Favorite lever action

[Bum]

I have a soft spot ( nostalgia?) for lever actions; My very first firearm was given to me by my Grandmother....an old Savage Model 89.

While I will always love that particular rifle, my favorite has to be the Marlin 1895 in .45-70.

 

[Drawdown]

We have a Marlin 30/30 floating around my family but I've only shot it a handful of times. It is the only lever action I've used. I am not a big fan of it. It has a heavy leather sling that seems to mess up my aim when I am firing or something. That sling is just annoying as hell.

 

[RF667799]

The only lever rifle I've owned was a Marlin 39A, so I guess it's pretty much that by default. I really do wish I still had it.

 

[Bum]

We have a Marlin 30/30 floating around my family but I've only shot it a handful of times. It is the only lever action I've used. I am not a big fan of it. It has a heavy leather sling that seems to mess up my aim when I am firing or something. That sling is just annoying as hell.

A sling can easily be removed; though I can see how it would be annoying as hell with a lever action.

 

[Rucker61]

A buddy has a Savage Model 99 in .308. I really like the lines on that rifle.

 

[Drawdown]

A sling can easily be removed; though I can see how it would be annoying as hell with a lever action.

On that one not so easily since it has been on there since before I was born. I have never liked slings on hunting rifles/shotguns but my family members do. I usually take them off if borrowing but that one is more or less permanently jammed on end. Not a big thing. When i do need a rifle, I go with a .30-60.

 

[rickc]

 

[Fledermaus]

I have a soft spot ( nostalgia?) for lever actions; My very first firearm was given to me by my Grandmother....an old Savage Model 89.

While I will always love that particular rifle, my favorite has to be the Marlin 1895 in .45-70.

Rossi .357 Model 92 Saddle Ring carbine.

Close second. Ithaca Model 72 .22 made by Erma in West Germany, now being made and sold as the Henry H001.

 

[TurtleDude]

Rossi .357 Model 92 Saddle Ring carbine.

Close second. Ithaca Model 72 .22 made by Erma in West Germany, now being made and sold as the Henry H001.

was that a single shot-that Erma?

My favorite-a BL-22 Japanese Made Browning my father gave me for my 13th birthday in 1972

 

[Fledermaus]

was that a single shot-that Erma?

My favorite-a BL-22 Japanese Made Browning my father gave me for my 13th birthday in 1972

The single shot Martini action?

They made one also, model 49.

I have the Ted Williams version, minus the fake magazine tube.

 

[jotathought]

I own two lever action rifles:

Henry Big Boy .44 Magnum Lever Action
Winchester Model 94 in 30-30

Great rifles.

 

[Waddy]

I have a soft spot ( nostalgia?) for lever actions; My very first firearm was given to me by my Grandmother....an old Savage Model 89.

While I will always love that particular rifle, my favorite has to be the Marlin 1895 in .45-70.

I like that model Marlin because you can easily put a scope on it; but for a 45-70 it better be a long eye relief scope.

I have several 45-70 rifles. I do Cowboy Action shooting. My lever action is a Winchester 1896 take down. It will feed up to 405 grain cartridges, but not 500 grainers. So the single shots get the longer bullets.

With full power smokeless loads the 45-70 can produce quite a kick, especially with heavy bullets. Black powder full loads are a lot softer. I usually shoot black powder.

 

[beerftw]

I have a soft spot ( nostalgia?) for lever actions; My very first firearm was given to me by my Grandmother....an old Savage Model 89.

While I will always love that particular rifle, my favorite has to be the Marlin 1895 in .45-70.

My favorite lever action is the henry golden boy series, too bad I can not afford their glory, I am stuck with a rossi 92 in 30-30.

 

[beerftw]

I like that model Marlin because you can easily put a scope on it; but for a 45-70 it better be a long eye relief scope.

I have several 45-70 rifles. I do Cowboy Action shooting. My lever action is a Winchester 1896 take down. It will feed up to 405 grain cartridges, but not 500 grainers. So the single shots get the longer bullets.

With full power smokeless loads the 45-70 can produce quite a kick, especially with heavy bullets. Black powder full loads are a lot softer. I usually shoot black powder.

I do not have 45-70 in lever action but I have a trapdoor rifle from that period, even the softer blackpowder rounds can kick like a mule, and I have not fired any smokeless outside weakened trapdoor safe rounds out of my antique.

The trapdoor is a weak action by modern standards but a damn good gun, but I read about many lever actions exploding because owners never researched and bough pre 1970's lever guns in 45-70 and tried to run modern hot ammo, which is a no go unless the gun was made for it, and until the 1970's no one made them for it, and it was later than that that lever actions were built as standard to handle hot 45-70 loads, as by the 1970's the average 45-70 shooter was using blackpowder trapdoor rifles as they were cheap and highly available then.

 

[Waddy]

I do not have 45-70 in lever action but I have a trapdoor rifle from that period, even the softer blackpowder rounds can kick like a mule, and I have not fired any smokeless outside weakened trapdoor safe rounds out of my antique.

The trapdoor is a weak action by modern standards but a damn good gun, but I read about many lever actions exploding because owners never researched and bough pre 1970's lever guns in 45-70 and tried to run modern hot ammo, which is a no go unless the gun was made for it, and until the 1970's no one made them for it, and it was later than that that lever actions were built as standard to handle hot 45-70 loads, as by the 1970's the average 45-70 shooter was using blackpowder trapdoor rifles as they were cheap and highly available then.

Yep, there is a WIDE variety of 45-70 loadings; some pretty stout, but only a few for the weaker Trapdoor action. So you do have to know your rifle's limitations. My experience with felt recoil with the 45-70 is the hot loads kick way harder than the Trapdoor loads (in the same rifle). But the weight of the rifle makes quite a difference. If you have the carbine version of the Trapdoor it's pretty lightweight. I have a fairly lightweight single shot 34" barrel HR Buffalo rifle that kicks like hell with any load; so I added several lbs of weight in the buttstock. Helps some. My 34" heavy barrel Shiloh Sharps Quigley has much, much less felt recoil. Of course, that gun weighs almost 13 lbs.

For short range (200 yards and under) and plinking I usually use a black powder replica powder, but I can't get 70 grains in the case because you can't compress the powder. For longer ranges I can stuff 70 grains of real black powder in the case and a 500gr bullet. That's my most accurate long range round.

After shooting this cartridge for several decades now I have pretty much settled on my loads. And 45-70 turned out to be one of my favorite cartridges to reload. I like Starline brass, and like most straight wall brass it seems to last forever. I have reloaded some of it several dozen times; I don't usually load real hot rounds. And I avoid using any fillers.

 

[CLAX1911]

I have a soft spot ( nostalgia?) for lever actions; My very first firearm was given to me by my Grandmother....an old Savage Model 89.

While I will always love that particular rifle, my favorite has to be the Marlin 1895 in .45-70.

Always liked lever action shotguns. I know I know they are clunky and absurd compared to pumps, but they are fun

 

[beerftw]

Yep, there is a WIDE variety of 45-70 loadings; some pretty stout, but only a few for the weaker Trapdoor action. So you do have to know your rifle's limitations. My experience with felt recoil with the 45-70 is the hot loads kick way harder than the Trapdoor loads (in the same rifle). But the weight of the rifle makes quite a difference. If you have the carbine version of the Trapdoor it's pretty lightweight. I have a fairly lightweight single shot 34" barrel HR Buffalo rifle that kicks like hell with any load; so I added several lbs of weight in the buttstock. Helps some. My 34" heavy barrel Shiloh Sharps Quigley has much, much less felt recoil. Of course, that gun weighs almost 13 lbs.

For short range (200 yards and under) and plinking I usually use a black powder replica powder, but I can't get 70 grains in the case because you can't compress the powder. For longer ranges I can stuff 70 grains of real black powder in the case and a 500gr bullet. That's my most accurate long range round.

After shooting this cartridge for several decades now I have pretty much settled on my loads. And 45-70 turned out to be one of my favorite cartridges to reload. I like Starline brass, and like most straight wall brass it seems to last forever. I have reloaded some of it several dozen times; I don't usually load real hot rounds. And I avoid using any fillers.

The issue with blackpowder loading is not so much compression, well I take that back pyrodex likes compression just like the real stuff, but other subs hate it. However original catridges were balloon head, meaning the rim was thin allowing more powder, many modern cartridges can be lucky to push 67 grains of blackpowder with a drop tube and compression, and many are at 65 grains or less due to modern heads being much thicker than the old balloon head brass.

 

[Waddy]

The issue with blackpowder loading is not so much compression, well I take that back pyrodex likes compression just like the real stuff, but other subs hate it. However original catridges were balloon head, meaning the rim was thin allowing more powder, many modern cartridges can be lucky to push 67 grains of blackpowder with a drop tube and compression, and many are at 65 grains or less due to modern heads being much thicker than the old balloon head brass.

Exactly. The sub I use is some old Pinnacle, which can't be compressed. So it's good out to about 250 yards. I can get real FFFG black powder crammed down right at 70 grains. Back in the day typical 45-70 was FFG, but my guns like FFFG better. So it's nice to need just one BP for rifle and pistol.

 

[beerftw]

Exactly. The sub I use is some old Pinnacle, which can't be compressed. So it's good out to about 250 yards. I can get real FFFG black powder crammed down right at 70 grains. Back in the day typical 45-70 was FFG, but my guns like FFFG better. So it's nice to need just one BP for rifle and pistol.

Lately I use either pyodex or the real stuff, pyrodex does not smoke as much as other subs or real black powder, but has the legit sulfur smell and by volume performs near identical to blackpowder.

Now for cartridge loading I load my 45-70, 45 colt and .44 cap and ball all with graf and sons brand 2f blackpowder. 2f and 3f to me will interchange nicely for most medium calibers and handguns that are not short barreled like pocket revolvers. 1f and 4f though are ones not to be used outside proper application, one can blow up a gun and the other might leave a bunch of smoke and fire with the bullet barely leaving the barrel if the barrel was not long enough.