The Official Lever Thread

[CG11]

Thanks, Tstone. It holds 10 rounds.

[gasmitty]

Well, I can get in on the lever gun thread now, thanks to my wife who evidently bribed the guy in the red suit big time. It's a Marlin 1894, new production, .44 magnum, 20" barrel. She's a little stiff in the joints now, but I think with a bit of exercise I can have her purring happily. (The gun, not my wife - apparently she is already happy)
Attachment 234642

Drop over to MarlinOwners.com - lots of good advice there on slicking up the levergun action. I did some modest work on my 336, and it's way smoother now. Two mods to avoid: don't use a reduced-force hammer spring, especially if you reload; and leave the lever detent spring (which keeps the lever in the closed position) alone. The other work is all worthwhile.

[CG11]

Thanks, Gasmitty, I'll be sure to do that. Thank you for your tips, too, I will keep those in mind as well.

[Tstone]

As a matter of curiosity, once you own a lever gun, is it unusual to find yourself getting an itch to try some single action revolvers?

[drift]

Thanks, Gasmitty, I'll be sure to do that. Thank you for your tips, too, I will keep those in mind as well.

I agree with @gasmitty 100% It's great advice. There are a ton of things you can do to lighten up the action, and the guys at marlinowners sure do help. I know I went there.

All said and done, after cruising their forum for a while, I was ready to go to war with my rifle and do all kinds of mods! I was excited! In the end though, I took it apart and blasted it out with a degreaser! Holy cow was that thing a mess inside! Wood chips, grease... I wouldn't have been shocked to have found a dead mouse in there or a cockroach nest lol!

When I got it all cleaned out, I sprayed the thing down with a dry lube and off I went. After a couple hundred rounds, it's slick enough for me. Cleaning it made all the difference! Plus if you wait, you get to see where it does get hung up from true wear next time you take it apart, so you could address that if you wanted later.

I did fire lap my barrel. But other than that, I'm good to go. I still flirt with getting a new trigger, there is no question that the trigger sucks but in all honesty, I've gotten used to it and because of what I want to do with the rifle, I don't want a match trigger. YMMV. My sling is the best! Leather on a lever is king.

[drift]

As a matter of curiosity, once you own a lever gun, is it unusual to find yourself getting an itch to try some single action revolvers?

Sigh... I know I did. But I always kind of have.

[TSKnight]

As a matter of curiosity, once you own a lever gun, is it unusual to find yourself getting an itch to try some single action revolvers?

To be honest, I started with the single action pistols, but yea, they tend to attract one another. >;~}

[CG11]

Thanks, Drift. I think I will just clean it up (thanks for that; never would have thought it) and put a couple hundred rounds through it and see what shakes out. It's fairly smooth right from the factory, surprisingly, but does seem a bit "heavy". I think the clean up might address that as well.

[Tstone]

This is from today's range visit, shooting the (used) Winchester 94 Ranger, .30-30, with a 20 inch barrel. (I didn't shoot it quite as well during the first visit.)

Indoor range, distance 45 yards, iron sights, and 10 rounds fired. I used five rounds of Federal 170 grain, along with five rounds of Remington 150 grain. I also used a rifle rest, and took plenty of time to aim between shots. (More .30-30 ammo has been ordered, but won't arrive until Thursday. So just 10 rounds fired today. I kept the remaining rounds of ammo because I plan to go back on Tuesday.)





This is the first rifle I bought that shot a bit above the bullseye, when I set the sight on the bullseye. So today I tried aiming just under the bullseye and got better results. However, until I can get the Winchester to an outdoor range, with greater distance to the target, I'm not patting myself on the back too hard for today's shooting...but I'm certainly not ashamed of the results either.

At any rate, between the Winchester 94, and the Rossi 92 - chambered in .44 mag. - my enthusiasm for lever guns continues to grow. And now I can say they both feel more natural to shoulder and shoot, than my SKS, or M&P-15.

(As a side note, I didn't feel any noticable difference in recoil between the two grain weights.)