Which lever rifle would YOU choose to buy AMMO for?

[Hokkmike]

I own two very beautiful lever action rifles. One is a Winchester 1953 Model 94 in .32 Winchester Special. The other is a Marlin Cowboy Limited with an octagonal barrel in .45(LC). Each has strengths and weakness.

The Winnny's action is clunky compared to the Marlin which ejects and reloads smoothly. The 94 also has a longer throw but handles a larger cartridge. The capacity of the Marlin is twice that of the Winchester but the .45 Colt round is considered by most to be inadequate for deer hunting. The .32WS is perfectly suited for the job. Really, the .45 is suited only for cowboy shooting, home defense, or range/plinking use. The 94 for hunting, range use, and, I would suppose, HD.

Price wise the Marin actually commands top dollar with representative samples like mine going for $900 and up. It is a mint JM stamped 2006 model. The 1953 Winchester, being a pre-64 is well thought of in the used market but is priced slightly lower at around $600 for a good specimen. Both are in 95% condition or better.

So, here is the crux of the thread and the question I want to ask.

There is some high performance ammo in my area - leverevolution@, for the .45 at $30 for a box of 20. Quite a bit is available actually. I thought about buying a couple of boxes "just in case" I want to use this gun for hunting or just have more power for the HD application. But in the end, it seems wiser to invest in stockpiling the .32WS since that is the deer choice that is not disputed.

I appreciate any thoughts you have on the matter.

 

[Hookeye]

Am no fan of buckhorn sights.
Those types of irons proly limit range more than cartridge.
If the .45 likes some hot loads, I'd run it and call it a 100 yard and under rig on deer.
The .32 win stretch past that some.

IMHO your eyes and what gun you favor will make the call, as either will work.

 

[Hookeye]

If .32 special is kind of a pain to get, I'd opt to reload.
As I don't target shoot anymore, factory ammo works for me.
I shoot maybe 2 boxes per rifle, per year.

 

[Hookeye]

locally a chain store has .250 and .300 sav in stock.
Kinda shocked me.
Might buy a bunch in case a 99 featherweight comes along
Stocking ammo for a rifle I don't have..........makes sense to me LOL

 

[chicharrones]

For me, deer hunting wouldn't be a consideration since I don't hunt anymore. So, I'd be picking .45 Colt out of the two options.

 

[Dunross]

If deer hunting is your primary purpose for getting one of those rifles then what ranges will you be likely shooting at?

Out to a hundred yards either will do. 45 Colt is plenty with the right loads to a hundred yards.

Further than a hundred yards I'd go with the 32 Special.

If you want a "fun rifle" I'd go with 45. Probably easier to find ammo for as well.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I would be shocked if any ammo manufacturer is going to devote raw materials and plant capacity to running off any more .32 WS within the next two to three years. Odds are, they are shutting down nearly everything except the big sellers right now- 9mm, .223, etc.

.45LC will come back sooner, so I would stock up on the .32 if I was you.

 

[herrwalther]

Of those? Neither. If I were going to get a pistol caliber lever gun I would go for something more powerful, available, and easier to use in a paired handgun. For example 357Mag or 44Mag to a lesser extent.

 

[tubeshooter]

How important is the deer part?

I think I would put my resources towards getting .32 Special if I cared enough to post and ask this. It seems fairly hard to find.


I am guessing that LeverEvolution .45 Colt should be around for purchase, as it appears to be even more expensive than commonly found .45 Colt. Sounds interesting though, and I don't blame you for maybe getting a box of it just in case. I think I personally would get all the .32 I could find, and then a box or two of the Colt.

 

[IdaD]

Of the two I'd go with the 32 just for the greater versatility. It's a weird world out there right now and it makes sense to me to try to check as many boxes as you can. I also own a JM Marlin albeit in 30-30, and I've always thought it was a nicer rifle than the Winchester levers.

If you have other rifles available I think there are some other calibers that make a lot more sense to stock up on, though. A decent AR in 556 is an awfully handy rifle that's great for home defense and can be pressed into deer hunting duty if necessary, or hogs if they're in your area. Even now the ammo even is pretty cheap when you can find it.

 

[Sav .250]

You laid it out nicely. For me it`s the 94. The cal. 32spl........is special.

 

[Mosin77]

I’d buy both just to have ammo on hand for any eventuality. The .45 colt can be loaded up hot and would probably work fine on a deer if you can see it well and know your gun and your load. That’ll be the same limitation with the Winchester. In practice I don’t know that the .32 Win Special is that much superior, only because both of them are usually hand loading propositions, and both are the kind of rifle that you probably won’t shoot past 150 yards anyway.

The Marlin would be more fun for other kinds of shooting.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

How much of either would you plan on buying?

I can't see any retailer having more than a few boxes on hand, so it's not like you're buying pallets.

I'd buy whatever amount I could find in stock of either/both.

 

[Phrog Driver]

I have a Model 94 carbine in .32WS. 1949 build date. My dad gave it to me. He was a world class cattle whistler (which he sadly did not pass down to me) and he would whistle up ground hogs and shoot them with it on his rural PA property. Sweet shooter and would not trade it for the world. The only thing I have to keep an eye on since I am not a reloader and it is getting scarce is buy whatever.32WS is available at the Nation's Gun Show in Chantilly VA, which usually amounts to one box at every ammo booth.

 

[Frulk]

I’d pick the .45 Colt for no other reason than you have the brass afterwards and a better chance of finding a friend or acquaintance that could reload the .45 for you vs. the .32WS.

I wouldn’t think twice about taking my 1st year issue Marlin Cowboy in .45 Colt deer hunting with 255 grain hard cast LRNFP handloads I roll myself. Those equal the .44mag and nobody worries about it knocking down deer at the distances you’d likely shoot the .32.

 

[doubleh]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the 45 Colt was designed to be a horse killer. Unseat your enemy and maybe bust him up in the wreck to boot. Aren’t horses considerably larger animals than deer? I guess people want to shoot deer at much longer ranges that cavalry fought at so maybe it won’t handle deer hunting today.

 

[daniel craig]

I wouldn’t. I’d get rid of the 32 and get either a 30-30 or if sticking with pistol caliber .357 or 44

 

[edwardware]

. . . the .45 Colt round is considered by most to be inadequate for deer hunting.

Ye gads you must have some big deer!

A full power .45 Colt round should be quite effective on any deer you're able to hit with it. Trajectory will be your limit, not momentum.

 

[Legionnaire]

Unless you have some sentimental attachment to the Winchester, I would sell it. I certainly wouldn't stock up on ammo for it. The range of the .45 Colt would be perfectly adequate for most of the places I've hunted in PA. Sell the .32 and buy a nice Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt.

 

[Random 8]

Well, I love helping others spend their money. I'd sell the .32WS unless you have some special attachment to the rifle. Purchase, either a similar winchester in .30-30, or a nice marlin likewise in .30-30. A savage M99 in .300 or .308 would be a nice upgrade (with .300 Sav you'll run into some of the same ammo scarcity, although not as bad as .32WS).

IF the .32 WS is a "can't sell" rifle, you may wish to invest in a minimalist loading setup as the ammo is well on it's way to being extinct. There is basically one jacketed bullet available for the cartridge, and several suitable powders. Assuming you're shooting low volume, as little as a Lee hand press, die set, and a $20 digital scale would get you started once you have brass.

 

[Rex in OTZ]

Growing up my father's deer rifle Savage 99F in .243.
A few years back I had a Winchester 88 in .308 Winchester.
One the guys at work liked his Winchester 88 in .284 Winchester
Like a Fool I traded off my 88 and picking up a winchester 70 in .255 Winchester, which I traded off.
I was in the gunshop the day the local dealer unboxed a brand new Browning model 81 in .300 Winchester Magnum.
The first time I realised they made a belted magnum lever action.

So box mag lever actions.
Cartridges available in the Browning model 81 BLR:
.22-250 Remington
.223 Remington
.257 Roberts
.25-06 Remington ( Limited Run of 150 for Kones Corner)
.243 Winchester
.270 Winchester
.270 Winchester Short Magnum
.284 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
.300 Winchester Magnum
.300 Winchester Short Magnum
.308 Winchester
.325 Winchester Short Magnum
.358 Winchester
.450 Marlin
7mm Remington Magnum
7mm Winchester Short Magnum
7mm-08 Remington

Cartridges available in the Savage model 99:​

.303 Savage,
.32-40 Winchester,
.300 Savage,
.30-30 Winchester,
.25-35 Winchester,
.250 Savage,
.22 Savage Hi-Power,
.22-250 Remington,
.243 Winchester,
.308 Winchester,
.358 Winchester,
7mm-08 Remington,
.284 Winchester,
.38-55 Winchester,
.375 Winchester,
.410 shotgun

Cartridges available in the Winchester model 88:
.243 Winchester,
.284 Winchester,
.308 Winchester
.358 Winchester.


Henry Long Ranger.calibers
.223 Remington.
.243 Winchester
6.5 Creedmoor
.308 Winchester

One the old guys up town had a Winchester 95
30-40 Krag
.303 British
7.62x54R

 

[roscoe]

The .45LC will equal a .44 mag, properly loaded. Buffalo Bore/Double Tap, or your own reloads will make the .45 plenty adequate for deer (100 yards or less). With heavy hardcast loads (325 grains and up), there isn't much it won't stop in North America. It is an easy round to reload, as well.

 

[cdb1]

Well, if it were me I’d sell them both and get a Marlin 336XLR and swap out the laminated stock for wood furniture. Everyone has their druthers. I don’t care for pre-angle eject M94’s because any lever gun I own will have an optic and I don’t like side mounts. I also want any lever action I own to be a 30-30 or .35 Remington if in a tube fed lever.

If in a lever gun with a DBM I’d like a 7mm-08, .338 Federal or .358 Winchester.

 

[Ru4real]

Get rid of the 32 Win. Keep the Marlin in 45 Colt. Do you hand load? If not, start. Reinvest sale money into equipment and supplies.

We’ve got some data now about what happens during a pandemic. Like others have said, manufacturers paired down their offerings with 45 cal being one of those kept. Look at the Missouri Bullet Company offerings, for example. 45 Colt is one they kept.

Set a goal of making / acquiring 1000 rounds in 45 Colt. The 200gr RNFP from MBC with HS-6 powder will work for deer. However, a SWC, Keith or LBT style are better, for which you’ll have to pay more from other makers. The Beartooth bullets are LBT style and are excellent for hunting and are accurate. With the 45 Colt, it’s all about putting a drain hole in both sides of a deer and they tip over pretty quickly. A 255gr SWC with brinnel hardness of 18 at 1150 fps muzzle vel will punch through both sides of an elk at 100 yards.

Large pistol primes will be an issue. I can send you some to get you started if you can’t find any. After your first thousand loaded 45 Colt rounds are done, make another thousand.

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

Nightlord's reply really did cover this very well.

I do remember struggling to find (and Paying!!) for lesser demand components and dies early on during the last go around.
Found most of what I wanted and it was years before the stuff became commonly available again.
Get your ammo for the .32 first IMO.

JT