The Bushmaster
Member
Only lever guns I own are a 1949 Winchester m94 in .30 WCF and a 1972 Browning (Belgium) BLR in .308 Win. Of which neither one would I part with.
Camp Carbines and Obscure Levers
- Thread starter sisyphus
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cdb1
Member
Of all the rimfire rifles out there the Marlin 57M is the one I’d most like to have. I also have a thing for .22 WMR.
I have a Camp 45 and I will say it is fun to shoot, with mine the accuracy is very good.
I would load a 185gr Nosler JHP with 7.3gr of Unique with a COL of 1.195" with good results but the amount of soot in the action, begged for a cleaning. So I took it apart and cleaned it, and I will say this is not the sort of thing you would want to do in the field.
I put a Black Jack buffer in mine along with a 16.5 lbs Wolff recoil spring and all is well.
Don't use Unique any more, there are other powders that burn much cleaner.
I would load a 185gr Nosler JHP with 7.3gr of Unique with a COL of 1.195" with good results but the amount of soot in the action, begged for a cleaning. So I took it apart and cleaned it, and I will say this is not the sort of thing you would want to do in the field.
I put a Black Jack buffer in mine along with a 16.5 lbs Wolff recoil spring and all is well.
Don't use Unique any more, there are other powders that burn much cleaner.
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BlueHeelerFl
Member
I'd love to have a Levermatic in 30 Carbine.
Speedo66
Member
I just sold a 1971 Belgium Browning BLR, also in .308. Was my hunting rifle, now in a straight wall state.
I literally got three times what I paid for it, so I'm OK with the sale.
WestKentucky
Member
Between the two of us we pretty well have the levermatic collection. You have the rimfire a and I have the centerfires. Are yours Marlin branded or are any of them store brand guns?
Bigdog357
Member
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- Sep 17, 2020
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They are all Marlins, took me a while to get my hands on the 57 22LR, I am looking to add at least one of the center fires to my collection. I picked up the other two sitting side by side at a local auction a few years ago.
WestKentucky
Member
Of the centerfires, the 30 carbine is a better gun overall. The .256 is really neat but ammo is hard to find, and bullets to reload for it are also elusive. Most .257 bullets are too long to work in the magazine for a 62 so unless you find the 60 gr JHP or a 70 gr or less solid nosed bullet you are basically using it as a single shot. The .256 also had a common chamber flaw where the cases swell and stick. It’s not a big issue with factory loads, but reloads get pretty sketchy for extraction. The 30 carbine doesn’t have these issues, and is as much fun if not more fun with its heavier bullet.
Tentwing
Member
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
A friend had a Camp Carbine 9mm, now nearing 30yrs ago. I thought the concept was cool at the time but the carbine seemed heavier than it should've been. I quickly figured out I didn't want one. I thought a levergun in .357, .44 or .45Colt had a much better power-to-weight ratio.
I'd be all over a reintroduction of the Ruger 96 series but only if they stocked them in walnut instead of birch.
I'd be all over a reintroduction of the Ruger 96 series but only if they stocked them in walnut instead of birch.
Plastic receiver? I remember them being milled steel.
Elkins45
Member
The attraction of the camp carbine was the ability not accept commonly available S&W magazines.
The mag well that the trigger components are mounted in is plastic. I cracked mine along with shearing off the hammer strut bridge when the buffer disintegrated. A small chunk of black plastic fell out in my lap when I took it out of the stock. I bought a new one from Gunparts but I’m not going to install it until the old one becomes non-functional because swapping the parts doesn’t look like a lot of fun. I haven’t shot it in forever because I like my Ruger more, although the folding stock (Ram Line) on the Marlin is pretty handy. I really need to sell it because it’s not doing any good sitting in my safe.
Very nice. If you want obscure, try a Levermatic in 256 Win Mag.
My Browning B-92, .357 Mag, an 1892 replica Mirokuchester, is a keeper. Unlike 21st-Century Mirokuchesters, there is no sliding tang safety. I encountered quite a few of them, that raised my eyebrows, but they were all .44 Mag, until I finally found this .357, a year or two ago, a match for my carry/defensive revolvers. I realize that it is rare to find one load that performs well in both revolvers and rifles, but the main thing is that, in an emergency, both weapons could eat from the same box.
I have handled a Sako Finnwolf. A work of art, but, as I recall, quite heavy. I already had my Browning BLR Lightning, for comparison.
I addition to my first BLR, a mid-Nineties Lightning, I later acquired a Takedown BLR. Both chamber .308 Winchester. The rare runs of .223 BLRs always seem to occur when my wallet has other priorities.
I have handled a Sako Finnwolf. A work of art, but, as I recall, quite heavy. I already had my Browning BLR Lightning, for comparison.
I addition to my first BLR, a mid-Nineties Lightning, I later acquired a Takedown BLR. Both chamber .308 Winchester. The rare runs of .223 BLRs always seem to occur when my wallet has other priorities.
Random 8
Member
I still fondly remember the marlin camp carbines alongside 8.99 bricks of Federal Lightning. 22rf on the shelf at the local Kmart. My first. 22 was a Marlin semi with the detachable magazine, and they looked like a grown up version of mine. The guy behind the counter let me hold one, but anything so impractical was a non starter with Dad.
You absolutely need a Savage M99 and a Rem M81. The former I own, and the latter I kick myself for not owning. Had one in front of me at auction when I was not too familiar with them. Had the money, just didn't have the knowledge to bid with confidence. My suggestion would be to get well used but serviceable specimens, both in. 300, and use them like you mean it. Both are so much fun to shoot. Both are easy on components. I shoot a lot of 30-30 level loads with cheap 150 SPs in my M99. Easy on the rifle and my shoulder, and the cartridge downloads well.
You absolutely need a Savage M99 and a Rem M81. The former I own, and the latter I kick myself for not owning. Had one in front of me at auction when I was not too familiar with them. Had the money, just didn't have the knowledge to bid with confidence. My suggestion would be to get well used but serviceable specimens, both in. 300, and use them like you mean it. Both are so much fun to shoot. Both are easy on components. I shoot a lot of 30-30 level loads with cheap 150 SPs in my M99. Easy on the rifle and my shoulder, and the cartridge downloads well.
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