Multi purpose rifle

I have never owned a BLR, but I sold dozens of them during the years that I worked sporting good retail, and they were very well liked. The magnum guns can end up a little heavy, but a .308 take down Scout version with the right scope could be a VERY nice rig.
 
rhino said:
How rugged are lever guns in general?

I've been in rifle classes (urban carbine) with a guy who used a lever gun, and it just wasn't up to the task of that volume of fire in a short period. On the other hand, I know a lot of cowboy shooters put many thousands of round downrange with theirs, but I don't know if they are modified in some way to do that reliably.

But for this task, the rifle won't be used to shoot a thousand rounds over three days. On the other hand, it will get knocked around and otherwise abused.

Forgive me for my ignorance of lever guns . . . I've shot them, but I've never owned one.
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That's a great question. I don't know in general. I've only owned a few and never had any problems, although I have never put that type of volume of fire through them. Kind of cool the guy went to a carbine class with a lever gun though. Now that's old school! Wan't Gunsite by chance was it?
 
The action is pretty rugged. These have been hunting rifles for many, many years by folks without respect for the firearm as anything but a basic tool, like a hammer or truck bed. Those rifles are probably still sitting in a closet waiting till the next season.

The levergun has also seen war, once upon a time. They've sat in who knows how many saddle rigs and just as many truck cabs.

It's not my personal favorite and I believe there are more rugged actions, but I wouldn't admonish anyone for their decision to keep a levergun in hand when things were rough.

One small consideration, however, might be that these are not usually designed to be 'field stripped' easily. You will likely need some tools to do a good job, or at least have a few small parts involved. If you're careful, these things aren't deal-breakers, but it's something to think about.
 
Fieldtestornothing said:
That's a great question. I don't know in general. I've only owned a few and never had any problems, although I have never put that type of volume of fire through them. Kind of cool the guy went to a carbine class with a lever gun though. Now that's old school! Wan't Gunsite by chance was it?
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Nope, it was a Louis Awerbuck class in 2003 (I think). I have yet to make the pilgrimage to Shooting Mecca (aka Gunsite). If we can trust my memory, it was a model 1894 replica chambered in .45 Colt. The actual caliber may be part of the problem, as I have read .45 Colt isn't the greatest choice for them.

If I were going to use a lever gun, I'd need to get it customized a bit. At the very least, I'd want one of those enlarged levers that provide a lot more room for your fingers. When I've tried to use lever guns in the past, working the action with my pudgy fingers in there was not comfy.

There is a renaissance of lever guns of sorts underway, in case some don't know. Hornady has some .30-30 loads (and perhaps other calibers) with pointed, polymer tips that greatly enhance both the exterior and terminal ballistics of the ammunition over the conventional loads with flat ended bullets. Lever gun afficionados should check it out.
 
The lever action rifle, aka the Cowboy (or Redneck) Assault Rifle. Since the rifle obviously work, the calibers are proven, and the price is right if you buy one with the cheaper wood, it's hard to argue with them.

You get alot less stares with a 30/30 levergun in your hand or vehicle than you do with an AR15. However, the original posts says that he already has one but wants a takedown rifle. I'm at a loss because I doubt a take down BLR is much smaller than a 30/30 or pistol caliber lever carbine. I know that a scout rifle isn't much smaller.

Just saw a 30/30 Trapper Takedown model on gunsamerica.com for only $5500!
 
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