1st Lever Gun. Need recommendations.

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Kymasabe

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I've had my fun with semi's of all shapes and varying levels of accuracy. I've had a recent fascination with lever guns and am ready to buy one but need some recommendations.
I tried a Winchester 94 but the action seemed very clunky and sticky. The Marlin 336 and 36AS that I tried were much smoother but weighed alot more and didn't seem as well balanced.
Previous posts that I've read seem to lean towards the Marlin for accuracy.
I was gonna head for the usual .30-30 but an avid hunter I spoke with today says one of his favorite guns is a .357mag lever gun that he regularly goes hog hunting with and easily dispatches 100lb hogs with at ranges in the 80-125 yard range.
So I got thinking....38special/.357mag is alot cheaper than .30-30 so why not a .357mag lever gun? I'm not going deer hunting, do I really need a .30-30?
Anyone else make a lever gun worth looking at? I've seen an ad for the new Mossberg 464 but can't seem to find the gun anywhere locally.
I wish someone had one and could do a Marlin/Mossberg range report and comparison. Accuracy and reliability are important to me so want the most accurate, most reliable lever gun, even it that means it weighs a little more or cost a few dollars more...with the exception of the Browning...not a "traditional" looking lever gun. Gotta have the tube feed to make it look right!:D

What say you all?
 
The Win 94 is a classic, but there are about a dozen different types, or more. The "real" ones are the pre-64's or at least the pre-USRAC ones. The subsequent ones with angle eject, external safety, etc. vary quite a bit from the original. I was terribly unimpressed with the USRAC 94's I owned from the late 90's. But I understand some of the "legacy" editions they came out with shortly before folding up were actually very good. I would advise AGAINST getting a 94 in a pistol cartridge. Wrong tool for the job. That's what the 92 was made for.

A 92 actually would be about perfect for you, but Winchester stopped making them long ago and the Browning versions are very $$$. Puma makes a serviceable knockoff, but with cheaper parts more prone to need fixin' than the original. I've spent many long hours trying to get mine to keep my .44 Mag Puma from dropping its tube due to recoil. I finally chopped the tube in half and locked it down. The barrel was also installed canted.

You might consider some of the modern Henry carbines, which have funny names like "big boy" but which have a devoted following.

Old Savage 99's are also excellent rifles, though those are for full power centerfires not handgun rounds.

Marlins are about the toughest and best currently made, at least for a reasonable price. The 1894 carbine is a fantastic shooter for .357's.
 
I agree with Cos, if you're after a .357 lever action a Marlin 1894 or a Winchester 1892-clone (Browning or Rossi) should fit the bill. Uberti also make them in reproductions of the Winchester 1873, though they tend to be a bit heavier than the others as they have a much bigger action. The other downside with the '73s is that they have an inherently weaker action design, so should really only be used with factory ammo or a reloaded equivalent, ie. nothing too hot! Personally, I think the Marlin, fitted with a peep sight, would make a great pig gun.
 
I went with the 336 since I reload and can load down to 38 special loads if wanted. If you don't reload it is a bit cheaper to feed a handgun caliber than the .30-30.
 
I know nothing about the Mossberg. With the Marlin one screw allows bolt removal so you can clean from breech. THis is not practical with the Winchester so I would reccomend the Marlin and I shoot both.
 
With the 94, 1964 isn't as big an issue as with the Model 70.

I have shot both and prefer the Marlin 336-based rifles.

Ash
 
The model 92 is THE gun to get in .357 mag, in my opinion. Small, light, handy, perfect (unless you want to scope it).

Rossi makes the 92 clone. They can be ordered through EMF, Navy Arms, or LSI (Puma 92). Beyond that, you've got the Henry to look at as well, in addition to the Marlin, Winchester, and Mossberg.

If scoping it, I'd opt for the Marlin 1894.

http://www.legacysports.com/products/puma/puma_scoutxp.html
http://www.legacysports.com/products/puma/puma_leveraction.html

http://www.henryrepeating.com/h006_bigboy.cfm
http://www.henryrepeating.com/h006dd_bigboyengraved.cfm
http://www.henryrepeating.com/h006cb_bigboy_special.cfm

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/1894centerfire/1894C.asp
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/Cowboy/1894_32Magnum.asp

Get a 16" bbl in .357 mag - no more than 18" - the name of the game is handy, and so why end up with a long rifle?
 
I have a Marlin 1894 in .357/.38 (and a 336 in .30-30). I don't own any Winchesters, nor do I want to. I like the sturdy but smooth Marlin action, side eject, (yes, I know you can get side eject on newer Winchesters) easy one-screw removal of the bolt, and the fact that the Marlin is pre-drilled for a scope should you be so inclined.

(AND, Marlins don't rattle when you shake them.....)
 
I discovered one of the big differences with a pre-64 Win when I took my '42 1894 in .30 WCF apart a few weeks ago for a complete cleaning. The fitting of the parts and the quality of the work was much better than the 70's vintage 94s and MUCH better than the AE's from the late 90's'. Back then they had master smiths and fitters working on every firearms, and they took the time needed to do it right.
 
Kymasabe;

Since you haven't stated just what the use for the gun is going to be, that would help. Does it have to be a centerfire? If it doesn't need to be a centerfire to satisfy your requirements, I'd ask you to consider the Marlin 39 series of leverguns. They are all .22 rimfires, built to exceptional quality standards, and almost universally considered to be very accurate. The model 1894M is the .22 mag version, all the rest are a variant of 39, as in model 39A, model 39M, model 39 TDS, etc.

900F
 
a marlin 1894 will cost you more than a 336, though one you hvae the gun it is cheaper to shoot. I have a marlin 336, and 1894's in 44 and 357. the 357 is more fun. I recommend the C model, light and handy. I hear ok things about the rossi, but I think they are priced too high. for what you get. apparently you also need to replace the rear sights on them.

but lever guns are great fun. my favorite. and yes, you can hunt hogs with a 357. not monster hogs, but regular hogs.
 
Cosmo, I agree that quality slipped, but I don't think it was a 1964 thing. It could be before or it could be after.

Ash
 
I already posted it on the 1894 club thread this afternoon but what the heck.
I bought this flawless 1979 Marlin model 1894c .357 this morning from a member here. I didn't get a lot of time with it this afternoon, I only ran 10rds .357mag JHPs and 15 full jacketed .38 special rds through her but 10 hours later I still feel like a kid on Christmas morning. My choice was totally influenced by the answers to lots of pestering questions I posted here over the last couple months. Very lightweight, no real recoil and very accurate. She sleeps next to my 1977 39A tonight.

:D This is my face today.

Mark
 

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What will I use it for? Mostly a fun gun at the range. I'm not interested in rimfire. I have a very accurate, scoped Ruger 10/22 that I'm happy with for the rimfire department.
Most of the semi-auto's I've owned weren't all that accurate. Bolt guns are much better but just no darn fun. Lever guns are still fairly accurate, most can be scoped if needed, and come in a variety of calibers. Plus, who doesn't love a lever gun!
So, the gun will see lots of range use. It'll see my usual week-after-week of "which brand/weight is it's favorite". Once I settle on an accurate round, will go thru a few huindred rounds of it to get used to the round, bullet drop, consistancy, temp diff's, the usual stuff. I find a good round and stick to it.
Then, the gun will see occasional hog hunting, maybe once or twice a year, nothing huge, probably in the 50-100lb range.
Financial crunch caused the liquidation of almost all my other rifles so the lever gun has to wear many hats including: being a move-up gun for my daughters going to a bigger gun from their 10/22, bug-out gun if we have to evacuate from a hurricane, home defense if the family evacuates and I stay behind to discourage looters, self defense if my little dog is getting eaten by a coyote, etc.

In all honesty, with my .308, .223's and 7.62x39 guns of the past, I've gone thru a few thousand rounds a year.
I can't afford to do that kind of shooting with .30-30. I'm kinda hoping a .357mag gun will fill my needs and I can shoot it more affordably. If not, and if .30-30 is the way to go ...well...I'll just shoot less.
If I need a BIG gun, I still have my Chinese Mosin 7.62x54R carbine.
 
I am also in the market for a lever rifle, and am leaning toward a .357 caliber, as I have hundreds of rounds for my revolver, don't know if they're compatible.
I hear wonderful things about Henry lever actions.
 
I have a few lever guns. By far my favorite is a 1892 Winchester (made in mid 1892) chambered in 38-40 (38WCF). At 116 years old it is still smooth as glass and will shoot a 2.5 inch group at 100 yards with a Marbles Tang Peep.

My second favorite are my 1886 Winchesters. (45-70 and 45-90) The 86 and 92s are the same action designed by John M. Browning. The 92 is just a shrunk down 86.

The 92 clones and new Winchester (Browning) 92s and 86s can be cleaned up to run like an old original. I have had a couple in 44 mag and now have two in 357 mag. BTW a 357 mag really screams out of a 18 or 20 inch barrel.

You may even consider a Winchester 1873 clone in 357, 45 colt or 44-40, if you really want to have something with a classic look and feel. They are super smooth but not very strong.

See if you can find a copy of the book , SHOOTING LEVER GUNS OF THE OLD WEST, by Mike Venturino. IT IS EXCELLENT.. Also check out the Single Action Shooting Society web site. The only down side to SASS is all the gamers who do not use historically accurate rifles in the name of winning.
 
If you're sure you don't want a scope on it, the Puma is a great gun. I have two. One in 357 and one in 44 mag. I load light 38 special loads for shooting off the back deck at cans. Mine are the stainless versions. You can see the wife shooting the 357 here: http://www.pixagogo.com/2878404143 Click on a pic to make it bigger, then click on original at the top to really blow it up. The other gun is a Henry 22 mag with a red dot on it for night time critter duty. I really like the Pumas. But if you're going to scope the gun, get a Marlin.
 
Float Pilot, I'd love to see pictures of your leverguns. Don't get to see originals like that every day.
 
IMHO the best place to start in lever guns is a Marlin 39a.

After that is the Marlin 1894 in .357

Then the .336 in 30-30 or .35 Rem

Then the Guide Gun in 45/70
 
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