Lever action rifles in pistol cartridges are great

I have a '92 and a lightning in .45C and .357. I enjoy both quite a bit. The lightning in particular is fun because it's so easy to stay on target while working the action.

i love mine i need to get the saddle ring to replace the xbolt safety.

here are two of my cheap loads, left is just some 230 swc lubed i had. right are a 160 grain mold my friend has and powder coated.

Some .44 carbines with the 1:38” twist may have trouble stabilizing bullets over ~265 grains. Depends on the actual bullet length and the velocity.

Regarding the saddle ring:
https://beartoothmercantile-2.mysho...1895-crossbolt-safety-delete-with-saddle-ring


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I have a bad hankerin for a 45colt lever gun, every time im close something else pops up that i just cant pass up. Ive noticed not a lot of pistol caliber lever actions show up used, i think people keep them cause theyre great. My buddy has a 357 henry (big boy?) Thats a lot of fun and ive shot others but never got my own. Need to change that.

Charlie Martinez said:

I never use it & apparently it's jammed up with dried lube.

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I store all my long guns muzzle down, keeps oil and gunk from coagulating in the action and seeping into the wood. Thats just what i was taught to do and seems to work, ymmv.

Ayyup. I've got two in 45 Colt, a fabulous Marlin 1894 Cowboy II Ltd, and a Rossi R92 16" , handiest little rifle there is. I fancy an 1873 in 44-40 as well.

Got 'em in 22lr, 30-30, and 30-40 as well. Like lever guns in all their guises!

Mine is a Rossi in .357 mag. I can make .38s as inexpensively as .22lr these days. I find myself taking this rifle out so a good companion to my .357 mag pistol. Although I shoot the rifle a lot more. The kids love it too. Low report and recoil with .38 specials. What's not to like?

My 1892 Winchester in 44-40 is one of my favorite guns to shoot. Black powder only as it was built in 1896.

I have a Uberti repro of a Winchester 1873 S.R.C. in .44-40 along with the Uberti 1883 Colt Burgess carbine in the same caliber and Beretta "Stampede" (a repro of the Colt SAA ) in .44-40 as a companion revolver.
I also have a Miroku made Winchester 1892 takedown rifle, octagonal barrel, checkering, in .32-20 and a Uberti Colt S.A.A. in .32-20 to go along with that.
And a Rossi R92 in .45Colt .... and a ....guess what? Uberti Colt S.A.A. in .45 to go with that.

I love traditional lever actions too. Whether .44 Magnum. .45 Colt. .357 Magnum, .30-30, .375 Winchester, .35 Remington, or .45-70.
I wish that I could own all of them at once, instead of separately over the years.
I've owned JM stamped 1894 Marlin Cowboys in .45 Colt and .44 magnum, and a Stainless Steel JM stamped 1894 .44 magnum carbine with nice cut checkering and really pretty wood. All with the Ballard cut rifling.
The Stainless 1894 shot really well with the factory buckhorns, so much so that I kept a 100 yard target, even after letting the rifle slip away.
I am getting a Henry Big Boy soon in either .44 or .45 to get back into pistol caliber carbines.

Charlie Martinez said:

Since I bought my Marlin 1894 (in 44 Magnum) I rarely shoot any other rifle. I have lots of lead left over from my Cowboy Action days. I reload w/200 grain lead & 8 grains of Win 231 (I use this load in my revolvers too) it is accurate, light on the shoulder & a lot of fun to shoot. It is also my home defense gun.
Anyone feel the same?

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I don't know if you are much into hunting, but if so, have you ever considered loading those 200 grain cast lead bullets up to about 1250 FPS, to duplicate the standard .44-40 load? I always thought it would be quite special to take a deer at 50 or 60 yards using a carbine with the factory buckhorn sights with such a load. Perhaps a Uberti 1866 or 1873 in .44-40 would be even more authentic, but an equivalent load with a .44 magnum Marlin would be the same.

I got a rossi 92 in .454 casull. Handy enough to pack around, and enough firepower for bears or moose. My favorite rifle other than my fn commercial mauser.

kilizyrag said:

Black powder only as it was built in 1896.

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Howdy

Actually, you will be fine shooting Smokeless in that Winchester.

This Model 1892 left the factory in 1894. I fired mild Smokeless 44-40 rounds in it in CAS for a few years until I switched over to Black Powder.






I don't do the same with antique revolvers because the chamber walls are so thin, but a Model 1892 in good shape is perfectly capable of shooting mild Smokeless loads. The chamber walls are much thicker than the chamber walls of a revolver, and the bolt and lockup are strong enough for it too.


I only shoot Black Powder 38-40 ammo out of this Model 1873 from 1887. I could probably shoot mild Smokeless loads if I really wanted to, but I don't.






This 32-20 Model 1892 was made in 1911, so it is fine with Smokeless ammo.






My Uberti 1860 Henry is made of modern steel, so I could shoot Smokeless 44-40 in it too, but what fun would that be?

Alaskan Ironworker said:

I got a rossi 92 in .454 casull. Handy enough to pack around, and enough firepower for bears or moose. My favorite rifle other than my fn commercial mauser.

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I'd love to get my hands on a 454 levergun like the Rossi. Had a stainless 44 mag, and it was great but didn't like to cycle more than 240 grn slugs. Wish I had hunted down a 454 instead...

Good luck lol, took me 2 years to find one

You can find them easy on the auction sites.....but you gotta pay.

I generally stop watching the auction after the price gets above $1400.

my hunting load in my Winchester model 53 in 44-40 kicks the 200 gr jfp at 1600 fps and kills deer dead. I could load it heavier, but its not needed as I have never recovered a 38-40 or a 44-40 bullet from a deer.

Lever actions in any cartridge suited to them are great.

The old Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum that I picked up cheap because it was drilled and tapped for a scope now has a red dot sight.

Fast and fun!

Charlie Martinez said:

I don't hunt anymore but I believe that my load generates about 1000 fps & I would not hesitate to hunt deer sized game with it out to 100 yards. I have read that (some) lead bullets should not be loaded above 1000 fps to avoid barrel leading problems. I don't know if that is true because like I said earlier my load is not that fast.

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The leading issue is real enough. But, whether a bullet may be used at a given velocity depends on it's alloy composition. At the regular old-time handgun velocities for cartridges (.45 Colt, .44 Special, .44-40, .38-40, .38 Special, .455 Webley, .45 ACP, etc.) just about any alloy will work, no matter how soft the bullet is. At 850 FPS for example, recycled .22 LR range scrap bullets work great.
Also, .44-40 cartridges were loaded with fairly soft plain lead bullets, well into the 20th Century, reaching 1250 FPS in rifles.
Lyman (Ideal) #2 lead alloy is mentioned as the standard for cast lead bullets at such velocities. Not hard cast and not soft cast either, and capable of mushrooming in deer-sized game. Really, it's at higher velocities when leading becomes an issue. And then, if need be, you can add some tin and antimony into the mix from salvaged linotype, 50/50 bar solder, etc. using formulas in the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook or found on-line. And, of course, a good bullet lube and a cast bullet with generous grease grooves is essential.

Your 1000 FPS load is close to the original .44 Henry rim fire loading used in the 1860 Henry rifle and 1866 Winchester rifle, which I'm sure killed many a deer for the pot. Arguably a contender for the gun that won the west, alongside the 1873 Winchester. The Henry load is listed at 1125 FPS with a 200 grain lead bullet, which is a bit faster. But, I'm sure that you could increase your powder charge a bit and use your same bullets with no problems if you wanted. Personally, I think that 100 yards is a bit too far. 70 Yards might be a wiser maximum range with such a load, but if you can put it into the heart/lung area, that's what counts.

Charlie Martinez said:

I have 2 Marlins the 1894 in 44 Mag & a 336 in 35 Rem. Both are extremely good rifles but the 35 stays home a lot more than the 44. I still use the original buckhorns but I'm seriously considering replacing them with peep sights.

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Take a look at Skinner sights. Their design mounts on top of the action, is compact, and all-steel. You might need one of their higher front sights though.

Alaskan Ironworker said:

I got a rossi 92 in .454 casull. Handy enough to pack around, and enough firepower for bears or moose. My favorite rifle other than my fn commercial mauser.

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That thing must kick the hell out of you if it has the curved steel carbine butt plate. But, it matches or betters .45-70 with those heavy bullet loads.
It makes you wonder how they made the 1892 action work with what is over 60,000 PSI breech pressure!
That's rivals the .308 Winchester at 60,000 PSI, and in an 1890's lever action design as well.