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Lever action advice

reklawd

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The Hen that laid the Golden Legos
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I become infatuated with lever actions lately even though I've never even shot one. I've watched a ton of videos online but figure y'all can help point me in the right direction.

I'm looking for an all-around lever action
*low to mid-range capabilities with widely used ammo
-so far .357 looks the best especially, but have considered 30-30, open to others. Don't need an elephant killer
*decent ammo capacity (more than 5 rounds)
*16 - 20" barrel, threaded a plus
*side loading
*wood finish but classic western look
*below $1K

Also, feel free to PM me if you have one you are looking to sell.
 
You're going to be very hard pressed to find a commonly available lever action that's threaded. The Marlin Elite Darks come threaded but they are hard to find. Some Henry models come threaded as well but I don't like most of them because of the tubular magazine which you would have to remove the suppressor before pulling out to reload. Winchester doesn't have the side loading gate, Marlin's do and some Henry's. Also, Winchester eject out the top of the receiver, which makes optics, should you want them, problematic. My suggestion, as far as caliber goes, would be 30-30. You can download it and have subsonic ammo...and 30-30 subs are super cool. And if noise isn't an issue, you can shoot full house rounds in it as well. If you HAD to a have a pistol caliber, .357 mag or .44Mag would be my choice.
 
You're going to be very hard pressed to find a commonly available lever action that's threaded. The Marlin Elite Darks come threaded but they are hard to find. Some Henry models come threaded as well but I don't like most of them because of the tubular magazine which you would have to remove the suppressor before pulling out to reload. Winchester doesn't have the side loading gate, Marlin's do and some Henry's. Also, Winchester eject out the top of the receiver, which makes optics, should you want them, problematic. My suggestion, as far as caliber goes, would be 30-30. You can download it and have subsonic ammo...and 30-30 subs are super cool. And if noise isn't an issue, you can shoot full house rounds in it as well. If you HAD to a have a pistol caliber, .357 mag or .44Mag would be my choice.

Yes, I noticed that. And to get one smithed looks to be really hard because (as you stated) of the tubular mag.

That is why I'm leaning toward ones chambered in .357. I've seen a couple that can hold 10+1. I don't plan on putting optics on it and I ain't proficient enough to be accurate with irons beyond 150 yeards.

I'm thinking the Win 1873 short barrel even though it has a 20' barrel and msrp for $1.2K
 
Doesn't Henry offer a side load now? I've got the Henry 357 and it's so fun to shoot that it's my go-to gun for playing around or varmint hunting.

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Classic western look and suppressor does not fit in the same category, IMHO. Kinda like putting curb feelers on a King Ranch Cowboy Dually. If I were going to suppress a firearm, I believe it would be a semi auto. Only exception might be a bolt action rifle an that would be for deer hunting in the suburbs. And in 308.
 
The Rossi 92 in 357 is a great little gun at decent prices.

Couldn't agree more. I had to polish the internals of mine a bit to really smooth it out, and that made it a joy to shoot. Great rifle for 38 special and cast lead bullets. I rarely shoot 357 out of mine, but in my load testing and development, I could safely get a 158 grain round past 2000fps, which makes it a very legit 100 yard deer rifle as well.
 
I picked up a Marlin 1894 CST on here a while back. Tossed in some decent internal upgrades ,polished everything that moves, and boy howdy that thing is slick! I can't recommend it enough if you're in the market for a lever gun in a pistol caliber. It is more accurate than I can shoot with 158gr 357, and quite good enough to bounce cans with cheap 38sp loads. I have about zero use for the threaded barrel, but absolutely love everything else about the rifle. They aren't really easy to find, but well worth it if you come across one.
 
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