Lever Guns

[GJM]

Yeah, but...how often do you actually choose a 4570 over something else?

It is my first choice for packing meat, backing up my wife on bear, and for her backing me up. There are numerous people in Alaska, probably even out there this minute, hunting bear, moose in thick cover, and even deer with Guide Guns. I would be surprised if there is a single person out there now, hunting with a shotgun.

At the Gunsite Backcountry course, which was designed for gov't field workers in bear country, the two long gun school solutions are the shotgun and .45-70 lever gun. As I said previously, 25 yards and in, I would take a M2, and beyond that, the Guide Gun. It really gets down to personal preference and your assessment of the challenge.

[SLG]

So for packing meat, does that mean that you hunted with another gun, then went home and retrieved the lever for hauling the meat out? When backing up your wife, or vice versa, I assume that means on a dedicated bear hunt? Are you using the 45-70 then as a hunting gun, or another gun for the actual hunting?

I'm sure you're right about no one hunting in AK right now with a shotgun, but how many people are shooting bears further than 100 yards with a 45-70 anyway? Most of the bear hunts I have heard about first hand involved 30-06 and the like, maybe up to .375 or so. Shots out to 250 or so, iirc. Defending yourself against the bear could certainly be done just as easily with the shotgun, no? Even out to 100 yards, my shotguns are plenty accurate to hunt with.

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, just asking questions. Personal preference is no doubt the biggest factor these days, and there is nothing wrong with that. I prefer to shoot shotguns, but I prefer to carry lever guns.

[GJM]

So for packing meat, does that mean that you hunted with another gun, then went home and retrieved the lever for hauling the meat out? When backing up your wife, or vice versa, I assume that means on a dedicated bear hunt? Are you using the 45-70 then as a hunting gun, or another gun for the actual hunting?

I'm sure you're right about no one hunting in AK right now with a shotgun, but how many people are shooting bears further than 100 yards with a 45-70 anyway? Most of the bear hunts I have heard about first hand involved 30-06 and the like, maybe up to .375 or so. Shots out to 250 or so, iirc. Defending yourself against the bear could certainly be done just as easily with the shotgun, no? Even out to 100 yards, my shotguns are plenty accurate to hunt with.

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, just asking questions. Personal preference is no doubt the biggest factor these days, and there is nothing wrong with that. I prefer to shoot shotguns, but I prefer to carry lever guns.

While I don't try for this situation, it has taken us up to four days to pack out a moose. I commonly have a second long gun in the aircraft, for packing meat and defense around camp, and that is typically a Guide Gun or shotgun. Once the animal is down, I want short and light for carrying, and powerful to dissuade a bear.

Our shotguns are likely very different than the typical shotgun found in Alaska, which is a beater, left in the bottom of boats, treated roughly, and most likely with a bead sight and an unknown zero. My neighbors at our remote cabin, never even take their shotgun off their ATV -- it stays on the rack for the season.

I think as typically configured, in the average guy's hands, the shotgun is good to 25 yards, and the Guide Gun to 125-150 yards. I like shotguns and lever guns, and see a place for both.

[JHC]

I grew up hunting with pumps and levers. In a pinch I'd rather run that lever than a pump.

[HCM]

Does anyone here have experience with the Chiappa 92 Winchester copies? I saw one today in .357 and it appeared VERY nice.

http://www.chiappafirearms.com/product/2604

[SLG]

While I don't try for this situation, it has taken us up to four days to pack out a moose. I commonly have a second long gun in the aircraft, for packing meat and defense around camp, and that is typically a Guide Gun or shotgun. Once the animal is down, I want short and light for carrying, and powerful to dissuade a bear.

Our shotguns are likely very different than the typical shotgun found in Alaska, which is a beater, left in the bottom of boats, treated roughly, and most likely with a bead sight and an unknown zero. My neighbors at our remote cabin, never even take their shotgun off their ATV -- it stays on the rack for the season.

I think as typically configured, in the average guy's hands, the shotgun is good to 25 yards, and the Guide Gun to 125-150 yards. I like shotguns and lever guns, and see a place for both.

I definitely get that, but when did we start talking about the average guy?

[HCM]

PSA - crimp your 45-70 hand loads.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...injury-images/

[Robinson]

I've always liked lever guns. I used to own a couple Marlins chambered for .357Mag and they were quite fun -- and handy around the farm when I lived in rural Ohio.

I now own two .30-30 Marlins -- one is the 336XLR which would make a fine deer rifle if I ever got back to hunting. The other is a shortened 336 that I have sighted in for the Federal 125gr JHP ammunition. This is a very accurate round in that rifle and I believe it would make for a decent defensive setup.

I have always installed ghost ring sights on my levers, I don't like to scope them because IMO it ruins the handling characteristics of the rifle. Other rifle types are better for using optical sights in my mind.

[SMD]

I've really enjoyed this thread. Add me to the list of lever gun users. Like others have said, it's rare that I grab mine when I have a distinct purpose in mind. I use a scoped Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 for hunting and a BCM mid-length for home defense and the occasional three-gun match.

Outside of those specialized endeavors, when I think it might be nice to have a rifle along I always grab my Marlin 336 in 30-30. It doesn't draw attention sitting beside me in the truck or leaned up against a tree in camp. It's low-maintenance, cheap to feed, and required no modifications beyond peep sights. And yet, it's a platform that can deal with most reasonable problems out to a respectable distance.

I live in Washington state where normal capacity ARs are perfectly legal without the sort of modifications necessary in some states. I also won't be surprised if that changes at some point soon. In that case, I feel like the lever gun has a lot of value as a sleeper defensive weapon. There are distinct downsides, of course. But for someone like me who can't handle a shotgun anymore (years of rugby, rock climbing, and rotator cuff surgeries have left my strongside shoulder a hardware-laden wreck), it's a decent alternative.

[coldcase1984]

Got a first year Guide Gun with the ports I've been threatening to have bobbed to 16.1 inches for close to a decade. Always something else I'd rather have to spend the $150 gunsmith fee. Thinking about just doing it myself and finishing the muzzle with a crown cutter myself.

I've not used it in the field since killing a couple does more than a decade ago. My ears rang for a week due to the ports. I recently got an NFA Trust and may take it a little shorter for S&Gs. A 12-13 in. Trapper would be a handy hoot.