Some pics from Social Levergun at TacCon 2018

[Hizzie]

So is there a distinct caliber preference? I’m getting ready to buy my levergun and don’t know which direction to go.

[Malamute]

What do you want to do with it? 30-30 is good for hold right on to 250 yards type shooting, but gives up some capacity for same length barrel and the barrels get hot fast. Pistol calibers have less range, heat up less fast, hold more rounds, and the shells are harder to handle to load. Both are ok for deer size game and hogs. If hunting larger animals is part of the reason to have one, then choose a caliber that works for the game you want to hunt.

[Hizzie]

What do you want to do with it? 30-30 is good for hold right on to 250 yards type shooting, but gives up some capacity for same length barrel and the barrels get hot fast. Pistol calibers have less range, heat up less fast, hold more rounds, and the shells are harder to handle to load. Both are ok for deer size game and hogs. If hunting larger animals is part of the reason to have one, then choose a caliber that works for the game you want to hunt.

Non scary social rifle. I guess “deer sized” game. I know I don’t want 45/70. I have a 416 Ruger so if I need 400grs I have a delivery device. I do already stock 357 and 44 Magnum.

[Malamute]

Its always nice to be ale to use what youve got as far as ammo. Do you have preferences on what make?

I dont know if my loaders will work out with Marlins or not, I dont have one handy to work with. So far they work very well with 94 Winchesters, partly due to the way the loading port is made. More development may get them working OK with Marlins.

[OlongJohnson]

For my starter lever gun, I chose an 1894C in .357. Inexpensive practice, and the longer barrel turns up the juice on those pistol rounds. A full-pressure 157 or 180gr .357 load will be hell on whitetails in the east Texas woods. For hogs, I'd stick with the 180gr XTP for penetration. The 180gr is specified for a higher maximum muzzle velocity, but will be going slower than the 158gr, so it should hold together better on close shots. Out west, go with a different rifle that shoots pointy bullets.

For social occasions, the 1894 tube holds nine or ten .38SPL, so the +P loads would also be serious if they feed reliably. I've been warned that needs to be checked. Haven't chronoed it yet, but Ballistics by the Inch suggests a 125gr .38SPL standard pressure out of the longer barrel should get up to the equivalent of a good defensive 9mm. But with ~1/2 the peak pressure of a 9mm round and a longer barrel to expand in, it should be less ear-damagingly loud if you ever have to shoot it indoors. I don't really count as an SME here, but I have put my money where my mouth is. If it's everything I expect it to be when it comes together, it will be on the list for duplication.

This is worth a read regarding current production:
http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/ra...lify-them.html

BTW, those guys are local here in Houston.

Personally, from the guns I've inspected, I wouldn't go newer than about 2007 on a Marlin purchase unless it was to get some special version (stainless or whatever) that wasn't available earlier, and I like the eighties and nineties guns. Some are partial to the pre-safeties, which means 1982 or so, which leads to them costing a bit more.

[jlw]

The pistol caliber carbines tend to be more sensitive to OAL and bullet type. Also, in order to get the most out of the longer barrel you get a load that isn't all that pleasant in a revolver.

That being said, those 1894s are a hoot.

[Hizzie]

Just cruised GB for Winchester 94’s. Not bad.

[Bigghoss]

Marlin would have been my first choice for a pistol caliber lever action but there was a post going around some time ago from a lever action gunsmith about a change to either the ejector or extractor on the 1894's, specifically the .44 mag so I don't know if the .357 was also changed. Anyway, whatever was done, they were warning folks to steer clear. Should be able to find out more on Marlinowners.com.

I've heard good things about the Rossi lever guns but I've no personal experience. Henry supposedly also makes a good rifle but they refuse to put a dang loading gate on the side.

Or there's the Italian made replicas. Those tend to be pretty spendy and are marketed toward purists and CAS so there might not be any good way of mounting accessories.

[OlongJohnson]

Marlin would have been my first choice for a pistol caliber lever action but there was a post going around some time ago from a lever action gunsmith about a change to either the ejector or extractor on the 1894's, specifically the .44 mag so I don't know if the .357 was also changed. Anyway, whatever was done, they were warning folks to steer clear. Should be able to find out more on Marlinowners.com.

I think you're talking about that link in my post above. At the time that was written, Remlin had not made any new .357s after halting and restarting production in NY.

[Robinson]

I owned several Marlin .30-30 and .357 lever guns. The .357s are lots of fun to shoot and a good pest control gun. The Federal 125gr JHP .30-30 load makes for a decent defensive cartridge, and I personally would prefer standard .30-30 soft points over .357 or .44 for hunting -- but that's just me. Within their effective range I'm sure .357 and .44 work fine on deer size game.

If you go with a .357, I found that 158gr bullets worked best in my carbines. Also, you might not want to use pistol caliber hollow points at rifle velocities. A soft point bullet might be a better choice.

You might also consider installing better sights. I had ghost rings installed on all my lever guns and they worked much better for me than the standard open sights.