The general consensus, on the inter net anyway , is that the bolt action is the pinnacle of consistency in shot placement.

and although semi auto rifle are getting better and better ,over the years many consider them to be above acceptable.

I wonder where the lever action configuration falls?

are there lever action competitions ?

what yardages would they use? 250? 350, 500 yds.?
are there open sight and optic's classifications?

Bolt action is the most accurate rifle platform. With or without the webz.

Semi-autos can be very accurate, if the shooter is up to the task. Many shooters aren't up to the task. DI ARs are likely the most accurate platform.

To my knowledge, nobody builds lever action rifles which are meant to be in the accuracy league of the best bolt and semi auto actions.

I believe that most of those who compete with lever actions rifles do so in Cowboy Action Shooting. I recall distances are generally no more than 50 yards. NRA has cowboy action silhouette (steel targets shaped like animals) with distances out to 200 yards. I think only iron sights are allowed.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I wonder where the lever action configuration falls?

Most likely the tube magazine.
The bullet shape cannot be ideal for long range since they have to avoid a pointed tip hitting a primer and setting off a round in the tube.
A box type magazine could be used but that kind of defeats the purpose of the lever action.

Hornady's Leverevolution ammo is a step forward in increasing range but is still not optimal.

so for short range , its fine,just fine, but its very limited past 250 yards ?

maybe since ruger is open to making everything and anything for everybody these days.

Perhaps they can make a 7 round .243 win, a 6.5 creedmor and a .308 win, box fed lever action gun

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
so for short range , its fine,just fine, but its very limited past 250 yards ?

maybe since ruger is open to making everything and anything for everybody these days.

Perhaps they can make a 7 round .243 win, a 6.5 creedmor and a .308 win, box fed lever action gun

Browning already does with the BLR, and then some; while not on par with turnbolts, they are quite accurate. Ruger's few lever guns have always been utilitarian (think model 96) and would be unlikely to create one as nice as the BLR without it being very pricey.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
maybe since ruger is open to making everything and anything for everybody these days.

Perhaps they can make a 7 round .243 win, a 6.5 creedmor and a .308 win, box fed lever action gun

Lever guns are a niche market, and makers tend to stick to traditional lever rifle calibers, namely cowboy calibers, pistol calibers, hunting calibers specifically designed for lever guns like .30-30, and big bore "thumper" rounds like .45-70. All of those, along with the functionality of lever guns, are best suited for shorter ranges.

Lever rifles in a longer-ranged full power modern rifle cartridge are very much a niche of a niche, and while they were a mildly popular choice for a period a few generations ago (think Teddy Roosevelt), they are slow sellers these days. There are a few companies that do/did offer lever rifles over the years in calibers like .30-06, .308, .243, and .223, such as the Winchester 1895, Winchester 88, Henry Long Ranger, and Browning BLR. But even many of those are long discontinued.

So I think it's unlikely that companies like Ruger would be interested in branching out to produce more of those. There's just not enough demand. Especially in a long range caliber like 6.5 Creedmore, for which the more accurate precision bolt rifles are much better suited.

There are competitions that involve lever actions.


Cowboy Action Shooting mostly.

Where people shoot mousefart loads at big targets, ridiculously fast.

It is impressive to see how fast some of those guys and gals can work a revolver or lever action.

Not my cup of tea but it is fairly popular.


Lever actions have their own niche, as some others have mentioned.

They aren't particularly well suited to long range precision, for a variety of reasons.

Lever action silhouette has a pretty decent following, relatively speaking of course.

My experience with lever actions would indicate their accuracy is limited by the "buckhorn" type sights that are mounted on them. I often don't even bother to shoot a new to me lever gun until I switch out the stock sights with Williams receiver sights. The difference is remarkable. I have a pawn shop Marlin 336 that I mounted a Williams sight on and it will do around 1.5 MOA at 100 yards if I work at it off a bench. Not bad for iron sights. Forearm and barrel band fit may affect accuracy too. Will my levers out shoot a good bolt gun? Maybe not, but they can be quite good. The cartridges used do limit the performance so they are 150 yard guns for the most part.

My dad has a browning BLR in 308 that he used to hunt elk with, it was a good gun, accurate enough to kill elk at 200yds which isn’t really saying much.

One thing I’ll always remember is him slipping in deep mud and enduring up taking quite awhile to get his gun apart and cleaned up. Had it been a bolt gun it would have been easier.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
maybe since ruger is open to making everything and anything for everybody these days.

Perhaps they can make a 7 round .243 win, a 6.5 creedmor and a .308 win, box fed lever action gun

I seriously doubt it will happen. Limited market, limited sales, substantial investment in development and tooling. All for a rifle that won't have the accuracy of bolt action, has more small & complex parts in the action, and is more difficult to clean when dirty.

If you want something chambered in 243, 6.5, or 308 just get a bolt gun.

and is more difficult to clean when dirty.

clean?
they need cleaning?

quote:

Originally posted by newmexican:
My dad has a browning BLR in 308 that he used to hunt elk with, it was a good gun, accurate enough to kill elk at 200yds which isn’t really saying much.

One thing I’ll always remember is him slipping in deep mud and enduring up taking quite awhile to get his gun apart and cleaned up. Had it been a bolt gun it would have been easier.

\

The BLR is notoriously difficult to disassemble and reassemble properly. In fact, it is better not to do it; It would be better to remove the butt, gently scrub wherever you can reach with a toothbrush style brush with Hoppes, and then spray out with Bore cleaner/carb cleaner/brake cleen, (whatever your preference), then re-oil. Remember to hang from the barrel end so all fluids stay away from the handguard.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
and is more difficult to clean when dirty.

clean?
they need cleaning?

Do you even own and shoot firearms?

shoot on a regular basis, not as much as I used to , no where near as much as I used to

cowboy loads are mostly bunny farts, they are stronger than mouse farts, a little.
Some cowboy matches shoot .45-70 at 300 yards on steel buffalo targets. Those are full power loads. My JM Marlin model 1895 shoots a 325 grain Hornady Leverevolution. About 2100 fps at the muzzle, and a 28" drop at 300 yards. I shoot it with a Williams receiver sight, although I have shot it with the buckhorn rear, maybe 3 hits out of 5 with thebuckhorn.

What you are looking for is Black Powder Cartridge Rifle (or BPCR). https://www.bpcr.net/

Good grief, some these replies are close to driving me over the edge. A reminder folks, there are lever action rifles that ARE NOT fed by a magazine tube.

For example the 1895 Winchester, Teddy Roosevelt's favorite rifle.

For example the Savage model 99. The grandfather ?? of the 308 was the 300 Savage.

For example the Ruger No. One, a rifle with an excellent reputation for accuracy. Yeah, it is a single shot lever action but the breech is opened by dropping the lever.

Which leads me to my final example, a rifle that was one of the finest choices for 1000 yard competitions in later 1800's, the Sharps Rifle.

PS; I have a 1892 Winchester that a previous owner had re-barreled in 357 Magnum by Winchester and have shot consecutive 1 inch five shot groups at 100 yards with a Range Master acting as a spotter/coach. Note, I did add a Marble's peep sight to this rifle so I did have the benefit of a much longer sight radius.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
The general consensus, on the inter net anyway , is that the bolt action is the pinnacle of consistency in shot placement.

and although semi auto rifle are getting better and better ,over the years many consider them to be above acceptable.

I wonder where the lever action configuration falls?

are there lever action competitions ?

what yardages would they use? 250? 350, 500 yds.?
are there open sight and optic's classifications?

This was listed in the paper today.

http://billingsgazette.com/lif...urce=home-the-latest

PC

while searching "Buffalo guns", I found this as well,
https://www.quigleymatch.com/

it looks like it would be a hoot and a half

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable,