Lever Guns

[gato naranja]

I'd still like a way to mount a light on the right side of the rifle - that is, some more aesthetically pleasing way than a hose clamp. Not much wood on the stock for mounting a small rail section there. Perhaps it could be attached to the barrel band? Not a huge amount of mounting surface there either, though. Having a bit of rail silver soldered onto the magazine tube would be one way to go, but that would probably require finding a suitable gunsmith. I'm not enthusiastic at the idea of making such an attempt.

I wonder how cleanly the local car shop could weld a rail onto the magazine tube?

I had a local metal shop weld a short (1-1/2") section of picatinny rail to the barrel band of a Marlin 1894 C to put a light at the 9:00 position, and the end result was disappointing to me. One thing always leads to another and I ended up having to use acraglas to to "bed"/stabilize the band, yet when all was said and done, it was kind of a flimsy setup depending on a small-diameter screw to secure the band itself. I ended up making a home-brewed clamp from two slabs of aluminum to mount a light on the magazine tube at 6:00, but it was still unfinished when I just got tired of all the corncrib makeshifts that weren't needed with an AR-pattern carbine.

Despite all that, if I could pick one up (cheaply enough), I'd be willing to get a Marlin 1894 CSBL and try it all over again with an LPVO or Aimpoint micro... just because I already know what "bright ideas" of mine to avoid. And I already know for a fact that it will not be as accurate, long-ranged and modular as an AR.

[CSW]

There's this;

https://grizzlycustom.com/product/ma...895s-and-336s/

And thisn

https://www.wildwestguns.com/product...ht-mount-1895/

[Rex G]

As best I can figure the HPG product doesn’t provide for a side mount, only for a six o’clock mount.

As I see it, a side mount defeats the inherent slimness of the lever rifle. Slimness is a very significant reason for me to want to use a lever rifle.

Edited to adde: This is not a case of defending a product that I have bought, because I have not bought any light mounts for lever rifles. I have tried a side rail on a shotgun. That experiment lasted for about two days.

[Clusterfrack]

@That Guy, I guess they changed it since I got mine?

[60pilot]

@That Guy, I guess they changed it since I got mine?

Not That Guy, but I just purchased one of HPG’s newer Lever Action Light mounts. The dimensions appear to be roughly the same as your’s, but the attachment method is MLOK unless you purchase your own rail section to go with it. For the smaller .357 tubes, it come with a square of bike inter tube to snug things up.

[gato naranja]

As I see it, a side mount defeats the inherent slimness of the lever rifle. Slimness is a very significant reason for me to want to use a lever rifle.

Edited to adde: This is not a case of defending a product that I have bought, because I have not bought any light mounts for lever rifles. I have tried a side rail on a shotgun. That experiment lasted for about two days.

We found a side mounted light to be less than optimal on a lever gun as well. An AR is all pointy bits sticking out here and there anyway, so a side-mounted light doesn't matter much... but man, does it ever desecrate a Rossi 92 Trapper.

I will, however, put up with a light at 3:00 on an 870 fore end if I have to... but only because I don't like it better anywhere else on that particular corn sheller.

[That Guy]

I had a local metal shop weld a short (1-1/2") section of picatinny rail to the barrel band of a Marlin 1894 C to put a light at the 9:00 position, and the end result was disappointing to me.

Thank you for letting me know. Yeah, the barrel band and its mounting bolt are a bit small for holding onto anything more than originally designed. It would have been a neat way to get the light mount onto the gun without permanently modifying the gun itself though. Still, better scrap that idea then.

There's this;

https://grizzlycustom.com/product/ma...895s-and-336s/

And thisn

https://www.wildwestguns.com/product...ht-mount-1895/

Do you think either of those could be made to work with a Winchester 94?

As I see it, a side mount defeats the inherent slimness of the lever rifle. Slimness is a very significant reason for me to want to use a lever rifle.

For me, it's the overall handiness that blows me away, not minimizing size in one particular dimension. And like I said, when trying a 6 o'clock mounting location, it didn't feel very ergonomic to me.

[gato naranja]

Do you think either of those could be made to work with a Winchester 94?

I wish I could tell you, but all I have here to put the calipers to is my lone Marlin 1894 CSS. I would think that the magazine tube OD would be pretty close on an "apples to apples" basis (i.e.: Win 94 and Marlin 336, both in .30-30). I was in the process of making a magazine tube light mount for the 1894 CSS out of scraps when I decided I was tired of the whole thing (see photo of it at the first stage, which was machining the two halves to fit the magazine tube and clear the barrel... the two halves would have had the excess cut off well above the two screws at some point). Two slabs of aluminum, a bit of picatinny rail, a couple of machine screws and time at a milling machine would have gotten me one had I not run out of patience.

For me, it's the overall handiness that blows me away, not minimizing size in one particular dimension. And like I said, when trying a 6 o'clock mounting location, it didn't feel very ergonomic to me.

If the switch on a particular light and your mode of operation make one location clearly more uniform and effective for you to use, it is probably wise to use that one. Mounting the light at the 6:00 position on a levergun minimized the tendency of a light at 3:00 or 9:00 to rotate the gun when I was holding it loosely; the heavier the light, the more I noticed it; the straight-stocked leverguns seemed unforgiving about having weight added to one side or the other.

[That Guy]

Mounting the light at the 6:00 position on a levergun minimized the tendency of a light at 3:00 or 9:00 to rotate the gun when I was holding it loosely; the heavier the light, the more I noticed it; the straight-stocked leverguns seemed unforgiving about having weight added to one side or the other.

That's a really good point and it made me re-do my zip tie experiment. Now, it must be noted that the only thing mounted to the gun in this experiment was the light itself (an Olight Valkyrie II), so I can't be certain how much effect the mount would have. However, with the light itself I did not really notice any significant tendency for the gun to rotate, and the switch for the light was extremely easy to reach with my support hand thumb. Keeping the light at the 6 o'clock position proved trickier, so I didn't get to try activating the light too many times before it fell off the gun, but it didn't seem to significantly improve the guns balance and the switch was noticeably trickier to reach. I did discover that I could reach the switch decently with the index finger of my support hand, but I dislike the notion of using my support hand trigger finger to activate a function separate from firing the gun due to the sympathetic squeeze reflex.

I do believe that after this second experiment, I'd still prefer the light mounted to around 3 o'clock.

Edit: Oh and one benefit to the 3 o'clock position I forgot to mention: the light also illuminates the front sight, making it much more visible in lower light. (This may become less important if I manage to replace the front sight with a higher visibility one.)

[gato naranja]

That's a really good point and it made me re-do my zip tie experiment. Now, it must be noted that the only thing mounted to the gun in this experiment was the light itself (an Olight Valkyrie II), so I can't be certain how much effect the mount would have.

As long as the mount is lightweight, it probably won't make much difference. With my .38/.357 leverguns, I wanted anything I tacked onto it to be light and low-profile... "minimalist," if you will. I still think that is a desideratum with a levergun.

Honestly, if my eyes were like they were 20 years ago, I might still be toting a slicked-up, stainless Rossi 92 Trapper without an optic, light or sling.