Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Gun writers and leverguns

Not a gun writer but definitely a rifle looney and a lever fan. I find I'm nearly even between lever and bolt guns and more levers keeping showing up. I just picked up a Miroku 1886 Winchester High Grade in 45-70. It's on the way. I have a mixture of new and old lever guns. An old 71 and 64 along with a 336 and a 39. On the new side is the Browning 53, 65 and now this 86. There's an old pre-safety Marlin 94 that's going to Nonneman to become a 480 after I sell a few guns I no longer use.

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Yeah, Nick Harvey's one gunwriter who has written a good number of articles on lever actions. Spoken of their pro and cons as hunting tools in a number of his books too.

There again he is an Australian. A tremendously knowledgeable bloke too. I've met him several times myself.

Mule Deer,i feel for you if you have to write an article and shoot a 444 . 22 hornet would be more fun,Pete53

Going out tomorrow with my highly loved Guide Gun in 45/70 after pigs. It don’t get any better.

I have a few, they are fun to shoot. I wish I had discovered 99’s when I was younger.

I had a Savage 99 300 savage that was left to me by my maternal grandfather. Gave it to my daughter. That was a nice rifle as was the Model 88 Winchester in 308 that I had until I sold it to help pay for grad school. Sure wish I still had it. My only lever rifle now is my Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70. I can't wait till elk season this fall in central Utah.

last fall i purchased a new to me Savage 99 in 284 win. with a clip and its a shooter,looks like new and is now my walk around rifle.sure wished i would have been buying them and using these 99`s years ago as well as my Ruger #1`s.

I like most practical guns, but I did not get the memo saying modern lever guns cannot succeed in Africa or kill anything that walks the earth!

My Miroku 1886 45-90 has taken elephant, Cape Buffalo, leopard and plains game in Africa. At home it has taken bison, deer, exotics, pronghorn, etc.

My Miroku 1895 .405 WCF has taken Cape Buff(400 grain Woodies) and warthog in Africa and numerous exotics, hogs, deer, pronghorn in Texas and New Mexico.

The elite African hunter "rifle snobs" call such lever gun success "stunts". I call it hunting. Handgun hunters call it "overkill".

With suitable bullets, a hunter with a modern 45-70 can take any land animal - period. For example, anyone here hunted DG with the Grizzly Cartridge .45-70 +P 400 grain brass Punch bullet at 2050 fps? In our bullet tests, the 45-70 450 grain Punch bullets shot through 5/8 inch steel plates from 50 yards. Other monolithic bullets made big dents, but did not make "daylight holes" through the plates.

With modern lever guns, bullets, powders , etc, the hunter has few limits.

I would really like one of those 99’s in 284.

400 gn @2050 fps? That must get your attention in a light lever-action. In my 1895 Marlin I had a 420 gn hard cast at about 1800, and that was pretty stout. One went right through a sambar - a large deer, bigger than a red deer - lengthwise, and a mate of mine knocked off a number of buffalo with the same load.

Dan OZ,
I do not hunt big game with light lever guns.

My 1886 .45-90 weighs in at 9.5 pounds unloaded - 26 inch octagon barrel.
My 1895 .405 weighs around 8 pounds, has a recoil pad and does kick some with hot 400 grain loads. Factory 300 grainers at 2225 fps are easy.

My Simson .405 double rifle weighs 9.5 empty, 10 with scope attached.
My Beretta .45-70 double with 26 inch barrels weighs 10 pounds with scope on.

The Levergun always sparks some " conversation".
JB is my favorite writer these days and I was just tugging a little on his chain to write something again.
The long range game more or less excludes our saddle rifles and once that fades out I hope the lever phase begins( again), ...just thinking out loud folks!
Refine the pull and lock time and no reason the it can't satisfy some of the turnbolt guys, hey, and my .450 Marlin juiced up a bit sends a bunch downrange, imo. Just stirring the pot, but I believe this .Cheers

My two youngest asked for lever-guns in .22 LR. The only reason I am considering bolts or semi-autos in larger hunting calibers for them is stock length. My daughter got a Browning youth for her 10th birthday and my youngest boy wants a Henry when he turns 10.

This is lever operated as well (some might say it's a pump). Regardless, it demonstrates that there is more than one way to get water.

As do these...

I just got a Rossi 92 today in 357 mag. Took it to the range and had a lot of fun. I'm going to like this gun.

Mr. Dan, I'm a fan of the Rem 760, 7600 & Model Sixes.

I'm curious what/which pump action rifles are popular and used in Oz.


Jerry

If you are a horseman you will find a levergun fits a scabbard better, is more narrow and less affects your ability to keep your leg on your mount's side. It also pulls out of the scabbard easier . My 2 cents.

Love my levers, 3 custom 356's 24in with ladder sight, 20in on top eject big bore action and a 16in trapper, mod 71, mod 64 30-30, 1955 mod 94 30-30, mod 94 375win and a 1948 mod 64 made into a kids gun 19in barrel, shortened stock and cerakoted.

Morning, I have owned a .356 myself and found brass tough to get. It is a hard hitting round, and if brass was more available or could be made from something else I would get a .356 and a .307. Both are good rounds , imo