Lever gun guidance

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As always before posting questions I've tried to find and read through everything already posted that might be relevant. This has helped me (I hope) narrow my questions down.

I'd like to add a lever action rifle to the line-up. Specifically a repro of a classic model.

I will not be hunting with this rifle. I will not be competing in formal cowboy action events; however I may use it for silhouette events. It will mostly be for plinking, and for fun.

For various reasons (including that I will be adding a 45LC revolver and want the "reloading synergies") I've settled on 45 Colt among the calibers available in these platforms.

So with these parameters in place, a few questions:

* apart from the obvious differences in price, finish quality, and perhaps resale value if sold down the line, is there any functional difference between the major brands (Winchester, Uberti, Rossi, Marlin, Henry) for my intended uses?

* seems my model choices would be 1866, 1873, 1892, and 1894. Among those, any reason apart from personal preference to pick one over another, or eliminate one? For my intended uses.

* I've read (including here) that the 1866 has a weaker action, and 1892 (?) the strongest action, of the classic levers. Is that correct, and would that be a consideration for my uses? Are standard pressure loads sufficient for silhouette, and why would I want/need to leave myself the option of higher pressure loads? I don't want to carelessly limit my options for things I might want to do. Should I want to some day put the rifle into a home defense role, do I need to consider pressure requirements for modern expanding ammo?

* barrel length: seems I can choose between carbine, short rifle, and full length. Should carbine or short rifle length be all I need - as that would be my first inclination, due to weight.

All things being equal, I'm inclined to get one of the "prettier" rifles, as the industrial art and design are part of the appeal. Of course this means $$$, so as usual I will probably be patient and lie in wait for a bargain, which has worked in a few of my other firearm hunts.

Appreciate all input.
 
Based on your well reasoned thinking and explanation, I think your inclination to get one of the prettier rifles is a good one. I suggest that you look at the several options for an 1873 Win. There are some case colour hardened receivers that are gorgeous. They can be very smooth and very fast actions. They will be at the pricier end of the spectrum though.

Hard to go wrong with an 1892. Solid reliable action and very handy and attractive in carbine form. The Rossi R92 isn't much to look at and requires some finishing work, but they are good working rifles.

Finally, my best looking lever gun is a JM Marlin 1894 Cowboy Ltd II. That long octagonal barrel and nice wood makes for a good looking rifle.
 
*All the actions mentioned will be more than strong enough for what your intended purpose is.

* A higher pressure load means nothing if it’s less accurate. Find the most accurate load within spec and then learn your drop.

* Barrel length can make a difference. A longer barrel gives you a longer sight plane. But at the expense of weight.

* If you want a pretty rifle, there’s nothing in the world wrong with that. It just might mean your rifle looks better than the one who just took first place.

* If you want a simple action, go with a Marlin. Winchester’s are more complex. Not better or worse. Just more complex.

Very interested to see what you choose. Just make sure it’s your choice for what fits and feels best to you, not us.
 
If you want "pretty" I suggest the 1866 "Improved Henry" as it has a beautiful brass receiver. Uberti makes a great repro. I don't know if Winchester (Miroku) makes a 1866, but they do make a very nice 1873 and 1892.
I think Miroku makes a nice 1894, but these are not pistol caliber, they are .30-30 or possibly a similar rifle cartridge.

Marlins are good. Remember the new ones, with the open ejection egress in the receiver, are not accurate copies of the 19th century Marlins. The 19th century had squarish bolts that filled the ejection egress on the side sort of like the bolt on the 1892/94 Winchesters did on the top of the receiver.
Good luck with your quest.
 
I've got a model 92 Rossi and it's slicker that dog snott in a hand basket. It's also a very strong action (it's a downsizing of the model 86 winchester. With a 16 inch barrel you get a really short rifle that doesn't give up much extra velocity for a pistol cartridge. Standard velocity rounds will give you almost 300 extra FPS over a pistol length barrel putting you in the 600 Plus FPE range
 
Marlin is my go-to for lever guns. Not that there's anything wrong with Winchesters or Henrys, I just like the tighter, side ejecting actions.

If you want "pretty" I suggest the 1866 "Improved Henry" as it has a beautiful brass receiver. Uberti makes a great repro. I don't know if Winchester (Miroku) makes a 1866, but they do make a very nice 1873 and 1892.
I think Miroku makes a nice 1894, but these are not pistol caliber, they are .30-30 or possibly a similar rifle cartridge.

Marlins are good. Remember the new ones, with the open ejection egress in the receiver, are not accurate copies of the 19th century Marlins. The 19th century had squarish bolts that filled the ejection egress on the side sort of like the bolt on the 1892/94 Winchesters did on the top of the receiver.
Good luck with your quest.

The 1894 still has the same profile 125 years later. Only outward difference is the safety

https://www.marlinfirearms.com/lever-action/model-1894/model-1894cb-45-colt

My early 2000s 1894.44 mag is center, with my 1903 mfr 1894 .25-20 below it

index.php
 
I really like the Marlin 1894, I've had a number of them, although I'm down to just my 1894FG in .41 Magnum. Another bonus of the Marlin is the ability to clean the barrel from the breech... one screw and the bolt and lever come out... and there you are. At one time, I had 4 Marlins... my 1894 .41, which I will have forevarrr, an 1894 in .45 Colt, a 336 in .30-30, and a 1895 LTD V in .45-70. All well built, excellent overall firearms.

I bought my brother a Winchester '94 Trapper in .45 Colt... it's an extremely handy rifle with the 16" barrel, and paired with my Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt, was my camping setup for many years. I'm not really a big fan of the Winchester action, however... it's clunky compared to the Marlin, and you don't really want to take it apart unless you have 3 hands to put it back together with. I speak from experience.

If I had my druthers, I'd love a Browning or Winchester 1892. Now that I know the difference, it would probably be my first choice even over the Marlin. The 1886 action is a wonderful action, and I think the 1982 action would be supreme in a handgun cartridge like the .45 Colt. The big issue is the cost of admission... nice ones are not cheap, and no one makes one in .41.

I don't know much about the Henry's... the deal killer is the magazine loading, but that's me, and I don't think they are as aesthetically pleasing as others, but that is, of course, subjective. The upside... and something that has given me a moment of pause... Henry makes a lever in .41 Magnum, which has tempted me.

The previous iterations of leverguns... 1866, 1873, etc, etc are neat to look at, and fun to shoot, but I don't like the idea of a weaker action. My neighbor had an 1866 replica of some sort, it was his second. The first one blew up (with factory ammunition, he didn't handload) so they gave him a new one to replace it. That has sort of jaded me against those.

I understand the theory of sharing a cartridge between a handgun and rifle, but in reality not so much. I have the .41 Magnums paired up with my 1894 Marlin, but they use 2 different loads to maximize the barrel length in each... slow burning IMR4227 loads for the rifle, faster Unique loads for the handguns. Granted, it gives you one source for brass and bullets, but that's about it.

Your budget will most likely dictate where you go. I've seen the newer Winchesters and such... all $1500 and up. They are lookers, for sure, but all that pretty costs you. The used market is loaded with lever actions, but you really need to know what you are looking at to make an educated choice. My standby answer is to find a nice used Marlin with the JM stamp (i.e. a genuine Marlin, not a newer Remington Marlin) or something like a Browning or Rossi 92 that hasn't been abused.
 
Can't go wrong for utility, short and light weight, with a Rossi 92. They're accurate, too. Some of the Italian import versions of the '73 are gorgeous.

The Winchester and Marlin versions were initially designed for longer rifle cartridges, personally I'd stick to a '73 or '92.
 
92 Win or 94 Marlin. I have one of each, an original 92 that began life in the early 1900s as a 38-40 and was resurrected in the late 60s as a 357. Slick. The Marlin is a real Marlin pre safety but alas, slow twist and microgroove. Best with jacketed stuff but o.k. with gas checked 429215 bullets also. (44).
 
I have a JM Marlin 1894 in 44 Magnum that is nice. I used to have a Rossi 92, but it kicked harder with 44 Mag. With 45 Colt, that might not be an issue. Most commercial loads are not real powerful.

I have handled at least one Henry and they are heavy compared to a typical 1892 clone (I want a loading gate). Octogon barrels look nice, but they do add weight. Depends on what you plan to do with it. If you want carry it around, weight is important. Cimaron sells some nice rifles. If you look for 45 Colt long guns on a site like BudsGunShop.com, look at who the companies are and check their web sites for models they sell. Lots of choices out there.

IMO, the 1892 clones are very light and handy and fun to shoot. I wouldn't get the octagon barrel unless you just really want that look due to the added weight. The 1894 rifles are just a slight step up in size/weight. You might want to find a way to handle a few models to see what you like.


Ammo: I would also remind you that 45 Colt is expensive. 357 Magnum might be a better choice for a plinking rifle if you don't need a traditional cartridge. I guess with 357 Magnum I might prefer the 1894. My 92 in that caliber sometimes has feeding issues with the long skinny cartridge.
 
Thanks for all the replies, excellent as usual.

I plan to reload for any lever, as well as the eventual revolver, as I reload almost everything I shoot. As long as loading standard pressure rounds - 14K - is all I need for my purposes, that may expand my options.

I have considered the weight/"purdy" trade-off with the octagonal barrel. Since this rifle would be just for the range, silhouette matches, and fun, looks may win.

Locally an 1866 Uberti may be available for a very good price. Barely used. Hmmm.
 
I’d agree with Maciv on the Uberti for cowboy shooting. I like mine. I am a Henry fan and also have the Golden boy in 45 colt also. I like the tube fed myself. The loading gate on the Uberti is slick and way better than Marlin and I’ve never owned a Winchester except in a 30-30.
 
My rossi has been a solid rifle. I like that it’s stainless, not sure who else makes a mdl 92 in stainless, but then I havent looked. Mine is in .454 casull with a 16” barrel. A pleasure to carry.
 
With similar requirements to the OP, I bought a Navy Arms/Winchester/Miroku 1892. I put a shotgun butt conversion gunstock cover from gunstockcovers.com on it. I am happy with this configuration in terms of aesthetics, function of the action, and recoil. I have only limited accuracy testing with it however. The only downside I see to it is that I would slightly prefer a pistol grip/shotgun butt stock rather than having to compensate for the crescent stock. None the less of the available options, that's the one I would recommend. The 92 is a far safer and better action than the 73 for general use, and the .45C is a lot of cartridge for a 73.
 
The 92 is a far safer and better action than the 73 for general use, and the .45C is a lot of cartridge for a 73.

A misleading opinion utterly unsubstantiated by fact. SAAMI MAP for 45LC is 14,000 psi, among the lowest of any pistol cartridges - lower than 44 Special, lower than 38 S&W, the same as 44-40. The suggestion that this MAP pushes the limits of the 1873 action is absurd. And given that the 1873 is by far the most popular rifle action among winners in CAS, it clearly stands up to high volume shooting.
 
Thanks for all the replies, excellent as usual.

I plan to reload for any lever, as well as the eventual revolver, as I reload almost everything I shoot. As long as loading standard pressure rounds - 14K - is all I need for my purposes, that may expand my options.

I have considered the weight/"purdy" trade-off with the octagonal barrel. Since this rifle would be just for the range, silhouette matches, and fun, looks may win.

Locally an 1866 Uberti may be available for a very good price. Barely used. Hmmm.

I really like the current production Winchester M92 short rifles. Very pretty and strong to boot.
 
A misleading opinion utterly unsubstantiated by fact. SAAMI MAP for 45LC is 14,000 psi, among the lowest of any pistol cartridges - lower than 44 Special, lower than 38 S&W, the same as 44-40. The suggestion that this MAP pushes the limits of the 1873 action is absurd. And given that the 1873 is by far the most popular rifle action among winners in CAS, it clearly stands up to high volume shooting.
It's completely substantiated by fact regardless of your blathering. There's a large amount of commercial .45C ammo out there that's well above SAAMI pressure. It's safe in a 92. It's not safe in a '73. Pressure is also not the right metric - bolt thrust is. The large diameter case of the .45C increases bolt thrust when compared to smaller rounds.

The toggle link action was dropped by Winchester for good reason. It has enjoyed some resurgence because of cowboy action shooting, but the fact remains that for general use the '92 and '94 are far superior actions with much better lockup.
 
You have an opinion. Unless you can show a number of blown up '73s in 45 Colt, it's an utterly unsubstantiated opinion.
 
Finally, my best looking lever gun is a JM Marlin 1894 Cowboy Ltd II. That long octagonal barrel and nice wood makes for a good looking rifle.

Having examined and fired an example of this model, I see all pros and no cons for the OP's stated purposes. That long octagon barrel with the sights I was looking through... it should be pretty easy to be accurate. While the 1894 action goes back that far, in its modern production, it's a strong enough action for these purposes and then some.
 
You have an opinion. Unless you can show a number of blown up '73s in 45 Colt, it's an utterly unsubstantiated opinion.

Are y'all aware that originally the '73 wasn't offered in .45Colt? IIRC, neither was the 1892 model. My understanding is they started chambering leverguns in .45 because of SASS/CAS competitors hollering for it. By the time '73's started showing up in .45Colt... over a hundred years after initial introduction... you'd think they'd have really had it figured out.
 
It's completely substantiated by fact regardless of your blathering. There's a large amount of commercial .45C ammo out there that's well above SAAMI pressure. It's safe in a 92. It's not safe in a '73. Pressure is also not the right metric - bolt thrust is. The large diameter case of the .45C increases bolt thrust when compared to smaller rounds.

The toggle link action was dropped by Winchester for good reason. It has enjoyed some resurgence because of cowboy action shooting, but the fact remains that for general use the '92 and '94 are far superior actions with much better lockup.


The toggle link Winchesters were not as strong as the Browning designed 1892, but it's stronger than most people think. .45 Colt case is not significantly larger than the .44-40 anyway, nor are the two cartridges very different in performance.
There are plenty of Uberti 1860s, 1866s out there in .45 Colt (I prefer .44-40) and I'm confident Uberti would not market them if they were unsafe. I would stay away from souped up .45 rounds, but that ought not be too hard to do.
It does surprise me a bit to see toggle link designs chambered in .357Mag. and .44 Magnum, but again, I think Uberti (and Miroku) know what they're doing.
I don't disagree that the 92 and 94 designs are superior, but for .44-40 and .45COLT the toggle-link designs are fine.
 
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Are y'all aware that originally the '73 wasn't offered in .45Colt? IIRC, neither was the 1892 model. My understanding is they started chambering leverguns in .45 because of SASS/CAS competitors hollering for it. By the time '73's started showing up in .45Colt... over a hundred years after initial introduction... you'd think they'd have really had it figured out.


The original rifles were never chambered for .45Colt because in the 1870s the way the cartridge was made, the design of the rim -- very small, as it only had to hold the cartridge in place, not withstand extraction in a dirty chamber -- precluded use in weapons with mechanical extraction like rifles.
It had nothing to do with the power of the round.
 
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