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Which lever action gun to buy?

Lone Hunter said:
I have a Marlin 336 C my parents bought me in 1972. Micro Grooved rifling with a Nikon Buckmasters 3x9 on it. This rifle will shoot good too. I would love to have one in a 35 rem too. The .444 is a mean round also but if it's out to 200 yds I would look at the 30/30 just for the simplicity of getting cartridges for it. The .308 in a Browning is another rifle I have always loved too. Heck, come to think about it, there's not one rifle I don't dislike.
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So you dislike them all? :)
 
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We were started out with a Marlin 30/30 ( me and my brother , same gun) but when I bought my own I got a Winchester 94 and put a peep sight on it. They are lighter, trimmer and handier imo. 150 yds with a peep is doable.
 
I said Winchester 94 but the last 3 deer I've got (1 at end that year and 2 this season ) were with a Rossi model 92 45 Colt, 3 shots , 3 dead deer. But not a 150 yd gun. Love that lil popgun.
 
Henry long ranger in .308 no issues out to 150 yards magazine fed is what sold me don't like the tube fed levers as well.
 
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I have a Marlin 336C in .35 Remington and love it. It belonged to my father and he gave it to me when I turned fourteen. It has quite a bit of knockdown at 150 yards or closer. I used the Remington Core Lokt for quite some time in my gun but noticed I was have a click and no boom on their primers, this was about the same time Remington started circling the drain. My go to is Hornady LeveRevolution in 200 grain second would be the Winchester Super X Power Point. The Hornady have more velocity and KE, and their zero is at 200 yards in the .35. I stocked up on the Hornady when I had the chance.
 
Patrick H said:
My recommendation is Marlin. A 30-30 will have maximum point blank range of 200 yards to 225 yards and ammo is relatively inexpensive and easy to find. A 45-70 will have maximum point blank range of about 150 to 175 yards, and ammo is expensive.
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What in the world is "maximum point blank range?"
 
A Marlin 336 . Either 30-30 or .35 REM although the .35 REM ammo is harder to find.

Things to look for
- Marlin made & NOT by Remington ( Remlins)
The quality went down supposedly

-" JM " stamped barrel . Will be on the left next to the receiver .

The History of Marlin Model 336 Lever Actions - 1895Gunner

The History of Marlin Model 336 Lever Actions - 1895Gunner
1895gunner.com 1895gunner.com

Good luck.
I found this 1990 CS ( carbine / safety) in .35 REM in pristine condition and dressed the old girl up a bit. If I can get over this spider bite / hospital thing deer will die .

1701186510352.jpeg
 
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Had a 4 digit serial number 336 in .35 forty plus years ago & let it get away. Immediately regretted and bought a new one that one of my daughters still uses.The old one had a buckhorn rear sight on it which was very cool I thought.
 
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I love the history and nostalgia of my old marlin 30-30 lever action rifle that has been in the my family and used for five generations. This old gun precedes the cross bolt safety design. These style guns are cocked and loaded and ready with each lever action. I would encourage you to purchase a later cross bolt safety to avoid the risk of slow dropping hammer on a chambered round.
 
7mm08 said:
A Marlin 336 . Either 30-30 or .35 REM although the .35 REM ammo is harder to find.

Things to look for
- Marlin made & NOT by Remington ( Remlins)
The quality went down supposedly

-" JM " stamped barrel . Will be on the left next to the receiver .

The History of Marlin Model 336 Lever Actions - 1895Gunner

The History of Marlin Model 336 Lever Actions - 1895Gunner
1895gunner.com 1895gunner.com

Good luck.
I found this 1990 CS ( carbine / safety) in .35 REM in pristine condition and dressed the old girl up a bit. If I can get over this spider bite / hospital thing deer will die .

View attachment 205284
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I always thought the "cs" stood for covered sight.
I had an early 80s CS, and it didn't have a safety.
 
reloadxx said:
Don't want to buy one to have problems
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If you like the 94 your son has, buy one. Coming from his grandfather it was probably made here. There are plenty of old Winchester American made 94's on Gun Broker that have sold for $700 or less. You can buy new for $1200. But the current 94's are made by Winchester in Kochi, Japan. I try not to buy foreign guns, so that would probably kick that option to the curb for me.

Are you going to use an optic? We put scopes on everything, but back in the day they didn't do that so top, or side eject wasn't an issue. The mounts that work around the top eject are less than desirable, so that's something to think about. If I'm going to put a scope on a lever, it's going to be a side eject.

Do you think you need a 45-70? You might want to shoot one before you buy one. I've never shot one but seen many posts that they are a beast. Those posts could have been by the same guys that think a .40S&W has too recoil for them, so they carry their wives 9mm. 😁 30-30 is going to be the easiest to find at a reasonable price. And 30-30 has probably killed more deer than any round other than maybe the 30/06.

Your Buddy needs to get his Henry fixed. A Henry not firing is not normal, they are high quality rifles. He is probably getting light primer strikes. Either something is wrong with his rifle, or he is reloading and using primers that are too hard. I've owned Henry's but I've never had to send anything back to them. My guess is they would take care of it.

Quality manufacturer, Top or Side eject, Caliber. Those are the main things I think you should be concerned about. Good luck with your search. And I think it's great you get to hunt with your son, I hope that's very special for you.
 
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