Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General 45 Long Colt lever thoughts

I have and love a Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt. Carry in a Diamond D rig. I am thinking about adding a caliber-matching lever rifle and wanted to hear from guys who have a similar setup.

Good for whitetail and hog hunting? Thinking of a Skinner sight or something similar. Also have the occasional opportunity to take a black bear on my property. I live in the mountains of NC and all three species are here. I have and often kill each on my 90 acre property.

Share pics if you have em!

I just bought a jm 1894 .

It’s very accurate…….but does not shoot the two varieties of P loads I shot through it….without the lever sticking.

I was very surprised. And disappointed.

I wonder if the Henry wouldn’t be stronger because it looks like a 336 action.

This .357 combo has worked for me for many years. S&W and Winchester

CR, that’s a handsome setup. And a great chambering.

Combo 45's and .357's are pretty handy. The Rossi 92 lever with Skinner rear sight is my every day carry rifle. The 16 in barrel really wakes up the 45 Colt, slinging 300 grain bullets in the mid 1400 fps area.




This JM Marlin 94 in .357 is accurate and packs a punch close, but not quite, to 30-30 factory loads. Pictured with my 3 screw Blackhawk 357, it is also a nice combo to carry.



Regards,
Manny

I have a Henry X Model and a Ruger Blackhawk both in 45 Colt. The Henry doesn't like to feed the one and only cast bullet I have tried so far, a Lyman 454424. My Blackhawk shoots it well with 10gr Unique.

The Henry is smoother than any Marlin I've owned. It handles Ruger only loads with ease. I've shot 26gr of H110 with a 300gr XTP in it and all I noticed was recoil. I've backed off that load. 23gr shoots better groups.

Thanks, Dinny

Thanks, fellas. Some nice setups.

I shoot from 250 Cowboy loads to Hot 300 grain in my 24” barrel Rossi, not a problem at all, 92’s are strong, also have the skinner peep on barrel.

This may be a stupid question. Would it make sense to get a Rossi in 454? Could I still shoot 45’s in that? But still have the option of the 454 cartridge?

Not a stupid question. You could still load it with 45 Colt and carry the 45 Colt sidearm as you intended...I gotta tell you though, a 454 in a light rifle like that is going to jump back at you. I believe the 454's cost more than the 45's, so is it worth it to you the extra money? The 454 in the rifle will be pushing 45-70 300 grain factory load ballistics.

There isn't many things the 45 model properly loaded won't kill in the US...comes down to your preference.

Regards,
Manny

I previously owned a 454 Casull single shot rifle. It shot well for the first two or three shots then suddenly shots dropped off the targets. That level of accuracy occurred at the same exact time my flinch did.

Lever guns feed from the tube up to the chamber using a carrier assembly. Geometry and balance of the carrier and cartridge length play a role in how well cartridges feed. I have found length matters and I have had to adjust the COAL of certain shorter cartridges to "balance" them on the carrier for reliable feeding. 45 Cowboy loads would not feed in my Marlin 1894 in 45 Colt.

You need to watch videos of men shooting 454 Rossi, doesn’t look to bad, one I watched guy trying to chamber 45 hunting reload and it was to short, he said he knew a longer bullet he had would chamber, so who knows.

The Rossi 454 are great rifles, we have 2 and they are accurate. No bad on recoil but you know it's there. The small lever loop will pinch your fingers though.
Haven't tried 45 colt through it though.

You guys got me. I found a nice 45 on Guns International and it is on the way to my dealer.

Love that combo.

If and when Ruger ever builds 1894's in 45 colt again I will probably grab one.

I like my Uberti 1873 in 45 Colt, but you can't run hot loads in it. Thing is smooth as half melted butter though with a pretty good trigger.

It's a good shooter with cast, monos, and jacketed, but it is very load finicky... took a lot of fiddling to get accurate loads dialed in. Factory ammo I tried all looked like buckshot through it. The original sights also left a lot to be desired; a set of Marbles replacements helped me quite a bit.

What did you buy bugger?

Yeah I’d love to know too!

I too like the lever/pistol combo.

I have a Rossi 92 in 45 Colt with a 24" octagon barrel that's a blast to shoot with 2 matching pistols.
A Henry GoldenBoy 41 mag with matching Blackhawk.
A SilverBoy Henry and a Rossi 92 in 357 mag
With several matching pistols.
And a Henry 22 LR with several matching pistols.

I've only used the 357 on deer but would not hesitate to use any of the centerfires.
One day, they'll belong to my kids and [email protected]

We keep a 45 Colt M94 Trapper at our remote camp, handy bear gun....mostly just to scare them off, but one needed a couple finishers after a 12 gauge Brenneke broke him down. The 12 slug was stopped; the Colt 300s weren't. One winter a caribou was a meat opportunity along the trail so I zipped back for the carbine. The shot, around 200 yards (with some good elevation), struck a shovel, drilled the shoulder and exited in front of the hip opposite. That bull was pushing 400 pounds. They're adequate tools.

Neighbor uses a Winchester 45 lever
for his deer and hogs with no problems.
I've had 44 mags so I can't really comment
on personal 45 use

A bunch of years ago I have a Win 94 in 45 LC. If you are looking for a hunting carbine, go with a 44 mag. I know guys here hunt with .357 and .45 LC but the 44 mag gives you that extra ballistic edge.

Is the ballistic edge u speak of for factory ammo or reloaders as well?

Or are 44 mags stronger?

Thanks

In the same platform, like an 1894 Marlin, the 357 is by far the strongest, with the 44 Mag being stronger than the 45 Colt, just due to differences in steel in the chamber and differences in bolt thrust. But if we're looking at safety margins, I don't think it matters, as long as 44 Mag pressures aren't exceeded in a 45 Colt rifle.

Just picked up my Rossi 45 Colt from my FFL. Real nasty weather here or I would have taken it out. It feeds cast bullet loads well. If it didn't I would not have liked it.

I appreciate all of the comments and insight on 357 and 44 mag. It’s good hearing first hand real world experience on those calibers. For me, personally, I’m looking for a companion rifle to my Ruger new model Blackhawk in 45 colt. But I would also love to add a couple more Lever guns down the road and 357 would be a nice addition to my other revolver.

Thr 357 in a rifle is a different animal than out of a revolver. You'll see impressive velocity increases, on the order of 35-40% with the slowest-burning powders. And for rifle-only, "+P" loads, the differences get drastic. It's easy to get 158's to 2000 fps out of a 20" bbl with Lil Gun, and 180's to 1750 fps. Easy. That's not a pop gun, and it shoots flatter than any 44 or 45 Colt lever gun load.

I had no idea. Have never given this any thought. But now I am super interested. I would LOVE to pick one up. Likely to be next on my list. Prefer Marlin/Winchester/Rossi… or something else? Henry a good option?

Thanks for sharing.

I've only shot the Marlins, so I can't recommend a rifle maker. They have their drawbacks, but I've gotten repeatable 3-shot MOA groups with several bullets at the top end in the 44 Mag, and have gotten repeatable 5-shot MOA groups with several 158-180gr bullets in the 357. The Hornady 180 XTP with Lil Gun at 1750 is my favorite jacketed load. It is sub MOA for five repeatedly.

Should also add that modifying the feed ramp on the 44 Marlins to allow for OAL to 1.78" was easy, as the geometry of the case feed allows for it to function, even with short 44 Special stuff. Changing the feed ramp on the 357 is a lot more complicated. I haven't dared to do it. I suspect that changing the feed ramp on the 45 Colt would be doable, if desired.

Just food for thought, but I load a cast 285gr HP in the 44 Marlin with 22 gr 296 at 1.77" and get nearly 1700 fps. I modified the rifle for that bullet at that seating depth. It is MOA for 3, over and over. I've head-shot a cow elk, several deer, and this year, a big tom with that load. Not sure why I keep head-shooting critters with it, other than I have utter confidence in it out to 140 yards.

I am ignorant about these issues.

Thanks

My 45 LC didn’t handle my factory made 45 P ammo. The lever stuck.

But with Mackey sagebrush loads it shoots way better than expected.

Will the 44 mag JM 1894 handle 44 mag P loads?

My JM 1894P has handled every hot load I've put through it, though at least in my rifle I could never get the 300 grainers to fly straight. In the process of having a 1:18 twist barrel put on it. It's my favorite levergun. Very light with that big hole in the barrel.

I like my 1894 in 357 as well but going from memory it wasn't all that much faster with factory-loaded 158's than the 44 was with factory loaded 240's. The 44 mag is also lighter.

They're both great.

My 45 Colt Marlin Cowboy with scope likes 300 gr. jacketed or cast over max dose of 4227. Tough on 'dillers and such.

I've not killed a WT, but it would do the job.

DF

I am drawing a blank as to what P loads are. The Marlin in 44 cycled everything I ran through it without a hitch before I modified the feed ramp. It still cycles everything now, including longer-than-standard loads. I spent a lot of time figuring out the angle of feed before I modified, and there are no issues with long-nosed SWC, either, even in 44 Special brass, though the shorter cases cut a close corner.

I had a Marlin 1894 loaded with the 250 grain Speer Deep Curl. Was using Lil Gun and getting 1,800 fps. The recoil was a bit tough. I finally settled on the 240 gr Hornady at 1,700 fps. These are rifle loads, so I wouldn't use the full power loads out of a older single action handgun.

This evening I took a large doe at 100 yards with a Henry All Weather in .45 Colt. I'm using the 225 gr Barnes XPB at 1,620 fps.

Was hoping to drill the shoulders, but she was at a slight angle and double lunged her. Missed the shoulder, she dashed for 45-50 yards into a swamp. Good blood trail with a 1 1/2" hole through both sides of the rib cage. No blood shot meat at all.

I'm a big fan of the .357 in a rifle. I've got a 1894 and Ruger 77 SS that are my favorite rifles to carry (beside my Montana 7-08).

That stainless M77 is a favorite. I don’t have one but handled one in the LGS a couple years back. I’d love to get my hands on one. Seems a good option for gun hunting in Ohio as a whitetail setup. I do a trio up there every year during archery but I’ve always wanted to get up there for rifle. But a straight wall cartridge is what I’d need. A 357 might be ideal.

The lever gun I'd love to have would be a 357 Maximum on an 1895 Marlin, throated long to allow long seating of heavies, with the action appropriately lightened without giving up necessary strength. I've an NOE mold which casts a 35 cal LFN at 230-235 grains. Would love to carry a lever gun which could push those to 2k.

I think it would be less work on a 336 than a 1895. I have an old, deceased, friend who started with a 336 in 30-30. He replaced the barrel with a 1894 357 Magnum barrel that was rechambered to 357 Max. He was in the middle of tweaking the internal parts when he passed away. Years ago I shot it as a single shot and it was fun! I recall him saying that if he would have had the throat lengthened then he have loaded heavier (longer) cast bullet and the cartridge would have balanced better on the carrier.

I shoot a Henry X rifle and a Ruger Blackhawk both in 45 Colt. They both really like the 250gr Hornady XTP pushed fast with H110. I still haven't killed a deer with either one but I'm confident they will work just fine.

Yes, you're right. A 336 or a Win '94 would be the platform. Don't know what I was thinking. Would be a sweet rig. I wish your friend could have gotten it all together and running!

I like the Hornady 250 a lot in the Blackhawk. Accurate bullet. I load it with Longshot or HS-6 to 1200-1250 fps. Any more than that and it's less fun to shoot.

That sounds interesting! Of course, a guy may as well just get a .35 Rem at that point.

In Idaho for whitetail season , only cartridges that were initially developed for a hundred gun are legal besides slug guns.

So the classic slow rifle calibers are nichts, nine, debahnhof.

I didn't think of the straight wall case requirements some guys have to deal with.

I’ve been eyeballing the newer Miroku built Winchester 92 takedown trapper.

Short octagon barrel, pretty sure it’s under 6 pounds. It looks pretty sweet.

I'm a big 45 fan and also a fan of revolver/ levergun combinations I carry these deer hunting started with a Skinner sight then went to a Burris FF3 now trying it with a low powered scope the Skinner sight works ok for me with a fibre optic front sight, the FF3 works also and it's very quick to get on target

This

Marlin 2007 45 Colt w/Weaver 1-3x20.........

smooth as a baby's butt

Sends 250's where ya point 'em

Or..........

2001 chopped Cowboy to 16" in 45 Colt

Helluva house gun

Dear lord. Those are some handsome rifles! That 16 inch model…

Gonna sight in a Henry 45 Colt Sidegate blued carbine tomorrow. Put a vortex red dot on it.

Had the Puma/ Rossi in 454. In my haste, I sold it to a good friend but that's how it goes between friends. Anyway, check out the safety on the Rossi. I prefer the Marlin. Good luck Sir

Puma/Rossi seems to be most available and priced in reach.

I picked up a Rossi Puma in .45 Colt last fall. This one has a brass receiver and a heavy, octagon 24" barrel. I loaded up 260 grain Speer bullets over a lot of 2400 powder. It does not have much felt recoil and is very accurate. Zero signs of over pressure. Mounted a nice Skinner peep sight.

I just picked up a Cimmeron replica Spencer 1860 Saddle Ring Carbine in .45 Colt.

An Uberti replica S&W Model No. 3 (Russian) in .45 Colt is en-route from my LGS's distributor's warehouse (yes, it has the finger hook hanging down from the trigger guard).

What can I say... the Spencer demanded an equally exotic companion!

How do you like that Skinner sight Mannlicher ?

I'd like to have one. 45 Colt has cache. (Trying to use a fancy word).

I've never heard the term before.

Just what IS a "hundred gun"?

Hand gun?