Tejano,
You said it best, "Most of this is mental masturbation and and excuse for another rifle." I'm about to pull the trigger on a lever action 45-70. This rifle is the exact opposite of what I shoot seemingly daily (I'm a LR guy). However, lever actions have a special place in my heart. Ballistics suck, it meets none of my shooting needs, and has almost no utility. Will I buy it? Yep. It might get looked at more than shot, but emotion and nostalgia can trump utility. At the end of the day, I'll be happy to have a 45-70 in the safe. You only have to please yourself.
