Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Best lever action deer rifles

Never owned or shot a lever action deer rifle. At 77 years old I've owned only bolt action deer shooters from 243 to 9.3x62...but the idea of a lever action rifle in something other & more powerful than a 30-30 like a 308, 7-08 ??? for tiptoeing thru the deep woods and not a gas operated self loader is tickling my "Hmm what am I missing factor" ...SO the ? is what caliber shooter for Tx sized WT's, hogs and Exo's and in what Make & Model & caliber would be ya'lls choices ??
308 & 7-08 are the what comes to mind but in what brand with as few reliability Issues as possible
Why Now ?? ..... TPW has opened a new mega sized area to hunt in the deep woods & waters of Deep East Texas only 45 minutes from home to the nearest access point.
Ron

30-30 is more than enough. M94 or a 336 wouldn’t suck.

If you just can’t stand a 30-30, I’d find a 1895 in 30-40.

Going the other way, a 99 in 250-3000 would be sweet.

I'd look for a nice Winchester 88.
Don't get me wrong, I really like my Marlins, but 88's point like a shotgun for me.
The factory triggers are sub-par, but that can be fixed.

Winchester 64 or 64-A, 30-30 with a pistol grip and slightly rounded forearm with its 2/3 (?) length magazine.

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Browning BLR is very reliable, sleak and light in a variety of calibers. It is magazine fed so you can run modern style pointy rounds without worrying about a detonation. If hunting in the timber, a BLR in .358 would be neat.

The BLR is the Rolls Royce of lever actions

How many times are you going to post the same thread?

Lets examine that. I couldn’t live without a pickup truck, Rolls be damned. And a Marlin 30-30 is the same to me.

Soon as I saw the post I knew I had to recommend the Mod 64 Win in 30-30. Several done beat me to it so i'll gladly confirm them! I havea number of nice bolt actions. But for still hunting the woods and mountains here, nothing compares to my Mod 64a in 30-30, iron sighted. I love everything about it, its a pleasure to hunt with! I wish I had a Mod 71 in 348 to go with it, but the 30-30 is a deadly whitetail cartridge! IMO, if anyone couldn't be satisfied with these 2, then they don't like lever actions period!

OK, the BLR is the top of the line pickup

Hard to beat a 99 in .300. My username tips you off that I'm a bit biased.

Savage M1899G, pistol grip takedown, .300 or .250-3000. Pick up one that's been drilled and tapped, put a scope on it and go hunting.

While not terribly traditional looking, the aluminum short action BLR is lightweight and is readily available in .243, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, and .308. Their triggers are often criticized, but can be tweaked and improved. I've been around a bunch of them and found them all more than sufficiently accurate for 250 yard deer hunting. I've 94s, 336s, and owned 88s and 99s, but the BLR is a better general use rifle.

Marlin 444

Savage Model 99.

When I was growing up in Liberty County, we hunted a Paper Company Deer Lease about "10 miles of bad road" north of Devers, Tx. (between Houston and Beaumont) My family was Winchester 94 folks, saw friends with Marlin 336 (especially the Glenfield or Western auto knock-offs) In the 70's I used a Marlin 1894 in 44 magnum one season ( fastest woods rifle I ever used!) The most popular poaching (all around) levergun was when Winchester brought out the 9422magnum , ha. Early 80s I used a Savage 99c 308, and a Marlin 444S. But I was a very underfunded Rifle Looney even then!

Unless a pipeline ROW or old Tram Road runs though the new area, 60yds can be a long shot! So you will need a good Marlin .22 levergun/Winchester 94/22/22 Magnum for squirrels/swamp rabbits/varmints and at least a good 30-30. If your eyes are still good, peep sights on all, if not, OK scope them out! But have a ball!

Winchester 94 in 30-30, Marlin 94 in 44mag,Marlin 94 in 38-40, Winchester, Model 94 in 38-55,Browning 1886 in 45-70 . Rossi 92 in.357. Winchester Model 88 n .308. I have had them all. Have not killed a deer yet with the 38-55 or 38-40

I'm with "gnoahhh", Savage 1899G pistol grip in 250-3000, has been a deer slayer in my family for several generations.

Rich

The first time I worked a lever on a Sav 99, I thought it reminiscent of a disemboweling. Now, however, I have a 1980 vintage A in 358 Win. I put a leupold 1 1/2-5x on it. It’s accurate. I like it.

The M ‘95 in 45-70 is too heavy for me as is the 444 at 7.5 lbs before any attachments for a walking deer hunter. I’ve had the BLR and the M 94 in 44 too, both being a very handy rifles, but my M 44 had a propensity to absolutely frozen jams.

So, I don’t know.