Suggestions for a lever action?

[ElPollo]

Lots of good advice here already. Love lever guns. Don’t shoot them as much as I used to because even in my mid-fifties, iron sights are getting harder to use. For me, I can do alright with barrel mounted irons, but cannot use a peep sight for love nor money.

On the 45-70, it’s overkill for deer and bears. And most of the people I’ve known who’ve bought Marlin lever guns in that caliber have sold them or don’t shoot them much due to high recoil. That said, I’ve always wanted an 1886 in that caliber.

I will also second the suggestion for a Savage 99. Great lever guns. 250 Savage would be a super cool caliber for deer and black bears. It’s also a caliber that dates back to 1915. You can also find them in 300 Savage, 308, 243, and other calibers. I have a buddy that has two 300 Savages (One of them is his new saddle gun for horse packing in WY and MT). The 150 Hornady SST factory load is a great choice. It’s a gun you can scope, run a peep sight on, or use factory iron sights.

The 1895s are also super cool guns, but you are pretty stuck with 30/06 in the reproductions. I like the Browning versions that have the traditional half cock notch and no tang safety. The Winchesters have the tang safety and a much heavier trigger. Theses guns are also on the pricier side.

A 357 lever gun is a super handy thing and it will kill deer. But from a ballistics perspective, you are going to end up doing more tracking than you would with a Savage. The 357 is not going to create the same wound channels as the calibers you are going to run through the Savages. I prefer to do as little tracking as possible.

 

[Hoopleheader]

Lots of good advice here already. Love lever guns. Don’t shoot them as much as I used to because even in my mid-fifties, iron sights are getting harder to use. For me, I can do alright with barrel mounted irons, but cannot use a peep sight for love nor money.

On the 45-70, it’s overkill for deer and bears. And most of the people I’ve known who’ve bought Marlin lever guns in that caliber have sold them or don’t shoot them much due to high recoil. That said, I’ve always wanted an 1886 in that caliber.

The 1895s are also super cool guns, but you are pretty stuck with 30/06 in the reproductions. I like the Browning versions that have the traditional half cock notch and no tang safety. The Winchesters have the tang safety and a much heavier trigger. Theses guns are also on the pricier side.

With milder factory loads, I find 45-70 recoil very tame. A lot has to do with the recoil velocity. More of a shotgun type push than a sharp punch. If you can shoot 1 to 1 1/18 oz shotgun loads comfortably, a 45-70 with 300 grains sub 1900 fps is in the same ballpark IMO. Anyone afraid of theirs can sell them to me. I’d also much rather shoot my 16 inch Marlin trapper from the bench than my savage 99 in 300 savage as that has a steel butt plate and I’m not inclined to modify it.

I was joking when I seconded a Win 1895 in 405, (talk about recoil), but that is available (I bought mine new a year ago). Ammo is not. The trigger on mine breaks at a crisp ~4 lbs and feels lighter than it is. It’s a simple mechanism that can be worked on.

Marlin triggers can be worked on or replaced aftermarket to get a good light pull. My 336 SBL with a Wild West trigger kit is less than 3 lbs without replacing a hammer spring for reliability. Cowboy shooters get them to 2 lbs by using g a weak hammer spring.

If I were the OP and dead set on supplementing his 94 and wanted the most practical lever gun (eliminating non-stainless as that is part of his criteria) Id rank them as follows:

Marlin 336 SBL in 30-30 or Browning BLR stainless takedown in .308, 7mm- 08 or .243. Not sure if the BLR triggers are easily worked on. What I have handled have been heavy.

Marlin 1895 SBL or Trapper in 45-70

Marlin 1894 SBL or Trapper in 44 mag. I’m sure .357 will work, but why when the 44 mag recoil is very manageable.


The good part is that there are only correct choices.

 

[KYwhitetail606]

Your 30-30 will do everything you need,but I understand wanting something new and different.
My first thought would be buy a reloading setup with the money for when you get out.
Second thought a good 22 lever for plinking and small game.
I love my 45-70 and recoil is very easy with 405 grain factory loads that are low pressure for older trapdoors.
Whatever I got it would be 16 inch and threaded for suppressor use.
Don't forget about the savage 99 and Browning blr.
My 16inch 99 in 308 is a joy to carry and gives me more range than traditional lever calibers.
Bottom line is there is no wrong choice just pick what makes you happy.

Forgot to mention I have a 9422 and o
9422M as well.

 

[rayporter]

you should consider if you might ever hunt a state that allows only straight walls.

 

[Thread Savage]

Hello, I post quite a bit here, but that has a lot to do with the wealth of knowledge on here. In the world of tikkas and trijicons there are also lever guns.

I was wanting to get a lever gun to chase whitetails and black bears in the mountains next to my house in Kentucky. Shots are 100-125 (imagine Appalachian mountains) and in, maybe even less depending on where I’m hunting, but I cannot decide on caliber. I have a Winchester model 94ae 30-30 I bought at a pawn shop years back, but I’m wanting something new.

I’ve decided on Marlin Sbl series due to the weather resistant stainless, laminate, tritium sights and threaded barrel for a suppresser. Now I just need to decide on a caliber.

357
30-30
44 mag
45-70 Gov

I understand they all have their advantages. The 357 and 44 mag is lighter, shorter, and holds more rounds, but can be limited by range. I know a lot of people are not fans of pistol cartridges in rifles. I could also pair it with a revolver at some point because why not? The 30-30 shoots flatter, but that’s not a huge deal. A 30 caliber bullet has a higher chance of deflecting if it hits a twig. The gun is also heavier and longer as it’s built off the same action as the 45-70. Holds less rounds also. If I'm some where I think a long shot may be present I’ll grab the tikka or model 70. The 45-70 is a thumper, has the cool factor, shoots a little flatter than the pistol calibers, but the gun weights 30% more and ammo costs roughly 30% more as well. Also kicks like a son of a gun, and I’m just curious if that’s necessary if moose, elk, and no big bears are a concern.

What’s everyone’s opinion?

I just posted a thread a few weeks back about shooting 30-30 subsonics from a suppressed lever gun. It’s deer-lethal inside 100 yards, and it’s literally the most fun you’ll ever have shooting a firearm. Takes you right back to the days when you were hunting dinosaurs with your Daisy BB gun when you were eight years old.

If you zero a 30-30 at 160 yards, you’re can basically aim dead true and kill a deer from zero to 200 without ever worrying about holdover (that’s with normal, supersonic loads). Now, for bear that’s a different story. I’ve killed one at 200 yards with a .308, and it was 5 rounds before I was comfortable that he was down for good. I wouldn’t personally choose any of those calibers to hunt bear, but I’m not really trying to get within 100 yards of a bear either. If I’m worried about a bear randomly choosing to get within 100 yards of me, I’d pick 45-70 from your options above….but I’m pretty close to you, and I gotta think you’ll have way more opportunities on deer and coyotes (or even bobcats if they’re legal) than you will bears.

Go 30-30. Suppress it, and order a case of Hornady subsonics. Then get ready for everyone to beg you to shoot your new whisper pickle.

Edit: nobody has suggested Smith & Wesson’s relatively new/old/re-released 1854 lever guns. I’ve never shot one, but they look slick AF to me.

 

[Thread Savage]

you should consider if you might ever hunt a state that allows only straight walls.

Is that even still a thing? Just Michigan and Ohio maybe? And they would allow .450 Bushmaster but not .458 SOCOM because of the ever so slight bottleneck?

 

[Bluefish]

I have a couple and for deer, 45-70 with subs. 400/500g going 1050 will put down anything. Not a good choice for longer shots as drop becomes an issue.

 

[Thread Savage]

I have a couple and for deer, 45-70 with subs. 400/500g going 1050 will put down anything. Not a good choice for longer shots as drop becomes an issue.

Dropping a deer is all about bullet expansion and creating a wound channel. I bet your 45-70 at 50 yards will drop a deer like a bag of hammers….and so would a Cherokee kid’s handmade bow back in the day, but if you punch too small of a hole with a blazing fast modern round, you’ll be tracking it the rest of the day.

The OP’s details about where he’s at and the likely distances he’d be shooting make me think realistically, he’ll be inside of 100 yards a LOT, and it’s MOSTLY going to be whitetail deer. But that’s just me making guesses!

 

[Bluefish]

Dropping a deer is all about bullet expansion and creating a wound channel. I bet your 45-70 at 50 yards will drop a deer like a bag of hammers….and so would a Cherokee kid’s handmade bow back in the day, but if you punch too small of a hole with a blazing fast modern round, you’ll be tracking it the rest of the day.

The OP’s details about where he’s at and the likely distances he’d be shooting make me think realistically, he’ll be inside of 100 yards a LOT, and it’s MOSTLY going to be whitetail deer. But that’s just me making guesses!

If you zero at 80 yards, you can get 100 yards pt blank range with subs. Within that range the subs will take anything.

 

[juju]

When it's a want, not a need, the best course is to get whatever appeals in the moment. Handle examples until one follows you home. You'll eventually try them all anyway.

 

[rayporter]

Is that even still a thing? Just Michigan and Ohio maybe? And they would allow .450 Bushmaster but not .458 SOCOM because of the ever so slight bottleneck?

Arkansas is another and Iowa [ i think]

 

[Thread Savage]

If you zero at 80 yards, you can get 100 yards pt blank range with subs. Within that range the subs will take anything.

can you explain that a little further? Why not just zero it at 100 ?

 

[M1SF1T]

I'd get a gun chambered for a rifle cartridge.

I wouldn't take bear with anything smaller than a .284/7mm calibre.

I have 2 lever guns, a Marlin in 45-70 and a BLR in 30-06. I'd take either one out for what you're looking to do.