Custom Lever Gun questions...

[mhael]

Hi All,

Well I am a new guy that has had a few lever guns and had to sell them and now am starting to get back into them and looking for some advice. First off, in my limited research I really liked DRC customs, any thoughts or opinions? Are there any other favorite custom shops?

Also, I am currently thinking about using the rifle as a back country gun/small hunting chores... As far as caliber my current thought is a .44 Mag but I am yet to be completely decided. I was thinking about adding a Smith and Wesson .44 Mag to the package as well. Any thoughts or advise would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,

Trevor

[Old Ironsights]

Sort of depends on where you live and how much reloading you do.

In the general Midwest/East I would go with a .357 Carbine & a .357 Revolver.

Easy to load, easy to shoot, and plenty for 99.9% of what you may encounter east of the Rockies.

The .44 isn't a bad option either, but I think you may find it to be "too much gun" in a lot of cases. BUT, that "too much gun" is probably perfect for Western size critters.

The .45 Colt plays into a slightly different demographic, but IMO can - even with the bigger bullet - actually fill the niche between .357 & .44 by using factory "Cowboy" fodder... PLUS, depending on the gun, give significantly MORE thump than the .44 if loaded right.

[Hobie]

Sort of depends on where you live and how much reloading you do.

In the general Midwest/East I would go with a .357 Carbine & a .357 Revolver.

Easy to load, easy to shoot, and plenty for 99.9% of what you may encounter east of the Rockies.

The .44 isn't a bad option either, but I think you may find it to be "too much gun" in a lot of cases. BUT, that "too much gun" is probably perfect for Western size critters.

The .45 Colt plays into a slightly different demographic, but IMO can - even with the bigger bullet - actually fill the niche between .357 & .44 by using factory "Cowboy" fodder... PLUS, depending on the gun, give significantly MORE thump than the .44 if loaded right.

Can't argue with this. IMO the .357 Mag 1894C or Win 1892 (or clone) is the gun to have if you will only have one levergun and you live east of the Mississippi.

[J Miller]

Trevor,

Welcome to the forum.

Choosing "A" lever gun is kinda hard. No one gun will do it all well, but some come really close.
Like OI said, it kind of depends on where you live.

Personal preferences make an appearance too. For myself my rifle caliber lever guns are all 30-30s, and my handgun caliber lever guns are all .45 Colts. My wife prefers the .357.

I think your choice of caliber and gun combo is a good one. You can use a variety of ammo and go from mild to "ohhhh dear lord that hurt my shoulder" type loads.

Joe

[BwanaDave]

.357 is a bit weak for hogs whether they are east or west of the Rockies.

I wanted to create a lever gun for hog hunting and general use so I started with a Marlin 1895 45-70. I put a Wild West trigger and extractor in it. I plugged the cross bolt safety with the Ludwig plug and installed Ashley (XS) ghost ring sight. I didn't like the Marlin wood so I fitted a stock from Treebone Carving and gave it an oil finish. I had the action slicked up. I'm pretty happy with the gun. For several years now it has been my Jeep gun. Next, I'm going to have a take down conversion done on it. It has been a fun project and you might try going this route.

Dave

[Old Ironsights]

.357 is a bit weak for hogs whether they are east or west of the Rockies....

I DID say 99.9%...

Hogs might be that .1%

OTOH, a 180+gr pill at 1800fps is noting to sneeze at either.....

[JustaJeepGuy]

That .357 load may be nothing to sneeze at, but it may not be legal for hunting where you are. Back in 1981, I bought an 1894 Marlin in .44 Mag because the .357 wasn't legal for deer in Colorado. Whether it is now, I couldn't say.

[J Miller]

Some folks believe that over kill is still not enough. There was a member on another forum who told us stories about shooting ground squirrels out in the desert with his 45-70. Said he wanted to make sure they was dead. OK, to each their own.

When you can get a 180gr .357 bullet moving at 1800 fps, well I don't see that as weak at all.

Joe

[two bit okie]

Okie dokie, I live in Arizona, cant walk and hunt any more, bad knees. but my opinions, which by the way, with a $1.00 get you a cuppa joe at burger king, lean towards this.

I have had 44 mags for 40 yrs. I have loaded for the same 40 r=yrs.

If I were faced with starting over, I would go with 357. Why, economy, ease of operations, availability of ammo. weight of ammo and rifle.

My advice is look at what you are going to have to buy. if all new, go 357, if you have other calibers look at them, I prefer the 44, but I have had them for 4 decades.

[Old Ironsights]

That .357 load may be nothing to sneeze at, but it may not be legal for hunting where you are. Back in 1981, I bought an 1894 Marlin in .44 Mag because the .357 wasn't legal for deer in Colorado. Whether it is now, I couldn't say.

Heh... I DID say Midwest/East for .357... Last I checked Colo is... "West".

[BwanaDave]

I based my comments on personal experience shooting a wounded hog with a 357 blackhawk. I was hunting with a buddy and he saw one hog. He shot it and three more came running. I shot poorly and only hit the one I was shooting once. I was out of ammo in the rifle and the hog looked like it was going to recover its witts any second. I ran after it with my 357 and shot it several times in the head without stopping it from trying to get up. I finally calmed down and put one in its ear. Yes it was poor shooting on my part but sometimes stuff happens.

For a side arm I now carry a New Vaquero in 45 Colt that was spiffed up by Clements. I like the 45 Colt better than the 44 Mag. I have both but I like shooting the 45 Colt better and I shoot it better. The 45-70, for me makes a good all around rifle for general use at reasonable distances. It makes a big hole. I have camped in Grizzly county and having it has been comforting.

Dave

[gundownunder]

I've got a .357 and its a ton of fun to shoot and with the right loads and right point of aim should do good on anything from rodents to dogs to hogs.
Based on gunclub experience the .45 seems capable of the best consistent accuracy of the big pistol calibres (I can shoot better with someone elses .45 than with my own .357)and if you want to Texas heart shoot squirrels I dont think there would be much difference in the results with any of the calibres mentioned, but on a slightly off target shot on a big hog or deer the .45 will do better than a .357 by virtue of the extra energy and penetration available.

[O.S.O.K.]

DRC custom guns http://www.drcguns.com/

Looks like Brian Pearce thinks highly of em...

We have a 'local' here that you should also consider: Nate Kiowa Jones You will find many endorsements here.

As far as what caliber combo - that just depends on your needs. If you're thinking 44 Mag then you probably have a need for that, so who's to argue?

I have a couple of Ruger .44 Mags and that's the revolver I'd choose to go with a .44 Mag carbine. I'd load up some 270 grain Keith style bullets at 1200 fps from the revolver which would give about 1450 fps or so from the carbine. Or go with a load that gives 800 fps and 1000 respectively if you don't need or want that power level. The 1000 fps load will take deer and such cleanly.

[1886]

Sort of depends on where you live and how much reloading you do.

In the general Midwest/East I would go with a .357 Carbine & a .357 Revolver.

Easy to load, easy to shoot, and plenty for 99.9% of what you may encounter east of the Rockies.

The .44 isn't a bad option either, but I think you may find it to be "too much gun" in a lot of cases. BUT, that "too much gun" is probably perfect for Western size critters.

The .45 Colt plays into a slightly different demographic, but IMO can - even with the bigger bullet - actually fill the niche between .357 & .44 by using factory "Cowboy" fodder... PLUS, depending on the gun, give significantly MORE thump than the .44 if loaded right.

Good advice. Sound wisdom. The .357 in the right platform and with the proper bullets, is a giant killer all out of proportion to it's size. Try it. 1886.

[rjohns94]

Old Ironsides and I agree, as do some others. I would choose .357, from 180grains at 1800fps to wadcutters at 750-800fps, deer, hogs, varmits, small game, personal protection. I was a die hard .44 mag fan, and recently got rid of all of them to go the .357 route as my everyday carry, truck and woods gun. Good luck with your choice.

[JustaJeepGuy]

Heh... I DID say Midwest/East for .357... Last I checked Colo is... "West".

Oh, that's right, you DID say that. Can I backpedal and say I think of Colorado as more like the center?

[TX Gun Runner]

I got 3 deer here in Tn with a 44-40 using my level 3 loads push a 200 gr at 2000 fps using IMR4227 in my rifle and over 1500 fps in my Vaquero . All 3 deer never ran more then 75 yds . And I down load to 750 fps for SASS/CAS .

[mhael]

Hi,

Thank you for all the replies and the welcome, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry I probably shoulda mentioned the fact that I am in california so we do have some decent sized mean 4 legged creatures in the eastern Sierra Mountains. Also I do realize there is no end all be all, merely the first one to try and solve this particular mission. The other thing I forgot to mention was that the other concern that I have to be aware of when doing back country stuff is "meth labs" here in southern california and "pot farms" in northern california. The two legged creatures that tend to inhabit those spots tend to not be very nice. For that reason I was leaning towards liking the pistol caliber lever actions for the extra rounds.

So now that I stated my area you guys still think that the .357 would be enough gun? I am trying to contact nate kiowa jones and find out what he charges for his work etc. Any other custom gun builders? I think doing a take down style is my goal because I think it would work easier for transporting all the way around. Any other custom makers that I should be aware of?

Thanks again guys, I look forward to hanging around and learning more on the board.

[TX Gun Runner]

I would carry with extra mags . Both light weight and lots of ammo .

[mhael]

When I was on the phone today with DRC rifles he suggested I look into either rebarreling the .44 mag so it can fit the larger rounds or go either .45 long colt. If I go the rebarrel route then he thinks that I can run basically any length rounds so I can run the 300+ gr bullets. If I end up running these bullets I should be able to take down most game right?

Thanks,

Trevor

[Rusty]

A .44 mag will take down anything in N. America if you do your part.

[bsaride]

Hi,

Thank you for all the replies and the welcome, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry I probably shoulda mentioned the fact that I am in california

Make sure you come out to the Family Reunion Shoot March 28 & 29th.

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... &sk=t&sd=a

Jay

[blueroan]

Go to lasc.us and read Glenn Fryxell's article on 1894 Marlins in 357-44-45 Colt. If you're going to reload, the info is really good. While I prefer 44 (and have a 357 also) his data on the 45 is something to consider...all good choices. I also have 45/70 Cowboy rifles and a recently acquired 30/30 for different requirements. My 44 is the "go to gun," sided by a Super Black Hawk or a Vaquero or Bisley.

I'd be inclined to get a Marlin in the caliber of choice cut down to 16.5 inches rather than the more expensive take-down conversion. Then set it up with the scope/receiver sight of choice and sling swivels plus a general action smoothing and trigger job.

The stainless 44 is worth considering and there will be a production 357 sometime soon. There are some limited edition stainless guns available on various auction sights, but the collectors like them a lot...and the prices are not very reasonable.