caliber in a lever gun

[Revolver Ocelot]

some of you may have already seen my other thread on the wild west guns "co-pilot" but being lever guns in general are an unknown to me I figure the knowledge here is better then anything I can find elsewhere.

Long story short I just don't know what caliber would suit best someone that just plans on usin it for the occasional target shoot and some deer hunting.

 

[batmann]

If you are thinking of a lever rifle, make it a rifle----.30-30
In the coming times, ammo may start to become hard to find, so I would stick with a common round. Pistol rounds have limited range and the .30-30 will work on about anything you need to shoot

 

[Walkalong]

The classic is 30-30, but I sure liked the one I had in .44 Mag as well.

 

[NCsmitty]

Well said batmann.

NCsmitty

 

[Kernel]

Wildcats aside, not on your list but you should consider the 444 Marlin. Good choice for an all-around levergun bassed on a Win 94 or Marlin 336 action. Shoots the same bullets as the .44 Mag. Think of it as a .44 Mag Mag. (Mag^2 ???)

The .375 Winchester is also an awsome cartridge. It would be my choice for an all-around levergun. Kind of hard to find them off-the-rack, but any .30-30 336 Marlin of recent mfg can be converted to .375 Win for about $250.

 

[czarjl]

.30-30 Is the only way to go IMO. I am really looking forward to trying some of those Hornady LEVERevolution ammo in my Win 94.

 

[Revolver Ocelot]

I did have the chance to look at the .444 but unfortnately the rifle I have decided on is not available in that caliber at present

 

[bigwinchesterfan]

Almost anything walking on this great continent is suitable to be dropped by a 30-30 in its different bullet configurations.

Love the 30-30.

 

[John828]

I voted .35 Rem, but batman scared me, so when I get around to getting a lever, I will get a .30/30.

In fact, maybe I should visit some pawn shops and try to find an old gem afterall, it is the dawning of a new day with the inauguration. I should at least have a happy moment today.

 

[ArmedBear]

If you want to plink with it, reloading is necessary due to cost and, to an extent, recoil.

I love the .357 loaded with .38's as a plinker! But after a few boxes of commercial ammo, you might as well get a .22LR as a second rifle. It'll be cheaper.

The .44 and .30-30 are favored by deer hunters, but they're each too expensive to plink with. The .30-30 isn't a great plinking round in a light rifle, either. Recoil isn't extreme, but it's not pleasant for blasting away all day with a hard buttplate, either. However, if you roll your own, you can make cheap, low-recoil rounds in either caliber.

 

[MCgunner]

I like .357 because I can load it for small game to hogs. I have a 105 grain SWC load that moves about 900 fps out of my Rossi that's killer for small game, mimics the uses of a .22. Then, I have a 158 grain load that I've taken deer with. I've still got to get some lil gun powder. Several sources tell me I can mimic .35 remington with this powder in the rifle in .357, talking a 180 grain bullet around 2000 fps or a 158 at near 2200. I ain't gettin' that with 2400, only about 1850 with a 158, but that's enough to 100 yards, really.

Since I cast that 105 and that 158 grain bullet out of range scrap, my loads cost me the price of a primer and powder assuming I've got the brass. But, I have to chase down the brass when plinking. The 158 takes a gas check, 1000 in a box for something like 15 bucks. And, the cost of Lee liquid alox, which goes a long way. I guess the bullet isn't completely free, but nearly so.

If you are informal plinking with a large round like .30-30 or even .357, the barrel is going to get hot and that's not a good thing for barrel erosion. My light .38 rounds are little harder on the bore than .22s are. I love the combination.

 

[usmcpmi]

I have a 1886 Winchester in .45-70. I load my own so it's cheap enough to shoot. .45-70 will bring down anything I can think of in N. America. MG

 

[ArmedBear]

What powder do you use for the 105 grain SWC load?

 

[greenr18]

i havent seen too many 50 alaskans but to be fair im not into the lever action scene, i did see an SBR 50 alaskan with a D loop on some website that i wouldnt mind owning

 

[Ben Shepherd]

For your intended uses, I'd say the 30-30 would be the perfect choice hands down.

Ammo avalibility EVERYWHERE being a big plus.

 

[MCgunner]

What powder do you use for the 105 grain SWC load?

2.3 grains of Bullseye. It's very light, but amazingly accurate given the amount of unoccupied space in the case. I've given thought to trying trailboss for that reason, but I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I tried cornmeal as a filler at first, but the load doesn't really need a filler. Standard primer works, too.

I've been shooting this load for 20 years in this gun. It'll do 1.5" groups at 50 yards which is as good as my 10/22, not that that is saying much. LOL But, it's good enough for small game if you had that in mind. And, brass lasts FOREEEEver.

Oh, bonus, that same bullet feeds well and is quite accurate when sized for 9x19 or .380ACP. I bought a couple of .355 round nose molds that didn't work, inaccurate. But, this 105 is quite accurate as a practice load in .355" guns with sized to .357 and loaded .002" oversize.

 

[ArmedBear]

I just bought a can of Trail Boss yesterday. Loaded a little; haven't tried it yet. I'm using it in a .44 Mag, though, so I was really uncomfortable with just dropping a tiny bit of regular powder in the case.

Any problems with hangfires with a tiny amount of Bullseye?

 

[MCgunner]

No problems of any kind with the B'eye. I even tried holding the rifle nose down and raising to the bench such that the powder would be up near the bullet. No perceptible difference in performance. So, I quit worrying about it long ago.

 

[ArmedBear]

Certainly you don't have to worry if you double-charge it, either.

 

[MCMXI]

plans on usin it for the occasional target shoot and some deer hunting.

I have one in .45 Colt and two in .45-70 but I'd have to agree with many here ... the .30-30 since you don't have the .308 Marlin Express on the list.

 

[mpmarty]

Lever actions, being somewhat lacking in accuracy anyway, my choice is the 45/70 with a Marlin 1895 and hot handloads. Good out to a couple hundred yards and that big punkin of lead will anchor whatever it encounters.

Beyond two hundred yards, go for something more accurate than a lever action unless you have a BLR or one of the newer Winchester levers with the front locking bolts. Oops, almost forgot the venerable Savage 99 as they can also reach out a bit further with their stronger actions chambered in 308, 243, etc.

 

[ArmedBear]

Lever actions, being somewhat lacking in accuracy anyway

Some may surprise you, e.g. my .357 Marlin 1894 loaded with .38 Special is capable of cloverleaf groups with iron sights, at iron sight ranges.

But they're meant to be handy, not for long-range competition, to be sure.

 

[Revolver Ocelot]

wow, the 30-30 is winning by a landslide. I would really love to have the .457 because it really is a versatile gun (even more so because it'll fire 45-70) It can get anything from a deer to an elephant. But as much as I think its really neat it just might be to much for me (haven't fired a rifle larger then 30-06) in which case the 30-30 just may be the ticket.

 

[Kind of Blued]

If you reload and have a lot of fun with it and hunt things bigger than deer: 457 Wild West Magnum (I hadn't even heard of this, but it sounds neat).

If you already have a good bolt-action deer rifle and will use this more for targets, or would like a challenge hunting at short ranges: .357 Magnum

If you otherwise just want a lever-action to hunt deer: .30-30

 

[Revolver Ocelot]

I do not own a rifle (shocker I know) I do not reload at present but plan to in the future. aside from the .457 caliber sounding neat and versatile my primary reason for concidering it would be if I end up putting the $2500 on a rifle I might as well get the whole shebang but for my purposes the 30-30 sounds a little more practical.