Which lever carbine?
My brother knows I go on here quite a bit and he asked me to ask you guys your opinion on something. He currently has a Winchester Black Shadow lever gun chambered in .44 mag, but it is his only deer rifle. He wants to get a new lever gun and put the .44 away for his son and use it only as a backup to the new rifle he gets. Range is not a issue because he is also in the works of getting a .243 or .270 bolt action. He has done some research and narrowed it down to 2-- a Marlin 1894 chambered in .357 Magnum(pluses are that he owns a revolver in this caliber and ammo is fairly cheap) or a Puma 92 chambered in .480 Ruger. He likes the idea of the .480 because, "it's big, different, and should have less recoil then the .454 Casull." I told him I wasn't sure about how much less the recoil would be in a .480 then the .454, but I would think is would be a noticable differene. I suggested a .45/70 to him, but he said he doesn't want to pay that much. I even offered to sell him mine.[:0] I am glad he passed on that opportunity cause I really don't want to get rid of it.[:D]
Jon
Jon
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The .480 will not have less recoil than the .454. It won't be much cheaper in the long run than the 45-70 either. The .357 is marginal for deer. If I were him, I would go for a Marlin 336 in 30-30. 0 -
Marlin 336 in stainless steel, chambered for 30-30 Winchester would be my choice.
Also like Savage model 99's if you can find one in good shape thats affordable. Just my two cents.0 -
with spares availability & handling/balance...imo...the 'Marlin' 357 + [:)] 0 -
quote:with spares availability & handling/balance...imo...the 'Marlin' 357 +
That was my reasoning, but it is hard to reason with him.[:D]
Jon0 -
It's hard to beat a Marlin lever gun...but I would step up to at least a 30-30. 0 -
Is he even aware of the Savage 99 and the Browning BLR ??
He can get some serious rifle calibers in either of those, and they are wonderfully made firearms.
Doug0 -
Imho, the Win.94 is the shizzle,but that could be because, that's what i have..[^] 0 -
And old Winchester 94 30-30.
Nuff said..0 -
He could always go with the Puma in .45 Colt or .44 Mag, the .480 ruger is another cartridge that will not be around for very long. 0 -
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I do love lever guns! [:)]
If I were your brother, I would try to get my hands on a pre-64 (used, obviously) Winchester 94 in caliber .30-30 (the pre-64s may be too pricy, so a later, less expensive post-64 model may do), a Marlin 336 in caliber 30-30, a Marlin model 1894CB (CB=cowboy) with octagonal 20" barrel, semi-buckhorn rear and blade/gold dot front sights in caliber .45 Long Colt, or a Marlin Model 1895 in caliber .45-70 Govrenment.
The Winchesters are my favorite guns. There's even a reprise of the Model 1895 out there (24" bbl, I believe) that Winchester only made for a year or two. I was going to buy one, but they included a cross-bolt safety in the design, so I nixed that.
The Marlins are good, strong, solid guns and very, very reliable.
They can be had in a pistol-grip-style stock or a straight stock. The straight stock variations are my choice. The little 1894 .45LC gun (also in .357mag) is a great little gun! The .45LC will take down a dear easily with current factory loads or your own handloads. The octagonal 20" barrel adds flair (and a little more weight; not sure if it's available in round barrel), plus 20" is a good for a brush gun and for longer shots, too. The semi-buckhorn rear/blade-with-gold-dot front sights are very good, too. If cost is an issue, a new one of these Marlins is cheaper (500+tax+paper[?]) than a used Winchester. The only gripe I have with the Marlins is their stiff actions. This can be mostly mitigated with an inexpensive ($15-$25) spring kit, which is easily user-installed. There is also an inexpensive kit available so you can remove the silly-assed cross-bolt safety and cover the open holes with plugs that look like screw heads.0 -
Hunting for deer...Wants a lever..What else? .30-30.. 0 -
I've been a big Winchester Model 94 fan all of my life ... and right now my big fave is the Model 94AE in .356 calibre ... fine for any big game in North America as long as you're hunting in the woods and don't have to reach out for the super long shots[:D]. 0 -
It's hard to beat a Marlin 336. 30-30 or .35 Remington would be a good choice. Model 99 Savage is another option, 30-30, .300 Savage, or even a .358 Winchester. 0 -
Marlin 336A, .35 Remington. 0 -
Pre-64 Winchester 94, in .30-30 or .32 Win Special... 0 -
I have a .357 lever action Rossi and a Revolver. The plus for myself was reloading my own ammo. Took a deer two weekends ago with the pistol. Rifles not allowed here. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by ECC
It's hard to beat a Marlin lever gun...but I would step up to at least a 30-30.
I love that stainless Guide Gun in .45-70 that you sold me last year. I went to the XS Sights website (formerly Ashley Express) and mounted a scout rail topped with a Leupold fixed power extended eye relief scope in scout style with quick detach Warne rings. I swapped the front site for the XS high visibility front sight and their ghost-ring rear sight. It can't be beat IMHO.0 -
M.A.R.L.I.N, 30-30 or 35 those pistol calibers are wounders 0 -
quote:Originally posted by ECC
It's hard to beat a Marlin lever gun...but I would step up to at least a 30-30.
...or a .35 Rem. Recoil is not bad.0 -
Brownng BLR in .300 WSM. He can then hunt anything he wants. 0
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