For more information on Winchester lever-action rifles, visit\u00a0winchesterguns.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article was originally published in \"The Complete Book of Guns\" 2018 #200. To get a copy, visit outdoorgroupstore.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","post_title":"7 Most Iconic Winchester Lever-Action Rifles","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"winchester-lever-action-rifles","to_ping":"","pinged":"\nhttps:\/\/www.personaldefenseworld.com\/2015\/05\/6-manufacturers-selling-lever-action-rifles-for-home-defense-or-hunting\/#lever-sb-1-winchester-model-94","post_modified":"2023-10-31 22:43:07","post_modified_gmt":"2023-11-01 02:43:07","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2017\/10\/10\/winchester-lever-action-rifles\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":99826,"post_author":"374","post_date":"2017-07-24 09:00:16","post_date_gmt":"2017-07-24 13:00:16","post_content":"\n\nHenry Repeating Arms<\/a> brought the Henry name back into the firearms business in 1996 with the introduction of the American-made Golden Boy, a lever-action .22 LR rifle with a shiny, gold-colored receiver, a blued barrel and magazine tube, and a walnut stock. Since that time, Henry has expanded into the centerfire rifle market with long guns suitable for Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS), hunting and general utilitarian outdoors use. One of the latest offerings in this last category is the Henry All-Weather.\n\nThis full-sized rifle has a carbine-length barrel and comes in two configurations: the Model H009AW in .30-30 with a straight-wrist stock and the Model H010AW in .45-70 Government with a pistol-grip stock. Both have the same metal and wood finish treatment, but I opted to try out the Henry All-Weather in .45-70, a big hard-hitting, brush-bucking cartridge that will really get the job done.\n From the pioneer to the soldier, to the Texas Rangers\u2014the oldest statewide law enforcement agency in America\u2014serious men have carried and used lever-action rifles to feed families, defend their homes, fight wars and protect settlers on the frontier from criminals and hostile Indians. As time passed, more people moved to bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles for a variety of reasons. Yet, the lever gun has remained a favorite with many in the United States.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Does the lever-action rifle still have a role as a personal-defense or LE patrol firearm? While every platform has its strengths and weaknesses, I believe that the lever gun can still admirably serve law-abiding homeowners\/homesteaders and certain lawmen patrolling \u201cwild country.\u201d There is no doubt that these guns can be powerful and accurate. From low-velocity .38 Special loads to powerful wildcats like the .50 Alaskan, lever-action rifles can be chambered in a variety of power levels to meet your needs.<\/p>\r\n However, like any platform, the lever-action rifle does have weaknesses that a shooter should learn to work around. One of the problems with a lever gun is that the shooter must pull down to work the action. In the majority of cases, this is not a weakness. But if you are shooting from a prone or lying down position, pulling down on the lever can require you to move both the gun and your body. With a bolt action or semi-auto, this additional body movement is generally not required.<\/p>\r\n Like many defensive shotguns, a lever action uses a tubular magazine. This limits its ammunition capacity. A modern defensive rifle like the AR-15 uses detachable magazines that come in various capacities, with the standard being 30 rounds. These magazines are fast to change out and can even be had in much larger capacities. Granted, a lever-action rifle can be topped off during a lull in combat, but that requires the availability of loose rounds stored on the gun or person. Even so, a lever action\u2019s capacity and reload speed will never surpass a modern defensive rifle\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Tubular magazines also limit the kinds of ammunition that can be used in the gun. Typically, only soft, blunt bullets can be used for lever-action ammunition. Since the rounds are loaded nose-to-primer, it is possible for a drop or even recoil to cause a round in the magazine to fire. This handicap is overcome, however, with the increased use of polymer-tipped bullets. Hornady\u2019s LEVERevolution line, for example, uses polymer-tipped bullets to really expand the possibilities of these guns. The downside is that the polymer tips can deform if stored for long periods of time in the gun. This suggests you would need to frequently rotate the ammunition in your home-defense rifle.<\/span><\/p>\r\n For this article, I took a look at a pair of lever-action rifles that are suitable for defensive use thanks to some 21st century upgrades.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Mossberg 464 SPX<\/b><\/p>\r\n To turn a lever action into a tactical workhorse, Mossberg reworked its venerable 464 rifle to produce the 464 SPX. Chambered in .30-30 Winchester, this gun has an M4-style collapsible buttstock, an A2-style flash suppressor and a matte blue finish. Mossberg integrated short Picatinny rails in the forend for the addition of a white light or laser. Both the pistol grip and forend are plastic and have deep grooves for an improved grip.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Standard on the 464 SPX are three-dot, fiber-optic sights. Mossberg uses contrasting colors\u2014red up front and lime green in the rear\u2014to make the sights very bright and easy to see. I found them easy to use in both outdoor and indoor lighting. In fact, using just the open sights, I was able to shoot sub-3-inch, five-shot groups at 100 yards with factory ammunition.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Both Hornady LEVERevolution and Winchester Super-X loads shot very well in this gun. The 160-grain LEVERevolution load from Hornady shot a best group of 2.75 inches while the Winchester had a best group of 3.5 inches. This particular rifle didn\u2019t care for Remington\u2019s Core-Lokt ammunition. My best five-shot group with this load clustered into 5.5 inches.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The trigger on the Mossberg 464 SPX wasn\u2019t bad at all. It broke cleanly at 4.75 pounds with no overtravel. The action was also relatively smooth.<\/span><\/p>\r\n One thing I discovered is that you have to have a precise grip to deactivate the trigger safety and fire the rifle. There is a small plunger under the lever handle. When the gun is properly gripped, the lever handle depresses the plunger and allows the trigger to move to the rear. If the handle is not gripped in precisely the correct manner, the plunger will not fully depress and the gun will not fire. While this does provide an increased level of safety against an accidental discharge, it also introduces a potential failure point in using the gun under the stresses and dynamic circumstances of a violent encounter. The safety should not preclude consideration of the gun, but you should be consciously aware of it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Mossberg also includes a manual safety on the top tang. For those who are familiar with the company\u2019s 500\/590 series shotguns, this safety works in the same way. It is ambidextrous and easily accessed with the thumb of the shooting hand. Pushing it forward places the gun in \u201cfire\u201d mode, while pulling it back prevents the rifle from discharging.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The 464 SPX is well balanced and consequently feels lighter than the 7-pound weight would suggest. This helps make the gun a good consideration for home defense, where movement and holding the rifle for a long period of time may be required. With the ability to add a mounted light to the gun, the Mossberg 464 SPX makes a lot of sense for someone who wants to keep a lever action for defense around the home.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Taylor\u2019s Ridge Runner<\/b><\/p>\r\n Chambered for the potent .45-70 Government cartridge, the 1886 Ridge Runner is a serious thumper. Available from Taylor\u2019s & Company Firearms, the gun combines classic and modern styling to produce a gun that is truly impressive when held in your hands. My test sample came with a wooden stock covered by black \u201cSoft Touch\u201d rubber for an incredible feel and a really sleek look. The butt of the stock had a rubber recoil pad. The rifle\u2019s metal parts had a matte black finish.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Pulling the trigger was a sweet experience. The pull had virtually no take-up with a clean break at 4.25 pounds. The action was smooth with no unusual hitches in its movement. It was also completely reliable in feeding and firing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n For targeting, the 1886 Ridge Runner uses a fiber-optic front sight paired with a rear peep sight. This combination works extremely well for me in terms of fast target acquisitions and accuracy. With most loads, I was able to shoot sub-4-inch five-shot groups at 100 yards with these sights while using a bag as a front support. For improved accuracy, the rear sight has an integrated Weaver rail that allows for the relatively easy addition of a scope. Since the rail is forward of the receiver, a long-eye-relief scout-type scope should work well in this location.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The gun feels slightly front heavy, but the weight helps to absorb the recoil of\u00a0the powerful .45-70 cartridge. To me, the felt recoil was no greater than any other medium-power cartridge, and significantly\u00a0less than a lightweight .30-30-type gun. The recoil was further mitigated through\u00a0the use of a muzzle brake.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n Taylor\u2019s uses a threaded barrel on the Ridge Runner rifle. Both a muzzle brake and a thread protector cap come with the gun. Adding a little more than 3 inches to the length of the barrel, the brake seemed to work very well to help tame recoil when screwed onto the gun. Since the brake adds more than 6 ounces to the end of the rifle, shooters that feel the gun is too front heavy already may wish to forgo the additional recoil attenuation.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The Ridge Runner is an impressive rifle. Its performance out of the box was flawless. In my mind, this gun makes for an excellent rifle in the field, where it could provide good defense against large animals in addition to human predators that may come around the homestead.<\/span><\/p>\r\n More Information<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n Specifications: Mossberg 464 SPX<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\nHenry All-Weather<\/h3>\nThe Henry All-Weather has hard chrome plating on all of its steel parts, except for the bolt, internal springs and sights. The hardwood buttstock and forend have a durable, black-colored coating. These special finishes will stand up to the wear and tear of a working firearm and allow the gun to operate in any environmental condition with reliability and accuracy.\n\nThe hard chrome that gives the All-Weather the look of brushed stainless steel is permanently bonded to the steel and won\u2019t chip, flake or peel, making it even more rust resistant than some stainless steels. The hardwood stock has a unique coating that\u2019s designed to resist scratching, and it will stand up to moisture and temperature variations that can cause warpage.\n
\n \t
Sights & Glass<\/h3>\nGiven this rifle\u2019s intended uses, I wanted it to be as versatile as possible, and one area I concentrated on was redundancy in sighting equipment. While the factory sights are sturdy and effective, my aging eyes do better with peep sights or optics, so I decided to add both to the Henry All-Weather.\n\nSkinner Sights<\/a> makes a peep sight that is also fashioned so it can serve as a scope mount. I ordered a stainless steel Express sight, which came with a black, 0.096-inch aperture. The rest of the sight has a brushed satin finish, which makes it look like it was made just for the All-Weather. All I had to do was take the tap screws out of the Henry receiver and screw on the Skinner Express sight using the mounting screws that were provided. The sight is adjustable for windage and elevation. The sight also came with a set of medium-height, all-steel Brownells\/Warne 7.3 Series scope rings<\/a> for 1-inch scope tubes.\n\nFor glass, I chose a Burris Droptine 3-9x40mm riflescope<\/a>. Measuring 12.2 inches long and weighing 13 ounces, it has a Ballistic Plex reticle and Hi-Lume-coated lenses for better low-light performance and glare reduction. The turret knobs are protected by screw-on caps, and \u201csteel on steel\u201d adjustments ensure repeatable accuracy. The solid scope tube is nitrogen filled to prevent internal fogging, and it\u2019s durable enough to withstand heavy shocks.\n
Rounds Downrange<\/h3>\nI chose three different factory cartridges in .45-70 to test the Henry All-Weather, including rounds that would be useful on medium to large game animals or other dangerous targets, so the first was Federal<\/a>\u2019s Vital-Shok ammo. These rounds have nickel-plated cartridge cases and are topped with 300-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw<\/a> bullets that expand reliably and retain 95 percent of their weight in even the toughest of targets. Next up was Hornady<\/a>\u2019s 325-grain LeveRevolution FTX ammo, which is designed for safe use in tubular magazines while offering superb terminal ballistics. For a general shooting load, I selected \u201ccowboy cartridges\u201d from Ten-X Ammunition<\/a> with 405-grain lead flat-nose (LFN) bullets.\n\nAfter zeroing the Burris scope in at 50 yards, I cranked it up to 6X to tackle some 17-inch-diameter targets with big red bullseyes. Some .45-70s can be painful to shoot\u2014especially if they have crescent buttplates\u2014so I pressed the Henry\u2019s trigger with some trepidation, which may account for some of my larger groups, plus a small dose of the \u201c4+1 Syndrome.\u201d My best official five-shot group measured 0.98 inches with the Hornady ammo, and it also gave the smallest group average at 1.2 inches. With the Federal rounds, I had a tight kidney-shaped four-shot group that measured just 0.76 inches, but a flyer opened it up to 1.74 inches. The group average was 1.58 inches. The same thing happened with the Ten-X ammo; a nasty flyer pushed a 1.13-inch four-shot group out to 2.84 inches. The average group size for this load was 2.39 inches.\n
Practical Testing<\/h3>\nFor some \u201cpractical\u201d shooting, I placed an anatomical deer target slightly uphill and behind some light cover to see how well the big .45-70 bullets would blast through light brush. With the All-Weather loaded, I walked up a little creek to a spot around 70 yards from the target and then engaged it from a standing, off-hand position as if I\u2019d been hunting and suddenly spotted my quarry. I did this three times using all three ammo brands. While I thought my aiming point would put the bullets in the boiler room, most of my shots were either too high or too low. My son, Jordan, was helping me that day, and he took a turn and scored the only heart shot. Lesson learned here: Practice, practice, practice before you go out into the field after game! If you can find a rest, that will definitely help, too.\n
\n \t
Field Ready<\/h3>\nAlong with its handy size and weight, I was very pleased with the accuracy potential of the Henry All-Weather. The wood and metal finishes are certainly durable, and I was relieved to find the recoil pad did a fine job.\n\nAny negatives? The most glaring was the inner magazine tube and locking mechanism. There had to have been rough places inside the outer magazine tube, as the brass inner tube was scored and very difficult to pull out or even to turn and unlock for removal. I also would assume that \u201cAll-Weather\u201d would imply checkering on the pistol grip and forend, as wet wood can be very slippery. However, that being said, I think the Henry All-Weather will make the perfect companion for big-game hunting, wandering in the woods or any just-in-case scenario.\n
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\r\n\t
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The Model 1895, however, accepted higher-powered spitzer cartridges with pointed-nose bullets, and loading pointed bullets tip-to-primer increased the potential of an accidental primer detonation. But, by incorporating a box magazine, the cartridges could be stacked horizontally, curbing the risk of primer mishaps. The Model 1895 had two distinct frame styles. Rifles made between 1895 and 1896, within the first 5,000 models, sported a \u201cflatside\u201d frame with no fluting or ridge contours. The remaining 420,000 rifles had frames with fluting and ridges. The Model 1895 was another favorite of Theodore Roosevelt. He used one on his 1909 African safari that was chambered in .405 Winchester. For more information on Winchester lever-action rifles, visit\u00a0winchesterguns.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article was originally published in \"The Complete Book of Guns\" 2018 #200. To get a copy, visit outdoorgroupstore.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","post_title":"7 Most Iconic Winchester Lever-Action Rifles","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"winchester-lever-action-rifles","to_ping":"","pinged":"\nhttps:\/\/www.personaldefenseworld.com\/2015\/05\/6-manufacturers-selling-lever-action-rifles-for-home-defense-or-hunting\/#lever-sb-1-winchester-model-94","post_modified":"2023-10-31 22:43:07","post_modified_gmt":"2023-11-01 02:43:07","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2017\/10\/10\/winchester-lever-action-rifles\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":99826,"post_author":"374","post_date":"2017-07-24 09:00:16","post_date_gmt":"2017-07-24 13:00:16","post_content":"\n\nHenry Repeating Arms<\/a> brought the Henry name back into the firearms business in 1996 with the introduction of the American-made Golden Boy, a lever-action .22 LR rifle with a shiny, gold-colored receiver, a blued barrel and magazine tube, and a walnut stock. Since that time, Henry has expanded into the centerfire rifle market with long guns suitable for Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS), hunting and general utilitarian outdoors use. One of the latest offerings in this last category is the Henry All-Weather.\n\nThis full-sized rifle has a carbine-length barrel and comes in two configurations: the Model H009AW in .30-30 with a straight-wrist stock and the Model H010AW in .45-70 Government with a pistol-grip stock. Both have the same metal and wood finish treatment, but I opted to try out the Henry All-Weather in .45-70, a big hard-hitting, brush-bucking cartridge that will really get the job done.\n From the pioneer to the soldier, to the Texas Rangers\u2014the oldest statewide law enforcement agency in America\u2014serious men have carried and used lever-action rifles to feed families, defend their homes, fight wars and protect settlers on the frontier from criminals and hostile Indians. As time passed, more people moved to bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles for a variety of reasons. Yet, the lever gun has remained a favorite with many in the United States.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Does the lever-action rifle still have a role as a personal-defense or LE patrol firearm? While every platform has its strengths and weaknesses, I believe that the lever gun can still admirably serve law-abiding homeowners\/homesteaders and certain lawmen patrolling \u201cwild country.\u201d There is no doubt that these guns can be powerful and accurate. From low-velocity .38 Special loads to powerful wildcats like the .50 Alaskan, lever-action rifles can be chambered in a variety of power levels to meet your needs.<\/p>\r\n However, like any platform, the lever-action rifle does have weaknesses that a shooter should learn to work around. One of the problems with a lever gun is that the shooter must pull down to work the action. In the majority of cases, this is not a weakness. But if you are shooting from a prone or lying down position, pulling down on the lever can require you to move both the gun and your body. With a bolt action or semi-auto, this additional body movement is generally not required.<\/p>\r\n Like many defensive shotguns, a lever action uses a tubular magazine. This limits its ammunition capacity. A modern defensive rifle like the AR-15 uses detachable magazines that come in various capacities, with the standard being 30 rounds. These magazines are fast to change out and can even be had in much larger capacities. Granted, a lever-action rifle can be topped off during a lull in combat, but that requires the availability of loose rounds stored on the gun or person. Even so, a lever action\u2019s capacity and reload speed will never surpass a modern defensive rifle\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Tubular magazines also limit the kinds of ammunition that can be used in the gun. Typically, only soft, blunt bullets can be used for lever-action ammunition. Since the rounds are loaded nose-to-primer, it is possible for a drop or even recoil to cause a round in the magazine to fire. This handicap is overcome, however, with the increased use of polymer-tipped bullets. Hornady\u2019s LEVERevolution line, for example, uses polymer-tipped bullets to really expand the possibilities of these guns. The downside is that the polymer tips can deform if stored for long periods of time in the gun. This suggests you would need to frequently rotate the ammunition in your home-defense rifle.<\/span><\/p>\r\n For this article, I took a look at a pair of lever-action rifles that are suitable for defensive use thanks to some 21st century upgrades.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Mossberg 464 SPX<\/b><\/p>\r\n To turn a lever action into a tactical workhorse, Mossberg reworked its venerable 464 rifle to produce the 464 SPX. Chambered in .30-30 Winchester, this gun has an M4-style collapsible buttstock, an A2-style flash suppressor and a matte blue finish. Mossberg integrated short Picatinny rails in the forend for the addition of a white light or laser. Both the pistol grip and forend are plastic and have deep grooves for an improved grip.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Standard on the 464 SPX are three-dot, fiber-optic sights. Mossberg uses contrasting colors\u2014red up front and lime green in the rear\u2014to make the sights very bright and easy to see. I found them easy to use in both outdoor and indoor lighting. In fact, using just the open sights, I was able to shoot sub-3-inch, five-shot groups at 100 yards with factory ammunition.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Both Hornady LEVERevolution and Winchester Super-X loads shot very well in this gun. The 160-grain LEVERevolution load from Hornady shot a best group of 2.75 inches while the Winchester had a best group of 3.5 inches. This particular rifle didn\u2019t care for Remington\u2019s Core-Lokt ammunition. My best five-shot group with this load clustered into 5.5 inches.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The trigger on the Mossberg 464 SPX wasn\u2019t bad at all. It broke cleanly at 4.75 pounds with no overtravel. The action was also relatively smooth.<\/span><\/p>\r\n One thing I discovered is that you have to have a precise grip to deactivate the trigger safety and fire the rifle. There is a small plunger under the lever handle. When the gun is properly gripped, the lever handle depresses the plunger and allows the trigger to move to the rear. If the handle is not gripped in precisely the correct manner, the plunger will not fully depress and the gun will not fire. While this does provide an increased level of safety against an accidental discharge, it also introduces a potential failure point in using the gun under the stresses and dynamic circumstances of a violent encounter. The safety should not preclude consideration of the gun, but you should be consciously aware of it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Mossberg also includes a manual safety on the top tang. For those who are familiar with the company\u2019s 500\/590 series shotguns, this safety works in the same way. It is ambidextrous and easily accessed with the thumb of the shooting hand. Pushing it forward places the gun in \u201cfire\u201d mode, while pulling it back prevents the rifle from discharging.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The 464 SPX is well balanced and consequently feels lighter than the 7-pound weight would suggest. This helps make the gun a good consideration for home defense, where movement and holding the rifle for a long period of time may be required. With the ability to add a mounted light to the gun, the Mossberg 464 SPX makes a lot of sense for someone who wants to keep a lever action for defense around the home.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Taylor\u2019s Ridge Runner<\/b><\/p>\r\n Chambered for the potent .45-70 Government cartridge, the 1886 Ridge Runner is a serious thumper. Available from Taylor\u2019s & Company Firearms, the gun combines classic and modern styling to produce a gun that is truly impressive when held in your hands. My test sample came with a wooden stock covered by black \u201cSoft Touch\u201d rubber for an incredible feel and a really sleek look. The butt of the stock had a rubber recoil pad. The rifle\u2019s metal parts had a matte black finish.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Pulling the trigger was a sweet experience. The pull had virtually no take-up with a clean break at 4.25 pounds. The action was smooth with no unusual hitches in its movement. It was also completely reliable in feeding and firing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n For targeting, the 1886 Ridge Runner uses a fiber-optic front sight paired with a rear peep sight. This combination works extremely well for me in terms of fast target acquisitions and accuracy. With most loads, I was able to shoot sub-4-inch five-shot groups at 100 yards with these sights while using a bag as a front support. For improved accuracy, the rear sight has an integrated Weaver rail that allows for the relatively easy addition of a scope. Since the rail is forward of the receiver, a long-eye-relief scout-type scope should work well in this location.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The gun feels slightly front heavy, but the weight helps to absorb the recoil of\u00a0the powerful .45-70 cartridge. To me, the felt recoil was no greater than any other medium-power cartridge, and significantly\u00a0less than a lightweight .30-30-type gun. The recoil was further mitigated through\u00a0the use of a muzzle brake.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n Taylor\u2019s uses a threaded barrel on the Ridge Runner rifle. Both a muzzle brake and a thread protector cap come with the gun. Adding a little more than 3 inches to the length of the barrel, the brake seemed to work very well to help tame recoil when screwed onto the gun. Since the brake adds more than 6 ounces to the end of the rifle, shooters that feel the gun is too front heavy already may wish to forgo the additional recoil attenuation.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The Ridge Runner is an impressive rifle. Its performance out of the box was flawless. In my mind, this gun makes for an excellent rifle in the field, where it could provide good defense against large animals in addition to human predators that may come around the homestead.<\/span><\/p>\r\n More Information<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n Specifications: Mossberg 464 SPX<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n The Model 1895, however, accepted higher-powered spitzer cartridges with pointed-nose bullets, and loading pointed bullets tip-to-primer increased the potential of an accidental primer detonation. But, by incorporating a box magazine, the cartridges could be stacked horizontally, curbing the risk of primer mishaps. The Model 1895 had two distinct frame styles. Rifles made between 1895 and 1896, within the first 5,000 models, sported a \u201cflatside\u201d frame with no fluting or ridge contours. The remaining 420,000 rifles had frames with fluting and ridges. The Model 1895 was another favorite of Theodore Roosevelt. He used one on his 1909 African safari that was chambered in .405 Winchester. For more information on Winchester lever-action rifles, visit\u00a0winchesterguns.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article was originally published in \"The Complete Book of Guns\" 2018 #200. To get a copy, visit outdoorgroupstore.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","post_title":"7 Most Iconic Winchester Lever-Action Rifles","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"winchester-lever-action-rifles","to_ping":"","pinged":"\nhttps:\/\/www.personaldefenseworld.com\/2015\/05\/6-manufacturers-selling-lever-action-rifles-for-home-defense-or-hunting\/#lever-sb-1-winchester-model-94","post_modified":"2023-10-31 22:43:07","post_modified_gmt":"2023-11-01 02:43:07","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2017\/10\/10\/winchester-lever-action-rifles\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":99826,"post_author":"374","post_date":"2017-07-24 09:00:16","post_date_gmt":"2017-07-24 13:00:16","post_content":"\n\nHenry Repeating Arms<\/a> brought the Henry name back into the firearms business in 1996 with the introduction of the American-made Golden Boy, a lever-action .22 LR rifle with a shiny, gold-colored receiver, a blued barrel and magazine tube, and a walnut stock. Since that time, Henry has expanded into the centerfire rifle market with long guns suitable for Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS), hunting and general utilitarian outdoors use. One of the latest offerings in this last category is the Henry All-Weather.\n\nThis full-sized rifle has a carbine-length barrel and comes in two configurations: the Model H009AW in .30-30 with a straight-wrist stock and the Model H010AW in .45-70 Government with a pistol-grip stock. Both have the same metal and wood finish treatment, but I opted to try out the Henry All-Weather in .45-70, a big hard-hitting, brush-bucking cartridge that will really get the job done.\n From the pioneer to the soldier, to the Texas Rangers\u2014the oldest statewide law enforcement agency in America\u2014serious men have carried and used lever-action rifles to feed families, defend their homes, fight wars and protect settlers on the frontier from criminals and hostile Indians. As time passed, more people moved to bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles for a variety of reasons. Yet, the lever gun has remained a favorite with many in the United States.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Does the lever-action rifle still have a role as a personal-defense or LE patrol firearm? While every platform has its strengths and weaknesses, I believe that the lever gun can still admirably serve law-abiding homeowners\/homesteaders and certain lawmen patrolling \u201cwild country.\u201d There is no doubt that these guns can be powerful and accurate. From low-velocity .38 Special loads to powerful wildcats like the .50 Alaskan, lever-action rifles can be chambered in a variety of power levels to meet your needs.<\/p>\r\n However, like any platform, the lever-action rifle does have weaknesses that a shooter should learn to work around. One of the problems with a lever gun is that the shooter must pull down to work the action. In the majority of cases, this is not a weakness. But if you are shooting from a prone or lying down position, pulling down on the lever can require you to move both the gun and your body. With a bolt action or semi-auto, this additional body movement is generally not required.<\/p>\r\n Like many defensive shotguns, a lever action uses a tubular magazine. This limits its ammunition capacity. A modern defensive rifle like the AR-15 uses detachable magazines that come in various capacities, with the standard being 30 rounds. These magazines are fast to change out and can even be had in much larger capacities. Granted, a lever-action rifle can be topped off during a lull in combat, but that requires the availability of loose rounds stored on the gun or person. Even so, a lever action\u2019s capacity and reload speed will never surpass a modern defensive rifle\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Tubular magazines also limit the kinds of ammunition that can be used in the gun. Typically, only soft, blunt bullets can be used for lever-action ammunition. Since the rounds are loaded nose-to-primer, it is possible for a drop or even recoil to cause a round in the magazine to fire. This handicap is overcome, however, with the increased use of polymer-tipped bullets. Hornady\u2019s LEVERevolution line, for example, uses polymer-tipped bullets to really expand the possibilities of these guns. The downside is that the polymer tips can deform if stored for long periods of time in the gun. This suggests you would need to frequently rotate the ammunition in your home-defense rifle.<\/span><\/p>\r\n For this article, I took a look at a pair of lever-action rifles that are suitable for defensive use thanks to some 21st century upgrades.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Mossberg 464 SPX<\/b><\/p>\r\n To turn a lever action into a tactical workhorse, Mossberg reworked its venerable 464 rifle to produce the 464 SPX. Chambered in .30-30 Winchester, this gun has an M4-style collapsible buttstock, an A2-style flash suppressor and a matte blue finish. Mossberg integrated short Picatinny rails in the forend for the addition of a white light or laser. Both the pistol grip and forend are plastic and have deep grooves for an improved grip.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Standard on the 464 SPX are three-dot, fiber-optic sights. Mossberg uses contrasting colors\u2014red up front and lime green in the rear\u2014to make the sights very bright and easy to see. I found them easy to use in both outdoor and indoor lighting. In fact, using just the open sights, I was able to shoot sub-3-inch, five-shot groups at 100 yards with factory ammunition.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Both Hornady LEVERevolution and Winchester Super-X loads shot very well in this gun. The 160-grain LEVERevolution load from Hornady shot a best group of 2.75 inches while the Winchester had a best group of 3.5 inches. This particular rifle didn\u2019t care for Remington\u2019s Core-Lokt ammunition. My best five-shot group with this load clustered into 5.5 inches.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The trigger on the Mossberg 464 SPX wasn\u2019t bad at all. It broke cleanly at 4.75 pounds with no overtravel. The action was also relatively smooth.<\/span><\/p>\r\n One thing I discovered is that you have to have a precise grip to deactivate the trigger safety and fire the rifle. There is a small plunger under the lever handle. When the gun is properly gripped, the lever handle depresses the plunger and allows the trigger to move to the rear. If the handle is not gripped in precisely the correct manner, the plunger will not fully depress and the gun will not fire. While this does provide an increased level of safety against an accidental discharge, it also introduces a potential failure point in using the gun under the stresses and dynamic circumstances of a violent encounter. The safety should not preclude consideration of the gun, but you should be consciously aware of it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Mossberg also includes a manual safety on the top tang. For those who are familiar with the company\u2019s 500\/590 series shotguns, this safety works in the same way. It is ambidextrous and easily accessed with the thumb of the shooting hand. Pushing it forward places the gun in \u201cfire\u201d mode, while pulling it back prevents the rifle from discharging.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The 464 SPX is well balanced and consequently feels lighter than the 7-pound weight would suggest. This helps make the gun a good consideration for home defense, where movement and holding the rifle for a long period of time may be required. With the ability to add a mounted light to the gun, the Mossberg 464 SPX makes a lot of sense for someone who wants to keep a lever action for defense around the home.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Taylor\u2019s Ridge Runner<\/b><\/p>\r\n Chambered for the potent .45-70 Government cartridge, the 1886 Ridge Runner is a serious thumper. Available from Taylor\u2019s & Company Firearms, the gun combines classic and modern styling to produce a gun that is truly impressive when held in your hands. My test sample came with a wooden stock covered by black \u201cSoft Touch\u201d rubber for an incredible feel and a really sleek look. The butt of the stock had a rubber recoil pad. The rifle\u2019s metal parts had a matte black finish.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Pulling the trigger was a sweet experience. The pull had virtually no take-up with a clean break at 4.25 pounds. The action was smooth with no unusual hitches in its movement. It was also completely reliable in feeding and firing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n For targeting, the 1886 Ridge Runner uses a fiber-optic front sight paired with a rear peep sight. This combination works extremely well for me in terms of fast target acquisitions and accuracy. With most loads, I was able to shoot sub-4-inch five-shot groups at 100 yards with these sights while using a bag as a front support. For improved accuracy, the rear sight has an integrated Weaver rail that allows for the relatively easy addition of a scope. Since the rail is forward of the receiver, a long-eye-relief scout-type scope should work well in this location.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The gun feels slightly front heavy, but the weight helps to absorb the recoil of\u00a0the powerful .45-70 cartridge. To me, the felt recoil was no greater than any other medium-power cartridge, and significantly\u00a0less than a lightweight .30-30-type gun. The recoil was further mitigated through\u00a0the use of a muzzle brake.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n Taylor\u2019s uses a threaded barrel on the Ridge Runner rifle. Both a muzzle brake and a thread protector cap come with the gun. Adding a little more than 3 inches to the length of the barrel, the brake seemed to work very well to help tame recoil when screwed onto the gun. Since the brake adds more than 6 ounces to the end of the rifle, shooters that feel the gun is too front heavy already may wish to forgo the additional recoil attenuation.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The Ridge Runner is an impressive rifle. Its performance out of the box was flawless. In my mind, this gun makes for an excellent rifle in the field, where it could provide good defense against large animals in addition to human predators that may come around the homestead.<\/span><\/p>\r\n More Information<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n Specifications: Mossberg 464 SPX<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\nHenry All-Weather<\/h3>\nThe Henry All-Weather has hard chrome plating on all of its steel parts, except for the bolt, internal springs and sights. The hardwood buttstock and forend have a durable, black-colored coating. These special finishes will stand up to the wear and tear of a working firearm and allow the gun to operate in any environmental condition with reliability and accuracy.\n\nThe hard chrome that gives the All-Weather the look of brushed stainless steel is permanently bonded to the steel and won\u2019t chip, flake or peel, making it even more rust resistant than some stainless steels. The hardwood stock has a unique coating that\u2019s designed to resist scratching, and it will stand up to moisture and temperature variations that can cause warpage.\n
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Sights & Glass<\/h3>\nGiven this rifle\u2019s intended uses, I wanted it to be as versatile as possible, and one area I concentrated on was redundancy in sighting equipment. While the factory sights are sturdy and effective, my aging eyes do better with peep sights or optics, so I decided to add both to the Henry All-Weather.\n\nSkinner Sights<\/a> makes a peep sight that is also fashioned so it can serve as a scope mount. I ordered a stainless steel Express sight, which came with a black, 0.096-inch aperture. The rest of the sight has a brushed satin finish, which makes it look like it was made just for the All-Weather. All I had to do was take the tap screws out of the Henry receiver and screw on the Skinner Express sight using the mounting screws that were provided. The sight is adjustable for windage and elevation. The sight also came with a set of medium-height, all-steel Brownells\/Warne 7.3 Series scope rings<\/a> for 1-inch scope tubes.\n\nFor glass, I chose a Burris Droptine 3-9x40mm riflescope<\/a>. Measuring 12.2 inches long and weighing 13 ounces, it has a Ballistic Plex reticle and Hi-Lume-coated lenses for better low-light performance and glare reduction. The turret knobs are protected by screw-on caps, and \u201csteel on steel\u201d adjustments ensure repeatable accuracy. The solid scope tube is nitrogen filled to prevent internal fogging, and it\u2019s durable enough to withstand heavy shocks.\n
Rounds Downrange<\/h3>\nI chose three different factory cartridges in .45-70 to test the Henry All-Weather, including rounds that would be useful on medium to large game animals or other dangerous targets, so the first was Federal<\/a>\u2019s Vital-Shok ammo. These rounds have nickel-plated cartridge cases and are topped with 300-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw<\/a> bullets that expand reliably and retain 95 percent of their weight in even the toughest of targets. Next up was Hornady<\/a>\u2019s 325-grain LeveRevolution FTX ammo, which is designed for safe use in tubular magazines while offering superb terminal ballistics. For a general shooting load, I selected \u201ccowboy cartridges\u201d from Ten-X Ammunition<\/a> with 405-grain lead flat-nose (LFN) bullets.\n\nAfter zeroing the Burris scope in at 50 yards, I cranked it up to 6X to tackle some 17-inch-diameter targets with big red bullseyes. Some .45-70s can be painful to shoot\u2014especially if they have crescent buttplates\u2014so I pressed the Henry\u2019s trigger with some trepidation, which may account for some of my larger groups, plus a small dose of the \u201c4+1 Syndrome.\u201d My best official five-shot group measured 0.98 inches with the Hornady ammo, and it also gave the smallest group average at 1.2 inches. With the Federal rounds, I had a tight kidney-shaped four-shot group that measured just 0.76 inches, but a flyer opened it up to 1.74 inches. The group average was 1.58 inches. The same thing happened with the Ten-X ammo; a nasty flyer pushed a 1.13-inch four-shot group out to 2.84 inches. The average group size for this load was 2.39 inches.\n
Practical Testing<\/h3>\nFor some \u201cpractical\u201d shooting, I placed an anatomical deer target slightly uphill and behind some light cover to see how well the big .45-70 bullets would blast through light brush. With the All-Weather loaded, I walked up a little creek to a spot around 70 yards from the target and then engaged it from a standing, off-hand position as if I\u2019d been hunting and suddenly spotted my quarry. I did this three times using all three ammo brands. While I thought my aiming point would put the bullets in the boiler room, most of my shots were either too high or too low. My son, Jordan, was helping me that day, and he took a turn and scored the only heart shot. Lesson learned here: Practice, practice, practice before you go out into the field after game! If you can find a rest, that will definitely help, too.\n
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Field Ready<\/h3>\nAlong with its handy size and weight, I was very pleased with the accuracy potential of the Henry All-Weather. The wood and metal finishes are certainly durable, and I was relieved to find the recoil pad did a fine job.\n\nAny negatives? The most glaring was the inner magazine tube and locking mechanism. There had to have been rough places inside the outer magazine tube, as the brass inner tube was scored and very difficult to pull out or even to turn and unlock for removal. I also would assume that \u201cAll-Weather\u201d would imply checkering on the pistol grip and forend, as wet wood can be very slippery. However, that being said, I think the Henry All-Weather will make the perfect companion for big-game hunting, wandering in the woods or any just-in-case scenario.\n
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RELATED STORY: 6 Manufacturers Selling Lever-Action Rifles For Home Defense Or Hunting<\/a><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Henry All-Weather<\/h3>\nThe Henry All-Weather has hard chrome plating on all of its steel parts, except for the bolt, internal springs and sights. The hardwood buttstock and forend have a durable, black-colored coating. These special finishes will stand up to the wear and tear of a working firearm and allow the gun to operate in any environmental condition with reliability and accuracy.\n\nThe hard chrome that gives the All-Weather the look of brushed stainless steel is permanently bonded to the steel and won\u2019t chip, flake or peel, making it even more rust resistant than some stainless steels. The hardwood stock has a unique coating that\u2019s designed to resist scratching, and it will stand up to moisture and temperature variations that can cause warpage.\n
\n \t
Sights & Glass<\/h3>\nGiven this rifle\u2019s intended uses, I wanted it to be as versatile as possible, and one area I concentrated on was redundancy in sighting equipment. While the factory sights are sturdy and effective, my aging eyes do better with peep sights or optics, so I decided to add both to the Henry All-Weather.\n\nSkinner Sights<\/a> makes a peep sight that is also fashioned so it can serve as a scope mount. I ordered a stainless steel Express sight, which came with a black, 0.096-inch aperture. The rest of the sight has a brushed satin finish, which makes it look like it was made just for the All-Weather. All I had to do was take the tap screws out of the Henry receiver and screw on the Skinner Express sight using the mounting screws that were provided. The sight is adjustable for windage and elevation. The sight also came with a set of medium-height, all-steel Brownells\/Warne 7.3 Series scope rings<\/a> for 1-inch scope tubes.\n\nFor glass, I chose a Burris Droptine 3-9x40mm riflescope<\/a>. Measuring 12.2 inches long and weighing 13 ounces, it has a Ballistic Plex reticle and Hi-Lume-coated lenses for better low-light performance and glare reduction. The turret knobs are protected by screw-on caps, and \u201csteel on steel\u201d adjustments ensure repeatable accuracy. The solid scope tube is nitrogen filled to prevent internal fogging, and it\u2019s durable enough to withstand heavy shocks.\n
Rounds Downrange<\/h3>\nI chose three different factory cartridges in .45-70 to test the Henry All-Weather, including rounds that would be useful on medium to large game animals or other dangerous targets, so the first was Federal<\/a>\u2019s Vital-Shok ammo. These rounds have nickel-plated cartridge cases and are topped with 300-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw<\/a> bullets that expand reliably and retain 95 percent of their weight in even the toughest of targets. Next up was Hornady<\/a>\u2019s 325-grain LeveRevolution FTX ammo, which is designed for safe use in tubular magazines while offering superb terminal ballistics. For a general shooting load, I selected \u201ccowboy cartridges\u201d from Ten-X Ammunition<\/a> with 405-grain lead flat-nose (LFN) bullets.\n\nAfter zeroing the Burris scope in at 50 yards, I cranked it up to 6X to tackle some 17-inch-diameter targets with big red bullseyes. Some .45-70s can be painful to shoot\u2014especially if they have crescent buttplates\u2014so I pressed the Henry\u2019s trigger with some trepidation, which may account for some of my larger groups, plus a small dose of the \u201c4+1 Syndrome.\u201d My best official five-shot group measured 0.98 inches with the Hornady ammo, and it also gave the smallest group average at 1.2 inches. With the Federal rounds, I had a tight kidney-shaped four-shot group that measured just 0.76 inches, but a flyer opened it up to 1.74 inches. The group average was 1.58 inches. The same thing happened with the Ten-X ammo; a nasty flyer pushed a 1.13-inch four-shot group out to 2.84 inches. The average group size for this load was 2.39 inches.\n
Practical Testing<\/h3>\nFor some \u201cpractical\u201d shooting, I placed an anatomical deer target slightly uphill and behind some light cover to see how well the big .45-70 bullets would blast through light brush. With the All-Weather loaded, I walked up a little creek to a spot around 70 yards from the target and then engaged it from a standing, off-hand position as if I\u2019d been hunting and suddenly spotted my quarry. I did this three times using all three ammo brands. While I thought my aiming point would put the bullets in the boiler room, most of my shots were either too high or too low. My son, Jordan, was helping me that day, and he took a turn and scored the only heart shot. Lesson learned here: Practice, practice, practice before you go out into the field after game! If you can find a rest, that will definitely help, too.\n
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Field Ready<\/h3>\nAlong with its handy size and weight, I was very pleased with the accuracy potential of the Henry All-Weather. The wood and metal finishes are certainly durable, and I was relieved to find the recoil pad did a fine job.\n\nAny negatives? The most glaring was the inner magazine tube and locking mechanism. There had to have been rough places inside the outer magazine tube, as the brass inner tube was scored and very difficult to pull out or even to turn and unlock for removal. I also would assume that \u201cAll-Weather\u201d would imply checkering on the pistol grip and forend, as wet wood can be very slippery. However, that being said, I think the Henry All-Weather will make the perfect companion for big-game hunting, wandering in the woods or any just-in-case scenario.\n
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