Are lever actions making a comeback?

[russ13]

Are lever actions making a comeback?

Love em
Maybe my favorite to shoot. Everybody should have one(maybe 2 or 10)
My next is going to be a 45-70, just in case I ever meet a grizzly bear I do t get along with

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TrappedinCalifornia]

Comeback? They've never left.

Dan

Don't call it a comeback, they never left.

They never went away.

I think there is much truth in the above.

There has been a following for lever actions since they were invented. Where the problem came about was in companies wanting to address "the biggest" market niche(s) and, later, companies consolidating and quality control (not to mention options) going down the tubes.

The Winchester 94, Marlin 336, and Savage 99 have pretty much held their own over time; even on the used market. What hurt all them wasn't abandonment by customers, but changes to the companies; from seeing bigger, potential sales numbers in other markets to mismanagement to... well, other things.

The 'comeback,' as it is usually referred to, has to do with perceptions, not so much empirical fact, on the part of manufacturers and customers. For instance, many/most feel that something like the Savage 99 could not be built to the same quality it used to have for a reasonable price.

The Savage Model 99 was the most expensive of the three surviving rifles to produce. By 1995, a Winchester 94AE carried an MSRP of $370, a Marlin 336CS carried an MSRP of $416 and a Savage 99C (clip magazine version) carried an MSRP of $629, all with checkered walnut stocks. The Model 99 was finally discontinued in 1998, by which time the rising cost of labor meant that even the detachable magazine version could no longer be profitably produced.

Marlin got in its own way with that cross button safety to make the lawyers happy and, then, Remington allowed the quality control to take a nose dive. The point is that if you look at the "Remington>Ruger = Marlin" threads, many would like to see Marlin make a comeback under Ruger, but the primary concern is that the 'quality' be there. Unfortunately, such will come with a price tag attached.

Browning's offerings were always too expensive for me and their ergonomics just didn't 'fit' me. But, it's the same problem I'm referencing... the price. (Not to mention availability has been... 'spotty'... over the years insofar as sitting on a retail shelf; in many respects, due to the price, meaning they didn't move all that quickly.)

In the end, I think what we're seeing is a recognition by several companies that the market never disappeared. What the companies have struggled with is maintaining the quality while keeping the costs and retail price manageable. Not everyone can or is willing to pay $1,000, let alone $1,200+ for a .30-30 lever action. That puts them at or close to the Browning price point of $1,100 - $1,200 for other calibers.

But, that was where the Winchester, Marlin, and Savage shined. They were quality firearms at 'affordable' prices. Can they be again? In the case of the Marlin rifles, it would appear Ruger is going to give it a shot. Hopefully the quality and the pricing is there.

[M76]

What about UBERTI? Owned now by Beretta? Cimarron and Taylor here in the USA? UBERTI makes exact copies of the lever action 1800's and revolvers from that time period? HENRY? Please, they are knockoff wannabe's, they are modern day looking trying to replicate the old Winchester and Colt guns of the 1800's. UBERTI baby!

I was looking at an uberti silverboy 22 WMR at a LGS in March,
decided to get a Henry H001 22lr. The difference was $199.00,
and the sights on the Henry are easier to pick up. Glad I did.

[Horsewright]

The wife's Henry, Henrrieta she calls her. An EXTREMELY straight shooting .22.



A Marlin 1894C in .45 Colt. You missed? your fault:





Browning BLR in .243 top and Browning 1895 in .30-06 bottom. Both will reach out yonder:



The wife with the BLR:



The 1895 in all its mechanical glory:



Did ya know they load from the top like this? I didn't, till I got one and had to youtube it.





And then the Uberrti 1873 in .357 mag, oh yeah. Once again ya missed and guess who's fault it was?



Lever actions are kinda like us cowboys, never went away, ya just can't see us from the road sometimes.

[M76]

@Horsewright

you owned this thread, thanks for the badass pics!

[pennstater]

All I can say about all this is: Chris, you NEED to get a .45 Colt lever gun!
There!

MLC

[golfish]

All I can say about all this is: Chris, you NEED to get a .45 Colt lever gun!
There!

MLC

Can't argue with this...

The 45 LC is almost as good as the. 357.

[Horsewright]

@Horsewright

you owned this thread, thanks for the badass pics!

Thank you sir and you are welcome!

Chris gotta agree with those words of wisdom espoused by both Penn and golfish!!! .45 Colt out of a rifle is just fun and serious medicine too!

[MountainMike]

I love my .44 mag Bigboy. Going to add the 410 axe and a Marlin 45-70 this summer. That is of course if I can find them in stock.

[not-fishing]

Comeback? They've never left.

Dan

Right, I've even used a lever 44 in three gun against AR's

Reloading's a slow bitch, though

[The Gleam]

Lever actions have made a comeback because for nearly the past year, gunless want-to-be gun owners, if they walked in to their local gun store, the only thing left on the walls or in the racks were lever-actions.

So now a lot more new gun owners own lever actions than ever would have normally been the case; they went in for an AR15 or Glock, and came out with a Henry or Uberti.

[200Apples]

I love my .44 mag Bigboy. Going to add the 410 axe and a Marlin 45-70 this summer. That is of course if I can find them in stock.

If/when you were to find any Marlin 1895 in stock today it will be N.O.S. of whatever vintage. Marlin machine tooling was very worn and the decline in factory morale was noticed toward 2010. Remington took over around 2012 iirc and the quality decline continued. Things started to turn around because a great effort was put forth by new management at Remington and the investment in new machinery, but it was too late.

Ruger just bought Marlin and arranged over 80 semitruck loads of equipment and materials from NY to Connecticut or wherever any new facility for this enterprise may have been built. It will be a little while yet before we see any brand new Marlins made by Ruger, but they should be most decent. Can't wait to see them. I'd like to own one because I like certain Rugers but I already own six Marlin lever carbines, all made between 1951 and 2007. Can't think of another chambering I'd want right now.



We don't know that Ruger will reproduce every single Marlin model variant, but they're most definitely ramping up first production of .357 and .44 1894s and .45-70 1895s and then of course the once bread-and-butter 336 in .30-30, etc...

Then again who knows what's being offered out there via private party, and Gunbroker prices are high in the current culture climate. Good luck. Hope you find one you like, though, soon and for a price that doesn't hurt.

[SG29736]

Bought my first lever action last October, a Henry All Weather .45-70. I had always wanted one. I had heard the recoil was pretty stiff. I was shocked that it was light. I get more recoil from my 12 gauge. I love the rifle though.

There is a huge variation in ammo for 45-70s. A lot of the standard ammo is on the lighter end (405 gr. at 1300fps. If you shoot some of the Buffalo Bore or Garrett ammo loaded up to 2000 fps you'll feel it.

[Zamble]

I picked up some Buffalo Bore, pricey. I have various rounds from 300gr to 460gr rounds. I choose the wrong time to get a new horse in the stable. I only have 260 various rounds for it.

[russ13]

Can't argue with this...

The 45 LC is almost as good as the. 357.

I went with the .357. I see it as a more versatile rifle. Shooting .38 spl out of it is like shooting a .22 and if you want you can find some pretty heavy stuff in .357 that packs a bit more punch


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk