Lever Action Chamberings?

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Intrepido

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Hello! I was wondering if there is a definite list of all cartridges to be chambered in lever action firearms? If so could someone provide a link?
 
Factory or wildcat? Where you will run into problems about such a list, is that some early ones are defunct, some cartridges were loaded for both bolt and lever, and some are adaptations of a std. cartridge for level action (.308 Marlin for example). Individuals have also engineered them into firing other cartridges than what the factories chambered them in. Your data will stretch from the 1860's to 2017.

Where I would suggest starting your research is Cartridges of the World and then working your way back to obsolete/obscure cartridges.

BTW, welcome to the THR.
 
Well, you can probably rule out cartridges with an overall length (loaded) of more than around 3 1/2". Don't think any lever actions were chambered for .470 nitro or 50-140-700 ! Lol. The longest cartridge I can think of, off hand, that a lever (Win. 95) was chambered for was the good old 30-06. For the most part, the older levers were all chambered for rimmed cartridges and lower pressure rounds. This changed in 1895 with the 95 Winchester. Today, anything goes. I believe Winchester used to chamber their model 88 in .284 Win. Which is both rimless and high pressure.
 
95/99 Savage......rimmed, rimless, high or low pressure, pointed or blunt nosed- quite simply the best lever action rifle (maybe best rifle) ever. Still not sure why it never came in the pistol calibers, though. Would think the rotary mag would be perfect for .45lc, .44-40, or .357.
Hear that Savage? Hint, hint......:thumbup:
 
Somebody has to ask, so I will - what's your intent for seeking such a list? Novel intrigue or something more productive?
 
If you're just curious, then I would start looking to make a list of leveraction rifles which have been produced. Then expand the list by researching for what cartridges each respective model has been chambered. In parallel, research custom riflesmiths for these models and further expand the list by including the cartridges for which they have converted different leverguns.

It's going to be a much, much larger list than most folks would assume.

And then if a guy considers what cartridges COULD be chambered, even if they have not been so already, I think you'll find the exercise is pretty exhausting...

Now... If a guy wants to compile a list of levergun chamberings available on the market (meaning current production or effectively post-WWII, smokeless powder levergun chamberings), that list is remarkably shorter than that which I described above.
 
The 76 and 86 Winchesters were chambered in some pretty long calibers.
22 short to 50-110, and about everything in between just about covers it.
 
If were considering factory chamberings i think the only "common" rounds not chambered at some point (besides the very newest), that were not part of the full length .375 or longer family, are probably the short rimless pistol rounds. Ive never heard of a production lever in 9mm or other pistol round.

Pretty much anything i can think of, except maybe the 225 and 220, have been chambered in some form of lever or other.

Oh theres the crop of short rounds for ars that arnt chambered in levers.
 
The Ruger no. 1 is a Falling Block design. However, it actuated by a lever and is a single shot.
 
No 1 is opened with a lever but doesn't feed ammo by using it. More of a falling block like the Sharps or Farquharson.
 
The 76 and 86 Winchesters were chambered in some pretty long calibers.
Not the 76. Winchester tried and tried to get it to accept a 45-70 round, but the action was too short for the heavier bullets in that caliber. So they shortened the case, made it fatter, bottle necked it and called it the 45-75. Still only fired a 350 gr. bullet. I have a Uberti 76 in 50-95 and the loaded rounds are no longer than a 30-30. The 86 chambered some long rounds but nothing any longer than an 06
 
Expensive is all that keeps me away from it. That from a person who spent $1200 on an Mini, making it special. With lots of choices in the rimless variety, maybe nine isn't the way to go.

I have three lever guns in 45 Colt and one 45-70. I think our love for lever guns is only exceeded by the calibers we have them in.
 
A 9mm, 10mm, or .45 ACP lever rifle would be such a fun little weapon.

There was a Winchester 92 in .45 Auto for South African contract. It's an extreme rarity these days.

Ranger Point Precision convert Marlin 1894 with Douglas Barrels, but of course it's not factory.
 
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