Thinking about getting a lever action, but.....

[vito]

For years I have thought about getting a lever action rifle. Not being a hunter I really have no NEED for such a rifle, but I guess I have always been intrigued by the idea of having a "cowboy" rifle. Watching the "Longmire" series where the main character always carries his 30-30 brought it back to my mind again.

If I get one, I think I would prefer a 357magnum version so that I could make use of the 38 Special ammo that I have in quantity. My biggest concern is finding a rifle that is relatively easy to take down for cleaning. Maybe its just me, but I have little trouble with any of the pistols that I own, but I dread taking apart the Mossberg 500 shotgun that I have. There are two pieces that have to be placed just so to get the trigger housing back into the gun and to complete the re-assembly, and I have a heck of a time getting this done correctly. The last thing I want is to buy a rifle that I hesitate to use because I would dread having to take it apart for cleaning.

I'm really totally ignorant about lever actions, and hoped folks here could advise me as to which, if any, of this type rifle might be easiest to take apart and re-assemble.

 

[MarkCO]

I think a .357Mag is a good choice for someone who does not hunt.

Being a MOR, the bore is the biggest issue unless you use really dirty ammo. It should not need cleaning for 1000s of rounds. That said, I use a little CLP in the action of mine once a year and run a bore snake with CLP down the bore as well.

I am not you, but here is what I did. I picked the three I was interested in and found the highly rated YT videos on cleaning and maintenance. Watched them, and I really found nothing scary so picked the one I wanted. The Henry is one screw to take out the lever, push down the hammer and slide out the bolt. Only have to keep track of the extractor. It is about as easy as there is.

 

[ligonierbill]

What's this about no need? Of course you need one! I will second the thought that you don't need to disassemble the rifle very often, just clean the bore. But if you do break it down, it's not difficult. There are plenty of good videos on how to do it. Henry has a good reputation, and Marlin has cowboy action models, but my favorite is the Winchester 1892. Miroku replicas are very well made and available at a reasonable (everything is relative) price. Be aware that some of these are a bit picky about bullet shape. Classic RNFP should work. I don't remember the make, but someone at our SASS events had a '92 replica chambered in 38 Special. Not common, but you could search online.

 

[reinert]

Check out a Marlin M94. It will probably be used if you find one, but I know they're available in .357 mag. I have a M94 in .41 Rem Mag, and really love the thing. Very easy to clean from the breech, as you just un-screw the lever screw, drop the lever out and the bolt comes right out of the receiver with just a little thumb pressure back on the hammer as you slide it out. Next, you just pick the extractor out from the little stud hole that holds it in place. Then, just put it back together in reverse when the cleaning's done. Easy as pie. The Marlin M94 "cowboy" is a really cool looking little rifle, too, but they'll be a bit more spendy if you can find one of those. Good luck on your lever-gun hunt!

BTW, I also have a Ruger NMB in .41 mag. and use the same ammo in both guns. That's my "cowboy" set-up.

 

[Hellcat1]

Just a word of caution. I, too, thought that I'd get a .357 Magnum lever gun (or 3, as it turned out) because I also have a lot of .38 Special to "burn". Turns out that not all .357 Mag lever guns can reliably feed .38 Specials. And I didn't really realize this until after I bought mine. For example, the Winchesters state on the barrel: ".357 Magnun ONLY", and in the Henry Big Boy manual, it states:

".357 Magnum is designed with .357 Magnum cartridges in mind. While you can use .38SPL loads, you must ensure they are 158GR with an overall length that closely mimics the .357 Magnum cartridge. Due to the shoulder location on the carrier, the gun will not feed: 110GR,125GR, 130GR, etc. .38 Special loads reliably."

I'm sure there are some guns that can take all .38 Special ammo just fine, but I just wanted to alert you to the fact that many can't.

That said, I love shooting all of mine, and I'm sure you'll enjoy yours as well.


Frank

 

[Ukrainitz]

Thanks vito for reminding me of my 500 About 20 some years ago, before youtube, lost 2 hours of my life putting it back together.
Future son-in-law has .357 Big Boy. Fun to shoot. Have the Marlin 30-30 (before Remington debacle) and it, too, is fun to shoot. Not that hard to clean.

 

[Polinese]

I had a rossi 92 that was 357 and wouldn't feed them no matter what I did. It fed 38 special just fine. Recently sold it to pay some bills.

If you're worried about cleaning I think marlin or henry is the way to go.

 

[stagpanther]

Lever guns are arguably the coolest guns there are, I love em for looks alone--having one that's also a shooter is double-bonus. Hard to say which is the best make--which means you might have to end up buying LOTS of em to find out.

 

[Shadow9mm]

So I have a henry in 44mag. I wanted 357 but after calling more than 20 stores I could not find or order one.

As far as a full break down, it seems similar, or maybe slightly more complicated than a pump shotgun. However for easy cleaning, I lower the lever half way, take the lever screw out, and the lever comes straight out. Then the bolt will pull right out the back. You can run a cleaning rod, or get a large patch on a brush to clean the receiver.

 

[PatientWolf]

I noticed you had a spelling error.

You wrote “no need for” but the correct spelling is “not taken the time to find”.

 

[rc]

Take a look for a 16 inch 357 carbine by Henry or other maker. If you find one that fits you, the 357 mag is a fantastic all around caliber for a survival rifle. It can take deer with 357 mag and shoot paper with 38 specials. Coyotes would be no problem for a SWC at 1200fps. The 357 mag will put a 223 to shame blowing up water jugs.

 

[jetinteriorguy]

I have Henry BBS’s in both .357 and .41 mag and love them. Great little rifles, well balanced and for me a natural fit. Polished the trigger and sear lightly with some Flitz and the triggers are not bad. I shoot the .357 a lot more and would recommend it to anyone. Disassembly and reassembly are no big deal.

 

[stinkeypete]

+1 that 38 special may not cycle as smooth as .357. I had a nice Marlin that ran fast and smooth with .357 but would jam up if you ham-handed .38 specials.

I’m here to advocate 30-30. There are millions of them and 30-30 is not the latest fad so sometimes you can find a nice serviceable used one for a much better price than .44 or .357.

30-30 is easy to hand load from 100 grain plinkers to 150 grain cast or fancy polymer tip.

Just be aware that you should expect cowboy accuracy and dinner plate accuracy at 100 yards. It’s a handy carbine, not a tack driver.

 

[44 AMP]

I've had a couple of Marlins (made by Marlin, not Remington!) Both of them fed .38s and .357s fine, provided the bullet shape was not SWC and would feed SWC, IF you operated the lever the right way.

never had a Henry anything, or a Winchester in .357 so I can't speak from personal experience about them.

 

[jmr40]

For what you want to do I'd be looking at 22's. You can probably buy 3 Henry 22's for what one 357 will cost. Ammo is cheaper and easier to find too.

 

[Schlitz 45]

I love lever actions, dad had a cool old 32 Winchester with an octagon barrel & took my first deer at 14 with $120 Marlin 30/30 I had mom sign for at JC Penny's & took my first elk with Savage Model 99 in 303 Savage-something about them that just makes shooting a bit more fun. I had a long stretch without one & when I finally bought a cowboy single action I made up my mind to get a rifle in the same caliber so it had to be a 45 Colt for me-Marlin 1894 Cowboy Limited. Also have a couple 22 levers that are a lot of fun.

 

[MarkCO]

Went to the LGS to check on my consignment...it had been sold. So I perused the racks and found this .35 Rem. 1971 Marlin 336 JM just hanging out amongst the other selections.

First time I ever went into a gunstore with nothing and came out with a gun AND a check.

Dies inbound.

 

[stagpanther]

I still keep kicking myself for passing on the 35 rem marlin a LGS had years ago--I was playing the waiting game to see how low they would go..and lost when someone else called bingo on it.

 

[Siggy-06]

I have a Henry Big Boy in brass, in .357. Great lever action, though its a bit on the heavy side. I got it based on the price of ammo currently. .357 is a lot cheaper per box than .44 mag and 45 colt, near me or online. Just a fun plinker, though I'd consider taking it hunting if I'd just be taking a short hike to a deer blind, as it's weight wouldnt be fun carrying all day.

 

[vito]

The Big Boy in steel is a bit lighter and would be my preference.