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Lever Guns

I've got 2 lever guns.... back in 1997, as soon as I recieved my compensation money for the pistol confiscation i went straight out and bought a Marlin 1894 in .357.. I'd kept all my reloading gear for that caliber. Since then its had thousands of rounds through it and its slicker than a slippery thing on ice....

A couple of years ago i was shooting the Cowboy stage in a US comp with .45LC Ruger Vaqueros and a Henry lever gun, and I liked the calibre, so as soon as I got home I started looking out for one.
.45lc Marlins are available here in the Uk, but stupid money, so i ended up with a "little used" Rossi 92, which came with dies and 200 brand new brass.. all for a quarter of the price of a new Marlin..
The Rossi had been little used, but the guy had taken it apart and lost the screw holding one of the cartridge guides... i eventually found a suitable screw and its all working reliably now... just needs a few thousand rounds to smooth it down.

Both of them now wear Williams peep sights at the back... I had to drill and tap the Rossi side plate to fit it.

Both of them are just range toys.. :)
They sound nice , I love the williams sights have then on several guns here also. id love to find a deal on a lever in .357/38.
Psst no pics its just cake no icing, biscuits without gravy :punish:
 
. . . they are working guns not range toys. . . .

I had to give up hunting when the government turned it from a sport to a chore, like 50 years ago.
Many times before the age of 21 I was hunting in the wilderness without paper. Seasons? Eeeh...
Nowadays, all my guns are all range toys (until the Godforsaken day I may have to use them for protection.)
It's looking more possible. Lots of range time will pay off, if it comes to that.
They also reflect an investment, and I am pleased with how that's going.
There's a large variety of range toys I would have purchased, had I more foresight.
 
They sound nice , I love the williams sights have then on several guns here also. id love to find a deal on a lever in .357/38.

I am pretty happy with the Henry .357, though it could have been a Marlin and I might have liked that as well.
I've managed to buy levers in .22, .38/.357, .30-30, .45-70, but my favorite to shoot is the .22 magnum Henry.

It is swift at acquisition and stings pretty hard. I'd love to take it varmint shooting.
Lotta groundhogs and squirrels and possum in the hills here. Crows galore.

Tube mag, but in California it gets you out of the 10-rnd mag issue a little. I think it holds 15, while the Henry .22 holds 16.
One in the chamber...
 
I am pretty happy with the Henry .357, though it could have been a Marlin and I might have liked that as well.
I've managed to buy levers in .22, .38/.357, .30-30, .45-70, but my favorite to shoot is the .22 magnum Henry.

It is swift at acquisition and stings pretty hard. I'd love to take it varmint shooting.
Lotta groundhogs and squirrels and possum in the hills here. Crows galore.

Tube mag, but in California it gets you out of the 10-rnd mag issue a little. I think it holds 15, while the Henry .22 holds 16.
One in the chamber...
I would be uncontrollable happy if a Henry 22mag was to find its way into my collection.
 
Lever guns are my favorites. Pre 64 Winchesters and JM Marlins are getting harder to find and command prices sometimes higher than brand new models. If I could only have one gun (heaven forbid) it would be a 1895 JM Marlin in 45-70. Old cartridge but can do about everything a hunter needs!

Regards
 
Imagine three bad people trying to break into your house. Your only weapon, a lever 45-70 is by your bed with one in the chamber. The three bad people art trying to get through your door, conveniently lined up one behind the other as you take aim...
 
Imagine three bad people trying to break into your house. Your only weapon, a lever 45-70 is by your bed with one in the chamber. The three bad people art trying to get through your door, conveniently lined up one behind the other as you take aim...

Meanstreak, you reminded me of my brother's hunting experience years ago. He was deer hunting and shot a good sized buck. It fell immediately and when he got to it found two dead deer. The 45-70 round passed through the first one and killed the second one. Shot was from about 250 yards. Don't remember the bullet weight but think it was 300 grain, light weight for 45-70.

Quite a hunting experience! 45-70 is can be loaded with everything from 300 to around 535 grain bullets. Not much on this earth it can't kill.

Regards
 
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Just based on the range time, I have a very healthy respect for the Marlin .45-70; and yet it does not seem to kick as hard as I expected.

I haven’t tried to load any 500 grain bullets yet, so that may change.
 
CaddmannQ, agree with you on "mildness" of 45-70 Marlin. However you should try the "wild child" .450 Marlin 1895M in guide gun 18.5 inches and with a ported barrel. It will get your attention. The .450 Marlin cartridge is a belted version of the .458x2 wildcat. Marlin made these guns between 2000 and 2009 mainly in response to the needs of Alaskan guides. Remains a great gun to carry on bush planes and horses or when backpacking in the woods.

Like other original JM models these are getting harder to find but worth the hunt.

Regards
 
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