Birthday rifle for my brother - suggestions wanted

Vapor · Mar 2, 2023

Henry in .357/.38.

Or maybe a new .360.

IrishMick · Mar 2, 2023

I guess the question would be, what is the intended use/purpose of the gun? Plinking, Range, Hunting, Large or Small Game, Home Defense?

S&W Fan · Mar 2, 2023

This is an excellent lever gun on a limited budget

Hochulsucks1234 · Mar 2, 2023

Browning BLR..many caliber options

Jmac00 · Mar 2, 2023

Beerman said:
One of my brothers is hitting a milestone birthday this year, and I want to give him a lever gun. It would be intended to be used and not left in the safe, so a reasonably priced ammo selection would encourage said use. Budget is not unlimited, unfortunately. What are some good recommendations? (I have a pristine Winchester 94 .30-30 so I don’t want to give him the same gun I already have, although a different caliber might be an option.)

Thanks for the ideas!

My birthday is next month, I always wanted Springfield Armory M1A squad rifle ..........do you need my address???

FP1201 · Mar 2, 2023

Looking at your request I searched one of the larger wholesalers we use and the ONLY Lever Actions in stock were Rossi (Braztec/Taurus) .22's and they could be had around $350 depending on dealer and exact model.
Lever guns are still super popular, and production doesn't meet demand, and all the current manufacturers make high quality rifles. (The Rossi is a direct copy of original Winchester designs

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IrishMick · Mar 3, 2023

For punching holes in paper a .22 would be the cheapest to shoot and good for small game. .357/.38 would be fairly reasonable to shoot with cheaper .38sp ammo. Don't know if the hunting laws allow for hunting deer with .357 or .44 if he want's to do any of that with it.
I don't know much about the Rossi line up as far as quality. The new Ruger/Marlin line has had some good reviews although they are brand new, so most of the reviews are first impression type. An older JM Marlin is a timeless classic and solid choice. Henry is always a winner and now they also have some versions with a side loading gate. Winchester also a good choice but tends to be a bit higher price than Henry or Marlin although those prices have jumped up recently. Sad to say that the Mossberg line up has not done well in reviews so you might avoid that. Don't know your budget but you're probably looking at $800+ for a decent lever gun these days.

RooftopKorean · Mar 3, 2023

Look into the new Fightlite Herring Lever. You can use any AR-15 upper, so it will give you a wide array of calibers. Essentially anything for an AR15 pattern from 9mm to 50 Beowulf.

nortatoga · Mar 3, 2023

Franks Gun Shop usually has a good number of lever guns in stock, a bit of a ride south of you, just south of the traffic circle of Rt' 30 and 29.

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Bustedknees · Mar 3, 2023

If you're only going to own one lever action make it a 30-30. No ammo is back where it should be price wise, but its readily available.

S&W Fan · Mar 3, 2023

In all seriousness though. .357/.38 isn’t a bad choice for target shooting and it can still be used for hunting if he so chooses but you’re looking at a $800+ price tag , even on the secondary market. If it is strictly for target shooting fun you really can’t go wrong with a nice lever action.22

2WheelGnnr · Mar 3, 2023

Im not sure if he or you want something with alittle power but I will admit I have a .30.30 and i can find ammo and when I do its expensive.

I just picked up a .22lr rio bravo lever action and its great...I can shoot/plink all day with it...I love the lever actions...hold 15 rounds in a tube magazine and the gun didnt break the bank at all.....Bottom line its a lever action I can shoot cheaply with...Im estatic with it...

but in not interested in a 22..get something you can ammo for easily and reasonble...........or again.....check out the rio bravo...I go so I would have a lever action I could shoot.....save the .30.30 for "special occasion"/hunting

Vapor · Mar 3, 2023

You may still use .357 for deer. Anything centerfire that's .22 hornet and above.

A 158 grain .357 out of a 20" barrel will be screaming around 2,000 fps with approximately 1200 ft lbs of muzzle energy. 100 yards and in, it will do the job.

Willyone · Mar 3, 2023

Beerman said:
As I originally said, I have a Win 94 in .30-30 that we shoot often enough, so I don’t want to duplicate that caliber. A whole new caliber, like .357/.38sp would be quite appealing. I’ll be looking at a bunch of lever guns tomorrow to start collecting data.

Hhmmm, too bad. I have a Marlin 336 in 3030 that I really like. Good shooter. When I was building my previous house I'd take a break now and then and dispatch chucks, bunch of'm met their maker.

Note to self; remember the ear protection whilst shooting the 3030 out the 2nd floor window

Jchrisls · Mar 4, 2023

Henry 45 70. $900 retail , odd caliber, side gate loading.

IrishMick · Mar 4, 2023

45-70 can be hard to find and is pretty expensive though, not what you would call a plinking caliber!
Beerman, if you want to stay away from the 30/30 the pistol calibers are probably a good choice.

GTN · Mar 4, 2023

I just bought a birthday rifle also. It’s a Mossberg MVP LC in 308 for me. Birthday is Thurs in case anyone wants to send me a scope.
This is my 1st ever bolt rifle

Shoots100 · Mar 4, 2023

Savage 99, Winchester 88, Henry or a BLR chambered in .308 .
.308 ammo is available and MILSURP is cheap for plinking.

Jchrisls · Mar 4, 2023

Upon visiting a local establishment, nix the 45-70. Nearly 2.50/ round-if available makes it a bit excessive in legacy of cost.

Xae289 · Mar 4, 2023

I'm joining the .357/.38 bandwagon. You can load it with .38 for plinking, target shooting, and small game hunting. You can load it with .357 for more fun plinking and hunting bigger game. You could definitely hunt deer with most hollow-point ammo, and with careful ammo selection like Buffalo Bore's 180 gr Heavy Outdoorsman load, you could even hunt black bear.

Shoots100 · Mar 4, 2023

It's a rifle, wussy's shoot rifles chambered in pistol calibers.
It's like buying a truck with a 4 cylinder engine, don't be that guy.

Jchrisls · Mar 4, 2023

Shoots100 said:
It's a rifle, wussy's shoot rifles chambered in pistol calibers.
It's like buying a truck with a 4 cylinder engine, don't be that guy.

Meh, I'm not so sure about this. Some may just want consistency in caliber between thier handgun and rifle when out in the field if carrying both for simplicity. It's plausible at least

S&W Fan · Mar 5, 2023

Shoots100 said:
It's a rifle, wussy's shoot rifles chambered in pistol calibers.
It's like buying a truck with a 4 cylinder engine, don't be that guy.

Apparently you’ve Never shot a .44 mag round from a 16” or longer rifle barrel. It’s certainly not unmanageable but it’s no slouch either.

That leads me to my next suggestion. A nice lever gun in .44 mag is another good choice.

Jchrisls · Mar 5, 2023

S&W Fan said:
Apparently you’ve Never shot a .44 mag round from a 16” or longer rifle barrel. It’s certainly not unmanageable but it’s no slouch either.

That leads me to my next suggestion. A nice lever gun in .44 mag is another good choice.

I agree. I've shot a 45 from a lever action and, although not difficult, was surprised by the recoil from it. Fun fact-i now own that same 45 lever action because of it

Hochulsucks1234 · Mar 5, 2023

Shoots100 said:
It's a rifle, wussy's shoot rifles chambered in pistol calibers.
It's like buying a truck with a 4 cylinder engine, don't be that guy.

Seriously? Why because it doesn't bruise the shoulder and sound like a scud missile? I own a lot of lever rifles in pistol calibers and find I shoot them more than any other...even 223 (maybe not 22lr). As a bonus I will take a wheel gun along that shoots the same caliber. Oh and its economical. I don't know about you, but plinking at a $1 plus a round isn't so much fun (and I reload my own and still don't).

Shoots100 · Mar 6, 2023

Do those pistol caliber neutered rifles come with a matching skirt or handbag ?
A pistol cartridge still has a pistol cartridges power, even when shot from a longer barreled rifle.
If your going to be carrying around a rifle, you might as well have it in a caliber that'll be useful in a rifle and use a pistol cartridge for what it was designed for, a pistol.

Hochulsucks1234 · Mar 6, 2023

Shoots100 said:
Do those pistol caliber neutered rifles come with a matching skirt or handbag ?
A pistol cartridge still has a pistol cartridges power, even when shot from a longer barreled rifle.
If your going to be carrying around a rifle, you might as well have it in a caliber that'll be useful in a rifle and use a pistol cartridge for what it was designed for, a pistol.

Another hater. I can take one of my 45LC lever guns and shoot at 100 yards. Can you do that with a revolver? I am sure some can, but not many. So yea point is that pistol calibers in a rifle shoot differently than from a handgun. Who cares about the power when plinking?

Birthday rifle for my brother - suggestions wanted

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