School me on Lever Actions (please?)

GN Industries does some crazy stuff with lever actions. What a fireball that thing throws. I don’t think I could bring myself to do that to my Marlin CSBL 357. It’s already light and handy enough with the 16.5" barrel. 7C1B79E4-E516-4F19-86E3-B6090D3E2579.pngC3BE128E-3B60-4B00-94A4-D4D15C3167C1.jpeg
 
GN Industries does some crazy stuff with lever actions. What a fireball that thing throws. I don’t think I could bring myself to do that to my Marlin CSBL 357. It’s already light and handy enough with the 16.5" barrel. View attachment 600697View attachment 600698
Throw a nice stock on that bad larry and keep it by the bed. Might need another extension on that can though...
 
Sacrilege.
It hurt to sell it. But it also hurt to shoot it. It truly just sat in the safe. I got double what I paid for it, so I'm happy, and I know its one of the guns I'll never miss, especially getting older.
I have much softer shooting .357 and .44 carbines that I'll never get rid of. And I still have the old 45-70 Marlin as well.
 
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
I own Henrys, Marlins, Rossis, Ubertis and Chiapas. They are all solid choices.
 
Preorder for the new Ruger/Marlin 1895 trapper
 
Anyone know the maximum realistic range of a 45/70 out of a 16.1" barrel?
Well modern loads out of a 16.1” barrel can far exceed the black powder loads that rolled Buffalo at over 1000 yards.

It’s all about the sighting system. They are accurate they just shoot like a mortar at that distance.

Also the 405 grain bullet even at a slow speed will drill clean through anything in this neck of the wood.
 
Well modern loads out of a 16.1” barrel can far exceed the black powder loads that rolled Buffalo at over 1000 yards.

It’s all about the sighting system. They are accurate they just shoot like a mortar at that distance.

Also the 405 grain bullet even at a slow speed will drill clean through anything in this neck of the wood.
I think that is about 14 ounces of lead flying through the air. Just imagine that falling on your head from only 50 feet up! 😳
 
I’m going to step up and be a Guinea pig the moment they re-release the 1894 in .357/.38

Not quite the same, but I just picked up this .357/.38 Rossi a couple of days ago, and will be taking it to the range tomorrow for the first time. I own quite a few lever guns, and the action on this thing is smoother than any of them.

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Frank
 
Not quite the same, but I just picked up this .357/.38 Rossi a couple of days ago, and will be taking it to the range tomorrow for the first time. I own quite a few lever guns, and the action on this thing is smoother than any of them.

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Frank
Very interesting! I must say, the action on my 336, which everyone said would be mint, never really “broke in” quite right. Good to know.
 
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