School me on lever action cartridges.

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HoLeChit

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I'm in the market for a lever gun, something that would be good all around, I wouldn't mind doing a little target shooting, maybe some hogs and deer as well. It would also probably be my backpacking longgun. Cowboy action isn't in the question, neither is competitions. All my guns I have now are small caliber, and would really like to get something more in the big boy sizes.

Now about the boolits.... What do you guys think about the different cartridges? What about effective ranges to expect?
I was really considering 45-70, but I am not a huge fan of the prices. I keep hearing that 30-30 is inadequate for taking deer, but I've heard the opposite as well.

Brands.... Winchester>Uberti>Remington>Rossi???? I've heard this in any sort of order. Thoughts?
 

Eagle Eye

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I keep hearing that 30-30 is inadequate for taking deer, but I've heard the opposite as well.

This is probably the biggest lie that you've ever been told. The 30-30 has killed MILLIONS of deer!!

I think the difference in opinion regarding the 30-30 is about it's effective range. The 30-30 effective range is too short for those that like to shoot past 200 yrds. Although, I heard of an OSA'er who has killed a deer with a 30-30 past 300 yrds.
 

HoLeChit

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This is probably the biggest lie that you've ever been told. The 30-30 has killed MILLIONS of deer!!

I think the difference in opinion regarding the 30-30 is about it's effective range. The 30-30 effective range is too short for those that like to shoot past 200 yrds. Although, I heard of an OSA'er who has killed a deer with a 30-30 past 300 yrds.

200yds isn't bad, and honestly all that is needed. Any more and I should just get a bolt gun. But knockdown power in a 30-30 I guess would be my remaining question.
 

Eagle Eye

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200yds isn't bad, and honestly all that is needed. Any more and I should just get a bolt gun. But knockdown power in a 30-30 I guess would be my remaining question.

I don't think you should give much thought to knockdown power. Worry more about bullet penetration and expansion. There are excellent 30-30 choices on the marked, and if you reload, you can even improve on those.
 

Shadowrider

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200yds isn't bad, and honestly all that is needed. Any more and I should just get a bolt gun. But knockdown power in a 30-30 I guess would be my remaining question.

There's no such thing as "knockdown" power. You can hit them wrong with a .700 Nitro Express and they'll still run off. But I do prefer fat heavy bullets for in the brush at short ranges. With that .375, if sighted in with the proper hold you can aim dead center out to 160 yards and still hit the vitals on a deer with factory 250 grain ammo. I was going to try and use 235 grain spitzers to see if I could stretch that to 200 yards or a little more. The Hornady Leverevolution ammo changed the lever action game but they don't make it in this caliber, so I was going to try and make my own and just load one in the tube.

They're hard to sell?? Haha.

Ha! Only if priced fairly, if I priced it at half what it's worth and it would go quick. Hit up the Marlin forums and you'll see that they aren't what they once were. If I were buying today I'd look at Uberti, Henry, almost anything other than Marlin. The old ones were great.
 

HoLeChit

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When I mentioned "knockdown power" I guess you could say I was referring to penetration and expansion... Bad choice of words on my part. I'm just looking for something that I can make a clean one shot kill with an accurately placed shot.

I don't reload (yet), but it is something I want to look into in the future, esp with getting into larger more expensive calibers. All of my guns that I have are cheap to shoot, and I bought them that way for that reason, among many others.

Now.... What is the difference between .35 and .375? Aside from size? And one thing I have considered is getting a lever action in .357, as I would be carrying a revolver chambered in the same most of the time I am outdoors. What kind of performance would I be looking at out of a .357 from a rifle? When I think of a .357 rifle I just think of it as an oversized pistol, not so much as a viable tool for hunting.

Shadowrider, I def would have been interested in picking that .375 up, aside from my concern of finding ammo for it.
 

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