show and tell......

[mauser06]

show me and tell me bout your lever gun....specifically big bores...but if you got a lever gun, post a pic or 2 and tell me about it....

call me crazy, but i woke up thinking about a big bore lever gun....dont know why....it has crossed my mind a few times but the hammer/saftey thing still worries me....so fill me in on that as well....if i were buying today it would be a standard sized rifle or the newer XLR model in 444marlin or a guide gun in 45/70...but, im not buying today...or tomorrow...or for a long while...but its a rainy day and figured id entertain the idea and try to gain some knowledge about them and see different setups...really know nothing other than "they used to be unsafe......"


right now i live and hunt in PA hunting whitetails, but thats subject to change in the near future(about to graduate college...which is when i'll be toy shopping)

like hunting thick stuff, drives, still hunting etc...but farmland 100-150-200yd shots arent totally out of the question...all the big bore calibers look more than capible ballistic and trajectory wise...

the big bores will also work well on everything i'll ever encounter i assume?? they all seem to pack a mighty punch....

so fill me in....like i said...not shopping anytime real soon...just educating myself...

(may or may not shoot the leverevolution ammo...see the gun "made" for them has a 24" barrel...same rifling twist so the "regular" rifles aughta shoot them just as well..probably go with a shorter barreled rifle just because i have full sized rifles right now...)

looking for accurate, fast, easy handling, easy to point and shoot and get another shell in...and something that packs a big ole punch so if i ever go anywhere hunting anything, the marlin can be at bare minimal a backup rifle if not primary....

[JeffS]

I have several lever action Marlins. My big bore is a .450 Marlin and I wouldn't hesitate to take it anywhere. Out to 200 yards it should work for anything you would want to hunt. It is basically a hot loaded .45/70 and when it hits it really packs a punch. We have a old red oak tree we use to put or target up on. We can shoot it with a .300 WM or .30/06 and the tree won't budge. When we shoot the .450 and it hits the whole tree shakes. The only problem is it is a light rifle and off the bench it really kicks. Though my buddies wife will shoot it standing and it will knock her back about 2' but she shoots it again.

[mauser06]

thanx Jeff, i was leaning towards the 444 just for a hair better trajectory, but now that i look it shoots a lighter bullet than the 450 or 45/70....i know the bigger the bullet the better the punch....the 450 definently does have the edge now that i look at the energy....

not needed for deer, but i like having backup rifles....or even use it as a primary rifle for big game...moose, bear etc if i ever get the chance....im the guy that always likes to be different...lol and love guns....im gunna have to stay single for a while after college....i got a long wishlist!!!

[Pawildman]

I bought a Marlin 1895 in 45/70 this past spring. Bought several boxes of factory ammo to use to break the barrel in with, and bought dies and case trimming updates for my Forster trimmer. I got the dies set up, but haven't started to load for it yet. Gotta get going on that.
I mounted a Leupold Vari-X II on it, and started to work. The gun is areal shooter with factory ammo, so I'm expecting some good things from it when I start to load it up to it's potential. The factory ammo is pretty wimpy stuff. The gun came with a hammer extension but so far, I've not seen the need to put it on.
My last 5-shot group with it off the bench at 100 yds. printed just barely over 1 MOA. I'll see if I can get a picture of that target up....

[mauser06]

very nice wildman!! thats some good shootin with any rifle!!

i was hoping someone could fill me in with accuracy reports from the big bore lever guns!

man them holes are big got the ole wheels turnin now!

[Pawildman]

............One more thing....Take the gun to a good 'smith and get that gawdawful trigger pull taken care of. The factory trigger on mine went about 7.5 lbs. with creep and hesitation. It's now just a tad over 3 lbs. and smooth as silk. Money well spent.

[bronko22000]

I love my little guide gun 45-70. Topped with a compact 4X scope shooting 300 gr Hornadys it has accounted for 3 bear with as many shots.