what model is the 500 lever they are few and far between

 

[two70]

What model is your Casull lever?

Probably a Rossi. The only other option is the Big Horn Armory and they are $$$$. Of course the Rossi 454s are getting up there now too.

 

[Aszerigan]

Still no love for the 44-40. Kids these days. :-)

 

[Leadeye]

44-40 is a great traditional cartridge and I shoot a lot of it in my vintage Winchesters and Colts. I've got higher powered lever guns that I use for hunting and some chambered for modern cartridges, but I probably shoot more 44-40 than anything else, that and the other two old Winchester cartridges, 38-40 and 32-20.

 

[Aszerigan]

44-40 is a great traditional cartridge and I shoot a lot of it in my vintage Winchesters and Colts. I've got higher powered lever guns that I use for hunting and some chambered for modern cartridges, but I probably shoot more 44-40 than anything else, that and the other two old Winchester cartridges, 38-40 and 32-20.

I'm with you. 44-40 and 41 Mag get most of my attention these days. 44-40 and 38-40 don't get the love they deserve. Brass is harder to get but they don't split necks so it lasts forever. And don't forget the underpowered and awesome 25-20.

 

[Mgderf]

Probably a Rossi. The only other option is the Big Horn Armory and they are $$$$. Of course the Rossi 454s are getting up there now too.

Got it.
M92

 

[Mgderf]

Better yet…. I will take the 500 lever off your hands to ease the burden.

Edit to add: what model is the 500 lever they are few and far between

Not a lever.
Unfortunately the 500 is an H&R Handi-rifle.
It's a single shot break action.
Now the .35 Remington and the .45-70 are levers.

 

[gregr]

Couple thoughts

30-30 rifles are the most plentiful and cheap. It should not be terribly difficult to find one in today's day and age in the neighborhood of $500. You may have a larger budget, but it may mean you will be able to pick more than one off your list.

If you are not partial to brand or action, there are several rebrands and clones out there that might be cheaper. Rossi made the rio grande line which copies the Marlin. Winchester and marlins were sold under hardware/department store brands. Mossberg threw their hat in the ring a couple times with both a 336 and 1894 copy. So numbers are in your favor if you know what to look for.

The pistol calibers have merit if you already own one in the caliber. Some claim for carry reasons, in today's day and age I don't see that being useful, but having fewer calibers to feed, or already having the reloading ability has merit here.

All pistol calibers are going to be about the same in ballistic trajectory. All the pistol calibers will range between about 1700-1900fps out of a rifle length barrel. At that range BC really doesn't play a part, and so velocity is the primary determinate of range or about 150yds effecitvely. Going larger 357, 44mag, 45 Colt/Casull each retains higher energy due to the larger projectile. Recoil is noticeably lighter with 357, but none are punishing (except for a 45 Colt/casull loaded to low end 45/70 loads in an 1892 action)

45-70 is without a doubt the most versatile rifle caliber if you load.

Henry/Marlin/Winchester comes down to preference. They can all be good, though I haven't seen any genuine Winchesters that are bad.
Henry is the heaviest out of the pistol caliber actions, by a good 1/2-1lb depending on the model since they use the 336 style action shortened. If it is going to be a 7+ lb rifle, I would prefer Marlin or Winchester actions in a larger caliber.

The benefit of the pistol calibers rifles is that they should be light and hold a lot of rounds. Winchester wins here by a good margin in the 16" category (sub 6lbs), but marlin is pretty close.

But really what reason you have for purchasing is the biggest factor for fun and utility.

Your thought on the cost is way off...at least for a Winchester on GunBroker.com. When I finally got my Winchester `94 .30-30 off GunBroker, I had been outbid on at least 2 Winchester `94 .30-30`s before I finally landed mine. I`m not willing to share what this rifle cost me, but the 2 I was ahead on the bidding on, and finally lost went for more than $1500. I quit bidding when they came around me with just minutes left on the bidding, because I just would not, and actually could not spend that much money.

 

[Leadeye]

Your thought on the cost is way off...at least for a Winchester on GunBroker.com. When I finally got my Winchester `94 .30-30 off GunBroker, I had been outbid on at least 2 Winchester `94 .30-30`s before I finally landed mine. I`m not willing to share what this rifle cost me, but the 2 I was ahead on the bidding on, and finally lost went for more than $1500. I quit bidding when they came around me with just minutes left on the bidding, because I just would not, and actually could not spend that much money.

Anything vintage Winchester is expensive these days.

 

[gregr]

Anything vintage Winchester is expensive these days.

Obviously. I didn`t pay $1500 for a .30-30 Winchester `94 like at least those 2 who outbid me did, but, I still paid a hefty price. Worth it in my mind, understanding that the worth of something is whatever someone is willing to pay to have it. The `94 I bought is "only" a Ranger, but it has the beautiful laminate stock, and it`s an Angle Eject, (AE), so I`m not really sure how it qualifies as a Ranger. I thought the Rangers were entry level rifles by virtue of their cheaper wood stocks. Nevertheless, I`m extremely happy and excited by it.

 

[MrSmitty]

I finally got my bucket list gun!!! .357 Rossi lever!!!! Happy Happy Happy!!

 

[bgcatty]

.30-30 or .35 Remington in a nice Winchester or Marlin lever action rifle.

 

[Mgderf]

My lever .30-30 is a Mossberg model 464.
I've long been a Mossberg fan, and this gun did nothing to change that sentiment.
It's a beautiful laminate stock, with a slick action.
It was a Davison's exclusive offering, and I could not be happier that took advantage of the sale.
Bought several years ago, I think I paid around $350 out the door.

 

[nipprdog]

Anything vintage Winchester is expensive these days.

I have a Henry Big Boy X in 357 on order and will be here in a few weeks, if not sooner. after I get it, I plan to put my 94AE Trapper 357(compact version) on gunbroker. It's in excellent condition with box and manual. I've seen them go for 1200 to 1500

 

[gregr]

I have a Henry Big Boy X in 357 on order and will be here in a few weeks, if not sooner. after I get it, I plan to put my 94AE Trapper 357(compact version) on gunbroker. It's in excellent condition with box and manual. I've seen them go for 1200 to 1500

I cannot understand why you would part with that wonderful, historically sweet Winchester.

 

[Lost Californian]

I am thinking nothing listed so far beats a Savage 99 in .243Win, except maybe a Winchester 88 in the same.
YMMV

 

[Spring1898]

Your thought on the cost is way off...at least for a Winchester on GunBroker.com. When I finally got my Winchester `94 .30-30 off GunBroker, I had been outbid on at least 2 Winchester `94 .30-30`s before I finally landed mine. I`m not willing to share what this rifle cost me, but the 2 I was ahead on the bidding on, and finally lost went for more than $1500. I quit bidding when they came around me with just minutes left on the bidding, because I just would not, and actually could not spend that much money.

I would have to disagree at least partly. It largely depends on what you are buying and where you are looking, as you note. In the last 2 months, I have seen no less than 4, 30-30 rifles selling sub $600, one was $575, the other 3 were under $500 out the door. They were an off brand 336 copy, a marlin 336, and two post 64, pre-ae Win 94's. All in overall good shape but with some hunting scuffs. These were all local shops in Indiana. The 94's incidentally were the cheapest out of the lot, as both came in under $450 and one was sold for $325.

None were as clean as the example you present though. That said I have certainly seen more expensive ones also, and not as nice

GB is a great place to find lots of things particularly if you are looking for something very clean or specific. But you also pay GB prices. Where IN tends to have lower than average prices compared to other parts of the nation.

 

[Indiana Ed]

I like the idea of a rifle and sixgun that use the same ammo. Has anyone ever used a Ideal handloader? How good are they?

 

[00Buck]

Im a sucker for a good lever gun. I think the 30/30 is the classic lever gun but I favor the ballistics of the 35 Remington. Kinda like a 30/30 on steroids. Only ones that get any use from me anymore is my marlin 44 mag and win 44 mag. To be honest I plink with the win and hunt with the marlin, even though the Winchester is a just as accurate and also shorter. Only because I think it is sacrilegious to put a scope on the Winchester……..