lever action

Marlin Firearms made big news recently by launching its first rifle since being acquired in 2020 by Sturm, Ruger and Company: the Marlin Model 1895 SBL chambered in the potent .45-70 Govt., and manufactured in Mayodan, North Carolina. Ruger, as was widely reported, purchased Marlin after the Remington Outdoor Company declared bankruptcy and its assets were sold, including the Marlin brand.

Most people don’t think of lever actions when they consider modern self-defense rifles mostly because they were the military, law enforcement, and civilian choice of the late 1800s. The libtards aren’t as threatened by them and you can still own them in places like New York.  By design, they weren’t originally made to mount optics, lights, lasers, or suppressors. Turns out that with a few modifications they work fantastic for all of that though.

If you have seen a lever action in the last 30 years, it was an 1895. They are prolific, to say the least, as well as Marlin is nearly synonymous with “lever gun”.

Henry is by far the leader in lever-action rifles today, if not in volume then certainly in quality. The company’s motto is one I can absolutely get behind. Made in America. Or not made at all.

The Winchester model 1895 was the last lever-action designed by firearms designer John Browning, and a favorite of Teddy Roosevelt and the Texas Rangers.

Henry Rifles’ reputation precedes them. Known for producing some of the highest quality and most attractive lever action rifles on the market, Henry offers one of my now favorite .45-70 rifles in an All-Weather offering. This rifle was designed with the hunter, farmer, rancher and working man (or woman) in general, as it is designed to take the abuse that everyday life can throw at it.

Henry’s new Long Ranger may change your perception of lever-action guns. The action is tight, it shoots modern cartridges, and it combines all the nostalgia of the Old West with modern design and manufacturing.

There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and more than one perspective on what makes a good brush gun. Ready or not, here’s my two cents.

By Doug Larson Some readers will remember seeing first-run episodes of such westerns on television as The Rifleman and Gunsmoke. A common firearm seen in most of them is the lever action gun. And back in the days depicted in these television shows and in western movies, the lever action was used for hunting, shooting [...]