with the exception of a few nostalgia seekers, the days of the lever action is behind us. Once folks learned that making the first shot count is far better than having up to seven quick follow up shots, the bolt action became king of the deer hunting woods......and I suspect will continue to be just that.
My Browning M-65 in .218 bee is my nostalgia gun.....other than that, I can find no practical reason to own a lever gun....even though the old Winchester M-88 has peaked my interest, it's not getting good reviews on another forum.
I grew up with a Marlin M-39-A and a Savage M-99......I later owned a M-94 in .30-30 and a M-92 in .25-20. Then I discovered the M-70 and have never looked back
I respectfully disagree. I hunt often with a bolt gun or Ruger No. 1, but they can’t match my Marlins or my 99’s for ease of carrying and handling when long days on foot in the woods is the plan.
This^^^^, and it's the second best design made for tracking or sneak hunting game in thick timber or brush.
The best legal design, of course, for such work is the semi-auto. Not even real hunters are always able to connect on every shot on running game in such conditions and follow up shots may be needed for misses, marginal hits and wounded wood.
Years ago a preferred challenge was taking a track in desert type country and evaluating the animal and taking what was often a shot at a running buck. Its popularity has fallen due to the lack of good shots but is still practiced by some in the west and southwest.
