Howdy!
I just bought myself a Christmas present, a Ruger Redhawk, in .45 colt.

With my 45th birthday not too far away, I was thinking a .45 Colt lever gun might be a nice addition to the stable.....besides, I don't have a lever action right now!

I plan on loading up some pretty snappy loads for the Redhawk, which rifles should I be considering for the hotter loads? I will be shooting a lot of lighter stuff, too. But it would be nice to step up the velocity and use the same hot ammo in both for hunting.

Thanks in advance guys!

Hi acsteele

I have had both Marlin and Winchester levers in 45 Colt. I still have the little 16 inch Winchester. I like it a lot and have done a lot of fun stuff with it. I have some pretty snappy loads I have run thru it too! For me, I like the Win M94 trapper in 45 Colt! You could use the same loads for sure you would shoot in your Ruger!

Michael

I have a marlin .45 ! Used it for cowboy action events in my pastThe winchesters will put brass in your hat ,on top of your head , everywhere you don't need it when shooting fast ! I have never had a problem with a Marlin !

Thanks for the quick replies, fellas!

I'm not finding very many Winchesters, or Marlins on the auction pages, any advice about price range these should go for?

LOTS of Import stuff listed though.....

Thanks again!

Joe

Joe

Have you checked gunbroker? Normally find some on there, I have not looked for one of these in a very long time.

Michael

Joe

Just over on gunbroker I found these Winchesters FYI.

http://v2.gunbroker.com/Auctio...m.asp?Item=152793125

http://v2.gunbroker.com/Auctio...m.asp?Item=152996827

http://v2.gunbroker.com/Auctio...m.asp?Item=152945264

Michael

the 94's round here are in the 7-800 range.
the 92's are in the 3-5 range.
i'll take a good 92 short rifle over a clunky 94 any day.
having said that and the fact i own 3 45 leverguns [92's] i have a 45 and a 44, 94 on layaway right now.
they are the angle eject models so i guess no more brass on my hat where i can find it.
the timing on the 92 can be fixed to throw brass about anywhere you want it to.
my 25-20 and 44-40 92's throw it to the left.
my 38 throws it to the right which my left handed daughter really likes.

Based on what my friends who have gone down the same road tell me, I would recommend staying away from the imports, particularly those made anywhere by anybody in South America.

Whether a small sized action (M92 Winchester or M94 Marlin), or a full-sized action (M94 Winchester or Marlin 336), I'd personally look for an approximately 15-25 year old American-made rifle and have it reworked as necessary to the chambering, barrel dimensions, and magazine length I wanted.

Actually, that is what I am in the process of doing, too. I bought a new .45 LC Ruger Bisley about 15 months ago, and want a lever gun for the same cartridge. I will likely try to end up with about a 22" barreled one, with a very slim and light, full-length tapered, octagon barrel.

I looked at the Henry rifles, and they are not up to my standards for metal or wood finish, and look too much like over-polished clubs to my eyes. I do like being able to get a .454 Casull chambering, but not enough to get what is to me an ugly gun.

Several of my friends made what they consider now to be mistakes in buying imports for their .45 LC rifles and are not at all happy with their rifles. Things like a front sight tipped about 7 degrees to one side, dovetail and all...really crappy wood to metal fit... the sorts of things that don't prevent the gun from functioning, but leave the owners forever somewhat ill at ease with the guns.

Like the saying goes, "Buy the best and only cry once."

I believe you'll be much happier getting a top quality rig, even if it means taking two or three years to find the basis and get it all together. If you can, I recommend doing the work yourslf. You know what looks right to and for you. It may take longer, but there won't be any little "misunderstandings" as to what you will end up with.

I disagree about the imports ,especially the Rossi. Have owned 2 ,both in 45LC and they have been great guns.
I know where you can buy one right now for 4 bills + tax,Indiana .Brand new in store. Only reason I have not bought it[ they have 2] is that its a trapper 16 inch and I find the large loop hard to operate from the shoulder,guess some leather wrapping would solve that.

quote:

Based on what my friends who have gone down the same road tell me, I would recommend staying away from the imports, particularly those made anywhere by anybody in South America

"I disagree about the imports ,especially the Rossi. Have owned 2 ,both in 45LC and they have been great guns."


Not being familiar and looking into this, I have seen comments both ways about the imports.
While considering the Rossi 92, 16", I was referred to Stevesgunz.....the Rossi Specialist.
I will receive this rifle soon, with the large loop lever changed out and other modifications upcoming as scheduled.
I will try this gun out, open-mindedly ( fair & balanced for mounted rifle shooting competition.
Might be a better choice, but I chose this one first.

I was on the fence about a .45 Colt carbine until I saw this ammo from Doubletap:

http://www.doubletapammo.com/p...1_38&products_id=334

Now I want one myself!

I've been looking hard at the Rossi/Legacy/Puma carbines for a number of years. The only problem I'm aware of about them is the exotic South American wood of the stocks not being up to the higher pressures of the .454 Casull, for instance. The model 92 action seemed to be pretty solid, at least to my satisfaction.

I don't think there is any doubt but that the Rossi 92 IS strong enough..,.that wasn't in question in my previous post. But there is not a lot of attention to fine fitting of parts, to anything like the degree of work in the North American-built actions of that size....at least not in the ones that have come through here.

Persons used to the lack of quality of the past 15 years in some U.S. lever guns may not notice much difference when they look at South American guns, but the 92s and 94s from the U.S. before the mid-1980s are pretty much a whole different ball game. They "snick" closed, not "clank", and their wood has tighter grain, not some hardwood thing that has to be filled with a quarter-pound of sealer. And the Marlins always prided themselves on still using walnut.

So, the South American guns will function well enough, but they are not something I'd think a pretty skookum gun-guy from Kansas would want to own for the next 20 years...at least that's my guess.

I know that having worked on some of the SA guns in the last few years, they will not be my choice...and my friends mentioned before are pretty disappointed with theirs.

Guess it all depends on what a guy is looking for.

I would just buy a marlin 1894 cowboy in 45 colt. Expensive but the best of the lot in a new gun today.

alberta has some valid points.
the rifles seem to be much better built than the carbines are.
my navy arms is a real gem compared to the carbine i bought just 3 years ago.
my l.s.i. import rifle is a close second to the the navy arms and they are hard to tell apaprt from a few feet.
same cal and all but for the stupid looking knob on the top.
my 44 is the same as the l.s.i. but it's getting cut down and a sight change done to it as well as the mag tube shortened.
and a few interior mods just for the cast bullet it shoots well.

quote:

I know that having worked on some of the SA guns in the last few years, they will not be my choice...and my friends mentioned before are pretty disappointed with theirs.

So Marlin is looking better all the time.

Get the Marlin Cowboy. Forged steel, octagon barrel, real Walnut, made in USA; what's not to like. Mine feeds everything without a hang-up even some extra long 300 grain Sierra's JFP. And yes, it takes any load my Ruger can handle. I put a Lyman aperature front sight on mine along with a Marble's tang sight. My buddy tried it and said, "With these sights you can't miss!". After a while he had to get his own, but he went with the stainless .44 magnum version to go with his Redhawk. Pathfinder45

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
I would just buy a marlin 1894 cowboy in 45 colt. Expensive but the best of the lot in a new gun today.

Agreed.

I would too, except I want a particular barrel profile, which means I'd still have to rebarrel it. So am still thinking it over a bit. Depends on how inexpensively I can find a used one as to whether I'll get new or used.

Will likely end up going the new Marlin Cowboy route anyway. I'd then still have the new Marlin barrel which came on it, and could always put the gun back to its original minty condition if some need came to do that someday.

quote:

Get the Marlin Cowboy. Forged steel, octagon barrel, real Walnut, made in USA; what's not to like.

Sounds good!
Welcome to the forum, by the way.

Last Rossi I had had 24 inch barrel
We developed a load that sent a 300 grain Hornady JHP out barrel @ 1760 fps, STRONG ENOUGH

But I own Marlins and Winchesters too!

Joe,

I am looking at a Ruger Redhawk myself.

as far as lever actions go, I have purchased a couple of Lever actions in 44 Mag. I could never get one to shoot worth a darn, and got rid of each one.

I also wonder the same about the 45 LC. I have a Colt, 3rd Series reproduction of the original 1873 Colt. It is what I carry when I hunt in the back country here in Oregon. It is amazingly accurate. I use to look at those Legacy 94's from Winchester in 45 LC with the 26 inch barrels, for Nostalgia. Never bought one tho, based on my poor luck with the 44 mag lever actions.

interesting to hear what your luck turns out to be...

and happy birthday when it ever gets there!