Opinion: Best Lever Action

[keithafernandezjr]

Seen a few posts about lever guns but not this specifically. I'll take it down if it's a duplicate.

Ever since shooting a Henry Golden Boy in 30-30 as a kid, I've been obsessed with levers. I've been thinking about purchasing one for drives/tracking in the northeast, so mainly chasing whitetail and black bear.

Who makes the best lever gun on the market? What model is your favorite? What caliber do you like? It can be anything from a pre-war Winchester to a modern tactical monstrosity.

 

[Al "Shifty" Schultz]

LoL ... Talk about an opinion piece! I would say that there's a lot of great lever guns out there.. being a lefty, I'm a huge fan of lever guns, especially because during my childhood LH bolt actions were unicorns and the only real options were either pumps, single shots or lever guns. As such, I have some experience with them.
I particularly like them as saddle guns on packhorse trips. Trying to sit a horse with some of these modern rifles with their Hubbell telescopes mounted on top would be a PIA (for the horse and the fella riding him!).
That all being said, I always have loved the Savage Model 99s, the Winchesters, the Henry's and the Marlins.. The Henry Long Ranger is a great model too.
About the only ones I think that suck are the 1970s Winchesters... They sucked ass. (IMO) I have a more recent 2000s Model 94 and it's actually a great rifle, but the 1970s Winchesters sucked.

 

[YETI]

I have a Henry All-Weather in .45-70. I personally think it's the best lever gun and I know the FE guys think highly of it.

 

[Sean B.]

Henry or Marlin. Viewing them side by side, I ultimately went with the marlin in .45-70 as the fit and finish seemed just slightly better to me. Henry is an awesome brand though and I dont think you can go wrong with either.

 

[Matthew Moore]

As others have mentioned, Henry or Marlin seem be both great options!