Caliber for Lever action deer rifle

Just looked at the Henry lever action in 45-70. Made in the USA, nice!!!

 

If there's a 45-90 lever that'd be nice, but I'd guess 45-70 in a stout gun could be loaded pretty hot. 30-30 packs quite the authoritative punch. You do have to consider the law; there are caliber laws on what/where you hunt and I don't know what they all are.

 

The 45/70's downfall is that it was a black powder cartridge. So factory ammo is usually not real powerful in fear of being put in an old gun. Handloaders can load it up a little but you have to remember that it uses a very thin walled case. I have split brand new Winchester brass with one loading before. Pretty scary feeling. Sharps in .45/120 and go Quigley on em'.

 

Since you are rarely going to shoot further than 75 yards, the 30-30 will be fine (as long as you have a clear path). As some have stated, the 30-30 is an older caliber, but it is more than enough to take down a deer or hog at close range. I have owned both the Winchester and Marlin 30-30's and I would recommend the Marlin, BUT I suggest looking for a used (older) Marlin. Before buying my Marlin, I decided to look at new ones. The new Marlins felt like they were cheaply made - it may have been the model that I was looking at, but I was not thrilled. I ended up buying a used one at a local gun shop. I am not sure if they older ones are heavier than the new ones, but they feel better to me. As far as I know, the only thing that you won't have on the older models is the safety. With the rising cost of ammunition, I feel that you can't go wrong with a 30-30.

 

I have Marlins in 444 and 356 Winchester, Dad has a BLRs in 358 and 7-08 and my son just got a 1980s 94 30-30. Best bet for finding ammo these days is obviously the 30-30, which should be good for the ranges you described. You can also load it much hotter with the Hornady Leverevolution loads which come in 140 and 160 grain bullets. My son's 94 shoots the 160s surprisingly well. Check-out Gunbroker.com for what's available out there new and used. Good luck.

 

Hard to beat a marlin 30-30. Killed many nice bucks with it. Still using it to this day. I've dabbled with 6.8SPC and 6.5 swedish but that 30-30 is a kickass deer rifle in my opinion. Its light and short making it perfect slinging over your back when you long walk in or dragging one out. Its also pretty fast if you know how to handle a lever action too.

 

Maybe a change in Marlin quality came about when Remington purchased Marlin in 2007, and since 2010 "Marlins" are made at Remington firearms plants.

 

And if you find a good deal on a Winchester 94, especially the older ones, don't be mislead by the lever handle moving side to side when opened.

That is the way the Win 94 mechanism is designed to work with some side to side loosness. It is NOT a sign that the Win 94s are lesser quality. They are pretty much dead equal in over all quality of materian and workmanship.

 

I have a Savage Model 99C lever action in a .284win.

Iy was handed down to me from a LEGIT mountain man cowboy. It was his saddle gun for years and years. Shoots extremely nice. Good size round for deer or elk, but not a common box of ammo in outfitter shops.

 

another vote for the 30-30. winchester model 94. keep it open sights though. its more nostalgic to shoot open than with a scope. John Wayne-esque if you will