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School me on Lever Actions (please?)

steve8140 said:
Where are you guys finding lever guns?

I’ve been on the lookout for a Henry Big Boy X in 357 for a little while now.

I’m open to a case hardened model as well.

Hoping to find something with a threaded barrel so I can hunt with a suppressor.
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I bought both mine online. Rossi's must have just sent a bunch because they were pretty available. But after a few days of looking, the popular calibers are getting sold out. I was going to get a .357....but I have one, and have dies for a 45 long colt and lots of loads.

The Henry .44 mag, not so much. Tough to find in the 20" steel right now.......at least online.

Anything Winchester is like fairly unobtainium......but when I was down in PA at my son's, Cabelas had a shit ton of used guns.....and there were some nice levers in there, overpriced, but next time I go down....Im certainly gonna spend some time looking. The market was crashing down there.......guns galore being traded in. And 100% full of guns on the shelves.
 
The stock comes in waves. When you see a dealer flush with Rossi's, it means they got a bunch of Rossi's in, not that the Rossi you want will still be available in a month. But I think the firearms industry will see rising inventories over 2023.
 
meh said:
The stock comes in waves. When you see a dealer flush with Rossi's, it means they got a bunch of Rossi's in, not that the Rossi you want will still be available in a month. But I think the firearms industry will see rising inventories over 2023.
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Agree.........inventories definately should be rising on these guns. The black gun and pistol market is saturated and stocked. Its the fudd gun/levers that were fairly unavailable the last few years. I think we will be seeing more of them. Especially Rossi since its a Brazil product.

I think manufacturers like Henry just make too many models and can't keep up, and Browning/Miroku/Winchester made runs of guns and when they are out of stock you don't see them till the next run. Ruger will hopefully get the whole line of Marlin up, but they will still make them in batches. I don't expect a full return and prices will be high.

Ill be looking in the used market for some other lever guns that I want where Id rather have an old one, like Savage 99's and Winchester 94 and 92.

I'm already seeing more of the O/U's and other guns that were kinda unobtainium hit shelves now and actually stay there.
 
Just a friendly heads up, if you’re looking for a Henry then Rural Kings seems to have a few in stock.
I just ordered a Henry Big Boy X in 357.
Lever guns

They don’t ship to MA but I’m sure you could send it somewhere else.
 
Palmetto has big boy steel 44mag load gate for 899.00 5% off added as well, ends up as 849.00

They don't ship to MA either....send it somewhere else.
 
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andrewCZ said:
9mm lever gun? Not something I’d want but interesting.

View: https://fb.watch/hPt6M_nlaM/
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FPrice said:
Helluva lotta tech. For a 9mm.

But it's an interesting concept to play with.
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TrashcanDan said:
Might open up the door for other rimless cartridges like 10mm.
Wonder what a .400 Corbon or .460 Rowland could do out of one of those.
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Yeah that would be interesting.

www.impactguns.com

POF USA Tombstone 9mm, 16.5" Barrel, 20rd

POF USA Tombstone 9mm, 16.5" Barrel, 20rd. POF Rifles 01891. The Tombstone 9MM is POF-USA’s take on a lever-action rifle. Tombstone is a modern-lever-action chambered in a pistol caliber, initially offered in 9MM. The rifle comes with the same proven 20-round standard magazine, or optional 10-...
www.impactguns.com www.impactguns.com
 
Rifles weigh a lot. I have my Dad's Remy .223 and I love it. But I have to say I'm really surprised how heavy some of these lever action guns are...why?? If we're talking a .357 caliber, why are they so blessed heavy? It makes no sense.
 
Laura said:
But I have to say I'm really surprised how heavy some of these lever action guns are...why?? If we're talking a .357 caliber, why are they so blessed heavy? It makes no sense.
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In part aesthetics and in part design. They're using designs that are pulling up somewhere between 129 and 163 years old. Some are using brass alloy receivers, which probably requires more thickness than steel. Some are sporting octagon barrels. Nowadays these are aesthetic features that just weigh more than necessary. The 1860, 1866, and 1873 designs are heavier than the 1892 because of the longer receiver required to house the action, especially the lifter. In contrast, the 1892 in a trapper configuration with a round barrel is super light. Likewise, the Marlin-derived action of the Henry Big Boy Steel is fairly light. Also, since the designs are adapted for 357M, 44M, and 45C, they tend to use the same size barrels and magazine tubes for the 45C. The resulting thicker barrel is more weight in 357M than it needs to be.
 
Finished a quick winter project of adding Turnbull safety deletes to all my Marlin 336, 1894 and 1895.

Came out really nice and only 10 mins per gun, just gotta be extra careful you don't lose the small parts.

Should have done this a long time ago.

New aquisitions of a Rossi 44mag (was going to get the 45LC but I have 44mag reloading stuff already) and a new Winchester Model 94 short rifle in 30-30 WCF. Almost got the fancy grade model, but didn't want a safe queen. Came close though...fancy grade was beautiful with high grade walnut and color case.
 
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Installed a Steve's Gunz bolt-mounted sight on my Rossi 92 45C Trapper. Initially I used an ordinary dovetail blank that I had drilled and tapped to hold the sight's aperture in case I wanted to use it as a ghost ring, but that extended up far enough that it obscured more than half of the front sight post when the aperture was stowed there, which partially defeats the purpose. Made a custom blank out of some dovetail bar stock. It's not perfectly symmetrical because I just ground it by hand on a belt grinder, but it's good enough. I just used a steel shim underneath to tighten it up.

IMG_1451.jpg
 
CoastieRon said:
I feel as though I was starting to hi-jack @The5thDentist thread, so I thought I would start a new one.

I've decided that rather than get a Mosin, I would like a used lever action. Something well used but well cared for. I've always wanted one, and seeing the prices of Mosins, I'd rather scratch the lever action itch for my own collection, and then just shoot my BiL's Mosin when I get the hankering to dislocate my shoulder.

I'm looking for something in 357/38, 44 or 45, with a barrel length of 16-20". I'm looking for these particular calibers because this is going to be a range gun, and I want to keep the price per round down, and also might enjoy a wheel gun down the line in the same caliber. I'm not interested in a scoped rifle, but am looking for accuracy up to 50 yards (above that out to 75/100 is a bonus). My questions are:

1. Which makers should I avoid?
2. Which of the three calibers will be more accurate to shoot?
3. What features should I look for?
4. Are there certain years that are better than others (build wise)
5. What else should I look for?
6. Am I asking the right questions?

I've hit quite a few shops but haven't found what I'm looking for used, but maybe my set budget is too low ($600 and lower, preferably lower). I've seen a ton of 30-30 that's in my price range - used (and new for that matter), but I'm not interested in that cartridge/caliber. I've seen other calibers such as 41 mag, 32 win (32-20?), 35 Rem etc, but those calibers seem to be expensive per round. I'd love to stay under $0.50 per.

I do not reload. But I am familiar with the smiles per dollar formulas....

I even made room for a new caliber in my safe......

View attachment 255340
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That's your ammo stash? You gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers in this racket.
No wonder the economy is in recession with those purchasing efforts. :)

You need to get moving.
Besides if Andrea and Maura institute lifetime limits on ammo, that might be all you're getting.
 
andrewCZ said:
After just recently watching videos of suppressed 357 lever guns, it really made me hate this state even more....

With 38s, it was ultra quiet. So awesome.

Do all of the threaded models have 20+ inch barrels?

Here’s one with a 16.5" barrel. Not super cheap.
Model 1894 CST

You wonder if companies like Henry would be willing to thread one of their carbine models if you reached out to them?
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Any idea why Ruger has not put the 39A back into production?
 
I've poked around this thread but was wondering what the consensus is for a 44 mag lever gun, for a lefty if that matters. My eyes have seen better days so I need a 4x scope. Looks like Henry or Rossi are the best options, with Winchester and Marlin not offering any .44 offerings. I'm not overly price sensitive and am looking for a good one, if there is a specialty gunsmith needed I'm good with that as well
 
rep308 said:
I've poked around this thread but was wondering what the consensus is for a 44 mag lever gun, for a lefty if that matters. My eyes have seen better days so I need a 4x scope. Looks like Henry or Rossi are the best options, with Winchester and Marlin not offering any .44 offerings. I'm not overly price sensitive and am looking for a good one, if there is a specialty gunsmith needed I'm good with that as well
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If you will be using a scope, I'd go with a Henry because it's side-eject. The brass ones in 44 seem to be in stock here and there. KAG Arms has one for $875. The side-gate versions (steel, CCH, and all weather) seem to be a little harder to find right now, but if you're patient, I'm sure they will flow back in to dealers. As regards the loading gate, some find it a deal breaker, but I have a Henry 357 side gate, and the proof of the pudding is in the eating: the tube loading is so much quicker, easier, and more convenient at the range that I don't actually use the side gate. YMMV on that. Biggest objection to the brass model would be the weight. With a scope and all, it's not light. The steel receiver models feel noticeably lighter, especially the standard Big Boy Steel carbine.

The Henry should also have a SAAMI spec chamber and bore diameter, which the Rossi will probably fail at (oversized). My Rossi 92s in 357M and 45C both will over-expand the brass because of loose chamber dimensions.
 
@meh

Thank you and after a look through the Henry lineup this one looks like what I'm looking for:

www.henryusa.com

Big Boy All-Weather | Henry Repeating Arms

Big Boy rifles in revolver calibers established the original reputation of our centerfire models. These All-Weather versions let you hunt in the rain and the snow with no fear of creeping rust. We have further upgraded these rifles to include a side loading gate for rapid magazine top-off while...
www.henryusa.com www.henryusa.com

Big Boy All-Weather Side Gate.44 Magnum/Special, .45 Colt, .357 Magnum/.38 Special​

and it even say's OK for leftys..

And buckhorn sights suck!
 
rogersmithiii said:
That's your ammo stash? You gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers in this racket.
No wonder the economy is in recession with those purchasing efforts. :)

You need to get moving.
Besides if Andrea and Maura institute lifetime limits on ammo, that might be all you're getting.
Click to expand...
Lol. I'm in NH. I started this thread a couple years ago. My numbers are good....
 

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