1911Forum banner

Lever Action Rifle for HD?

4K views 41 replies 33 participants last post by  Fizz 
#1 ·
I got to thinking about "long guns" that I have for any number of uses.
I know a lot of us keep a handgun AND a shotgun around for SD/HD.
I have a Henry .44 mag lever gun. I never really thought of "leaning it against the corner" for HD use. Anyone use them? I always have a 12ga. loaded with 00 buck close at hand. Just curious.
 
#2 ·
As long as your neighbors are not too close/in the line of fire, why not?

Hollowpoints may be a good idea from a penetration standpoint.

But historically, Leverguns have defended ranches & homesteads for well over a century. To good effect too.

If I was a badguy I would much rather face a guy with a handgun than one with a rifle!
 
#5 ·
If I lived somewhere where semi-auto rifles were next to impossible to obtain I'd settle on a good 16"-20" barreled .357 Magnum lever gun. I currently have a Uberti 1873 replica, but I'd probably choose a Marlin instead. While slow to reload they can be shot nearly as fast as a semi-auto, and probably faster than a pump-action (at least from my hands).
 
#8 ·
In the nook between my bed and bedstand are the Mini30 loaded with 20 soft points, and the Marlin 94 Cowboy in 45 Colt, loaded with 13 255 gr flat points.

I've just shot that Marlin so dang much that I don't even have to tell it what to hit.
 
#11 ·
I keep a Browning A5 loaded with buckshot, but if I am home, there are plenty of other choices, as well a tried and true 5" 1911.
However, a good leveraction is hard to beat if reliable. If I was going to just go out a buy a leveraction, I would probably get a model 94 30/30 because I have found them to be more consistently reliable then the pistol round carbines, although I have a couple of pistol leveractions that are very reliable. In a pistol leveraction, my choice would be a Uberti 73, because once vetted I have more faith in them and they are smoother in operation then the Marlin's or Angle eject Winchester, both of those models are noted to be a little more finicky.

Another thing I like about the 73 is if wanted it can be made a little safer to keep around with the tube mag loaded, because you can use the latch to lock the lever, keeping unwanted hands from opperational access for slightly longer. Yet if you know it's there, it doesn't slow you down much.
 
#12 ·
I've had a heck of a time finding a handgun my daughter likes, she was just never into them although now she bought her own S&W 9mm Shield, but before that we tried about every gun you can think of. Several years ago, when she was 19,she stopped at one of the local gun shops and spied a Rossi 92 Trapper large loop in .357 and bought it on the spot. We've shot many different 38 and .357 loads through it with never a problem, She finally found her home defense, camping-hiking gun.
 
#14 ·
As mentioned, in an environment where magazines and semi autos are heavily restricted, the lever action may serve a purpose...

That said, its not even close to the equal of a modern carbine as an SD gun- half or less the magazine capacity, glacially slow to load, half or less rate of fire of a semi auto...

Compared to a 12ga and #1 buck, the shotgun has most of the same limitations as the lever gun, but offers vastly greater terminal effects at short ranges...
 
#28 ·
Excellent points. I would think a suppressed .300 blk AR would be pretty much unmatched for home defense. Granted any weapon is better than no weapon but an AR in any length or chambering offers the speed, accuracy and mag capacity to defeat almost any threat in a home defense scenario.
 
#16 ·
You could do a lot worse.

I have a Winchester model 1892 Miroku gun with a sixteen inch barrel in .45 Colt. It is about as handy as can be and holds ten rounds.
 

Attachments

#17 ·
You could do a lot worse than a lever gun...and as long as it has a loading gate and not a slide out tube. You usually get a large caliber bullet than "most" pistols and better accuracy with a rifle.

But with the above said, it wouldn't be my first option. And particularly if one had an AR.
 
#18 ·
Jeff Cooper liked the idea of lever actions for repressive jurisdictions. I think he said he would prefer a lever action to an AK.

We had a guy shoot an 1866 repro as a USPSA PCC the other day. The only slow part was the reload.

Mike Venturino wrote of taking a lever action to Thunder Ranch. He said that since they did not do magazine dumps, he had no trouble keeping up with reasonable length strings, loading from his coat pocket at every "lull in the action." And he didn't have to look for dropped magazines.
 
#29 ·
If I didn't have an AR for that purpose? I'd certainly consider running something in the way of a lever gun for HD. Not in vogue but that doesn't make it worthless or a terrible choice.
 
#31 ·
Actually, I think I'll get my Rossi 92 carbine in 45 Colt out of the closet and put it next to the bed, alongside my 1897 Winchester 12 gauge. It is a handy little thing. Maybe out in the living room would be better. There are only 2 points of entry into my apartment without use of a tall ladder. Both of them are about 25 feet away but I'm pretty good with a scattergun from the hip so I'm not really worried.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top