This is my current favorite. 1893 Marlin with 1/2 round barrel and short magazine. Came to me with bad wood and hot caustic blue job that was highly polished. I restocked it and rust blued the proper metal parts, had the action color cased.
Phil

The Special order 1886 half magazine .33s from
the 1920s.
The pre -war Model 71 Deluxe/special long tang.

BUT-Phil's 1893 Marlin has me thinking .....

Mine is broken :-) - 1936 - 300 Sav TD.

Very nice takedown Savage Rich!

Some wonderful leverguns here. Phil, that 93 simply glows! Rich, your Savage looks like perfection. -- and chambered in my late Uncle Paul's favorite elk cartridge.
Brought this one into the fold just recently, a .35 Remington made in 1950, the first year Marlin chambered Browning's cartridge in their 336A "waffletop." It has been used, but not molested, and the bore appears to be perfect.

Hmmm. I seem to have deleted the photos on PB ...

I left out my 2008 special run Marlin mod. 95 in 45-70..Its a nice rifle, and handy as can be, destined to cull white tail in Texas and a few exotics on a friends ranch..seems to be a 200 yard gun on targets at the range about like a 30-30 but not quite.Did I say it kicks like a team of mules, if not, then it does!!

My 1936 Winchester model 71.

My absolute favorite is a Savage Model 99A in .308 Win.

It's a 19th century design, but was made in the early 1960s and chambered for a modern cartridge.

It's got the cool and reliable rotary magazine and the brass cartridge counter in the window in the receiver.

It carries a Leupold VX-III 2.5-8 variable power scope in Weaver bases with Talley rings and shoots MOA.

What a great rifle!

Winchester Model 71 in 348 Win.

My favorite is a 1957 Winchester model 88 that I gave my grandson. It is a .308.
Another favorite is a 30-30 Marlin made in 1947 that probably has less than 100 rounds. My dad had hunted quail, ducks, geese all his life but never hunted deer until he was about 40. He bartered for this 30-30 and got his first deer with it and then got a 30-06. This Marlin was stolen out of his pickup and a year later I found it in a pawn shop. I was able to recognize it by the sling, recoil pad and Lyman peep sight. We got the rifle back and I now own it.

I have two good lever action rifles, a Savage 99F 308 Winchestger and a Marlin 39A 22 LR.

I like the 186 and 1895 Winchester rifles in the larger calibers.

Looks like most of us lost the subject of this thread, The question was "Your favorite pre 1960 lever rifle" I thinK we went to "Post"?

99F in .358, 336 Waffletop in .35Rem, 1894 SRC 30-30 and a Marlin M39.

the 99A in 308 was the perfect saddle gun,mine had a 3X Leupold. I also have a 99F in 308 (1950s gun)with a 4x leupold, and its Savages crown jewel IMO, you pick your own caliber..

Id love to have a Marlin 93 in 25-36..

I'm definitely a Marlin fan. To me a 336 makes a model 94 seem flimsy. But a good old Winny 1886 or Model 71 are hard to beat. I dont consider the Savage 99 to be a "Classic" lever gun, the design is completely different from any of the early Browining/Winchester designs. Not to put them down, I just dont feel they belong in the same category.

Folks,

I've owned Marlin 336's in 30-30, 44 Mag, 444 Marlin and 45-70. They all functioned perfectly and shot fine. As for a favorite it has to be the 86 Win in 348. I thought it was about as good as lever actions were ever going to get until I bought a 99 Savage. The 300 Savage I have is an absolute tack driver with 150 Hornady Spire Points and 180 NPPP. The first group was so small that I thought it was a fluke. A 1950's rifle and a lever action is not supposed to shoot .5 inch but it does.

Mark

Last but not least is my Deluxe model 71 348 Win. I really like it..

Mine is a repro, I really like my 1860 Henry (imitation iron/steel frame) in 45 Colt.

Steve.........

My favorite is the Winchester Model 94 30-30 my Father bought for me for my first deer rifle way back when. I shot my first whitetail with it when I was 15 years old. I still have it and will keep it for the rest of my life.

I like the Winchester Model 64, a 94 with pistol grip and half magazine.

Mark, that is absolutely my favorite configuration in a Model 94 as well.

I've owned traded and kept maybe 50 lever guns in my lifetime 30-30,32 Spl,.35 Remington .300, 308,243, etc.etc not to mention BLRs..with all those rifles 2 have stood out that I just like for one reason or another a Marlin 336D .35 Rem and a Winchester 94 Legacy.45 Colt don't recall all the critters I've killed with them but it has been a bunch from groundhogs to bears...grandsons will get them soon enough only pray they realize just what they inherited from "Pops"...not the value of the rifles but just why I kept them.

Recently acquired a 1951 336A waffle top in 35 Rem from a member here. It’s such a cool old rifle. Bought it as a companion to my 1963 336RC 35 Rem.

I cherish my full set of Winchester '92's all over 100years old. 1896 (44/400, 1908 (32/20), 1919 (38/40), 1920 (25/20).

Great fun with cast bullets!

I have two... an early 60's Winchester Model 88 in .284 Winchester that my Dad hunted with and a special order '50's Deluxe Model 71 in .348 that was originally shipped to Anchorage. My kids will have to figure out what to do with them cuz I ain't selling either!

Having owned one, and stupidly selling it, my vote goes to the Winchester Model 71. Great caliber, and had some refinements over the 1886. Would not be undergunned for anything that walks on this continent, and would be suitable for many African species. Very smooth action, and to me, had a perfect stock shape.

quote:

Originally posted by congomike:
Having owned one, and stupidly selling it, my vote goes to the Winchester Model 71. Great caliber, and had some refinements over the 1886. Would not be undergunned for anything that walks on this continent, and would be suitable for many African species. Very smooth action, and to me, had a perfect stock shape.

I second everything you said. I absolutely love them. I only wish they had made them in other caliber.

I have a rare indeed Win model 64 saddle ring carbine in 30-30, and yes it has the 0-P on the barrel 24 inch barrel stright grip,close to mint complete with the saddle ring..I only know of one other, and its owned by a member of AR, as I recall it has been drilled and tapped or some such change and isn't a saddle ring. Jim Wisner has more detail than I on these freaks as I recall..

On the topic of a pair of Marlins -

I like my 06 1895, 1956 Mod94 in 30-30, and a 1891 vintage 1886 in 40-65 full magazine.

quote:

Originally posted by Phil McFall:
This is my current favorite. 1893 Marlin with 1/2 round barrel and short magazine. Came to me with bad wood and hot caustic blue job that was highly polished. I restocked it and rust blued the proper metal parts, had the action color cased.
Phil

Holy smokes!

When you say "I restocked it"...do you mean literally you?

That is certainly a good-looking piece of wood. Fiddle-back I guess describes it but the crossing grain brings to my mind shafts of sunlight in a forest.

I kind of went levergun crazy lately.

For those rifle MADE before 1960, I still love my Model 53 Winchester in 25-20. Later I picked up a Savage 250-3000 takedown that someone drilled for scope bases. I’m making some Talley bases for it so I can use a 1-4 Leupold on it.

For those lever guns DESIGNED before 1960, I’m getting partial to a few Italian made offerings including an 1886 short rifle in 45-70 and a Spencer replica in 56-50. Now that’s a neat cartridge.

Have one Savage 99 in .243 that I really like, but mostly a Winchester 94, have them in .22,.22 mag. .30-30, .32 win spl

Have a new "old man" in the safe -- a last year Marlin Model 36 A-DL in .30WCF, built in 1947. They put some decent wood on these rifles 76 years ago. She's a little tired but the bore is very nice.

I saw a beautiful Wn 71 knockoff,European?? but in 45-70!!! at our local gun store. He wanted my deluxe 71 in a trade for it..I reluctantly passed on the offer.