What's the best barrel length for a .45 colt Levergun

[Jason_W]

the 20" or the 16.5"?

I'm considering trying to trade my Marlin 336 in .35 for a rossi in .45. Thoughts?

[Blaine]

I REALLY want a trapper, so I'm not the one to ask.....My 1895GS @ 18.5" and my 1894s @ 20" are all pretty nice. The trapper will be very loud.

[Buck Elliott]

.45 Colt just ain't that noisy...

Personally, I don't like the feel (balance) of the stubby-barrel guns. 20" is plenty short for me, although the powder is all used up in about 12 -14 inches.

[Terry Murbach]

I AM WITH BUCK HERE. FOR THE LIFE OF ME I DO NOT KNOW WHY GUYS LIKE THE TRAPPER LEVERGUNS. THEIR BALANCE IS HINKY AND THEY LOOK FUNNY. A 20" BARREL ON A LEVER CARBINE IS IDEAL TO ME, BALANCES LIKE A MAGIC WAND, AND LOOKS GOOD TO BOOT.
THERE WHIPPERSNAPPERS, WE OL' GEEZERS--ME AND THE ELLIOT KID-- HAVE SPOKEN.
HOW 'BOUT A DRINK BUCK.....NUTTIN ELSE TO TALK ABOUT HERE TODAY ??

[nemhed]

I would say get which ever one balances best in your hand.

[LeverBob]

I'm with Buck & Terry. I like a 20" barrel or longer. I own a 444P & like it, but would like the rifle with a 20" barrel better. Light, handy & deadly. I've handled trapper models & they feel whippy to me. IMHO

You can do whatever you want to your own gun, it's none of my business. I just don't understand all this barrel cutting business.

LB

[Blaine]

THEIR BALANCE IS HINKY AND THEY LOOK FUNNY.

Well heck, Mr. Murbach, so are you and we like you just fine

[Jason_W]

It's possible that the longer sight plain of the 20" model would be helpful to me, especially if I install a peep sight.

I'm not a very good shot

[Buck Elliott]

It's possible that the longer sight plain of the 20" model would be helpful to me, especially if I install a peep sight.

I'm not a very good shot

YET...!!!

[Blaine]

It's possible that the longer sight plain of the 20" model would be helpful to me, especially if I install a peep sight.

I'm not a very good shot

Nope....If you can't hit with a 16", you won't be able to hit with a 20"....sorry.

[Jason_W]

It's possible that the longer sight plain of the 20" model would be helpful to me, especially if I install a peep sight.

I'm not a very good shot

Nope....If you can't hit with a 16", you won't be able to hit with a 20"....sorry.

Uh-oh.

I guess I'll have to get good at getting close to what I need to shoot

[Hobie]

I thought about it a long time before getting the 20" and don't regret it at all. ESPECIALLY in that thin .45 bore tube the 20" is plenty light.

[J Miller]

I bought one of the first year Winchester 94AE Trappers in .45 Colt back in 86. I still have it. It has the skinny light weight barrel and it's very accurate, the balance is pathetic. The only time it feels right is with a magazine full of ammo. As the ammo us shot up the Trapper gets muzzle light very quickly. It is handy ... sort of.

But over the years I've tried a Marlin 1894 carbine which was really nicely balanced, then I tried a Marlin 1894 Cowboy with a 24" octagon barrel and that was sweet, but too long.

Then I tried a Rossi Puma 20" carbine and it balanced much much better than my 94 Trapper. The Rossi was unfortunately a piece of junque and I didn't keep it.

Now I've got the Marlin 1894 Cowboy with the 20" octagon barrel. This is about the best balanced .45 Colt lever gun I've handled. Muzzle heavy enough to retain it's balance as the magazine is emptied. Yet light enough to be very handy.

Unless you just must have a 16" barreled Trapper, I'd suggest a 20" barreled carbine or short rifle. I think you'll like it much better.

Joe

[adirondakjack]

I have twin Marlins in.45. Both started out as 24" octagon rifles. I also have a round barreled .44 Marlin.

I never liked the feel of the round barreled .44. I like the 24" octagon Marlin fine, but for the heck of it, had one of the twins bobbed to 16 1/4". With the heavy octagon barrel, the short tube still has a solid feel, and once ya get used to it, the shorter sight radius is no big deal. Performance differences aren't that great (dead is still dead)..... I really like how the 16"er handles in the thick stuff, I can one hand it through the brush with ease, and it doesn't hang up on stuff near as much or end up wanting to drag in the snow like th 24....

[COSteve]

So Terry, why are you yelling so loud?????

[Tom Richardson]

Terry is not loud. He types in caps so he can see what he has put on the screen.
If you are too sensitive to read caps just pass on tho the next post.

Terry is a whippersnapper and doesn't know how to appreciate a sixteen in barrel on a Marlin 94 in 44 mag.
I will let him shoot the one that Mic McPherson worked over for me and he will be a convert.

TERRY YOU OLD CRUDMUDGEN CAN YOU READ THIS.

STEVE, YOU CAN SKIP THIS PART.

[O.S.O.K.]

I also have a Marlin cb w 24" octagon barrel and its great. Points quick and holds
steady.

Go long IMHO

[gak]

To me, the 20" carbine is the best all around compromise. Look for an EMF 1892 -- though still a Rossi, they sport better sights (and often a little better wood) than the Legacy (LSI) Rossis and new Rossi/Taurus 92s. Better yet, if you can find one, get a pre-safety (to 2006) EMF or earlier Interarms. The latter especially you'll want to send to Steve Young (aka Nate Kiowa Jones) for one of his improved semi buckhorn sight (or other) packages as, stock, they share the cheap leaf/notch type with the LSIs and recent "Rossis" (Tauri).

LSI til this past year was ther largest importer of Rossis. Like Legacy already has effectuated (has gone Italian), EMF will soon no longer carry Rossis, judging from the website,...but there are plenty new ones still on the likes of Gunbroker and GunsAmerica. On GA, look for Phillip (Joel) Rezak--great guy--or see if Nate can fix you up with an "improved" 92 package, rifle order included from the get-go--from daily use to competition. Nate can also help you deal with the ambiguous, fugly safety--if so equipped--or you can DIY. Good luck.

[AJMD429]

I would say get which ever one balances best in your hand.

Naah . . . that's too practical . . . !

I like, I mean REALLY like, my 16" Puma in .44 Mag, and if .45 Colt were 'my' cartridge, I'd want the 16" Puma, since to me the Puma is a non-scopeable, light & handy type gun. I'd spend $15 & replace the rear sight with a Marble's Bullseye, and put a smaller bead one up front; maybe splurge and drill/tap for a Williams FP ghost-ringed on the receiver if I wanted a 'target' gun.

If I were getting a Marlin, I'd opt for the longer 20" or perhaps even 24", as my 'target' gun, perhaps with a < insert 'gasp' here > scope. Probably I'd use the 20" since they seem to shoot just as well, but if I wanted a tang sight I'd get the longer barrel. Don't have any 'good' reason - just looks better to me.

I don't know what I'd get if I got one of them Brownings, or Henry's or a real-live Winchester (I'd probably settle for whatever real one I could find).

Of course if Ruger made a .45 Colt, I'd get one, in whatever length they came in. Love my 96/44...!

[Old Savage]

20", and mine has the wonderful tricked out modern safety - lot of guys didn't get that.

[COSteve]

Terry is not loud. He types in caps so he can see what he has put on the screen.
If you are too sensitive to read caps just pass on tho the next post.

Terry is a whippersnapper and doesn't know how to appreciate a sixteen in barrel on a Marlin 94 in 44 mag.
I will let him shoot the one that Mic McPherson worked over for me and he will be a convert.

TERRY YOU OLD CRUDMUDGEN CAN YOU READ THIS.

STEVE, YOU CAN SKIP THIS PART.

Well, now I know why.

[adirondakjack]

Ya know, ya don't have to choose



That's the long and the short of it.

[Poohgyrr]

Well, I like the stubby Levers, they are just too handy not to have. And my .45 Trapper was the right price.

And I have some 20"ers that do well for me. And I really really really want a 26" 30-30 (all Fadala's fault darn him!). And no, I'm not senile. Yet. I'm not I'm not I'm not!!!!!!

[thornblom]

I have a Marlin Cowboy Limited .45 Colt with the 24" octagon barrel. Uncle Bob the "Gun Doctor" over at Walker 47 in Annahiem California did an action and trigger job, installed a Marbles tang sight and a Williams fire sight front sight. The previous owner, had slimed the butt stock and forend to resemble some of the early Marlins, refinished the wood and hand checker the wood to the original pattern. I desiged a bullet, actually it is a combo of 2 previous designs, LBT/LFN nose shape and body and grease groove style from the Keith style Lyman bullet. I took my drawings to Paul Jones of Paul Jones moulds and he made me a custom mould for this bullet. It casts 294 grain bullets of .452" diameter as they come out of the mould. No need to size them. They are very accurate. My loads all use Star-line .45 Colt cases, Federal 155 primers and this bullet lubed with Javelina Schuetzen lube, and either 19 grain of WW-296 or 19.5 grains of H4227. Muzzle velocity is just short of 1400 ft/sec. I have shot lever action silhouette with this rifle and load in both pistol caliber compitition and rifle caliber compitition. As you may guess, all silhouettes go down with authority. Even the 200 meter full sized rams. In 2001, I killed a nice 8 point white tail deer near Brownwood Texas on a friends ranch. The shot was at 55 yards, the deer walked about 20 yards and fell over dead. Since I cast these bullets of 20 to 1 lead to tin bullet material they expand to about .57 caliber and retain almost 95% of their original weight.

Nice gun, nice load, nice bullet. I guess I got lucky. Finally.

Sincerely,
Dave (Bubba) Thornblom

[Pete44ru]

I obviously prefer the shorter length/trapper barreled leverguns, and don't find them to be particularly louder than any other barrel lengths - certainly not like a short .30-06 is twice as loud as a longer barreled -06.

I'm finding that I don't use my 16" big loop Rossi .45 Colt ( the one with the bolt peep) as much as my 16" .357 or my M1894P - so I'm thinking of selling it to free up some $$$ for another rimfire levergun.

My rimfires see much more use, since my state proscribes CF rifles for hunting, and I can only hunt them on annual out-of-state hunts.

.

[BAGTIC]

I have always found that the longer barrels are smoother swinging on moving targets. I have a short 'Trapper' .45 Colt and wish it had a longer barrel. Anything up to 24 inches is fine with me and the quieter the better.

[Stump Buster]

I like my 16" USRA 45 Colt (pre-safety AE) because the barrel doesn't whack me in the forehead like the 20"ers do when doing the "Rifleman"!!!

...and it looks right with my USFA...

[Chuck 100 yd]

I like mine 24" or longer.
I have been known to carry a 22" or 20" rifle though.