What are the Most Durable, Reliable, Robust Lever Action Rifles?

[SwampDweller]

Currently I only own a lever action rifle in .22lr, but I'd like to get one in a centerfire caliber as a defensive weapon, particularly when staying in ban states or areas where "scary" looking rifles are not kosher for defensive use (from a jury/DA perspective). I think I'd rather have a lever action rifle than an AR modified to comply with ridiculous laws. It's my understanding that lever action rifles are not as durable or reliable as a modern semi-auto, but what is the most reliable one? Typically I like to run a thousand rounds through a firearm before I'll trust it for serious use (not all at once, but over a few range sessions with proper cleaning and lubrication), and I really start to trust one when I get to two thousand rounds without a stoppage or malfunction.

Caliber is secondary, though I already have a revolver in .357 Magnum, so it'd be nice to be able to keep it in that caliber for logistics reasons, but that's not the most important factor.

[HCM]

Currently I only own a lever action rifle in .22lr, but I'd like to get one in a centerfire caliber as a defensive weapon, particularly when staying in ban states or areas where "scary" looking rifles are not kosher for defensive use (from a jury/DA perspective). I think I'd rather have a lever action rifle than an AR modified to comply with ridiculous laws. It's my understanding that lever action rifles are not as durable or reliable as a modern semi-auto, but what is the most reliable one? Typically I like to run a thousand rounds through a firearm before I'll trust it for serious use (not all at once, but over a few range sessions with proper cleaning and lubrication), and I really start to trust one when I get to two thousand rounds without a stoppage or malfunction.

Caliber is secondary, though I already have a revolver in .357 Magnum, so it'd be nice to be able to keep it in that caliber for logistics reasons, but that's not the most important factor.

Short answer. None.

Even back in their hey day there was a reason tube fed lever guns never saw any significant military use. The Russians used some 1895 Winchesters (box magazine fed) but only because it was that or nothing.

Holding a lever gun to to modern duty gun standards is unrealistic.

If you are serious about this consider a modern shotgun with wood furniture.

[WobblyPossum]

Short answer. None.

Even back in their hey day there was a reason tube fed lever guns never saw any significant military use. The Russians used some 1895 Winchesters (box magazine fed) but only because it was that or nothing.

Holding a lever gun to to modern duty gun standards is unrealistic.

If you are serious about this consider a modern shotgun with wood furniture.

Seconded. You’re buying a 1301 right? Just take off some of the tactical looking goodies when you make it your travel gun.

[whomever]

Apologies if you have considered/discarded the idea, but one of the Ruger American bolt guns that takes AR (or AICS or Mini-30) mags might be a contender. Mine have come with really slick actions; I think I could run one pretty close to lever speed. Which may say something about my lever skills, I dunno :-). If naught else, it's a lot easier to swap box mags than feed anything with a tube magazine. If state law allows, 20 round mags aren't unwieldy, either.

If non-black-rifle semi-autos are PC enough, a wood stocked Mini-14 or one of Ruger's PC carbines might also be decent choices. I think the conventional wisdom is that they aren't as robust as a good AR, but they might well be as robust as levers.

If you have already considered/discarded these ideas, nevermind!

[HCM]

Seconded. You’re buying a 1301 right? Just take off some of the tactical looking goodies when you make it your travel gun.

The 1301 is derived from the A400 sporting guns. Or a cut down A400 …

Plus

[WobblyPossum]

The 1301 is derived from the A400 sporting guns. Or a cut down A400 …

Plus

Haha. For some reason I’ve started participating in these kinds of discussions by telling the OP to just use what they have already. I think the OP also has a Beretta 390 shotgun too. That would be a fine travel gun. I think DB has mentioned in a few recent podcasts he just travels with sporting shotguns now. No one looks twice at the guns and they do just fine at putting buckshot into bad guys.

[HCM]

Haha. For some reason I’ve started participating in these kinds of discussions by telling the OP to just use what they have already. I think the OP also has a Beretta 390 shotgun too. That would be a fine travel gun. I think DB has mentioned in a few recent podcasts he just travels with sporting shotguns now. No one looks twice at the guns and they do just fine at putting buckshot into bad guys.

[LJP]

I’m a nobody, but I view the lever gun much as I view the revolver. What it’s good at, it excels at. I am a fan of Marlin lever guns, but I would definitely stick with one of the big three. Marlin, Winchester, or Henry. You will need to commit to a certain amount of maintenance and familiarization training, but it is a viable concept. Hopefully Lee Weems @jlw will chime in here. I have a brace of lever guns (Marlin 336Y and Marlin DARK .45-70) that I wouldn’t feel undergunned with in a home defense scenario.

[jlw]

None of them are going to hold up to levels anywhere approaching what even lower end ARs do. The weakness of the Marlin design is wear in the carrier. The weakness in the Winchester design is the extractor. The later production Marlins had pretty bad metallurgy. I have only seen one of the Ruger produced Marlins. It was mighty slick, but we'll see... I have only had one of the Henrys come through class as we require a side loading gate. It functioned but had a horrid trigger.

My preferences is for older Marlins, but I understand I'll have to replace the carrier at some point.

For a manual action rifle, the Ruger American Ranch rifles are hard to beat.

[WobblyPossum]

Does anyone have experience with the CZ 600 Trail? It’s got a lot of likable features and the specs look good. It probably looks a little more “tactical” than the OP is going for.