Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Lever action

Got a Browning 92 in 44 mag I love to carry. I have been less than impressed with the Lever Revolution ammo on hogs and deer so am looking for alternative factory fodder. I reload for my bolts but not this one.

two main whitetail guns are marlin 444 and savage 99eg 300sav.

I have a Browning BLR in 358 Winchester for the woods or if black bear is on the menu.


Dan

I love a lever action and think they are about ideal for the areas I currently hunt. My favorite two are a Winchester 71 deluxe and a Marlin 44 mag. Something about carrying them gives me a feeling of confidence that I don't get with a bolt action. That is probably because the first rifle I ever had was a Marlin 44 mag.

One of the frequent themes on the fire is what should I get my kid for a first rifle on a budget. The common answers are how about a entry level bolt such as the ruger American, the axis a Marlin x etc etc. Actually one of the best ideas would be a nice clean used Marlin 336 or 94 AE . Sure the kid may someday buy a bolt gun but a nice clean lever is a top quality rifle that will last a lifetime and everyone should have at least one.

I hunt some with a 99e in .308, haven't taken any game with it yet...

I bought a Marlin 336 in 44magnum in 1967 and have used it ever since for hunting deer and hogs in the thick stuff. I have added a Marlin in 35 Remington and like the addition of a little range over the 44 magnum. I have a Browning BLR in 284 Win and a Winchester 88 in 308, but really rather hunt with one of the two Marlins.

I came across an M94 in .32 Special, and thought it would work better, for me, if it were a half-magazine, 22"-barrelled .25/35 Imp. I was right.
An M99TD in .250/3000 appeared in my cabinet, and as soon as I can replace the cracked stock (in the usual place-behind the tang) I'll be carrying it in the field.
My M92 in .256WinMag with 1/2 mag and tang sight WAS a Rossi .357 mag, but works quite well for jackrabbits now.
When I went for a walk out the road, in Alaska, my M71 (Browning) in .375/348 Improved went with...and I feared NOTHING!
Lever guns are FUN!
Have fun,
Gene

When ever I travel into Canada I always take one of my Marlin 336 35 Remingtons. I like them, they are handy and I like the 200 grain bullet.

I am mainly a bolt action guy, but still have a few levers:
94 .32 spl. carbine-my first whitetail, an antelope and mt. lion
still have it.. It was my dad's.
99 in .300 Sav. used it on antelope and mulies. Sold it a couple years ago.
99 in .358 win. mulie, hogs, and antelope.. Sold it with the .300.
99 in .250 Sav. antelope.. My late wife used it on antelope and mulies.. Still have it as it was her fathers.
94 in 30-30 antelope.. Bought it from a neighbor after her brother passed.. He and I often hunted deer together when I was a kid..
336 in .30-30 whitetail, mulie, antelope, and a couple mt. lions.
336 in .25-35 whitetail, mulies, antelope, and coyotes.. A favorite..
1895 in .45-70 whitetail and antelope.. Keep it in the camper when we're in grizzly country..
39a have had a couple of these.. Shot thousands of gophers, p.dogs, forest grouse, rabbits, and tree squirrel with them..
this is also a favorite..

Another die-hard bolt action guy here... Until 2002 when I inherited a mint Marlin 30AS (economy model 336) in .30-30 from an uncle. It quickly became my favorite woods gun for deer season (in rifle zones). The .30-30 is also an easy deal to reload. I've basically duplicated 170 gr. factory loads in both velocity & accuracy with IMR-3031 and 170 gr Speer FP's. For a woods gun I don't need long range capability; the old .30-30 works just fine like it has now for over a century. If I need to shoot longer that's why I have bolt guns in 6.5x55, .25-06, 300 WSM, etc. The funny thing about lever guns is how cool they suddenly become when you start using one. I still hunt with handguns or my old fully rifled 12 ga. 870 when in areas where rifles are a "no-no", but the old .30-30 is now my one and only woods gun in rifle zones. Possibly because I recently turned 65 and have really come to appreciate centerfires that are light and easy to carry and don't kick the snot out of me.

Been using them a lot this year.

Win 64 in .32 Special


This year's deer rifle...Marlin 336SC (1957) in .30-30. Scope is an old Lyman 3X

When I go to SILs' ranches to see about things or to feed ( I don't do the heavy jobs anymore), I generally take a lever gun. It is generally a Marlin Glenfield 30 in .30-30 because of hog problems. I would rather take the .218 Bee, but a pig gun, it is not, unless one gets a head shot.

In the past, I used Savages in .243 and .300. Both were fine deer rifles and I can't recall why I sold them. The next decent take down or 99F in .308 I run across at a good price, is likely to go home with me.

Jack

Been hunting with the same BLR dad bought me in 1980.
Also have a very nice DRC Marlin 39A with about a grand of "upgrades".

Adding to the fire

1. Marlin SBL 45/70 SS
2. Marlin GG strait grip ported 45/70
3. Legacy Puma 454 Casull SS
4. Rossi Rio Grande 30/30 SS
5. Ruger 96/22 RFM with 17 HMR Brl.
And if things work out a Savage 99 in 308 win.

First lever: Marlin 336SC carbine .35 Remington. Bought when I was a Junior in high school 1953.

Marlin 1895 SS 45/70

Cinco Grande Marlin 1894C .357 Magnum

Bought used and in rough shape 39A .22. Restored it myself. Sent many a sage rat to the promised land. Was a cowboys pickup gun.

My favorite is my 336-A in .35 bought here on the fire along with a 336cs in 30-30 for my son also bought on the fire.

Also have two 1894's in .357 and .44 for what ever. The fun gun is a 39a mountie built in the 60's

Doc

Always been a bolt action guy, even in tight terrain/woodlots/big forest. I plan on hunting a 336 in 30-30 a little this Fall just to see how I like it in the thickets.

Ditto that.

That said, lever guns have always had a unique allure that other types of long guns simply cannot match. My hunting buddy and I came up with the phrase "lever action satisfaction" to describe it.

My first lever gun was an Ithaca Model 49 .22LR single shot. This was something of a Winchester '94/Martini-Henry falling-block crossbreed. I was a 10-year old farm kid when mine showed up under the Christmas tree along with another for my older brother. The following Christmas there was a third for younger brother. (My memory says all three showed up the same year, older brother disputes this. We'll go with his version.) Brothers and I became very good with the Ithaca rifles. The only pheasant I've ever shot fell to my Model 49 while on the wing. (Yeah, I know, but it was an instinctive reaction to the bird flying up at my feet while I was hunting CRP land for rabbit. And I was 10 or 11 - give me a break.) My Model 49 put lots of rabbits and squirrels in the pot. It got away from me in 1970 and several years ago I started looking for a replacement. Found this one at a gun show - near pristine for $105. It has turned out to be wonderfully accurate.



Ruger #1's have always fascinated me and when I found this one in .280 Rem at the LGS I couldn't pass it up. It was not quite a bug hole shooter but would regularly turn in .5" groups with preferred loads. A/the previous owner had it nickel plated and had a Moyers trigger installed. Although I've taken antelope with it and loved the rifle, it really didn't suit my hunting needs. I sold it and bought a Ruger Hawkeye All-Weather .280 Rem instead.

(The rifle on the left is my M77 in 7mm RM, my first centerfire rifle. It's still a keeper.)




My more "traditional" levers have a permanent place in the safe. With them I've taken elk, deer and antelope, along with coyotes, fox and prairie dogs.

Top to bottom:
Marlin 1895 (.45-70)
Marlin 375 (.375 Win)
Marlin 336CS (.30-30)
Browning B92 (.44 Mag)

Sako Finnwolf 308 win