Best Levergun you've owned??

[Hondo Lane]

I agree with the 375 being a good cartridge. I looked for a Winchester in this caliber for quite awhile and finally settled on a .444 Marlin for my big-bore. I mounted a Scout-Scope ahead of the action which makes it a bit nicer to carry. I probably would have done the same with a .375 if I could have found one.

[hollow-point]

444 marlin 2nd year production. fed any thing did any thing. but it did kick!

[bigbear]

OK, here is a couple.
This is my first choice, taken down:


Here is one of my runner up picks (20" Browning 71):

Sticking out of the shirt pocket is the Indiana Veteran's Permanant (lifetime) Hunting and Fishing permit of my dad's. He never even saw this rifle, but I thought it fit in the picture well.

What sight is that on the 71? thanks!From a 71 nut

[BarryinIN]

Current production Lyman 66 for the Win 1886, with a Merit adjustable aperture. I'd take the Merit off for hunting, and forgot it was on for that picture. The current Lyman 66 for the 1886 looks different too because Lyman puts "semi-target" knobs on them. It's sort of a mystery to me as to why they do that on the sight for that rifle.

[44 flattop]

Man, I had to give this a lot of thought for a few days. Really didn't come up with an answer so.....................

My favorite should be the sweetest shooting .348 model 71 you ever saw, making five shot groups as small as 1" @ 100 yards.

Or it should be one of my superbly accurate '86's.

Or a number of other absolutely beautiful Winchesters.

But I guess I better go with the two that are out of the safe everyday, one of which is carried most everyday. And those two are Marlin Cowboys in .44 mag/sp. One is 20" and the other 24". I went checking traps today and found the 20" hanging from my shoulder. Yesterday when I went for a hike where there were dangerous rocks that sometimes need killin', I went with the 24" model and was able to stop a few dead in their track before they were able to wreak any havok..

44

[MakeMineA10mm]

Hmmm. LGS has 2 Model 99s on the shelf for reasonable money, but they're both in rough shape. Both are 300 Savages. Both actions work slick, and I love the cartridge counters! (They're both older models - pre-DBM.)

I'm afraid I'm gonna have to look at 'em again soon...

[TXGunNut]

Best? First was a Big Bore in .375 Win that's too minty to hunt with anymore. Most pleasing to handle and gaze upon? A pair of 95% Trappers; 45 Colt AE and a 1981 30-30. Slickest? A recently acquired 336 in 35 Rem that's getting smoother all the time. Most interesting? An "almost new" 1969 94 in 32 Spcl. Most likely to be hanging from my shoulder on a hunting trip? My faithful Guide Gun in 45-70. All were bought new or in nearly new condition so all are in very good condition. Best? Been thinking about that all day and I have no idea. I think I need a 92, an 86 and maybe an 1873 to hang out with them to but that probably won't be helpful.

[saz]

The best one I had was a 70's vintage 95 marlin in 45/70 I picked up in a pawn shop for $125 about 13 years ago. It looked like it had been cleaned EVERY DAY from the muzzle end with a steel cleaning rod and about the last 2" of the 22" barrel looked like a shotgun barrel. Quick trip to the gunsmith netted a 16.25" barrel, and I niter blued the lever, hammer, trigger and all the screws, while the rest of it was grey parkerized. It looked cool, carried like a dream and shot everything I put through it very well. I hadnt started casting yet back then, but it would take remington 300gr JHP's and put them on top of each other all day long. That rifle was one of the more foolish sales I made, but I needed the money. A fella at the range offered me $600 for it, and I only had about $275 into the whole thing- needed the money more than the rifle at the time.

Now a days it is a 16.5" Puma 454 casull. Shoots well, but the facotry sights are junk. It will be getting a reciever sight of some type someday. Great carry rifle. Still miss that old marlin though......

[Artful]

Do you think the '94 Winchester Big Bore really needed the beefed up receiver, or was it just a marketing ploy?

According to the rag's of the time, the factory tested the 375 big bore in standard 94's and found it stretched the action. You got to remember they upped the pressure to 55,000 CIP over that of the 38-55 's 31,000 CIP. You probably wouldn't have had catastrophic failures but head space creep and retired rifles and with the liability lawyers they just beefed up the action to avoid any class action law suits.

[bigbear]

Man, I had to give this a lot of thought for a few days. Really didn't come up with an answer so.....................

My favorite should be the sweetest shooting .348 model 71 you ever saw, making five shot groups as small as 1" @ 100 yards.

Or it should be one of my superbly accurate '86's.

Or a number of other absolutely beautiful Winchesters.

But I guess I better go with the two that are out of the safe everyday, one of which is carried most everyday. And those two are Marlin Cowboys in .44 mag/sp. One is 20" and the other 24". I went checking traps today and found the 20" hanging from my shoulder. Yesterday when I went for a hike where there were dangerous rocks that sometimes need killin', I went with the 24" model and was able to stop a few dead in their track before they were able to wreak any havok..

44

What load gave you the 1" 348 Win groups. I have one that will put 3 into 1", but I always quit when I get three that close with a 71, hate to ruin a beautiful thing

[Reload3006]

for me it would be a toss up. the First and still my favorite is my winny 94 30-30 its the best to me because it was my grandpas. I don't use it much but i did harvest a nice deer with it this season it was the first time I ever used it deer hunting. What made it more special to me was I Lost my Dad about 5 years ago to Lung Cancer and had lost my Grandpa around 96 to pneumonia. I swaged my own J word bullets for it and loaded them up. This season I used my grandpas 30-30 and my Dads hunting clothes. Hokey I know but all to gather it meant the most to me I suppose in a way it was my most meaningful harvest in my life I am 53 and have had several deer hunts but for all the reasons stated its been the most meaningful.

The Best in terms of quality fit and function would have to be a Browning 92 44 mag that I let my ex wife talk me into giving to her dad for a Christmas present. I did dearly love that rifle. Guess I was thinking with the wrong head when I made that dumb move.

[Rick Hodges]

My favorite lever gun? That is easy. My Winchester 9422M. Yep it is a rimfire magnum. It is smooth as silk, functions flawlessly and is scarey accurate. With Win. 34 gr. hp ammo it is more accurate than any rimfire that I have owned....including an Anshutz and Ruger 1022T. It is a pity they discontinues them.

[44 flattop]

What load gave you the 1" 348 Win groups. I have one that will put 3 into 1", but I always quit when I get three that close with a 71, hate to ruin a beautiful thing

Two loads. Hornadys 200gr with 65grs of AA3100 And Saeco's 250gr which leaves the mould at 265grs and 58grs of AA3100. This one isn't quite maximum in my rifle but really shoots nicely. To get groups that small however I found I have to take about 1 minute between shots. If I hustle through my group they open up just a little bit.

This season I used my grandpas 30-30 and my Dads hunting clothes. Hokey I know but all to gather it meant the most to me I suppose in a way it was my most meaningful harvest in my life I am 53 and have had several deer hunts but for all the reasons stated its been the most meaningful.

Not 'hokey' at all.

The word I would use is aweseome. The sort of thing that will leave a lump in my throat.

I did kind of the same thing a few years back. I used my wifes Grandfathers rifle (he meant the world to me), an old M70 in 300 H&H, wore his old old wool long underwear and wore his hat, used his favorite bullet (180gr Silvertip) and went deer hunting in one of his favorite area's. By 8 a.m. I had a really nice 3x3 on the ground along with a few tears.

44

[BarryinIN]

And Saeco's 250gr which leaves the mould at 265grs and 58grs of AA3100.

There is (was?) a Saeco .348 mould?

[hicard]

My 1895 GS.

[rbertalotto]

I Luv Em' All!






39A with converted octagon barrel




336 with converted octagon barrel



Serious case of Leveritis!

[TXGunNut]

Serious case of Leveritis! -rbertalotto


Understood. Can see how it would be a chore to pick a favorite from that group, not a cull in that herd! If this Leveritis thing turns out to be terminal I hope I'm in your will. OTOH I've got a pretty serious case myself.

[44 flattop]

There is (was?) a Saeco .348 mould?

Yes there is and is still available. Its their 350250. A really great mould.

44

[kelbro]

My favorite lever gun? That is easy. My Winchester 9422M. Yep it is a rimfire magnum. It is smooth as silk, functions flawlessly and is scarey accurate. With Win. 34 gr. hp ammo it is more accurate than any rimfire that I have owned....including an Anshutz and Ruger 1022T. It is a pity they discontinues them.

I have one of those and it too is a fine shooter. Those 33gr Remingtons go into one hole at 75yds and less than an inch at 100yds with a NECG aperture sight. The wood is almost too pretty to take out and use it like it should be used.

That's where the 39A comes in. Another 'near-laser' rimfire out to 50 yds. with the factory iron sights.

[Boerrancher]

Well my over all favorite Lever gun is the 99 Savage. Over the years I have owned several, but now I am just down to a 300sav and a 243win. If I really get serious about hunting, I grab the 300sav. In the 20+ years of owning it, I have never had a game animal get away from that rifle but one, and there was a tree limb I didn't see and killed it instead of the buck I was shooting at. Countless whitetails have fallen to my 300sav Mod 99.

My favorite everyday lever gun is my Rossi Mod 92 in 45LC. I seldom leave the house with out it. It is a great shooter, I have taken quite a few deer and coyote with it out to 150 yards. It is by far my most trusted companion. I would not feel a bit handicapped taking it out west and smacking a moose or a bear with it. With my hand loads I can match factory 45-70 ballistics which most folks consider ideal for bear. I know more abut that little 92 than I do my wife and we have been together for 14 years. It is by far my favorite and best lever gun I have ever owned, when it comes to an all around gun. I like it well enough that a few years ago I found one just like it in a gun shop, NIB, but with out the safety. The shop owner told me it had set on the shelf for nearly 10 years with lots of folks looking at it but putting it back when they saw it was a 45LC and not a 44 or 357mag. I was figuring he was going to want over $400 for it, but when I ask, I was told $300 out the door. After nearly tearing off my back pocket to get to my wallet, it followed me home.

Best wishes,

Joe