My tastes in lever guns is changing

[J Miller]

All my shooting life I've had lever action carbines and Trappers. Never any full length rifles.
In 95 or 96 I bought a brand new Marlin 1894 Cowboy in .45 Colt with the 24" barrel. I loved it. Loved the way it handled, the way it felt, the way it looked and loved that octagon barrel. Unfortunately it wouldn't shoot accurately so when my finances went down the pot it got sold.

Now I keep looking for rifles. I want a Win 94 with a 26" octagon barrel, and another Marlin 1894 with a 24" barrel.

Although the shorter length carbines or short rifles are handier, I really do like the feel and looks of the rifles.

Am I the only one who's tastes have changed, or are there others?

Joe

[RIHMFIRE]

nope....my taste in lever guns has not changed....
I like em all

[Jeff H]

I have only ever owned a couple carbines myself, but a longer rifle sure would hold better for offhand shots I'm trhinking. After buying the 16" Rossi for a specific purpose I have begun to really like the gun and may make my next rifle a - rifle,.... with a lever on it.

[JerryB]

Most of my levers are carbines. I have a Winchester 1892 32-20 24 inch rifle that I bought in1954. It just has a feel to it when I throw it to my shoulder. I would like a Winchester 1894 rifle but they are scarce around here.

[AJMD429]

nope....my taste in lever guns has not changed....I like em all

Me too...

'Traditional' ones...


'New-fangled' ones...


'Big' ones & 'Little' ones...


'Ugly' ones...


'Vintage' ones & 'New' ones...


Other-people's with Bayonets... (from MarlinOwners)


...and maybe someday, QUIET ones... (if I get one, I'll build it in .338 Marlin Express)

[madman4570]

Wow Doc!
Guess when the stuff hits the fan,we can meet at your house

Joe,
Nope, your not alone pal.
I love those long octagon barreled levers.
They do have a great balance and do indeed look very cool.
Hope you are able to score one soon.

[Griff]

Phew! Joe, for a minute there I thought you might be going all Finnwolf on us! Not that there's anything wrong with a Finnwolf, Win88 or Sav99...

But simply saying you'd like a "rifle" version to go along with with yer "carbine" and "Trapper", is sorta like saying you mighht like a sultry brunette to go along with the fun blonde or wild redhead; the same package, just different trim! I know I'm gonna get trouble for that one!

'Vintage' ones & 'New' ones...

Say, Doc,

Can you show a closeup "profile" shot of the hammer on your 'vintage' one? And what 'vintage' is it?

[Mescalero]

Griff,
Yep, that one is going to get you in the geo-thermal mass for sure.

[airedaleman]

Phew! Joe, for a minute there I thought you might be going all Finnwolf on us! Not that there's anything wrong with a Finnwolf, Win88 or Sav99...

But simply saying you'd like a "rifle" version to go along with with yer "carbine" and "Trapper", is sorta like saying you mighht like a sultry brunette to go along with the fun blonde or wild redhead; the same package, just different trim! I know I'm gonna get trouble for that one!

'Vintage' ones & 'New' ones...

Say, Doc,

Can you show a closeup "profile" shot of the hammer on your 'vintage' one? And what 'vintage' is it?

Top rifle is a Model 1889 Marlin. The hammer profile is much different from that of an original Model 1894.

[gak]

Not so much changing tastes--still love/sticking with my carbines and trappers (and one long/oct .44 92)...as noticing and appreciating some variants I hadn't previously given much thought to. For instance, I've discovered my ultimate "if you could only have one" gun is the Pre War 1894 .30-30 ROUND barrel, full tube (w/ hanger) rifle. The octagonal 92s and 94s feel good from rest, but to me in the small (as in .30) calibers gets to be a bit barrel heavy--in a bad way--a load on the trail. The round barrel rifle just "feels right" to me, and not that much more unwieldable than the good ol' 20" carbines. Still wanting one, but a fellow levergunner friend shared this view even more strongly when we found a pristine Pre War of this configuration at a gun show. For the price it didn't matter, but the condition was such we swore it had to have been a restoration or at least very good refinish ...but upon investigation it wasn't. He walked away with it, with me following in envy!

Along these same lines in concept, the 80s 94AE (pre safety) XTR 7-30 Waters--essentially a long (24") barreled "carbine" (full tube/dual bands)--one of the nicest modern-day Levers I've handled...just feels right, and a great round...again belonging to same friend.

[tman]

Always loved the SRC. configuration, especially in BigBore chamberings.

[El Chivo]

kinda tempted by the Buffalo Classic myself.

I like my 24" (I have 3, Marlin 39, Win 94 Legacy in .357, and Win 94 Ranger custom) but they are range queens.

I don't like the octagon barrel, but they did make a 26" round barrel in 30-30 for a while.

I will probably end up with a 336 in my cold dead fingers.

[earlmck]

Joe, I'm not sure your tastes are really changing as much as they are "maturing". Somewhere along the line it is apt to happen that we realize we are not packing a rifle in a saddle scabbard all that much anymore and we begin to notice that other configurations, not so saddle friendly, feel mighty fine. I hadn't shot "thutty-thutty" in years until a friend handed me his Marlin 336A (24" bbl, 2/3 mag) and I fell in love. Sorry 'bout that you Winny guys, you can call it "fugly" all you want but it has been my favorite since I talked my friend out of it 15 years ago. Just feels so "right" for offhand shooting.

[william iorg]

Take it from someone who has fooled with the 30-30AI a bit. Look for a 26” Winchester Buffalo Bill.
The 26” barrel will shoot factory 170-grain round nose Remington ammunition 2,335 fps.
Equip the rifle with a Lyman receiver sight - no need for screwdrivers to adjust windage and elevation - and a Marbles flattop folding open rear sight with windage. The Lyman stem removes with the push of a button.
Sight the open sight for 50-yards with a reduced load for a 150-grain lead round nose bullet and the Lyman sight on 100- yards - I don’t have much call to shoot farther.

For front sights, I prefer the new Marbles copy of the Sourdough front sight but if your eyes are good any of the small, flat face bead sights will do fine. The factory sight has a round bead and you cannot do your best work with it.

For a “reduced” handload, use the 170-grain Lee flat point gas check ahead of 19.0 grains of IMR 4227 for 1,400 fps. This is a good load.

The bulk jacketed round nose Remington bullets shoot well in the BB rifle.
33.0 grains of Hodgdon Varget will give you 2,440 fps.
34.1 grains of Alliant Reloder 15 will do the task at 2,455 fps.
Both of the above loads will shoot better than I can hold with iron sights.

This is 30-30AI performance without the reamer or the special dies.

[COSteve]

Deleted

[Catshooter]

I have found over the years that I prefer either long, or short. This works out for handguns and rifles. It's not a cast-iron rule, I do love my Marlin twenty two inch .45-70. But my baby is a 94 in .38-55 with a half round 26 incher. It does hang nicely for offhand work.

Or my other baby is a 94 Trapper in .45 Colt. It doesn't hang nearly as well. I used it a couple of times in silhouette, but my scores went up dramatically when I switched to the .38-55. Ten more inches of sight radius didn't hurt either.


Cat

[DPris]

I've had a 24-inch .45 Marlin for some time now, but it's a very low-mileage gun.
In levers, I prefer barrels under 20 inches (mostly 16), they're a bit lighter and they're handier in & out of vehicles & on the ground.

That said, when I hauled out the 24-incher a couple years back for work, I found it quite appealing.
Shoots well, additional rounds on board, and looks great.
It has survived two thin-outs of the accumulation, even though it doesn't see much daylight I can't seem to let it go.

I may just start tossing it in the UTV scabbard on occasion.
Denis

[Canuck Bob]

My preference is pistol grip longer barrel. In a modern Marlin the XLR series appeal to me.

My two rifles are an early 444 with a 22" tube and a Winoku 32-20 TD with a 24" tube.

My carbine style is a Lee Enfield No.5, Jungle Carbine.

[hightime]

Although I have a few, I've never been fond of carbines. It's hard for me to shoot a deer though the hart at 100 yards with one. Also the looks of a lever rifle makes me smile.

Owen

[Bigahh]

I always loved the 20 " barrel for sitting in a tree. Just a perfect barrel length for my Marlin 336 with a low power Leupold on top. The balance is ABSOLUTELY perfect ! I have never tried a Trapper length Barrel, and always wondered if it would balance as nice as my 20" rifle. At some point I would think a Barrel can be too short. I have trouble hitting a Paper Plate free hand with my BLR, but my Marlin Kills the Plate on a regular basis.

[Slick]

I want a Win 94 with a 26" octagon barrel

Joe, if you're OK with owning a "Japchester" then keep watch on CDNN's catalog. Their prices are usually well over $100 cheaper than any other seller. The Miroku's I've looked at (while not inexpensive) have all been very well made and nicely finished - if you can deal with the "rebounding hammer".

I started out with a preference for "trapper-style" leverguns and over the years as my finances permitted, I've gone back and purchased a "long" version of all my trapper length guns.

[william iorg]

I agree about the longer barrel Marlins, they are almost as nice as a Model 64 Winchester - where are those smiley faces…
I like my 308MX very much, this is a well balanced off-hand rifle.

The 16” Trapper handles well with iron sights. When scope I prefer the forward mounted scope on the Trapper. The forward mount retains the balance and the Trapper jumps to your shoulder and swings well with the weight forward.

[Old Savage]

Always liked them all - oh wait, I already said that.

[Ysabel Kid]

nope....my taste in lever guns has not changed....
I like em all

+1

Joe, I tend to like the two extremes - either very short barrels, like 16" trappers, or extra long barrels. My 1873 reproduction sports a 30" barrel.