Lever Action Unloading

[CajunBass]

I never cared for the rack 'em through the action methoid. Even with a CBS it just never felt right. I'd unload them through the loading gate, no problem at all really. Same thing with a repeating shotgun. I see a lot of people shuck them through the gun, but I never felt good about it.

Lever action 22's, I'd pull the magazine tube and dump them into my hand, but never cared for that either. I've seen rounds get hung up in the tube. I sold my Marlin 39A because of that, and went to a Ruger 10/22 (I know, a sacrilege to some). I'll probably never own another tube fed 22.

 

[bergmen]

Your Rossi 92 is far different from mine in this case. Mine has an end plug with a pin screw that screws in through the tube and plug and up into a recess in the barrel above.

If I remove the plug there's no plunger tube. Just a snarly snake like spring with a follower on the end that loves to tie itself into knots.

And both my Marlin and Winchester .30-30's have the same arrangement.

With these the only reasonable way that is easy, fast and safe is to cycle the loads through and out.

Rossi has two versions. My sons blue steel 92 in .45 Colt is traditional in that there is no internal magazine tube (like yours). Mine is like my Marlin 39A only larger and it unscrews instead of bayonets to disengage.

Dan

 

[shafter]

Keeping my fingers in the lever loop only, I work the action until the gun is empty. I usually keep the gun low to the ground to keep my ammo from flying all over the place.

 

[swehunt]

On my Marlin 1895 I unload all rounds via the loading gate.
Just press the loading gate and the rounds pops halfway out of the loading gate. I then remove the case and repeat that action for all rounds in the magazine.
Finially I cycle the action to remove the case in the camber.

 

[Go For Broke]

Roger and Charlie are correct on Admin Unload. See their earlier post

 

[Dr.Rob]

An all my Marlins I just cycle the action. On the 336 on a hunting trip you can end up with some boogered up soft points but they shoot just fine.

Safety or not, point it in a safe direction and cycle till empty.

 

[Davek1977]

Yup, count me in the "run 'em through" camp. If you keep your finger off of the trigger, this shouldn't be a highly dangerous situation by any means. Its how I was taught to do it at 12, and how I continue to(safely) do it 25 years later

 

[115grfmj]

I don't worry about it....I just push the crossbolt safety, and run them thru either slowly so they fall in my hand or ejection port pointed down on a soft surface, to avoid damage to expensive ammo,

 

[Elkins45]

I typically solve this problem by not having it. When I'm shooting a lever gun at the range I almost always just single load by dropping rounds into the action.

The only time I load the magazine is when I'm hunting, and in that case I'm somewhere that I can just safely point the gun at the ground and crank them thru.

 

[Leadhead]

I'll either back them out the loading port or cycle them out of the mag tube on to the carrier and clear them out the ejection port without chambering the rounds... depending on the model of lever.
Last resort is cycle them through the chamber and out.

 

[ldlfh7]

Pointing in a safe direction, I cycle through the action on my old Winchester 94. As long as your finger does not touch the trigger there is nothing to worry about.

 

[HoosierQ]

I assume since these lever guns headspace on the rim, this cycling doesn't set back the bullets?

 

[benzy2]

No setback issues here, though I don't have setback issues with rimless rounds either.

I use the safety on top of the bolt of my Rossi 92 and cycle them through. I don't load any in the house, nor take the rifle inside loaded. Always point the gun in a safe direction, one you wouldn't mind shooting, and then cycle them through. That seems to be the safest method I have found so far.

 

[HoosierQ]

No setback issues here, though I don't have setback issues with rimless rounds either.

I use the safety on top of the bolt of my Rossi 92 and cycle them through. I don't load any in the house, nor take the rifle inside loaded. Always point the gun in a safe direction, one you wouldn't mind shooting, and then cycle them through. That seems to be the safest method I have found so far.

Yes. I had one of the mid 2000's Winchester 94s with the cross bolt. All it did was block the hammer which worked well along with other safe handling practices.

 

[TenDriver]

No setback issues here, though I don't have setback issues with rimless rounds either.

I use the safety on top of the bolt of my Rossi 92 and cycle them through. I don't load any in the house, nor take the rifle inside loaded. Always point the gun in a safe direction, one you wouldn't mind shooting, and then cycle them through. That seems to be the safest method I have found so far.

Chalk me in the run them through the chamber crowd (no safety on mine though).

The member who said any levergun could be unloaded without running the ammo through the chamber is obviously not familiar with all lever guns. My 92 will not allow the ammo back through the loading gate and it does not have the tube within the magazine either. Just the snakey looking spring and follower that was already described.

 

[oldcelt]

With my old 92 and 94 winchesters I just lever them out one at a time, thats why I never load more than 4 or 5.