I have always wanted a lever action rifle and just now have got around to purchasing one. i have done very little research on these and would appreciate any help. thanks
Ryan, I have two lever actions, a Winchester 9422 and a Henry H001T. I like both of these but with the price of the Henry being almost half I would suggest the Henry.
For .22, I highly suggest a Browning BL-22. They're expensive, but they have the shortest throw and the slickest action of any of the .22 rifles.
.357Mag is the smallest Indiana deer-legal hunting cartridge, a lever rifle in .357 could, therefore, be used not only to hunt with, but also to shoot .38Specials if you just wanted to plink.
I think Winchester is a better looking gun..... I thnk Marlin is a better built gun.... the Marlin 39A is the Cadillac of rimfire lever guns, and if memory serves, has been in production longer than any other rimfire lever gun. I have all three that I mentioned.... Marlin would be my suggestion ..... You're welcome to come shoot all of 'em if you want.
If you're looking at hunting, my vote goes for the Marlin 1894. I have one in .44mag. GREAT deer gun, but as stated earlier, is also available in .357mag.
Well built and accurate with the right load. For factory loads, I suggest Hornady's "Leverevolution".
I bought my daughter a Henry .22. Nice little rifle, and not too pricey. My first lever was a Puma in .44 mag. Nice looking rifle, never had any problems with it. That being said, I love my Marlins. I have an 1894fg in .41 mag, and a 1895xlr in .45-70 gvt. They are both awesome. The 1894fg is built heavier than the Puma. And the 1895 xlr is built like a tank.
Im a big fan of the savage 99s. In my mind you wont find a more balanced accurate lever gun out there. That said you cant exacly deer hunt in Indiana with a 308 so you might have to settle for a sub-par weapon.
What I like about the 99 series.
Balanced like a german sports car (I.E. extremely well)
Accurate (for a light barrel profile high power rifle)
Amazing trigger
Very fast follow up shots
Very light weight
Detachable box or rotary magazine
It handles very well (back to being very well balanced)
It looks like a dream.
You can get one for fairly cheap (non-collector grade models sell for under $400 fairly commonly)
Personally I hated the Henry I had because you couldn't hit the broad side of the barn with it. I tried 3 Henrys before I gave up and sold em all. For a deer caliper id recommend the Ruger lever guns, they have a lot of the good aspects of the savage 99s, youll just pay a lot more for one.
Love my 44mag ROSSI Trapper in stainless. Had to install a taller front site right outta the box after that the thing is SUPER accurate with iron sights. Great deer gun, a true pleasure to carry into the woods. If you need a scope i would look at a different gun. My 8yo son shoots this lil rifle and loves it!!!
Just got a Henry Golden Boy (17HMR) in for one of my customers. After giving it a once over, I now understand why they charge the prices they do for these firearms... They are of upmost quality and I would highly recommend them (simply from a quality perspective)
How it will shoot I do not yet know, however I believe based upon what others have said it will be a great tack driver, especially in 17HMR.
For a first cheaper lever I would go for a Ruger 96. I have one in 44 and in 22 mag and the have the smoothest shortest throw of all the levers I have tried.
From acollectors point taking a 1873 1876 1886 winchester lever action 38-40 44-40 or others deer hunting is great fun. Taking a rifle over 100 years old hunting is fun .The first investment is a little more but the rifle will keep going up in value.
For a simple, affordable, yet classic look don't discount the rugged Marlin 336. Mine in .35 Remington is a blast to shoot, although you can't hunt in IN with it. The nice thing about the newer ballistic tip rounds for tube feeders is they are easily now a 200 yard gun in calibers that used to be 100 yarders. Whatever you get you'll quickly fall in love with the lever for its classic styling!