Who deer hunts with a lever action what are some of the best ones out there and in what caliber .

[Lawdwaz]

6 hours ago, Storm914 said:

BLR Lightweight '81 Stainless Takedown

I like a lot actully 

In 300 wsm  

It says it is just under 7 Ib 

 

 

 

 

There you go.....sounds like a winner. 

[sailinghudson25]

I never weighed it but my browning blr lightweight weighs less than my marlin 336 with scope. I have a 1pc steel Burris mount on the marlin and a 2pc steel leupold mount on the marlin.

The 450 marlin is a short action.  The only 1pc mount I could find was the long action blr, 3006 is in that group.  I've dropped the gun a few times, and the bushnell 3200 elite in 1.w5-4.5x32 still holds.  

Stay focused 30-06 is great and cheap to feed.  In NY it's hard to shoot past what a 30-06 can do.  If they're that open, theyre crusing.  Several hundred yard moving targets needs double digit ft lead.  Easy to get a bad wound shot.

Edited March 31, 2018 by sailinghudson25

[Hunter007]

21 minutes ago, sailinghudson25 said:

I never weighed it but my browning blr lightweight weighs less than my marlin 336 with scope. I have a 1pc steel Burris mount on the marlin and a 2pc steel leupold mount on the marlin.

The 450 marlin is a short action.  The only 1pc mount I could find was the long action blr, 3006 is in that group.  I've dropped the gun a few times, and the bushnell 3200 elite in 1.w5-4.5x32 still holds.  

Stay focused 30-06 is great and cheap to feed.  In NY it's hard to shoot past what a 30-06 can do.  If they're that open, theyre crusing.  Several hundred yard moving targets needs double digit ft lead.  Easy to get a bad wound shot.

The 300 wsm blr is listed as being a little lighter  then the 30-06 only reason  I'm thinking about switching cal 

Plus it hits harder 

 

150 gr (10 g) SP	3,313 ft/s (1,010 m/s)	3,657 ft⋅lbf (4,958 J)
165 gr (11 g) HP	3,223 ft/s (982 m/s)	3,807 ft⋅lbf (5,162 J)
180 gr (12 g) HP	3,095 ft/s (943 m/s)	3,830 ft⋅lbf (5,190 J)
200 gr (13 g) SP	2,822 ft/s (860 m/s)	3,538 ft⋅lbf (4,797 J)

 

[Dinsdale]

3 hours ago, Lawdwaz said:

There you go.....sounds like a winner. 

So what would YOU know about  a light 300wsm?

[Doewhacker]

47 minutes ago, Storm914 said:

The 300 wsm blr is listed as being a little lighter  then the 30-06 only reason  I'm thinking about switching cal 

Plus it hits harder 

 

150 gr (10 g) SP	3,313 ft/s (1,010 m/s)	3,657 ft⋅lbf (4,958 J)
165 gr (11 g) HP	3,223 ft/s (982 m/s)	3,807 ft⋅lbf (5,162 J)
180 gr (12 g) HP	3,095 ft/s (943 m/s)	3,830 ft⋅lbf (5,190 J)
200 gr (13 g) SP	2,822 ft/s (860 m/s)	3,538 ft⋅lbf (4,797 J)

 

The .358 is lighter than the 300WSM. 

 

[Hunter007]

1 hour ago, Doewhacker said:

The .358 is lighter than the 300WSM. 

 

Yep 4oz lighter 

I am thinking around here .358 would be better but if I want to go out west someplace one of these days or just hunt anyplace that has opportunity for a  very long shot  I should go with the 300WSM   

Got other  guns to use around here anyway  like to try something with little more foot pounds of energy. 

And it is still lighter then 30-06 .

Plus I notice 300 wsm on store selfs more often for some reason . 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2018 by Storm914

[Buckmaster7600]

Yep 4oz lighter 
I am thinking around here .358 would be better but if I want to go out west someplace one of these days or just hunt anyplace that has opportunity for a  very long shot  I should go with the 300WSM   
Got other  guns to use around here anyway  like to try something with little more foot pounds of energy. 
And it is still lighter then 30-06 .
Plus I notice 300 wsm on store selfs more often for some reason . 
 
 

If longer range is on the horizon I would pump the breaks on a blr, I have 3 and none of them are what I would call “accurate” sure they’ll shoot 1.5”-2” groups and that’s just fine for me but if I was buying a 300wsm and considering stretching its legs it certainly wouldn’t be in a blr. I have a Tikka t3 in 300wsm with an 18” barrel and scope that barely breaks 6lbs and will shoot sub moa consistently.

Blr’s are plagued by a trigger that almost no one will work on and they’re consistently heavy and not very clean. Another thing to consider if you’re buying a gun to head out west eventually with is most long range work is done from your belly, running a lever gun while laying on the ground is far from ideal.


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[Doewhacker]

42 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

If longer range is on the horizon I would pump the breaks on a blr, I have 3 and none of them are what I would call “accurate” sure they’ll shoot 1.5”-2” groups and that’s just fine for me but if I was buying a 300wsm and considering stretching its legs it certainly wouldn’t be in a blr. I have a Tikka t3 in 300wsm with an 18” barrel and scope that barely breaks 6lbs and will shoot sub moa consistently.

Blr’s are plagued by a trigger that almost no one will work on and they’re consistently heavy and not very clean. Another thing to consider if you’re buying a gun to head out west eventually with is most long range work is done from your belly, running a lever gun while laying on the ground is far from ideal.


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Agreed, BLR’s are a great gun for big woods or thick woods. Out West is different with longer shots more common. 

I want one for tracking. 

[Hunter007]

8 hours ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

If longer range is on the horizon I would pump the breaks on a blr, I have 3 and none of them are what I would call “accurate” sure they’ll shoot 1.5”-2” groups and that’s just fine for me but if I was buying a 300wsm and considering stretching its legs it certainly wouldn’t be in a blr. I have a Tikka t3 in 300wsm with an 18” barrel and scope that barely breaks 6lbs and will shoot sub moa consistently.

Blr’s are plagued by a trigger that almost no one will work on and they’re consistently heavy and not very clean. Another thing to consider if you’re buying a gun to head out west eventually with is most long range work is done from your belly, running a lever gun while laying on the ground is far from ideal.


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I almost bought one of those a few, years back the one in the store did not have iron sights and I thought that was strange  that they dont come with them standerd since the gun is so light designed to be light so why not have iron sites  standerd on them for the guys that want to shave off as much weight as possible . And not use a scope  on it all the time . 

T3 are  nice light  guns you just reminded me about.

[Daveboone]

I love the Winchester 94, have owned four of them.  no rifle is a greater joy to carry, but it is not designed for scope use, even the later angle ejects are a big compromise.  With an aperture sight, good enough for typical woodland ranges if you do your work at the range, 30-30 can do the job, but in my opinion I prefer increased performance.

The Marlin 336 is a splendid rifle. It is side eject, allowing practical scope mounting, but that really throws off the balance of the gun. You can get it in beefier rounds than the 30-30, which I feel the gun is disproportionately heavy for.

I am going to get cat calls here, but......gotta stick my hand in the can of worms! I think the Henrys are beautiful, but I always thought the actions were sloppy, although they use nice wood, the metal finish/ hardware are chintzy to me. I can say nothing about the accuracy....by reputation, supposedly very good, and reliable (see, being fair!)

Browning BLR:  beautiful, accurate, expensive, available in heavier calibers then most lever actions. but, darn, they are long with that action!

Ok, now my go to rifle for NY : Savage 99 in .308. Slick as butter machined action, many very capable rounds to choose from, a scope mounts appropriately, and as accurate as any bolt gun I own (I guess that could be interpreted several ways). It is kind of goofy to load and unload with its rotary magazine, but that is part of its reliability. And Darn, they are great looking! It is the gun that smiles at me whenever I look at it.

[Lawdwaz]

If I ever went for the allure of the 'leever action, it'd be one of the three; Winchester 94, Marlin 336 or a Savage 99.  Probably a 30-30 or 35 Remington.

Of course it wouldn't be a scoped..........

[airedale]

On 3/29/2018 at 8:35 AM, Storm914 said:

Who deer  hunts with a lever action  what are some of the best ones out there and in what caliber

That question covers a whole lot of territory, enough to fill a book, there is plenty of models to choose from both new and current and a bunch of discontinued old timers that still can be purchased in good used to new condition in calibers for just about any kind of hunting.

Most of the deer I have taken have been with a bolt action rifles and autoloading slug shotguns. I ain't no lever action expert but I have hunted some with various lever action rifles and have had some success on Deer and Varmints. Like the other types of actions the lever guns come in a wide variety of barrel lengths, calibers-chamberings for just about any big game species and any types of terrain and cover. So as to the question which lever guns are the best and what caliber to use will come down to the habitat and terrain you hunt, thick woods vs more open country, stand hunting or still hunting with a lot of walking involved?

I have a couple of Marlin 94s, they are short fairly light, and I think the nicest handling lever rifle, and importantly "accurate",one in 357 mag and one in 44 mag. I like using these in heavy cover early in the season when the leaves are still on, the ranges where I hunt in these areas do not exceed 100 yards. These two are nice carrying when doing a bit of still hunting and walking.

My Dad left me three lever action rifles, a Marlin 95 in 45-70, a Savage 99 in 30-30 and a Winchester Model 88 in 284 Win.

I have used the model 95 45-70 quite a bit and have taken several bucks with it. I use it quite a bit because of the connection it has for me with my Dad as it was the rifle he used most the last few years he hunted and what he took his last buck with. Personally I doubt that I would buy one for myself but I have to say it has a lot going for it. I am truly amazed how accurate it is, cloverleaf groups are the norm for the Winchester 300 grain ammo it is sighted in with. Even though the 45-70 cartridge is a relic from the past it is more than viable for a wide variety of big game and at long ranges if one learns to dope it's trajectory. A reloader has  bullet weights from 300 up to 500 grains to choose from, with an 1895 45-70 a person can hunt just about anything that walks with the right loads.

As for the magazine fed Winchester 88 there is a cult following of folks that love that rifle but I am not one of them, although I do think a lot of the 284 Winchester cartridge which is ballistically the same as my favorite big game hunting cartridge the 280 Remington. The 88 is pretty much the same as a bolt action as it has a  bolt with rotating locking lugs, it is just operated by a lever instead of a bolt handle. Basically it does everything good but nothing great. It is not light, she groups decent but is not a tack driver, the action is the least smooth operating of any lever gun I have messed mostly because of the way it feeds from the magazine, the experts tell me that it needs to be operated like you are angry.  And last but not least the trigger is just fair and there is no fix on making it better. Because of the connection with my Dad the 88 will stay with me and be passed down to one of my boys, I gotta kill at least one Deer with it first.

The Savage 99 in 30-30 has even a bigger connection with my Dad as he worked for Savage Arms when it was located in Utica just before he went in the Navy. This is a firearm in my opinion that still should be in production. I really like the Savage 99s a lot, talk about a design way ahead of it's time, they can easily hold their own with the modern lever guns made today. The action is smooth and super strong allowing the use of high pressure cartridges, the rotating spool internal magazine allowing pointed bullets, the little window on the side of the receiver displaying a shell counter, an indicator on the top of the receiver showing she is cocked and locked and very good accuracy. Whats not to like? A new 99 A in 6.5 Creedmoor would be one sweet Deer hunting rifle.

I have no experience with Henry rifles but from all accounts they are of very good quality and their customer service goes above and beyond if any problems arise. The long range model appears to a somewhat of a copy of the Browning BLR. The main complaint heard about Henrys is they are heavy.

I think if I were to seriously move to a lever action for most of my big game hunting and had to have new I would go with the Browning BLR. Like the Winchester 88 the bolt is similar to a regular bolt action rifle, a bolt with rotating locking lugs operated by a lever instead of a bolt handle making it able to handle the pressures of all modern cartridges, magazine fed so spitzer bullets can be used with no problems. My brother has been using a BLR in 243 for many years and has killed a lot of Deer with that rifle. Good variety in calibers, weights and lengths along with ease of scope mounting if needed and decent accuracy, pretty too!

Al

 

 

 

 

Edited April 1, 2018 by airedale

[bugsNbows]

I've got my eye on a beautiful Big Horn Armory model 89 rifle in .500 S&W. I have a friend in Texas with one... which he loves. They are a might pricey, but I may get it as a retirement present to myself. You never know. 

Edited April 1, 2018 by bugsNbows
grammar change

[Uncle Nicky]

Savage Model 99, .358 Winchester. It has to be at least 50 years old, I bought it in 1976 with my paper route money.

[Dom]

Not sure the model but Farther Inlaw uses a 270 lever action Browning and says its the flattest shooter he'd ever shot used.

[Jeremy K]

https://youtu.be/wgwjYF4xYvg

3 pages and nobody posted this yet?

[Pygmy]

3 minutes ago, Jeremy K said:

https://youtu.be/wgwjYF4xYvg

3 pages and nobody posted this yet?

My sister in law has a 100 year old M92  Win in 32-20 that is in very good shape..I have been tempted to  take it out deer hunting sometime, but I can't shoot it as fast as Lucas McCain shot his....Hehehe....

[wolc123]

7 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

https://youtu.be/wgwjYF4xYvg

3 pages and nobody posted this yet?

 

7 hours ago, Pygmy said:

My sister in law has a 100 year old M92  Win in 32-20 that is in very good shape..I have been tempted to  take it out deer hunting sometime, but I can't shoot it as fast as Lucas McCain shot his....Hehehe....

You might be able to if you added a screw to the loop, like Chuck did, so that you did not have to pull the trigger on each shot.   That might let you riddle a deer at close range, just like them two outlaws.     

[Tikka T3]

I use grandfathers Winchester 64 and Savage 250-3000, Have several bucks mounted because of these rifles.

[Rattler]

I have a 1964 Marlin 336 in .35 Rem with a Leupold 2.5X on it, a Rossi Heritage .357 Mag (Replica of a Win 92) with 20" barrel and no scope and a 1910 Marlin 1893 in .30-30 with a 24" octagon barrel pictured below.  I hunt with them all on occasion and they all do their job well.

 

[Pygmy]

I had a Marlin 1889  in 38-40 with a 24" octagon barrel....Many years ago when Marlin still had access to their shipping records I wrote the company and they wrote me that the rifle was shipped from the factory on July 4, 1890...  Another one of the guns I am sorry that I parted with  <<sigh>>.....Now I'm depressed.....

Edited April 15, 2018 by Pygmy

[stubborn1VT]

I shot my first buck with a Marlin like the one pictured.  It was chambered in .32-40.  It was my great Uncle's and I'm a little miffed that I didn't end up with it.  I did end up with my grandfather's Savage 99 in .250-3000, although I had to pay for it.  Haven't taken it hunting since I was a teenager.  It's on my list of things to do though.

Edited April 15, 2018 by stubborn1VT

[Mountain Hunter]

I'm a fan of lever action rifles.

I have a 1951 Marlin 336SC in a 35 Remington that was my Grandfathers. I love to carry it. I've shot a couple deer with it too.

I also have a Marlin Guide Gun in 45/70. I've shot one deer with it and love to carry it as well.

I have my eye on the Henry Long Ranger in 308. It's a bit heavy and a bit expensive($900), but it is a beautiful gun. I like the idea of a 308 lever. 

[ny hunter]

I do own a 336 in 30/30..,but I am a 30-06 fan....

Edited September 25, 2018 by ny hunter

[mike103]

I love lever actions having grown up watching cowboy movies all my life. And I have a nice little collection of 9 different ones. Some real different calibers such as 356 win.

But I have never hunted with one. Never even brought one in the woods.

I’m a Remington guy. Years ago it was 742’s and 7400’s. But since 2004 it’s mostly 7600’s in 35 Rem and 35 Whelen. 

But I do have a 750 Rem in 35 Whelen that has taken a nice 8 tracking in snow. Might get the nod again this year.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2018 by mike103