Box fed lever action

[someguy2800]

The best thing about a lever action is the tube magazine. Makes the gun slim and compact and balanced. If I wanted something faster than a bolt and with a detachable mag I would get a Remington pump. A 760 or whatever they were called. My dad has one, handy little rifle.

 

[Slamfire]

When you get right down to it lever actions offer zero advantages over bolt guns or semi-autos regardless of the caliber. And a lot of disadvantages

True. Sad but true.

Wish I had gotten a Savage M99 in 308Win when prices were reasonable. They are now too expensive for a toy.

 

[Officers'Wife]

My concern would be how many extra moving parts would be needed to make the thing work? In my mind the main advantage to the lever is it's simplicity. Add more parts you increase maintenance and the odds of something breaking at the worse possible time. KISS is always good engineering.

 

[kozak6]

For a basic utility/hunting gun, I don't see any advantage over a standard tube mag. Anything bigger than 3-5 rounds would likely protrude too much below the receiver and would otherwise be impractical. Rimlock would make it difficult to design hicap mags, which are a bit silly in those calibers anyways.

Much like Australia, I don't think such a thing would gain any traction at all here until it's the only remaining option, at which point it would face vicious competition from Remington (or Remington-style) pump rifles.

 

[cp1969]

My concern would be how many extra moving parts would be needed to make the thing work? In my mind the main advantage to the lever is it's simplicity. Add more parts you increase maintenance and the odds of something breaking at the worse possible time. KISS is always good engineering.

I think it would actually have fewer moving parts. Tube fed rifles have to have a cartridge lifter and shell stop.

 

[Speedo66]

Nothing wrong with a Browning BLR except it doesn't come in the cartridges you seek. If you decide any of its many other cartridges are acceptable, you'd be getting a fine, accurate, high powered lever action, with the ability to reach out and touch at longer distances, yet still be a great woods gun.

 

[zaitcev]

BLR (and Henry Long Ranger) cannot be cleaned from the breech. Disassembling either of them requires driving pins out. In case of BLR, they are spined and I do not want to drive them in twice.

I think the Winchester 1895 is a fine design, as long as you feed it from clips. I wish someone with a good reputation made a reproduction of the Russian contract musket. Winchester themselves made a short run in 30-06 some 10 or 15 years ago. If Cimmaron made a few, I would not say no for one as long as it stays priced under $2k.

 

[someguy2800]

I know I will catch flak for this but I think the Winchester 1895 was one of the ugliest guns ever made.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Coming soon to a California near you.

 

[CraigC]

Seems to me that the magwell would interfere with the lever's operation.

When you get right down to it lever actions offer zero advantages over bolt guns or semi-autos regardless of the caliber.

Not true to the point of being comical. They're quicker to operate than a bolt, carry better and can be very light while still being constructed of walnut and steel. With the right twist rate, an levergun in .44Mag, .45Colt, .454 or .480 levergun can take anything that walks or crawls and still be a compact package under 6lbs and carry like a .22. Sure, you can do that with an AR in .450 or .458SOCOM but that's not exactly the most attractive, lightweight or handy package to many folks. The lever can go from mild to wild with the simple change of a cartridge without the need of fiddling with a gas system or your expensive brass getting thrown into the next county. Closest a boltgun can get would be the Ruger American Ranch .450BM, which is 5.8lbs bear or 6.7lbs with a little 1-4x. It's still a slow boltgun with 1/3 the capacity, not iron sights and an ugly plastic stock. For defensive use, the lever holds 10-12rds without a bulky magazine hanging down and operate almost as fast as a semi-auto for aimed fire. I'd sure as hell rather touch off a .45Colt indoors than a friggin' .223. So gimme a break, they have a lot to offer if you're not shooting 400yds. Nothing is perfect. EVERYTHING is a compromise of sorts, some people just choose to ignore the drawbacks of the object of their affection and exaggerate the drawbacks of others.

I know I will catch flak for this but I think the Winchester 1895 was one of the ugliest guns ever made.

I did too, until I handled one and realized I had the power of the .450/.400 in a beautifully handling $900 levergun.

 

[SwampWolf]

One of the nicest lever-action rifles ever made (from 1962 to 1974), imo, was the Sako "Finnwolf". Though it had a detachable box magazine, I think it was chambered for only two cartridges, the .243 and the .308. This rifle has been on my bucket list for the past several decades but, sadly. the older I get, the more out of reach it gets in terms of practical affordability...

 

[cp1969]

BLR (and Henry Long Ranger) cannot be cleaned from the breech. Disassembling either of them requires driving pins out. In case of BLR, they are spined and I do not want to drive them in twice.

The takedown BLR can be cleaned from the breech.

 

[Dr T]

I have a very nice lever gun with a DBM in 308.

It is a Winchester Model 88. While it does not have the elegance and Teddy Roosevelt connection of the Model 1895, I have thought of it as being at the pinnacle of lever rifle design.

 

[Orcon]

I never understood why dbm lever guns weren’t more popular. The savage 99 was very popular but hasn’t been produced for decades.

A short, light, handy, ~2 moa capable rifle that can be used by lefties and with iron sights or optics if wanted. No barrel band issues. Faster to unload in the field and with the ability to have 2 different mags for different loads. Then there is he advantage of faster reloads for home defense along with the fact it flies under the gun grabbers radar in wood trim.

I guess with the AR explosion the lever gun was left in the past and it seems most shooters prefer it that way.

It seems a shame to me, really. The 30-30 didn’t remain popular because of its awe inspiring ballistics as much more potent rounds became commercially available. It was the lever gun that made the 30-30.

While I share your sentiment regarding lever guns generally and the 99 specifically, I'm amazed that the 30-30 still remains a popular cartridge.

 

[Nuclear]

I'd love a box magazine lever action in 6.5 Creedmoor, but I may be a sucker for oddball guns.

 

[Officers'Wife]

A box magazine on a lever action is like everything else, some are going to love it some are going to hate it. But that is the beauty of a capitalistic society, if there is a market there will be a product. Personally having the sleek lines of a well-designed lever action destroyed by a magazine is an atrocity to my aesthetics. It would affect the balance, it would affect the "pointability" as well as negate the feel of history you get from a lever action.

But one of the many joys of shooting as a hobby here in the United States is the wonderful diversity of the machinery available. From Colt revolver to a Glock, from a single shot child's rifle to Mr. Stoner's questionable contribution the man. A box magazine lever action will never replace my little 92 Winchester in my aesthetic senses. However, if another finds it useful more power to them. I suppose it goes back to what my dad said of another firearm a few years back – it wouldn't matter if it was sanctioned by God, designed by John Browning and marketed by Jesus Christ, there would be someone, somewhere that would find fault with it.

 

[Speedo66]

No, the aesthetics of a '92 are irreplaceable, but you're talking a pistol caliber gun vs. a much more powerful rifle cartridge gun. They both have their uses, the '92 cannot compete with a powerful BLR or 99 at long distances.

 

[cp1969]

I'm amazed that the 30-30 still remains a popular cartridge.

I started out with a .30-30 and soon decided there were better rounds to be had.

But in my case, the fact remains that every game animal I've ever taken could have just as easily been taken with the .30-30.

 

[CraigC]

But in my case, the fact remains that every game animal I've ever taken could have just as easily been taken with the .30-30.

I imagine that's true for a lot of people.

 

[someguy2800]

Where I hunt I could have done okay with a 44-40 winchester, but I prefer to stack the odds in my favor.

 

[420]

Love my BLR... in 308 Win.

 

[Elkins45]

I think there is (or soon will be) a huge untapped market for lever or pump guns that accept AR magazines. Remington was ahead of the time with their 7615 carbine.

 

[VVelox]

On a related note, I've been pondering the idea of the gas eject lever action rifle. Similar to a semi-auto, but with a bolt catch that always engages and is disengages via the means of a short throw of a lever. Could easily me implemented as a AR upper.

 

[Elkins45]

On a related note, I've been pondering the idea of the gas eject lever action rifle. Similar to a semi-auto, but with a bolt catch that always engages and is disengages via the means of a short throw of a lever. Could easily me implemented as a AR upper.

I believe something similar has been implemented in the UK, where semi-auto guns are already outlawed.

 

[GAF]

I really like my two BLR`s in .308. I see a couple more in my future. I also really like my pre Remington Marlin in 3030. I expect a few more of these in my future too.