by Royce Jordan
I recall looking at the early morning fog just before the sun cleared that deep woods tree line. If you’ve ever been in a blind, or just leaning against a tree “huntin’”, you know what I’m talking about.
God made this special time for all of us, but being out “amongst ‘em” adds quite a bit more to our appreciation of the moment. All the birds and furry critters get to moving. Sounds and shuffles in the leaves commense to stirring, and you experience that acute sense of awareness around your very existence.
Then it dawns on you: it is more naturally, butt-ugly cold. You are sitting on the damp ground against a briar infested post oak and start getting cramps. I have the right to be stupid ever now and then, but I seemed to be taking advantage of it. Back in my younger days, we ate ice cream out of toilet paper rolls like a push-pop, and didn’t complain. Throw me to the wolves and I’d return leading the pack. Now, I’m truly aging like a banana.
The moment of all that realization sort of tempers down just a bit when you adjust your left butt cheek that was cramping, and steadied your movement clasping your choice of shootin’-iron for that mornings hunt. That little carbine I obtained in the mid 80’s was a Marlin model 36 TK in the classic 30/30 Winchester. The design was based on Marlin’s model 336 “Texan”, had a straight “T” grip, short 18 inch barrel and half magazine. The gun held 4 in that magazine, and one in battery for 5 shots. The TK designation was assigned for K-Mart stores, which sold the firearms in store.
K-mart, Sear’s, Montgomery Ward’s, Gipson’s, all sold firearms and hunting ammunition back in the day, but you don’t see these very-much-missed business retailers in my area anymore. That is at least in my county of residence. In those days, firearms manufacturers made guns specific to the stores request, and the guns were made of good quality. They just carried the store brand name for identifiers.
I catch a glance of movement to my left and it snaps me out of my reminiscence. A goodly sized sounder of snorkys decided to vacate their feeding area and return to bedding cover right in front of my happy rear end. They were moving at a double quick pace, about 30 to 40 steps out. I raised that lever carbine with no effort, and found the first target with the red dot sight. It was a small Bushnell that held it’s point of impact quite well. I fired and worked that lever, firing until I was empty. The 30/30 bullet hits extremely hard at that range, and several pigs were DRT (dead right there) as proof of it. The speed and efficiency of that lever gun was extraordinary.
I believe that is the point. A simple look back at our beloved country’s heritage starting with the predecessor of the Henry Rifles; the Volcanic, to the rifles that won the west: any Winchester or Marlin lever action rifles including and up to WWII. Soldiers and pioneers both recognized the importance of repeaters that fired self contained ammunition of propellent and bullet. Many a southerner could recall that “yankee gun”, a Spencer, that they “load on Sunday and shoots all week”. The fact that many old, turn of the last century, black and white photos of hunting camps, frontiersmen, lawmen and outlaws all seem to tote their trusty lever action rifle.
This is not to say that bolt-action, semi-auto, pump action, single and double action firearms are not up to snuff because they are, and can be superior in so many ways. However, when it comes to the aesthetics, the mechanical engineering, the ergonomics (human factor in designing things for efficiency and safety) it’s just hard to beat an American standard with such a long standing, recognized history. The levers have that proof in the pudding, and you don’t have to overthink about overthinking on the subject. The lever action is the American woods gun in any caliber.
Now back to the huntin’. Recognizing the fact that many of our older lever actions rifles, I would venture to guess anything manufactured before 1930, should be an exercise in EXTREME CAUTION before firing any modern ammo through these guns. Metallurgy of these guns may not be up to safety due to the higher pressures of modern rounds. Many firearms manufactured in the 1800s and early 1900s were still using ammo containing black powder. An example would be an early 45-70 Govt round, 45 caliber bullet over 70 grains black powder. Modern 45-70 ammo uses high pressure smokeless powder, and it’s use in an old gun can be catastrophic. You don’t know. “DO NOT TOUCH” would probably be a very unsettling thing to read in braille. That said, don’t take the chance on ruining your iron and you going to the aide station.
Post 1930 Levers from Winchester (92 and 94) and Marlin (336 and 1894) have been and will continue to be the benchmark for lever guns used in hunting. Just about any center fire caliber will do for hunting the State of Texas, though you should research and determine your rifle caliber for your hunting needs. All of my Marlins are 30/30 Winchester and have always been efficient, quick harvesters in any close huntin’ environment I ever used them in.
The use of flat pointed bullets for tubular magazine lever guns stands to reason here, safety. Bullet manufacturers designed bullets now with forward synthetic material helps to change ballistic performance. The lever rifles from Savage (99), Browning (BLR), and modern Henry use a magazine design for spitzer bullets featuring aerodynamic pointed bullets for better down range ballistics. This means a more powerful, reach out and hit that target at several, and I do mean several, hundreds of yards further than I would consider using a 30/30 cartridge on. Let’s keep in mind why you want to use a lever in the first place. You want to be in close proximety for deer and simular size game we go after close to home. Having my Browning BLR in .308 Winchester will coldcock any size boar snorky I come across, many possibly at around the 300 pound mark. My biggest whitetail buck fell to this gun and I pulled about three chitlins loading it up in the back of my truck. That buck was big enough to burn diesel, and that lever/bullet did it in at over 220 steps.
Winchester, Marlin and Henry as well as some of the South American and European manufactures make levers for hundgun caliber rounds, 38 Spl/357 S&W, 44 Remingtom Mag and 45 Colt for hunting and cowboy action shoots. I have a 92 Rossi(SA) in 357 Mag that is a 92 Winchester copy, slick as snot and shoots very accurate. I have harvested deer, pigs and “varmits” with this gun, and it’s convenient to use the same ammo in your lever gun and your Ruger Security Six. Interesting, the longer 20 inch barrel adds quite a bit of bullet speed and impact energy over the 6 inch Ruger due to more efficient powder burning pressure. These 92’s and Marlin 1894, as well as the Henry’s in 38sp/357Mag, offer up to 12 -38 spl rounds, or 9 – 357mag rounds in the magazine. That’s a lot of firepower in a neat package, hitting harder than a revolver. Neat for close cover work in the thickets.
As I have described before, I ain’t no spring chicken. I seem to maintain the awkward moments when I don’t know if I have free time, or if I forgot to do something. Certain privileges like, I dont know: SIGHT, and maybe sleeping through the night without having to get up and take a whiz, become somewhat of a more noticable, if not an irritating, “Oh Well.” The open sights of the lever action rifle truly bring things into perspective. I used to could see and align front and rear sights with true finesse. Well…everything is “figureoutable.” Scope sights and DOT sights are wonderful for the hunt, especially for aging eyes. It does take away from the classic looks, but putting a bullet towards a good, clean harvest is of upmost importance, and you will sleep better at night after you pulled the trigger on any live game.
I do maintain the classic looks of the open sighted lever gun on a Marlin, and the last whitetail doe I harvested was about 80 steps from me, and she dropped DRT’d as clean as I could ask. It did take longer than usual to line out the front sight thru the rear “V” notch. Longer and more frustrating. Figures. It’s just like the Law of Mechanics Repair … After yours hands are coated with grease, your nose starts itching, you gotta go shake the dew off your lilly, and your tighty whiteys are the cleanest they’ve been since you pulled them from the package…
If there is any drawback to the lever guns, I would say the cleaning and maintenance of the gun is the most trying aspect of ownership. Levers like the Marlin, Browning and Henry are not difficult, and are easy to get to the breech thru the receiver. Winchesters and Savages, to me, are simular to the break down disassembly, cleaning and reassembly of a Ruger Mark 1 thru 3. If you have not had that privilege in doing so, hold on to your butt, and try not to engage the task within earshot of small children. The boar snake and its copies help with the breech and bore, but the interior receiver is a chore. Try not to talk ugly.
I’ve made it purty clear in my writings the importance, at least to me, of the hunting heritage of our past family members and the tools and equipment they utilized for protection and feeding the family. Some of the history becomes even more special when you hold in your hand the very irons of your families past, your recollection of time spent with that aging loved one while they used the iron with such efficiency, and the instructions from them as the great educator to student. Your success as a hunter today is because of them, their equipment, and their knowledge. This makes me happy, and happy doesn’t mean you have it all, it means you’re grateful to God for all you have.
