Which Lever Action rifle?

[socal_rubi]

Does anyone here own a lever action rifle, that could provide some feedback.

I'm looking to buy a new one, probably a 30/30, but there are several manufacturer's, Henry, Winchester, Marlin, Browning, Rossi, just to name a few.

I'm kinda partial to the Henry's, and the Marlins. They are handsome rifles. But I don't want to buy a good looking rifle and find out later that all it is is a good looking piece of crap.

So any feedback would be appreciated.

[BorregoWrangler]

You can't go wrong with Marlins. I own three lever-actions in .22, .357, and 35 Remington. The 30/30 is also a good round. My next one will be the 1895 model in Gov. 45-70.

I've never had any issues with the Marlin brand, enjoy how they shoot, and would recommend them to anyone interested in a lever-action rifle.

[ssc]

I agree with John. I have had my share of lever guns and I favor Marlin with Winchester second. What is your intended use? The 30-30 is a great all around gun for hunting, though I would limit my range to less than 200 yards. It also makes a very good self defense carbine. I also have a Marlin guide gun in 45-70 as a problem bear gun. Have used levers in other calibers, but find the 30-30 to be convienent and the 45-70 useful and both are available. Levers are available in pistol calibers, but again it depends on your anticipated use.

Cheers, Steve

[socal_rubi]

I don't hunt. For me it would be a target rifle. I know the 30-30 is essentially a hunting rifle, but I don't want a small caliber. I don't have a rational explanation why. The .357 would be my next choice, because of the wide availability of .357 ammunition. I just like the idea of having a 30-30. It's always been on my list of guns to own, just like the lever action has. So I figure why not have both in one.

The nostalgic side of me really wants a Henry H009, the brass finish one, but there isn't a lot of information out there about this rifle. I only found 1 review, and it said it's unnecessarily heavy.

So it will be the Marlin 336SS w/American Walnut Stock 30-30. I like the stainless steel finish too.

[Chazz Layne]

I'll third the above, but only for older Marlins. Lately, thanks mostly to changes implemented by Remingturd, their quality control has gone way down hill... like 2 out of 3 bad. Their gunsmiths held out for a while longer, but these days (again, thanks to Remington's reorganization) you can't even get one fixed by the factory properly.