What's your favorite lever action gun?

[MechEng]

Marlin 336 in 30-30 Win or 35 Rem with a 1.5-4x or a 2-7x scope. I've lost count of the number of whitetail deer I've harvested with them.

[Alaskapopo]

I'll get this started.

Mine is the Savage 99 because it can use pointed bullets unlike the lever guns with tubular magazines. The rotating magazine is also a brilliant design taken from Mannlicher and used for decades until it got too expensive to manufacture and Savage switched to a box magazine. That's why I am only interested in the older ones with the rotating magazine with round counter on the side.

What's your favorite and why?

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I don't like the lines of levers like the 99. I like traditional levers like the 94 Winchester.
Pat

[SSGGunBunny]

Marlin 336, started shooting a similar gun when I was a teen - Glenfield 30A. I think they are a really good balance and decently priced go to gun for mid-sized game. I prefer iron sights on mine since I use it when I hunt swamps or thick brush. I use a Remington 700 w/scope when I shoot longer distances over open terrain.

[titsonritz]

An older Marlin 1895 45-70 without the cross bolt safety.

[DTHN2LGS]

I don't like the lines of levers like the 99. I like traditional levers like the 94 Winchester.
Pat

I like the looks of the Marlin/Win. traditional lever actions too, I just like the design concepts incorporated into the Savage lever guns better. It's the same reason I like the Mauser Broomhandle pistols, it's the design features I go for, not it's practicality or looks (even though it does look cool). The Mauser goes together like a jigsaw puzzle, awesome design!

I used to work as a Gunsmith before, and I prefer the Marlins to the Winchesters, just a personal preference. My Marlin .45/70 Guide Gun was a great gun, I only sold it, and my Savages among others, when I went back to college and needed the money.

I expected everyone to have their favorite, it's the variety that make guns so interesting.

[Lost River]

My old Mountie .22lr tops my favorite list by a long shot:

[Lost River]

[matemike]

Marlin 1894's
Have the 1894C, blued in .357 with ghost ring sights. Dropped a ten point "like a sack of taters" at 75 yards with Buffalo Bore 158 gr. Gold dots

And I have a 1894SS in .44 with a 2.5-8x36 leupold. (silver) have yet to hunt with that one, but I know it is a great blaster! Looks good too.

[Mr. Smith]

At this point it would be my Marlin 1895.

[Army Chief]

I don't really know enough about the larger lever gun market to comment in an informed manner, but after owning Marlin 336 and 1895 models, I'm not sure what could really be left to be desired.

Mr. Smith built me an extremely compact pre-cross-bolt 1895/.45-70 earlier in the year, and while the jury may still be out on how practical a tool it actually is (it's basically one notch above an SBR and one notch below a howitzer), there can be no doubting that it is my favorite. Both of my sons now have "Smith-Built" Marlins too, if that tells you anything. =]

AC