Lever Guns

[serialsolver]

I've had a bunch of lever guns over the years and really like them. They seem to be more left hand friendly. I'm left eye dominant so I shot long guns left handed and handguns right hand. I prefer the 30-30 cause in some small towns that caliber is easy to get. I always carried them chamber empty unless I'm hunting. This lever gun I have kept and won't let go and if I only had one rifle this would be it. A Winchester m55 take down in 30wcf made in 1929. It has a flip up sight on the barrel sighted in at 50yrds and the tang peep sight sighted in at 125yrds. I use hornady leverlution ammunition. I really need to get better pictures but here's what I got.


I roll it up in a leather wrap.


So it fits in my backpack. Or I tell folks that ask that it's ceremonial Indian items that I can't talk about outside of the tribe. (Not really but I have thought about it)



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wheeler]

^^^ that's freaking cool.

[SLG]

There is nothing disingenuous about comparing a LA to any other long gun, for actual use. Unless you think that means really smart, or something like that.

The issue is to compare them and determine which is most appropriate for me, for my needs, today. I love lever guns, and mostly enjoy shooting and carrying them, but compared to other designs, I find they tend to come up short. because I like them so much, I tend to re-evaluate them every so often. As I do everything else I use or wish/might/want to use.

Shot the Gunsite Police rifle today, as well as the Brockman 45-70. The Winny has quite a bit more recoil than my longer heavier 336, but it is very sweet to carry and maneuver. The 45-70 is also a dream to handle, but the recoil of the leverevolution was not that much fun, and switching to HSM bear loads was pretty unpleasant. Compare that to the 40 12g slugs I shot afterwards, through a WC 870 and a mostly stock Remington Marine Magnum. 1600 fps and they were pleasant to shoot compared to the 45-70's. Also very fast to hit a 12" plate at 100 yards. The WC has a T1 on it and the Marine Magnum has a Ghost ring. Both work really well, and on a nice day on the range, they are a bit of a toss up. The aimpoint gives tons of advantages off the range though, and even on the range, it felt a little like a video game. Or the main gun on an M1:-)

[GJM]

Not sure if your Guide Gun has one, but I find the Limbsaver pad makes an enormous difference with heavy loads, like the Garrett 420+P I use.

[SLG]

I have a Limbsaver on some guns, and it does work well. The Brockman has a 1" pachy on it. Maybe I should switch it?

[GJM]

I have a Limbsaver on some guns, and it does work well. The Brockman has a 1" pachy on it. Maybe I should switch it?

I did on the 16 inch Guide Guns, and while it isn't something I notice in the field on an animal, it made a big enough difference just shooting that I went to the trouble to switch a few.

[Wheeler]

There is nothing disingenuous about comparing a LA to any other long gun, for actual use. Unless you think that means really smart, or something like that.

The issue is to compare them and determine which is most appropriate for me, for my needs, today. I love lever guns, and mostly enjoy shooting and carrying them, but compared to other designs, I find they tend to come up short. because I like them so much, I tend to re-evaluate them every so often. As I do everything else I use or wish/might/want to use.

Shot the Gunsite Police rifle today, as well as the Brockman 45-70. The Winny has quite a bit more recoil than my longer heavier 336, but it is very sweet to carry and maneuver. The 45-70 is also a dream to handle, but the recoil of the leverevolution was not that much fun, and switching to HSM bear loads was pretty unpleasant. Compare that to the 40 12g slugs I shot afterwards, through a WC 870 and a mostly stock Remington Marine Magnum. 1600 fps and they were pleasant to shoot compared to the 45-70's. Also very fast to hit a 12" plate at 100 yards. The WC has a T1 on it and the Marine Magnum has a Ghost ring. Both work really well, and on a nice day on the range, they are a bit of a toss up. The aimpoint gives tons of advantages off the range though, and even on the range, it felt a little like a video game. Or the main gun on an M1:-)

I'm well aware of what the word means, which is why I used it. If using a lever action doesn't work for you then I'm certainly not suggesting that you're wrong. What I am suggesting is that it boils down to a perception and training issue. Conceptually (yes I know what that means as well,) it's no different than the training differences between a SA, SF, and TDA pistol. YMMV of course.

[SLG]

I'll have to do that. The plus P garrett is equivalent to the HSM load I was shooting in weight and velocity. Garrett's one step down load looks like it would work as well or better for me.

[GJM]

I dig that takedown Winchester!

Here are some of our lever guns.

On the right is my wife's #1 Marlin. She used it to harvest a brown bear at 34 yards.

On the left is my #2 Marlin. Just added the Aimpoint this year.

In the middle is my wife's modernized lever. It is a .450 Marlin, on a controlled feed left hand action, starting a 350 grain Barnes at about 2,150 fps, near .458 WM lite performance.

[WDW]

I just picked up one of the Henry Big Boy Steel .44 magnums. It's been a blast so far. It's slow to reload with its plunger tube mag, but it has no cross bolt safety & seems very well made.