Lever Guns

[Crazy Dane]

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

I just measured these for ya..

Winchester 94 - .650

Marlin 1894 - .650

Marlin 1895 - .700

Only 3 big bores I have.

[MRW]

Winchester has a limited run of 1886 saddle ring carbines as a Shot Show special this year. Pricey, but I might have to save my nickels and dimes.

I don't have a practical need for one but there is something I enjoy about .45-70 lever guns.

https://www.winchesterguns.com/produ...g-carbine.html

[That Guy]

I had XS ghost rings sights on most of the Marlins I owned and I liked them a lot. Robust, easy to adjust, and very visible.

Did the front sight appear to you in any way... well, glossy I suppose is the correct term? I had an AK front sight from XS that was otherwise very visible, but completely disappeared when trying to aim at anything surrounded by snow (such as at a target in front of a snow covered berm). The sight reflected so much light that it just completely blended in with the background on a sunny, snowy day.

I was going to just replace the front sight with a fiber optic one made by Hi-Viz, but I'm not quite happy with the notion of a round front sight. Would work well for short range, but kind of awkward for precision at any sort of range. The XS sights front sight might give me a better balance of visibility and accuracy - but not if it's going to disappear in snowy conditions like that AK sight I had.

(Then again I might be overthinking things - this is just a .45 Colt and even with some slightly warmer ammunition, accuracy past a hundred meters might not be its strong suite and the fiber optic would work just fine. I still haven't been able to shoot this thing at any proper distances to see what it might be able to do, every bloody time I get to the range and the conditions are such that I might actually be able to see the front sight on this thing the rifle ranges are either reserved or closed. Still though, something has to happen - the stock front sight on this thing is incredibly difficult to see in anything but good lighting conditions.)

I recently picked up a set of GrovTec 1" Sling Swivels. Very similar in appearance to the Uncle Mikes but I oicked them over the UM in the store as these were shown as made in the US versus China. Very happy with them thus far.

Strangely, all the GrovTec sling swivel kits disappeared from eBay. Finally ended up buying some cheap Chinese ones instead, simply because that was what was available. Not very happy about that but oh well, it's a lightweight gun - hopefully the chinesium parts are strong enough for that. We'll see once/if the damn things ever get here... (Bought a shotgun stock last August and it arrived last Friday, talk about quick delivery. And the way things are going, I don't suppose buying gun parts is going to get any faster anytime soon.)

[rd62]

I haven't had opportunity to shoot my XS sights against a snowy backdrop but wonder if a coat of clear matte nail polish or similar or a coat of the matte finish color of your choice would negate the glare and make the sights more suitable for your usage?

[Crazy Dane]

I have had luck with taking the shiny off of sights with 800g emery cloth, just a little rub. I have never tried it on Xs sights though. I would love to find a big ivory bead to go on my .44 but I had to file the factory sight after installing a Ranger Point peep sight.


fyi, Midway has a big selection of the Grovtec swivels and such

[Robinson]

Did the front sight appear to you in any way... well, glossy I suppose is the correct term? I had an AK front sight from XS that was otherwise very visible, but completely disappeared when trying to aim at anything surrounded by snow (such as at a target in front of a snow covered berm). The sight reflected so much light that it just completely blended in with the background on a sunny, snowy day.

I was going to just replace the front sight with a fiber optic one made by Hi-Viz, but I'm not quite happy with the notion of a round front sight. Would work well for short range, but kind of awkward for precision at any sort of range. The XS sights front sight might give me a better balance of visibility and accuracy - but not if it's going to disappear in snowy conditions like that AK sight I had.

I don't remember having that kind of problem with my Marlins and the XS sights. But if I had, I would have put some flat orange paint on the front sight or whatever was needed. I liked Skinner sights too, but preferred the XS sights.

[Lost River]

My personal perspective is not to lean towards the heaviest loads in the 44, but mild ones with extra power if needed. My upper end in the carbine is probably the 265 gr Hornadys. I havent experimented with much cast in the Browning, and the better swc type pistol bullets dont always feed very well. Fair, but not as slick as the more rounded nose, hence the fall back position of just using the 265s as a heavier option and calling it good. I suspect one could probably do anything required, including shooting through vehicles with the 200s at whatever velocity could be achieved with them, but havent actually shot vehicles with them. Weird to think that. Ive shot vehicles with a variety of stuff, just not 44 carbines.

The couple older marlin 44s fed 44 spls OK, the current Browning 92 also does, but theyve all been with either the long nosed Lyman 429421 that makes them the same length as magnum factory loads, or the old school factory 246 gr RN that were longish. The 92 type action can be tinkered with to get to feed shorter cartridges if they wont as is. I dont know about the marlins.

Regarding the "if I needed to shoot farther id use a different gun", we never really know what we may want or need to shoot, which is part of the reason i like the 30-30 for a light walk around gun, it splits the difference fairly well between true short range pistol caliber type loads and bolt gun loads. Sighted 2-2 1/2" high at 100, they give hold on ability to about 225-250 yards and not much elevation needed out to 300. This is using almost any bullet other than the 170 gr Hornadys, which are the lowest BC bullets I know of for the 30-30, and what they used for the Hornady leverevolution comparative data, as well as different zero ranges and line of sight heights, all favoring their new load. Most 30-30 loads shoot flatter at moderate distances than the 170 gr Hornadys. The Speer 30-30 bullets are a bit better than most as far as BC. Run the actual numbers on the different BC bullets out to 300 yards in the charts and see what I mean.

I dont know that any of us truly need the same ammo capability as was done in the frontier times, it is sort of handy though. Its more a convenience than anything. I know when carrying the 30-30 I still often carry a belt of pistol shells, so probably 30 or 36 rds total with whats in the gun, speed loader and cartridge belt, plus whatever carbine loads I may choose to drag around (25-30 rds). With similar caliber guns, the loads may not be the ideal ones, but will work. I keep the spares partly as 44 mags and partly 44 spl since thats the pistol I carry a lot when not up on the mountain. They work in the 44 carbine OK. The overall number of loads gets trimmed a bit that way.

I know some say they carry like 3 rds in the gun and maybe that many spares in their pocket when hunting. Im not one of those. If I fall down and break my leg i plan to make enough noise somebody will come see what its about. Or aliens. Or whatever.

Quoted for reference.

The part about zeroing is good info. Very practical, as pretty much any critter one may feel the need to put a bullet into can be dealt with with a zero such as this. Two inches up, two inches down on a coyote, communist, deer, Jackalope, elk, or whatever else has a "sweet spot" that this easily covers.

I was just putting a Williams Fool Proof peep sight that had previously been on a Marlin 336 (that currently wears an older American made Burris compact 4x scope), on the Winchester, and reading the thread and came across this little nugget of Malamute's wisdom, and definitely agree. So I figured I would bump it.

[Lost River]

I never had any concerns about the strength of the Henry recivers. But they're too pretty. I would be worried about scratching it any time it came out of the safe. I want a gun I can ding up and not care.

It is all about perspectives.

There are a whole bunch of people who love the looks of the N Frame S&W, especially a Model 29. Same with a classic lever action. Many people dream of hunting with them, adventures, so on and so forth. Eventually they buy one or both. Then they don't use them because they are worried about scratching the fancy wood grips, or beautiful bluing, etc. They bought them dreaming of using them on adventures, then they never do. They take them out of their safes every now and then and daydream, occasionally taking them to the range but that is as far as it usually goes. No trips to the mountains chasing elk, no snowy adventures in steep and rugged terrain. No history.


Then they come on places like PF and look at Malamutes old Model 29 and go OOOOOH! What stories it could tell! Same with the well worn lever actions.

Well, Make your own stories.

Get that fancy brass framed Henry lever action and get wear marks all over it.

Build that custom Model 29, custom single actions, whatever.

then actually take them out and use them. Slip and fall in the creeks. Get scratches on them. Get a little rust on them from blood that didn't get wiped off from that deer/elk.

Have stories to tell.













Go have some adventures.

The guns will mean more to you. Scratches and all.

[Malamute]

^^^ Agree.

I guess Im an oddball, I get a new gun, even new shiny Brownings that are 30 or so years old and unfired, and cant wait to drag them out shooting, hunting, hiking, drill holes for sling mounts and better sights, whatever. Whats the point in having ti if you cant use it and make it work to its best potential for you? If its a keeper and user, who cares about some perceived "loss of value" in making a gun ork for you? Let the next person that owns it after Im gone agonize over it, Im not going to. True rare or antique guns in very good condition get some due consideration from me, but still no guarantee they wont be maximized in their use potential.

Ive drilled and tapped an original Winchester 1886 for sling and receiver sight. It was already refinished and re-bored, so whatever i did only made it more useful to me, despite being 100 years old at the time.

Im reminded of taking people around the Verde hiking and dirt roading. Some cringe at the places I go, and hear and see the catclaw and mesquite making scratches in the paint and EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE sounds down the sides of the truck driving through the tight spots. Its tattoos of places youve gone, things youve seen and done. They remind me of the enjoyment of going there.

I talked to an old riding partner and mentioned wanting to get back to Az and dirt roading on my new/old 84 H-D, asking if hed go with me to some of the places we used to go. He said "Im not taking a $25K harley down dirt roads!". Well heck, I guess Im glad I cant afford one in that price range, because Im not the least bit afraid to ride any of the same old crazy places on mine. The good thing is they are narrow enough the catclaw and mesquite doesnt scratch up the paint.

[Clusterfrack]

^^^Well said guys. My gear gets thrashed as well. If it can't take abuse, I don't want it.