ahankster - You had mentioned "cowboy action " shooting . I have a couple of sigle action pistols that I'm getting pretty good with . I'd like to get a rifle that I can take to the shoots . What are the rifle courses like ? Is speed and minimal recoil better than a longer flatter shooting cartridge ? Are most people shooting the older cartridges (like the one you had mentioned )? I would assume that long range shooting is done with a trap-door rifle . And your lever gun is probably used inside of 100 yds . Thanks for any info .