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School me on lever action rifles

JES Consulting

JES Consulting

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Hi all,

After many, many years of AR's and Glocks, I am taking a completely different approach to firearms.
Now I prefer wood and metal, case hardening makes me drool.I think its my version of midlife crisis. So be it.

I am looking into buying a lever action rifle, my first.
Probably 38sps/357, I do not reload and this rifle will be range/fun only.

To my limited knowledge, it looks like quality only available from Winchester -made in Japan or Uberti -made in Italy, may be Browning , however I did not really liked their lever action rifles.

I am all ears, let me know what you guys think.

Thank you in advance for your time.
 
I am NOT expert and can only tell you of my limited experience. Henry Big Boy in 357 was my first lever and I love it. Great looks, excellent fit and finish and shoots like a dream. Good luck!
 
Hi,

Thank you for your input. Not a brass receiver guy, just a personal preference. I think case hardened receiver will make me happy
 
Savage 99's are unique lever guns - high powered chamberings & no external hammer to get hung up in the shrubbery if you're out hunting
 
I would highly recommend looking into the savage model 99. Produced for nearly a 100 years it's a true American classic. Chambered in the 300 Savage, 30–40 Craig, 30-30 Winchester, 250 savage, 22 high-power, 22-250 Remington, 243 Winchester, 308 Winchester, 358 Winchester, 7 mm – 08 Remington, 284 Winchester, 38–55 Winchester, 32 Winchester special, 357 Winchester and others. It was light years ahead of its time with its internal rotary magazine, available in Take down models aswell as feather weights. One of the best "carrying" hunting rifles ever made. Good luck
 
I don't have a lot of lever action experience. I've only got a Winchester '94 in 30-30. The Henry rifles are very nice, but one thing I do not like about them is that they do not load through a side gate like the Winchester. They load through a cutout in the tube, like an old school .22.

I'm not sure how most other lever guns load. It may not even matter to you if you don't plan on getting into an old west gunfight.

Good luck
 
I've got a Winchester 73 and a Henry Big Boy, both 357/38, both very fun to shoot.

The Henry has a pretty brass receiver and a buttery action, very smooth. It's a relative pain to load; you extend a rod from the magazine beyond the muzzle, and drop rounds in one-by-one, then compress the rod (it has an internal spring) and twist it to lock. It ejects from the passenger side like many of the semi rifles you're used to, and has a heavy hexagonal barrel and great sights. They're available with and without a forend depending on which era/model you want to replicate - mine has one.

The Winchester has a retro look - it's the classic cowboy gun in a high luster blued finish. The action is a little more mechanical-feeling and requires a more definite snap to ensure proper ejection and feeding. It ejects out the top and "sort of" to the right, and the port is has a dust cover which automatically retracts when you first cock the weapon. It loads via the passenger side of the receiver, just above and forward of the trigger in a manner similar loading a shotgun.

I have piles of levers 22s but they both are vaguely "Henryish" or "Winchesterish" or "A little of both" with regards to function.

Long story short you picked a good caliber, they're very fun to own/shoot, they can be very pretty, and you'll be surprised how much you like them even if you're not into retro weapons.
 
ARBELLA13 said:
Hi all,

After many, many years of AR's and Glocks, I am taking a completely different approach to firearms.
Now I prefer wood and metal, case hardening makes me drool.I think its my version of midlife crisis. So be it.

I am looking into buying a lever action rifle, my first.
Probably 38sps/357, I do not reload and this rifle will be range/fun only.

To my limited knowledge, it looks like quality only available from Winchester -made in Japan or Uberti -made in Italy, may be Browning , however I did not really liked their lever action rifles.

I am all ears, let me know what you guys think.

Thank you in advance for your time.
Click to expand...

Henry. /thread.
 
Arto said:
Savage 99's are unique lever guns - high powered chamberings & no external hammer to get hung up in the shrubbery if you're out hunting
Click to expand...

Had one in 300 Savage at one point, definitely worth a look and unusual compared to other levers. I would suggest one in 308 if you want to keep you ammo cost down and don't reload. Or are you looking for a pistol caliber.
 
Henry. Whether you get the steel or brass model is up to you. I just blew through 100 rounds of 44 mag yesterday with my Henry. If you get a Henry, I highly recommend installing the skinner peep sight.
 
I really enjoy shooting my Henry Steel Boy Carbine. Has the big loop. Fun to bring along with the Smith and Ruger revolvers. I also have a Winchester Repeating Arms Trapper also in .357 mag. I don't shoot this as much as I use to because they are getting to be somewhat collectable. I also find that both the Winchester and Henry prefer to feed .357 length cartridges. .38 ammo feeds poorly sometimes
 
Broccoli Iglesias said:
Doesn't Cimarron sell Pedersoli guns?

If so, be careful. Pedersoli makes great guns, but support is almost non-existent in the U.S. - I have 3 Pedersoli guns.
Click to expand...

Yes..... Uberti & Pedersoli.

They make to Cimarron's specifications and customer support wise you would only deal with Cimarron and they're awesome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
ARBELLA13 said:
Hi all,

After many, many years of AR's and Glocks, I am taking a completely different approach to firearms.
Now I prefer wood and metal, case hardening makes me drool.I think its my version of midlife crisis. So be it.

I am looking into buying a lever action rifle, my first.
Probably 38sps/357, I do not reload and this rifle will be range/fun only.

To my limited knowledge, it looks like quality only available from Winchester -made in Japan or Uberti -made in Italy, may be Browning , however I did not really liked their lever action rifles.

I am all ears, let me know what you guys think.

Thank you in advance for your time.
Click to expand...

haha! I did the same thing! ditched all my utility looking glocks and rugers and went to lever action, big revolvers and neat collectables.
I have owned many fine lever action rifles- but sold them off once I experienced my first Henry. I'm not knocking winchester and savage levers- but when I felt the action in my henry golden boy- there was no comparison. I now own 3 henry lever action rifles- the Big Boy 45lc, the .22 Golden Boy and the .22 mag. I have my sights on a Henry .44mag or 30-30 next.
And you can't (won't) find another company that matches their customer service- here's one of the amazing experiences I had with Anthony Imperato, president of Henry... My older golden boy came with a black forearm band while the new golden boy rifles came with a brass band- I wrote an email to anthony from their web site asking for price and availability, I included my contact info and asked for a parts catalog- he didn't respond via email, but 4 days later a box arrived at my house- in the box.... a new brass forearm band, a really nice henry coffee mug, and many henry stickers, for $0- with a hand written note directly from anthony saying thanks for being a customer! I've dealt with Henry on a number of occasions, and every experience has been wonderful. If you're looking for high quality- I'd check out the henry web site.
H006-large-1.jpg
 
The Henrys are very nice but there's just something about them ergonomics wise for me that turns me away. I do have a Henry Frontier, a fun plinker, that I stripped the powder coat from, 'color cased' the metal and refinished the wood.


When I wanted a lever repeater in a larger caliber I found an original Winchester 1886 in 45-70 that needed a little work.
1887 manufacture. Got the Cody letter for it.


1874 Sharps 45-110
Winchester 94 32 Win Special
Henry Frontier
 
Last edited:
yogi said:
I am NOT expert and can only tell you of my limited experience. Henry Big Boy in 357 was my first lever and I love it. Great looks, excellent fit and finish and shoots like a dream. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I have heard nothing but glowing reviews on the action of the Henry's but I could never get past the loading tube instead of the traditional loading gate.

I am not an expert but I have one that is used for range fun.

Bob
 
For whatever it's worth, my friend has the "same" Uberti Henry repro as my actual Henry, and it's got a much crunchier action than mine. Food for thought.
 
Seems like every family I knew growing up had a Winchester '94 in 30-30. Perfect gun for the short ranges of wooded country and more affordable than a Henry in the poor, underdeveloped Ozarks. That was my mom's hunting rifle...still is too. In fact she bagged a nice 8-pointer this season off her back porch with it.
 
Henry Frontier 22 with octagonal barrel. Shoots 22 short and long. Beautiful wood stock, black receiver, American made, and the lever action is butter.
 

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