Why The Lever Gun Is Great For Self Defense
BY Herschel Smith
4 years, 2 months ago
My first fighting lever action happened to be a Marlin. Back in the early 1970s, I got a Marlin 1894 in .44 Magnum, and cut it down to Trapper size. Even with the 16-inch barrel, it held 9 rounds of 240-grain hollowpoints and was just a handy little carbine. But, I’m clearly not the only one who likes lever actions because checking the 2021 Gun Digest Annual, I find that some 10 to 12 companies are building the guns. And I think that there are a number of reasons to consider the lever-action carbine for personal defense.
The first would be the fact that many models are chambered for standard handgun cartridges. The shooter who carries a revolver may very well find that a carbine chambered in the same caliber is mighty handy if for no other reason than the fact that only one kind of ammo needs to be carried and stocked. Carbines in pistol calibers will certainly take care of business out to 100 yards, and possibly beyond. And folks who live where dangerous four-legged game are known to roam can just select a gun chambered for .308 Win., .444 Marlin, .45-70 Govt. and others. Lever guns come in calibers that will take care of all of the ornery critters that one might have to deal with.
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… there are those who simply have grown up shooting the lever-action carbines. The guns feel natural and the shooter understands them. There is no reason to switch to something else. A .30-30, which has essentially the same performance as the 7.62×39 mm, will do as good a job of protecting home and family as it does bringing in the venison.
The lever-action carbine, in one form or another, has been around since the 1860s, and it is still around because it gets the job done.
Mirroring some of the same comments seen here at TCJ.
One thing you’ll notice as you look around at the availability of firearms and ammunition is that, while ammo is virtually unavailable at reasonable prices, there are two types of long guns that are the same (they cannot be found): AR-15s and lever guns.
Ruger, in its purchase of Marlin assets, knows what Americans want. Revolvers will be around forever. Lever guns will be around forever. AR-15s will be around forever. 1911s will be around forever, whether called 1911s or 2011s and given boutique names and calibers. Good designs are like that.
On October 4, 2020 at 10:13 pm, 41mag said:
Pistol caliber lever guns are awesome.
And the 35 Remington is such an underrated cartridge.
On October 5, 2020 at 2:11 am, Nosmo said:
I’m hoping that Ruger proceeds with all deliberate speed to resurrecting manufacture of Marlin lever rifles. And, as a bonus, institutes the manufacturing efficiencies for which Ruger is famous to lower prices and improve quality.
A few new features and options would be icing on the cake (options for Picatinny rails, ghost ring sights, different barrel lengths, etc.).
On October 5, 2020 at 6:35 am, Sanders said:
One of the good things (although disputed at the time) Remington did with Marlin when they took them over, was upgrade the tooling and equipment in the factory. It is said that this change is what led to the reduced quality of the Marlin lever actions, as the old craftsmen who knew the old equipment like the back of their hand, were no longer there and the new guys with new equipment had to figure out how to build the firearms again.
That learning process nearly killed the Marlin brand – maybe it even did as folks started calling them Remlins to distinguish between pre- and post- Remington. The past couple years has seen Marlin quality of fit and finish return, but you know how folks are – they will forever only see the screw ups that Remington put out and figure there are no good Marlins ever again.
I’m afraid that Ruger may wind up doing the same thing with their learning process, as Ruger is famous (or infamous) for putting out a new line then issuing recalls to repair them – effectively letting the customer suffer through being QC. While I have always loved Ruger products, and have several examples, none of them are first production runs. I always wait to see if there are going to be any recalls before I purchase a new Ruger firearm.
On October 5, 2020 at 11:36 am, BRVTVS said:
If Savage would jump back on the lever action bandwagon and start producing the 99 again, I’d be looking to get one. It was a truly sharp looking design capable of handling spitzer tipped high intensity cartridges.
On October 5, 2020 at 11:41 am, Fred said:
Dear Ruger, side gate loading, I repeat; Side. Gate. Loading.
I still want a Henry side gate loader in 45-70. I’m thinking that Henry should keep that middle price segment for it’s line, although they do make some higher end stuff as well. But Ruger could make a 45-70 with side gate loading and 16″ barrel for 1/3 less taking the entry level market. Know your customers, know your segments, know your price points. Ruger and Henry are both very good at this.
And, the article makes a really good point about caliber consolidation which is I did a few years back. There are a lot of people right now with several guns in a variety of calibers who probably wish that they had the same amount of ammo in one pistol, and one rifle caliber. I told y’all right here @ TCJ several years back to consolidate your primary battle calibers. You can still have toys, but each one comes at an expense, and sooner or later that expense won’t be just monetary.
On October 5, 2020 at 12:57 pm, anonymous said:
Yep, the .357 lever trapper is unbelievably handy to carry and store (flat profile makes for that). Factory ammunition loads from varmints to large game. Fun to shoot, not too loud or punishing in recoil. Common brass and bullets – what is not to to like ?
Revolvers aren’t as fussy to feed, so varying velocity does not hurt them nearly as much as autoloaders which require a certain range to feed reliably. A Ruger Blackhawk is pretty much bulletproof.
On October 6, 2020 at 8:27 am, Sanders said:
I just checked my go-to online supplier, SGAmmo.com, and they were even out of 30-30.
They did have some of the higher end 350 Legend, which I believe would make a pretty good lever gun cartridge, as well.