I am thinking about getting a new Lever Rifle. I want something in between a 30-30 and a 45-70 goverment.
What would you recommend in between those two calibers??

35 Remington?

W/W 1895 in 30-06 Springfield

A Marlin in .444Mar. would be a good choice or a Winchester 1895 in .405Win. but maybe getting similar to .45/70 or .308Win in a Browning BLR or Savage 99.

Steve

You've got a lot of choices bracketed by the two best choices, the 30 WCF and 45/70 Govt. It all depends on what you want to do. For plinking and close range big game hunting there is the 357 magnum, 41 magnum, 44 magnum, and 45 Colt. Others have suggested the 444 Marlin which is very well liked by them as have one. Another straight case to play with is the 38/55. The 405 Winchester in an 1895 repro would probably be great fun. Track of the Wolf http://www.trackofthewolf.com/ has an 1886 Winchester in 33 WCF on consignment if you are looking for something real different. Pick your game then pick your tool. Good hunting! MB

Have the Chief Crazy Horse M94 in .38/55 and its fun to play with. Shooting cast with it now. Make my cases from.30/30 and they work great but are labor intensive. The cast bullet thing has not been mastered. Still need a peep sight and a little more[or a lot more skill]. Did you know a cast 255gr. cast bullet will go thru a steel belted radial tire [tread to tread] at 85 yds. from a M94 in .45LC. Got to enjoy these lever actions. Anyway have fun with these.

Doany of you have much experience hunting with a 358? They sound really good to me

.35 Rem,356,375,444

.35 Remington, currently made by Marlin and on occassion Remington has made this caliber in their pump action rifle, 7600 and these sell as fast as they hit the dealers shelves. Caliber has a good following; ammo readily avialable.


The calibers: 375 & 356 are part of yester-year. Rifles were made by Marlin and Winchester in these calibers and can be found. Not sure about a Browning in this caliber; willing to bet they never did!

Price on a Marlin 375 will vary from $400-$595(yes, I've seen buying bids at this amount of $595!).

Price on a Marlin in 356 will exceed $1,000 if you can find one...and if your daddy-war-buck then you'd be a fool to shoot it, shooting it would blow the collector value...

Winchester made the 375 in the XTR model; price will vary from $375-$450 for a standard top eject model.

Winchester also made the XTR in 356, pre-safety button and these bring big bucks: $485 and higher; and a safety button model which will could bring nearly as much.

let me know if want to pursue the search for a 375 or 356....

The 444 is currently available by Marlin, Winchester no longer makes a 444...I think!

As for recoil with either the 375, 356, 444...ain't none.

I'm 5' 7"/200 and shoot these in my t-shirt....ain't nutt'n.

The Winchester 94 is now available in 38-55, price just over $400.

beltloop,
I was saying the 358 not the 356. Browning makes the 358 right now. I'm sure there a great rifle but the winchester and marling just have more of a lever action look and feel to me.

As far as the 358, 375 win, 38-55 etc is there actually much of a difference in the field, or is it just more of a personal prefrence?

Browning also offers the 7 rem mag and the 300 win mag. I bought one in a 7 mag today. Eventually I plan to rebore and chamber it for the 416 Taylor for big bear.

I would go with the 45/70 you will fall in love with it

BLR in .358 winnie!!!

I own a 81 BLR in .243 win. I had the trigger pull lightened other than that it is stock and will shoot as good as my heavy barrel rifles.
Just keep the barrel cool.

Slammer - I'm not sure what your budget is. Its been my personal practice to buy the best the first time and save money in the long run. That would be a Winchester Model 71 in .348 Winchester. The only problem would be if you are dead set on a scoped rifle.

BLR in .358. I have an older one and its very accurate, and balances really well. I haven't handled the new model BLRs, but being Brownings I imagine they are pretty nice.

Win '95 in .405 Win is a hoot to shoot. Probably just a bit better performance than the 45-70 (factory loads).

I vote for the 356 in Winchester 94. One rifle I regret selling.

I think what caliber you get would depend on what type of lever rifle you like.
I am a big fan of a 44 Mag lever because I use 44 revolvers quite a bit.
When/if I want a lot of power I would pick a 45/70 lever.
If I liked the Win Mod 95 I would get a 405 Win.
I think the best lever ever made is the Win mod 1886/71. The new made 45/70 lite weight would be the one I would want.

I would get a Win. Mod. 95 in 30-06 and shoot 220 gr. bullets or the same in a .405 and handload it for Cape Buffalo.....

I have a lot of hunting experience with the .358 win. and owned several different kinds. Last June i shot the 2004 Manitoba record bear for MLOa . Get a .358 and never look back unless ther is a bear behind you

Ray,

Your getting senile in your old age.

Just bought my first Winchester. A new HiGrade 1886 in 45-70. Let the fun begin!

No rooster I'm just a damn good shot!!

quote:

No rooster I'm just a damn good shot!!

Marlin 45-70 the thinking mans lever gun I always found the BLRs in 358 were too light in the barrel as they seemed to just open out .308 barrels.Not that that stopped me from goin to a heavyer barrel.But the BLR in .308 was always a tidy little rifle

quote:

Originally posted by slammer:
beltloop,
I was saying the 358 not the 356. Browning makes the 358 right now. I'm sure there a great rifle but the winchester and marling just have more of a lever action look and feel to me.

As far as the 358, 375 win, 38-55 etc is there actually much of a difference in the field, or is it just more of a personal prefrence?

In the field, the 358 winnie is VERY different from the other rounds you mention, as it uses spitzer type bullets at velocities up to 2600 fps, so its a 250 yard lever gun with a lot of punch on the far end.

I own a Win 95 in 405 and I love it. I've only shot deer with it but I can tell you, if they go anywhere after the shot, it's only because they flopped around. I havnt had one go anywhere on its feet. Great gun.

I'd like to get a Marlin in .35 Rem sometime... I've heard good reports on it as being a great deer/black bear round.

Another vote here for the BLR in 358.

quote:

In the field, the 358 winnie is VERY different from the other rounds you mention, as it uses spitzer type bullets at velocities up to 2600 fps, so its a 250 yard lever gun with a lot of punch on the far end.

I disagree, 358 and 356 are identical (same dies even). I have a BLR in 358, my old man shoots a 94 in 356. At these speeds and these ranges spire point bullets don't really help that much. But these are the best rounds between 30-30 and 45-70, just pick which gun you like better. The win 94 in 307 and 375 are cool too.

One of the new Winnys in 38-55 !

If you handload, the 45-70 is very versatile, can be downloaded or uploaded from factory loads with a variety of bullets. If your shooting is within 150 yards or so, consider the Marlin 1894 in 44mag, a handy and powerful combo, built on the shorter action. I've never tried the 38-55 but have considered rebarreling an old Marlin 1936 in 30-30 to 38-55.

I would like the BLR if they pissed the alloy reciever off, I just like steel

I vote for finding yourself a nice Win. Model 71 in .348 Winchester.

I just picked up a Marlin 450. My husband has a 444, but the 450 is much nicer. I have been using the Hornady 350 grain factory rounds, and the rifle is surprisingly accurate at 100 yards. The recoil and noise, should that be a factor, is quite tolerable.

I have the carbine, 18 inch barrel, and I can only assume that you get better accuracy and more distance from the 22 inch barreled version.

Visit the range, at least where I am at, there is always someone who will let you shoot their rifle. That is how I fell in love with the .338 cartridge!

Let's us know what you decide on...


Good luck

Marianne