Griff on Leverguns

[Griff]

I wrote the following a couple of years ago in response to a query about buying a 1st levergun for cowboy action shooting. I've sat here the past few minutes as I acclimatize myself to a new computer, operating system and word processor! Computer is on my son had, and had refurbished to replace dear, old Dad's aging and mostly failing laptop. OpSys is now Windows 7, and Word 2007.

Many of you have much experience with leverguns, tho not all in cowboy action shooting. But, I'd value your input and observations on the particular guns you have. Also, my info is somewhat dated on the Braztech '92s and would like to know if I got the new relationships correct with their importers. Nate? Got input?

Anyway, if you have something you'd like to add, or correct what you see as an error, I'd be appreciative. One of the many failings some folks find with cowboy action shooting is that they think they know what will make a good competition gun... only to find out they invested in something that limits their abilities from the git-go. I've seen new shooters go thru 3 or more rifles in their first few months. I'd like to be able to at least offer some insights when someone asks the question in the future.

Feel free to critique as you see fit... don't mean I'll accept it...

Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:09 am Modified on Sat Mar 12, 2011
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My very first suggestion is that you drag yer carcass outta the virtual world and to a real live cowboy action match. If you're politely inquisitive you'll probably have to push away offers to show ya why theirs is best!

In almost no particular order of preference (you'll be able to figure out mine from the fact that I own 3 Rossis, Ubertis in 1873 & 1860 versions, 1 Marlin and 27 Winchester 94s - though all of those are in .30-30).

The Winchester 1894/94 was first introduced in 1894 in .32-40 and .38-55, and heralded the ubiquitious .30WCF (.30-30) of deer hunting fame. It's a wonderful rifle and cartridge combination, suitable for many activities... as would be expected of a sporting rifle that's sold over 7 million copies over its 112 production run. (Continuous if you discount the war stoppages). It was first introduced in a pistol length cartridge in 1969 in the .44 Remington Magnum. However, bullet shapes of the time limited its viability (IMO) and it was shelved for a time. In 1983 it underwent its first redesign (of major significance - again discounting some internal changes and material changes), being re-tooled into the Angle Eject model (Winchester 94AE). 1985 saw its chambering in .45 Colt, the FIRST lever gun so chambered. IMO, it has some drawbacks in the shorter cartridge lengths; 1st, its overall length, due in part to the length necessary to cycle cartridges in the .30-30 class. 2nd, its action - the fact that its "guts" fall out every time you cycle the lever; this isn't a problem for the hunter nor target shooter, but... when speed is the essence, it provides for a "3-step" feel to the action; it can be reduced by lightening the springs and smoothing the action, but... in truth, the validity of my statement can be found in the fact that no top shooters use this model in competition, (that I'm aware of...). 3rdly, and it shares this feature with the Rossi, Marlin and "Big Boy"; the cartridge is removed from the magazine onto a lifter that then raises up at an angle and is then shoved into the chamber by the bolt and must transistion that angular attitude back to the horizontal. This limits the selection of bullet shapes to allow smooth, consistent and reliable feeding.

The Marlin 1894 is basically unchanged from its introduction; with the addition of a cross bolt safety. It is currently the ONLY US produced historically accurate lever gun. Check out their website for current chamberings and versions (rifle/carbine & barrel lengths). This is one of two low cost selections you have. Their quality has been spotty, but... from everything I've heard, and direct assurances from their CEO, if you have a problem, return and they WILL MAKE IT RIGHT. And, I've seen cases where they've done just that. There has been a number of shooters that have learned to make these really perform in competition. There is also a new caliber available that will run in these with some modifications and is reputed to be a real boon to BP shooters… the Cowboy 45 Special. Essentially it is a 45ACP length cartridge with a .45 Colt rim. This is thinner than the 45Auto Rim, and allows use in rifles chambered in .45 Colt without modifying the bolt. It does require other mods, however. It was developed by a cowboy action shooter by the handle of Adirondak Jack. More info at (http://www.cowboy45special.com/)

There are now three “clones” of the Winchester 1892 offered in this country. They are manufactured by: Rossi of Brazil, (a division of Taurus, production models are marked Braztech), Armi Sport of Italy and Miroku of Japan. They are marketed by: Rossi (LSI); Armi-Sport (thru Cimarron, Taylor’s, and several other importers); and Miroku (as Winchester). The following is paraphrasing from a noted ’92 expert, so forgive me if I get a couple of things distorted. The Miroku guns are finely produced guns. However, they have some additional parts that were not in the original design. They are pricey, and as shooters may not have the robust internals of the originals. The same can be said of the Armi Sport copies; and regardless of how pretty they are, their longevity in a competitive sport is unknown. Rossis are probably the lowest price option, still robust and with only their unique, new safety on the bolt. It really doesn’t affect their operation. The Rossi '92 was formerly marketed in this country by a couple of companies, most notably: LSI sells the "PUMA" while EMF sold the "HARTFORD". Rossi builds possibly the stronger and more exact copy of the original action. It is factory chambered in a couple of pretty hefty rounds, the 454 Casull being one. However, the actions as shipped are fairly heavy, gritty and require some "cleanin' up" to smooth 'em out and make them as sweet as any vintage Winchester 1892 you will find. A couple of guys specialize in this work, and at least one, Steve's Gunz, (http://www.stevesgunz.com), will take your order, do the necessary action work and ship you a completely "race ready" gun for not much more than the basic gun would cost you at any other shop. And, if you're rather handy with screwdriver, file, stones and can follow instructions, you can do similar work yourself and save a few sheckles more. Check out Marauder’s Rifle Tuning, (http://marauder.homestead.com/Rifles.html). This site also includes tuning tips for the Marlin and Winchester 94 rifles.

As mentioned before, the Uberti Henry, '66 "Yellow Boy", and 1873 Winchester clones are probably the most popular rifles in cowboy action shooting as they have the smoothest actions, are very friendly to short stroke kits (as defined legal in SASS rules) and feeding is straight forward so a variety of bullet sizes and weights are easily fed and digested. However, a "race-ready" version will set you back more than what an original will cost. But... you will have a historically accurate and very viable rifle for either re-enacting or cowboy action shooting. (B-westerns aside, VERY few Winchester '92s ever saw action during the War of Northern Agression!)

You will note that I've saved the only other option for last... as is appropriate in my opinion, for it would be my last choice for either re-enacting (I don't like getting laughed at), cowboy action shooting (speed is a factor, and heavy cumbersome actions are not conducive to this activity) or for hunting (it's action strength is an unknown - at least to me). The Henry "Big Boy" is available in .357, .45 Colt and .44 Magnum, but... it is a front-end loader, ala 9422 Winchester and Marlin 39A models. IMO, this is an issue with loading safety and handling around crowded loading tables. Others will point out its ability to unload thru the magazine tube and not having to work each round thru the chamber to unload... well, I prefer to unload mine thru the action... pulling the trigger to expend those expensive shells I spent hours developing and loading!

But, hey! Those are just my observations and opinions developed over a little more than 25 years of cowboy action shooting and 38 years of levergun shooting. And, we all know what they're like... worth exactly what you paid for 'em.
_________________
Griff
SASS/CMSA#93

[M. M. Wright]

Griff,
You have pretty well summed it up. If you want to compete, you need a 73. You can't have any issues with cartridges or action. It just kills your chances of even looking good.
I started with an El Tigre. It was the nicest one I had ever seen but was made of soft steel and began to show wear quickly so I acquired an original 92 with a bulged barrel and had it replaced with a Ballard 20" octagon. This was a very accurate rifle that did everything I needed but was just not as smooth as some 73s I had tried. I traded a Browning 71 that had been re-barreled to 50-110 EX (real Win bbl.) for an Uberti 73 deluxe sporting rifle and drew some cash difference. Finally had the rifle I wanted/needed to look good shooting 44-40 black powder.
Several years ago, a piece of the barrel just fell out and left a small crater about half way down the bore. Still shoots good but I feel it every time I clean it and that includes wiping the bore between stages. Must have been a bad place in the steel.
A 66 will work just as well but a Henry won't. You just can't deal with that follower coming through your hand or the amount of barrel heat you get from shooting 10 rounds of 44-40 without a fore-arm, especially if it's black powder. The Henry, (NOT the Big Boy) does give you style points though.

[Bogie35]

Very interesting read! Thanks Griff!

bogie

[Jeff H]

Nothing to contribute, other than THANK YOU for a very informative post.
I knew bits and pieces, but nothiing in that kind of detail and this kind of glues it together for me.

[AJMD429]

Dunno if you want to get into every single variation of levergun out there (doubt it), but thought you might want to mention the box-magazine leverguns. The only ones I've owned are the Ruger 96's (.44 Mag, .22 Mag/.17 HMR conversion, .22 LR), and they are sort of the Rossi's of the box-magazine crowd (not prestigious or pretty, but durable, basic, practical). Of course the Savage 99's are 'classics' no longer made, perhaps analogous to the Winchesters (except, alas nobody makes a 'clone' of them nowdays), and the Browning BLR's share the 'falling-out-guts' thing, but seem to be well-respected and currently in production.

[gak]

Griff,
You have pretty well summed it up. If you want to compete, you need a 73. You can't have any issues with cartridges or action. It just kills your chances of even looking good.
I started with an El Tigre. It was the nicest one I had ever seen but was made of soft steel and began to show wear quickly so I acquired an original 92 with a bulged barrel and had it replaced with a Ballard 20" octagon. This was a very accurate rifle that did everything I needed but was just not as smooth as some 73s I had tried. I traded a Browning 71 that had been re-barreled to 50-110 EX (real Win bbl.) for an Uberti 73 deluxe sporting rifle and drew some cash difference. Finally had the rifle I wanted/needed to look good shooting 44-40 black powder.
Several years ago, a piece of the barrel just fell out and left a small crater about half way down the bore. Still shoots good but I feel it every time I clean it and that includes wiping the bore between stages. Must have been a bad place in the steel.
A 66 will work just as well but a Henry won't. You just can't deal with that follower coming through your hand or the amount of barrel heat you get from shooting 10 rounds of 44-40 without a fore-arm, especially if it's black powder. The Henry, (NOT the Big Boy) does give you style points though.

Regarding those Henry "style points," you could always pull the old movie trick of a 66 with forestock removed. Yes, it still has that loading gate, but that's just a detail

[adirondakjack]

A good read, Griff. However, in the last year and a little bit, some very powerful mods have come about to make the Marlins a lot more competitive than they once were, even without a short stroke kit. Take a look at Widowmaker Hill's stuff on Marauder's pages.

[Griff]

A good read, Griff. However, in the last year and a little bit, some very powerful mods have come about to make the Marlins a lot more competitive than they once were, even without a short stroke kit. Take a look at Widowmaker Hill's stuff on Marauder's pages.

Aye, I have. And, I'm lookin' out for a donor 1894 Marlin for a project on just that subject. Be talkin' to you also when I find it. I'll amend my stuff when I know more about it. Without a sample to kibbutz over, it's all theory for me. The Win m92s, m94s, Uberti 73s, 66s, & Henry, along with the HRA Big Boys, I've fussed over and fondled, and am confident of my conclusions.

I'm thinkin' a race ready Marlin 1894 in Cowboy 45 Special will be just superb for Wild Bunch! Use the same dies, loads, bullets, only have to change the shell plate on the Dillon... I'm thinkin' SWEET!!!!