Lever Action Love...

[Tundra Tiger]

@Monsai52 That is on my bucket list. A lifetime ago I had access to one for a few winter seasons through a friend. I hope to yet own one someday. Beautiful gun; thanks for sharing.

 

[Paul Raley]

Here's one that I'm particularly fond of; my first gun. 1965 vintage Marlin 39A.

Best regards,
View attachment 468614

A beautiful little Marlin , I NEED one for my collection but very scarce here in South Africa , I have never seen one or even seen one for sale here .
If I send you my address can you please have it delivered to me ????

 

[Scrumbag]

You will have to give us a report of how they performed once tested .

Do my best. Just picked up some N105 for the Hog. Need to find some Lil'gun for the VRG3

 

[Paul Raley]

The attached photos are some of my friends lever action collection . He has a variety of makes - Winchester , Marlin , Uberti , Rossi , Browning , etc . Some of them are beautiful old Winchesters in calibers like 45-90 , 38-55 , etc .

 

[Esox]

The attached photos are some of my friends lever action collection . He has a variety of makes - Winchester , Marlin , Uberti , Rossi , Browning , etc . Some of them are beautiful old Winchesters in calibers like 45-90 , 38-55 , etc .

Awesome! Lovely collection.

 

[yumastepside]

I suppose like most kids that grew up in the 60's and 70's watching " The Rifleman " and John Wayne movies, I always had that romantic cowboy idea about lever actions.
The first was a '94 " Antique ", the engraved one, then a Marlin in 375 Winchester and an early Savage 99 in 22 Hi-Power.
Always on the lookout for a '92 to do up with a pistol grip ( 64 style ), a half magazine and an octagon to round barrel.....not sure what calibre yet, but a nice little walk around/small game rifle.

Roger

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I suppose like most kids that grew up in the 60's and 70's watching " The Rifleman " and John Wayne movies, I always had that romantic cowboy idea about lever actions.
The first was a '94 " Antique ", the engraved one, then a Marlin in 375 Winchester and an early Savage 99 in 22 Hi-Power.
Always on the lookout for a '92 to do up with a pistol grip ( 64 style ), a half magazine and an octagon to round barrel.....not sure what calibre yet, but a nice little walk around/small game rifle.

Roger

@yumastepside
Roger have a look on used guns Australia under the lever action section. You will be surprised by what you will find and shocked by some prices.
Bob

 

[MS 9x56]

@yumastepside
Roger have a look on used guns Australia under the lever action section. You will be surprised by what you will find and shocked by some prices.
Bob

I am shocked by most prices these days. Haven’t seen inflation like this in US since the 1980’s. Businesses create a shortage then jack the prices up never to return to normal. Welcome to the new normal.

 

[freefall]

I am shocked by most prices these days. Haven’t seen inflation like this in US since the 1980’s. Businesses create a shortage then jack the prices up never to return to normal. Welcome to the new normal.

Government created the shortages. Don't blame businessmen for following the laws that addled children vote for.

 

[Paul Raley]

Yesterday I attended the Arms Collectors fair at the Military Museum in Johannesburg where I saw lots of beautiful firearms but what really caught my eye was the display of Marlin lever actions belonging to an older gentleman . He told me that was only part of his collection and that all the rifles on display were either limited issue and / or commemorative issue models , some of the most beautiful lever actions I have seen , and all unfired . I wish I had taken photos to post here .
The one commemorative set is a pair of rifles , one a mod 39 and the other a 336 in 30-30 , both engraved and finished off with high quality bluing and what looks like high grade wood .

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Beautiful trophies. I do know a fellow who used a Savage Model 99 in .300 Savage (loaded with basic 180Gr Remington Core Lokts) to successfully take an assortment of African plains game in 2001. Biggest thing he took was a sable.

I shared a camp (while on safari) with a South Dakota gent in ‘79 who had brought along an original American made Winchester Model 1895 in .405 Winchester. He was using hand loaded 300Gr Barnes original bullets (those famous copper jacketed lead cored ones). He took a great deal of plains game (including a fine eland bull) with his, and also a nice male lion.

 

[Red Leg]

Beautiful trophies. I do know a fellow who used a Savage Model 99 in .300 Savage (loaded with basic 180Gr Remington Core Lokts) to successfully take an assortment of African plains game in 2001. Biggest thing he took was a sable.

I shared a camp (while on safari) with a South Dakota gent in ‘79 who had brought along an original American made Winchester Model 1895 in .405 Winchester. He was using hand loaded 300Gr Barnes original bullets (those famous copper jacketed lead cored ones). He took a great deal of plains game (including a fine eland bull) with his, and also a nice male lion.

The .300 Savage was doing just about anything a .308 will do long before the latter was a gleam in NATO's eye. I used a 99 EG fairly extensively on whitetail in the late eighties and early nineties. Still have a nearly new one in the gun room that needs an outing this fall.

 

[sestoppelman]

Beautiful trophies. I do know a fellow who used a Savage Model 99 in .300 Savage (loaded with basic 180Gr Remington Core Lokts) to successfully take an assortment of African plains game in 2001. Biggest thing he took was a sable.

I shared a camp (while on safari) with a South Dakota gent in ‘79 who had brought along an original American made Winchester Model 1895 in .405 Winchester. He was using hand loaded 300Gr Barnes original bullets (those famous copper jacketed lead cored ones). He took a great deal of plains game (including a fine eland bull) with his, and also a nice male lion.

I took one of the new made '95's in .405 to RSA a few years back. My load was also Barnes but the later Triple Shock bullet.
I had intended it for eland but never got a shot at one, but did take an excellent nyala with it on the last day.
My son did most of the shooting, his first safari.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

The .300 Savage was doing just about anything a .308 will do long before the latter was a gleam in NATO's eye. I used a 99 EG fairly extensively on whitetail in the late eighties and early nineties. Still have a nearly new one in the gun room that needs an outing this fall.

It’s a great close to mid range caliber. Here’s the one I bought my son-in-law.

Made between 1922 - 1934. It comes with a .410 caliber shotgun barrel. It becomes a single shot when the shotgun barrel is fitted.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I took one of the new made '95's in .405 to RSA a few years back. My load was also Barnes but the later Triple Shock bullet.
I had intended it for eland but never got a shot at one, but did take an excellent nyala with it on the last day.
My son did most of the shooting, his first safari.

No kidding. What velocities were you getting on the chronograph? Barnes’s recommended load data for the 300Gr TSX bullet is 55.5Gr R.L 15. You get 2136 fps out of that (which is fairly unimpressive in my opinion). An associate who used this load against leopard in Namibia ( in a Belgium made Raick Freres boxlock ejector double rifle) reported that the Barnes TSX bullet didn’t open up properly inside the animal. The white hunter had to down the cat with a .416 Remington Magnum (using 400Gr Swift A Frames).

As you know, the Barnes TSX needs a good (for caliber) speed in order to open up properly.

 

[sestoppelman]

No kidding. What velocities were you getting on the chronograph? Barnes’s recommended load data for the 300Gr TSX bullet is 55.5Gr R.L 15. You get 2136 fps out of that (which is fairly unimpressive in my opinion). An associate who used this load against leopard in Namibia ( in a Belgium made Raick Freres boxlock ejector double rifle) reported that the Barnes TSX bullet didn’t open up properly inside the animal. The white hunter had to down the cat with a .416 Remington Magnum (using 400Gr Swift A Frames).

As you know, the Barnes TSX needs a good (for caliber) speed in order to open up properly.

My load was 56.5grs of Varget for 2165fps and energy of 3165 ft/lbs., plenty for any PG and I would not be afraid to tackle buffalo with that load.

Having owned several of these rifles I have found nothing to shoot as well as the Barnes Triple Shock including my latest one.

I have worked up loads quite a bit more powerful but none as accurate.
I wouldn't use a Barnes on leopard, too hard a bullet, at least in a larger caliber, fine for smaller calibers.

In my sons .284 Winchester our load was driving a 140 Triple Shock to just over 3000fps and it hammered larger PG very hard, blue wildebeest with one shot, oryx, kudu.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

My load was 56.5grs of Varget for 2165fps and energy of 3165 ft/lbs., plenty for any PG and I would not be afraid to tackle buffalo with that load.

Having owned several of these rifles I have found nothing to shoot as well as the Barnes Triple Shock including my latest one.

I have worked up loads quite a bit more powerful but none as accurate.
I wouldn't use a Barnes on leopard, too hard a bullet, at least in a larger caliber, fine for smaller calibers.

In my sons .284 Winchester our load was driving a 140 Triple Shock to just over 3000fps and it hammered larger PG very hard, blue wildebeest with one shot, oryx, kudu.

I couldn't agree more. You know, it's a shame that Barnes no longer offers their "Barnes Original" copper jacketed lead cored soft points in a greater variety of calibers. They gave 200% expansion and absolutely beautiful for all the big cats.

Perhaps a very outdated opinion, but I strongly believe that the old fashioned lead cored soft points are superior for hunting the great cats than any of the modern all copper expanding bullets.

 

[sestoppelman]

I flubbed my numbers above. My velocity was 2180 for that energy number.

 

[Vinootz]

Here’s one of the four lever guns I own. The scope is overkill, but my aging eyes need help until I decide on something else. If you want to use one then go for it. Pardon the 30-06 next to it. It’s the only photo I have right now. Happy hunting.

 

[K E Johnson]

I had not hunted with a lever for years. Moved away from them when I started buying bolt guns and never had a lot of reason to look back.
I already talked about getting a couple Winchester rifles from a really good friend’s estate in this thread.
I also saw what I thought was a good deal on a good condition 1950 Savage 99 in .300 Savage. Told my wife it wouldn’t need a scope as it was not drilled and tapped for one. Then I found out about Lightfoot’s base.
I bought one and decided on a Leupold VX3 2.5- 8 for a scope. If I waited 2 weeks I could have gotten a better one here on AH.
Anyway I had some 150 grain Hornady round nose bullets for 30/30 that some people liked in .300 Savage. It worked on this buck but did not exit.
Granted I broke the front leg and I do try to double lung behind the leg. The recovered bullet weighed 64 grains. Probably looking for a different bullet.
I also had a Winchester 71 in the stand in case I got something I was comfortable taking with open sights. There will be another day for that.
Opening day Missouri gun season. It was the coldest opening day I can remember.