This will be an very interesting discussion for those whom own or are interested in Pump and/or Lever Rifles. IMHO having had many Marlins and Winchesters the lever guns were for shooting up to 125 yards and usually used for areas with heavier cover because they were/are only produced in calibers which use flat tipped bullets. Pumps on the other hand could handle pointed tiped bullets since most had a rotary or straight magazine feed and were/are produced in the longer range calibers. Now the thing is with the Browning BLR lever you can get a lever gun that handles the longer range bullets with pointed tips and a magazine. I still love my Winchester 94's, have three of them in .44 Mag, .30-30, and .375 but the BLR really out shines them since there are no caliber restrictions with the BLR. Most of the pump rifles out there use a magazine just like the BLR. I have a 760 in .308 and love it, but the action to me is much smoother in the BLR than the pumping action. My dad has had my 760 .308 for the last 8-10 years and he absolutely loves it, but he's a Pump only kinda guy when it comes to shotguns and deer rifles.
Give use your opinions, likes, dislikes, preferences, and what works and doesn't for you.
I will take any you are giving away but am switching to auto loaders, or at least trying.
Yeah OK Frank, not... My next topic will be autoloaders or levers.... Been there done that...
just my preference, of course I think the AR platform is the best sporting rifle platform ever made.
the browning lever, and older savage's are in a class by themselves, truly long range capable and the only ones I might bend my rule and put a scope on to take advantage of the longer range cartriges they can use. between winchester and marlin I prefer older winchester for the better quality wood and sleeker/thinner lines, but theres nothing wrong with marlin. to go off topic for a sec Frank I think you've finaly lost it. an AR for the best sporting arm platform? IMO for bolt action Paul Mauser and everything else (and it's a long list) the worlds greatest gun designer hailing from the USA JOHN M. BROWNING : THE LEVER ACTION RIFLE AND SHOTGUN, 1911 45ACP SEMI AUTO PISTOL, MACHINE GUNS (SEVERAL ) the BAR, M1 GARAND, the sweet 16 and genre of humpback auto shotguns, DOUBLE BARRELED SHOTGUNS, multiple pistols the HI power 9mm, just a few off the top of my head nobody will ever come close to his record of accomplishments. notable mentions to Sam Colt, Kalishnakov, Stoner, and Williams
