Lever Love?

[pennstater]

Easiest answer for me is this; I'm left-hand dominant, left-eye dominant. Because of that I mostly shoot semi-auto and lever action rifles for practical applications (competition and self-defense training), because a lever gun is effectively ambidextrous for a lefty, and has an added bonus of a side loading gate can be loaded with my off hand without taking my hand off the trigger.

I'll also admit I have a love for lever-actions due to growing up on Westerns, so a Winchester lever gun is iconic in my book, more so than even a single-action revolver or a side by side shotgun for me. From a practical aspect they're interesting as THE original pistol caliber carbine since you could have a lever-action that took the same ammunition as your revolver, and THE original "assault rifle" of the 19th century, since you could dump a tube of ammunition rapidly and with an acceptable degree of precision with little difficulty, providing a degree of versatility I can appreciate in a lever-action.

At this rate I think the only reason I haven't gone out and bought my own center-fire lever-action (already have a Henry .22), is because I have expensive tastes and I just haven't been able to justify spending 1.7K on a Taylors & Co M1892, and thats if I could even find one in stock right now.

Well, you could look at the Winchester/Miruko's. Those are some damn fine leverguns. Check them out. The decision is yours.

MLC

[Imageview]

Fun and left hand friendly. For hunting I generally prefer my bolt action or single shot, for just shooting on a Tuesday lever every time. Pistol caliber levers are cheap to run, and I don't have to worry about reloading that will cycle properly as I would with a semi auto.

[Epaphroditus]

Some folks are enamored with Glock so there's no accounting for taste.

[pennstater]

Some folks are enamored with Glock so there's no accounting for taste.

LOL! Geez, that caused me to spray my screen with beer!! LMAO!

MLC

[mattt]

Grew up watching bonanza, always wanted a lever. When money was good and older bought way to many marlins . They have there own safe

[theLBC]

i inherited my dad's .308 lever gun. it's a great gun but kicks like a mule.

[Rtom816]

I'm a city dweller. Don't get all the op's some here do to shoot. i'll share just 2 of many things that check boxes for me for levers. 1) Most of the folks I shoot with are , as am I, relegated to the range. We go lots. We swap guns back and forth. Handguns, rifles and shotguns. Many of these folks spent time, lots of it, in the USMC toting M16 and the later iterations. The longest lines in the swap derby are ALWAYS, ALWAYS the lever guns on hand. 10 ex-jarheads can not be swayed in their lever love.

2) My son got me hooked shooting his Rossi R92 .45. I have just bought my first lever gun a twin Rossi 92 in .45 Colt. For the last 18 months the priceless time this 75 y.o. has spent with his 45 y.o. son was cemented not by an AR or AK or anything else ... it was ALL about the 1892 clone we shared. The elders both people and their tools have much to give of value.

Also, for a city dweller it makes a bunch of sense as a home defense weapon that is not as likely to raise lib eyebrows as some others currently under attack. If your ever foolish enough to be in Kingman, AZ let me know. Come shoot with us and I'll bet you'll catch the bug very quickly.

Facing east chanting MLC

[Featureless]

I have a Marlin 336W with a Williams peep sight. Ergonomically it's da bomb. Short and light, easy and fun to shoot offhand. And it gives a solid thump to the shoulder.

[bergmen]

I used to use my levers for deer hunting. I haven't hunted in years so they are now plinking weapons.

Here is a real fun thing to do if you have access to open land (BLM or National Forest, etc.). Find a place with a hill as a backstop, best if it is sloped fairly steeply (but not sloped so much you can't climb up it). Climb up maybe 30-40 feet and put some large tin cans up there maybe 5-10 feet apart horizontally.

Now, load the magazine full and aim at the base of the first can. As it starts tumbling or rolling down the hill, try to keep it up with rapid shooting and knocking it up the hill. In short order you will get pretty good at this. Not only is this a heck of a lot of fun, it will greatly increase your skill as a rifleman. Oh, and bring plenty of ammo, you will need it.

Dan

[Cowboy T]

Leverguns are often chambered for revolver cartridges. For hunting at 100 yards or less, a .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum is a good cartridge for most game. A .357M or .44M fired out of a rifle- or carbine-length barrel has a lot more power than when fired out of a handgun-length barrel. In a rifle, you can get about 1,800 fps with 158gr bullets with the .357M. Some .44M loads will hit close to 2,000 fps with a 240gr bullet. That's some good thumpin' power on game animals.

[GeeBee49]

I definitely like them but only have two so far, a Winchester and a Henry. They are both 45 Colt so I'm looking into a 357 magnum next.

[glenCOCO]

I honestly couldn’t tell you. I’m part of the panic buy group, so I’m a brand new owner and shooter. I wanted a Glock, but I walked out buying a Gp100 MC. Second time around I wanted an AR, but here I am with a Rossi 92. Shot a fair share of semis and ARs since I started, but still enjoy wheelguns and levers more. I was probably a cowboy in my previous life.

[Kokopelli]

I was probably a cowboy in my previous life.

Do you have any Native American blood?

[theduracellbigd]

I see the appeal. Nostalgia, fun to shoot(with pistol rounds. They are nice to look at with the nice wood and blued steel(all my hunting guns are too) and from all the good responses I got, sounds like all the guys who love their levers are some really good folk. I probably need to get out of my rut of shooting at the range mostly for function of practice of hunting field positions (with only my hunting rifles) and shoot some different guns just to do something new.

[Cowboy T]

I honestly couldn’t tell you. I’m part of the panic buy group, so I’m a brand new owner and shooter. I wanted a Glock, but I walked out buying a Gp100 MC. Second time around I wanted an AR, but here I am with a Rossi 92. Shot a fair share of semis and ARs since I started, but still enjoy wheelguns and levers more. I was probably a cowboy in my previous life.

Ain't a thing wrong with your combination. It most certainly will drop predators, either 2-legged or 4-legged, and if your rifle is also chambered for .38/357, then you need only one type of ammo. Well, two if you like the lighter-recoiling .38 Special.

What matters is that you've got something to defend yourself with, and that you enjoy them.

Do you have any Native American blood?

As it happens, I do! Unlike Lizzie "Fauxcahontas" Warren, I actually *am* part Cherokee. If only the Cherokees had a bunch of Winchester repeaters back in the day; the Trail of Tears might not have been forced upon them.