Advice on a rifle.

[Kitty]

Need some help here. I will start this with I know ABSOLUTELY nothing about buying a rifle. I have shot a few, but they have always belonged to someone else. Please keep this in mind when answering the following:


Long story short, hubby and I were watching Top Shot last night. He was practically drooling over the lever action rifle they were using. He proceeded to talk about how he has always wanted one since he was a kid, etc. until I fell asleep. Now this is a man that really never asks for anything – I have to pry ideas for presents out of him and he indulges most of my whims.


I would really like to get him a nice lever action rifle but I don’t even know what to look for. It was mostly be used for target shooting as I cannot imagine my hubby actually hunting. So ideas, opinions, options – I’m looking for info. I don’t even know what price range I’d be looking at. I checked the Henry site and they said MSRP is about $325 for a .22 and $340 for a Carbine - the fact that I really don't know the difference should tell everyone something. Anything under $600 would be doable in the next two months without him knowing about it.


Thanks!

 

[SEIndSAM]

No advice, because there are lots of options out there. Just wanted to say that your hubby is a lucky guy to have a wife looking to buy him a nice toy like this.

 

[Kitty]

Thanks - Just wish I knew where to start. Girls don't tend to get the best answers at a gun store with no back round knowledge.

 

[singlesix]

I have a Henry Golden Boy .22lr level action rifle. This is a great rifle and a great company. The rifle is very accurate and shoots any 22 ammo I've tired so far.

 

[jd4320t]

The carbine has a 16" barrel and the lever action has an 18".

I don't know what your hubbie likes but I'd get the lever action in 22lr.

He will love it.

 

[samrothstein01]

Hey Kitty....so, the rifle they were using on Top Shot was a Winchester 73. This is a collector rifle, and is well above the price range you mentioned, usually in the thousands.

There are however, a lot of good options for very similar rifles, from Winchester as well as Henry, Marlin, etc.

Probably the biggest question is what caliber? 22LR is fun and cheap to plink with, but isn't a large caliber.

You can get a rifle caliber, such as 30/30, which packs quite a punch, and can shoot at long distances, but is quite a bit more expensive to feed.

Sort of in the middle is a handgun caliber, such as a 357 lever action. These are fun, pack a decent punch, and are not as expensive to feed, but have some limitations.

Below is a link to a winchester 357 lever action, to give you a start on price point, which is right in your wheel house, but can probably be found for less expensive depending on brand and local dealers/classifieds.

Winchester .357 Model 94 Lever Action Legacy 357 : Lever Action at GunBroker.com

Have more questions or need more info, just shout! Hope that helps!

 

[sloughfoot]

I only half watched the show last night. When I saw the lever action, it is clearly a rifle, not a carbine. I think it might been chambered in 45 Colt.

It kind of looked like a Model 1873 Winchester rifle.

On second thought, try going to the show's website. I'll bet the website says what it is. Then you know specifically what to look for by make, model, and ammo.

Good luck.

 

[nailknocker]

The rifle they were using last night was a Uberti, in what looked like a 45 cal., these are a beautuful rifle, but they start at about a thousand bucks and go up from there. In center fire rifles, Marlin, Henry, and Rossi, are probably the big three.
The list gets much shorter in the rimfire choices for a new rifle. Marlins 39a is excellent, a little pricey for a new one, as you already said the Henry's are a great choice, and I believe Browning makes a rimfire, also an excellent choice.

 

[redneckmedic]

I have nothing to add to this thread, all the information IMO is in the previous post, if he would ever consider hunting in IN, might want to look at the 44mag or 45 long colt, but no harm done with purchasing a .357mag either.

 

[Bflo]

I agree that determining what caliber you want is a good place to start. If your husband has a revolver, it would probably be good to get something in that caliber. A .22 would also be a good choice. If I were in the market for a lever action, I would love to get a Browning BL-22.

 

[Jay]

If you're ok with your husband knowing what's up, bring him down here, and he can shoot a 30-30 Winchester, 30-30 Marlin, 44 mag Marlin, .22 Winchester, or .22 Marlin, or all of 'em, so he can see what he likes.

 

[gibby101]

If you're ok with your husband knowing what's up, bring him down here, and he can shoot a 30-30 Winchester, 30-30 Marlin, 44 mag Marlin, .22 Winchester, or .22 Marlin, or all of 'em, so he can see what he likes.

Great Weapon systems, i agree with Jay on this one. great choices and also after shooting them he will def find what he likes

 

[singlesix]

Look in the classified section on here; many lever actions for sale.

 

[kludge]

Henry is a good choice, as are Winchester and Marlin.

If he has a revolver in .357 Magnum, .45 Colt or .44 Magnum, a lever-action that matches the revolver is a nice addition.

If he doesn't reload I would recommend the .357 or .44. I prefer the .45 Colt, but all are very versatile cartridges for plinking to hunting.

Also if he is a deer hunter or has ever thought about it, those calibers are legal in Indiana for deer hunting.

If he wants something higher powered, the .30-30 Winchester cartridge is a fine catridge, perhaps the most popular in lever action cartridge in history. For more power on game heavier than whitetail deer the .35 Remington will do nicely, of course many people love the .35 Rem for whitetail too. Neither is legal in Indiana for deer.

If something even higher power is desired, then check out the .308 Marlin Express and the .338 Marlin Express.

Another popular cartridge is the .45-70, which has had a resurgence over the past several years.

The Browning BLR rifle is also available in several high power rifle calibers that you can't get from Marlin or Winchester.

There's just way to much info on levers that just can't be answered in one thread or with question.

 

[IndianaGTI]

If you get him a .22 lever action, ammo for it is around 4 cents a round. Most of the other rifles mentioned use ammo closer to 50 cents or $1 a round. If he does not own a rifle, he would probably have the most fun with a .22 lever action. Most everyone's first rifle was a .22. Just my $0.02.

 

[patience0830]

Browning BLR is hard to beat for quality in a lever action rimfire. Designed to use shorts, longs or long rifle shells. Modern rifle, easily scoped if he so desires. Still being manufactured so parts are available. I sold the one I owned and will regret it always. Henry is also a great company to deal with. Quality guns and the warranty service is above and beyond the call of duty from the reports I've heard.

If he's looking at centerfires, older Winchesters are usually gonna be over the stated price range but craftsmanship of the time demands a premium price these days. And resale will be better if you ever need to sell it.
I'll echo the post about same cartridge as a revolver he might already own. .357 and .44 mag are both legal deer cartridges if you think he might ever want to swing that way. Ammo is also widely available for both.

 

[bschmidt]

I would have to second the vote on the Browning BL-22. That is one sweet little .22lr-nice blueing and great looking wood.

 

[Redskinsfan]

The carbine has a 16" barrel and the lever action has an 18".

I don't know what your hubbie likes but I'd get the lever action in 22lr.

He will love it.

\
He is right, no doubt there. Lever rifles are very, very cool and the Henry is fine example. He will be pleased and you are a good wife.


Terry

 

[sloughfoot]

The rifle they were using last night was a Uberti, in what looked like a 45 cal., these are a beautuful rifle, but they start at about a thousand bucks and go up from there. In center fire rifles, Marlin, Henry, and Rossi, are probably the big three.
The list gets much shorter in the rimfire choices for a new rifle. Marlins 39a is excellent, a little pricey for a new one, as you already said the Henry's are a great choice, and I believe Browning makes a rimfire, also an excellent choice.

The Uberti copy of the 1873? Chambered in 45 Colt? Is that really what they used on the show?

If that is what he wants, why would he be happy with anything less?

All this talk about Marlins, 22's, 357 Pumas, Henry's and the like are not helping the OP.

OP, he likes the rifle that he saw on TV. You need to come up with more money to get the rifle that he lusts after. Do not shortchange him with a 22 or any kind of lesser rifle.

You don't want to see THAT look on his face when he opens the box.

Besides, you never really spend money on a gun. You simply transfer money out of the bank into steel and wood. It will still be there 10 years from now. It really is an investment just like gold or silver or any other precious metal.

Get the exact rifle that got him so excited. Nothing else will do. Trust me.

 

[seamusalaska]

What sloughfoot said.