First Lever Action

[bgcatty]

Well now you’ve gotten yourself into a new firearm universe. Lever action rifles seem to have a way of multiplying in almost every firearm enthusiast’s collection once they get their first example. I started with one old Marlin in .30-30 and suddenly I had four lever action rifles. Best of luck with your upcoming addiction!

 

[ISP 5353]

Lever guns are addicting!

 

[daddyusmaximus]

Leverguns are fun. I'm going nuts right now waiting for a Rossi 92 that is at the gunsmith having a Steve's Guns loop put on it. I had to buy the stainless one because they were out of the blued ones so now he has to blue it. Yeah, it can be addicting...

 

[mmpsteve]

Leverguns are fun. I'm going nuts right now waiting for a Rossi 92 that is at the gunsmith having a Steve's Guns loop put on it. I had to buy the stainless one because they were out of the blued ones so now he has to blue it. Yeah, it can be addicting...

Does bluing take well to stainless? I have the blued Rossi in 357, and while I like it, it's the only rifle in that safe that will rust from sitting awhile. I can't figure out why. Actually, it's more a fine layer of mold or fungus, but I clean and treat it just like the others that don't 'rust'. Very strange.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

Not sure how bluing stainless works. I know that it's not easy. My gunsmith doesn't do it, he ships it out to another guy... who takes forever.

Good news everyone, He called and it's ready! I just picked it up an hr ago.

When I first got it, I wanted a carbine, in .44 mag, but with the octagon barrel. Nobody makes that. I got the 24" rifle and had Allenm shorten it to 17" and put a white bead front sight on it. Now I had a handy little carbine with the heavy octagon barrel. Problem is I still hated shooting it because of that stupid curved metal butt plate and buckhorn sight. So I set about designing a "cowboy assault rifle" that could serve as a home defense gun, truck gun, and one I could travel with to places with restrictive laws. My local guy filled the slot in the barrel where the buckhorn sight was and I had him drill and tap the flat top of it for a piece of leftover picatinny section from an AR. Now I can mount a Sig Romeo 5 on it. If f that should fail, I still have back up irons thanks to a Steve's Guns peep sight that mounts in the bolt in place of the rossi safety. You can see the rail section in the bottom of the sight picture, And I'm not sure how distracting that will be. I'll find out once I get it to the range, but I can get a good sight picture, so I'm happy. The stupid metal butt plate is now a nice rubber recoil pad, and the tiny finger crunching lever is now a nice Steve's Guns 3/4 loop lever.

I'd go to the range right now... if it wasn't so damn hot... Maybe Tuesday after the weekend is over. My daughter is home from college anyway. She's not into shooting. Too bad my son had to work. If he came home, we'd be gone shooting... Guess I'll sit and watch anime...

 

[Leadeye]

The Winchester 1876 is one of those guns that challenges the "carbine" reputation lever guns sometimes have. A favorite of Teddy Roosevelt, this example from Uberti is chambered in 50-95 WCF, shown next to a Marlin 336 for comparison. Although eclipsed by the 1886 in popularity it was still a formidable hunting rifle in it's day.

 

[mmpsteve]

Now that's one fine looking carbine! Congrats .. and well played, sir.

Not sure how bluing stainless works. I know that it's not easy. My gunsmith doesn't do it, he ships it out to another guy... who takes forever.

Good news everyone, He called and it's ready! I just picked it up an hr ago.

When I first got it, I wanted a carbine, in .44 mag, but with the octagon barrel. Nobody makes that. I got the 24" rifle and had Allenm shorten it to 17" and put a white bead front sight on it. Now I had a handy little carbine with the heavy octagon barrel. Problem is I still hated shooting it because of that stupid curved metal butt plate and buckhorn sight. So I set about designing a "cowboy assault rifle" that could serve as a home defense gun, truck gun, and one I could travel with to places with restrictive laws. My local guy filled the slot in the barrel where the buckhorn sight was and I had him drill and tap the flat top of it for a piece of leftover picatinny section from an AR. Now I can mount a Sig Romeo 5 on it. If f that should fail, I still have back up irons thanks to a Steve's Guns peep sight that mounts in the bolt in place of the rossi safety. You can see the rail section in the bottom of the sight picture, And I'm not sure how distracting that will be. I'll find out once I get it to the range, but I can get a good sight picture, so I'm happy. The stupid metal butt plate is now a nice rubber recoil pad, and the tiny finger crunching lever is now a nice Steve's Guns 3/4 loop lever.

I'd go to the range right now... if it wasn't so damn hot... Maybe Tuesday after the weekend is over. My daughter is home from college anyway. She's not into shooting. Too bad my son had to work. If he came home, we'd be gone shooting... Guess I'll sit and watch anime...

 

[Gabriel]

That is very nice. I like it.

 

[rugertoter]

Beautiful rifle OP. Really nice!

 

[AGarbers]

King31, you need to try it out at a Cowboy Action Shooting event. I just went to an NCOWS shoot a few miles from Martinsville today and had a blast shooting a Uberti reproduction 1860 lever action in .45 Colt. I also have a Winchester 73 in .38/.357 that is fun to shoot in SASS events.
View attachment 67170

 

[daddyusmaximus]

Took the Rossi to Willow Slough today to sight it in. (finally) It rained, but it wasn't too hot. The Romeo 5 performed perfectly. The gun shot very well. Smooth action, nice groups, no more crushed fingers working the lever, and the recoil pad is 100% improvement over the stupid curved metal but-plate. Nothing more American than a lever gun.

She started off low and right, but had plenty of adjustment. Once I got close I did a decent group on a fresh target. I got a decent group just above the center, then did a large group on a separate target.
Before I left I gave my son a crack at it. He did the 4 up high on the second target. Not sure why it hit high for him. Different face on the stock I guess. I was shooting the Hornady Levereveloution. Overall, I'm please with it. My left shoulder has been toast for several weeks and the VA has me back in physical therapy again. I couldn't hold the dang thing still for nothing, but it did pretty well. All my hand gun shots were hitting left of center... Only thing I did well on was my AR, but I have the most time on that anyway...

.44mag makes a big holes in M16 target.

 

[deo62]

That’s a nice setup. Never thought about a dot on a lever.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Very jealous can't wait till I can get my hands on my own lever gun

 

[Kart29]

The gun columnist in Fur-Fish-Game magazine just had an article in this month's issues about .357mag Marlin lever actions. He discusses several different loads available for them and their adequacy and effectiveness on whitetail deer. I'd suggest you pick up a copy of you plan to use this gun for deer hunting.

 

[IndyTom]

Regarding your son hitting high, was he trying to line up the dot with the front sight with the target or something similar or is he well versed in red dot usage? Many red dots have issues the further you have the dot from the middle of the field...

Definitely wouldn't take too many shots to wipe out the center silhouette with those .44 mags.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

He's not as used to a red dot as am I but I'm sure he wasn't trying to line it up with the front sight. It wouldn't have even been on the target. Pretty sure it's just the difference in shooting style, cheek weld etc... . He's a bit heavier than I am, WAY younger then I am, less experienced... Same way one soldier will have a different zero than another on the same weapon. He still did pretty good. First time he ever touched that gun, or any lever gun.

 

[ru44mag]

The gun columnist in Fur-Fish-Game magazine just had an article in this month's issues about .357mag Marlin lever actions. He discusses several different loads available for them and their adequacy and effectiveness on whitetail deer. I'd suggest you pick up a copy of you plan to use this gun for deer hunting.

Good idea. I prefer the .44 mag. But I believe with the correct bullet and powder charge, the .357 mag would work very well on whitetail. Highly recommend a bonded type bullet. And know the range limitations of a pistol cartridge.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Well, bought that beautiful Marlin that was in the classifieds today.

Can't wait to take her out for her maiden voyage.

 

[Mgderf]

Well, bought that beautiful Marlin that was in the classifieds today.

Can't wait to take her out for her maiden voyage.

Which one?

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Oooohhh.... LOL. You guys are so screwed... LOL

On the other hand, people do seem impressed when I start taking rifles out from "lever action alley" and explaining what each one is, and where they come from.

But it's not for them. "Lever action alley" is my Louvre, and Marlin, Ithica, Henry, they're the masters.

As far as corrosion or fungus from sitting, Amazon sells goldenrods, and other brand's versions, and a lot of them are pretty reasonable. These things work. And they use very little electricity. I'd highly recommend this for your safe or gun cabinet.