15 Best Lever Action Rifles [2021]

The lever-action rifle started as a lethal weapon during the American Civil War, but they are now collected and used by many firearms enthusiasts. Folks don’t call it America’s rifle for anything — it holds a lot of history. Lever-action rifles have a classic Western look and feel. It also makes you think about cowboys and horseback rides. Many shooters still continue using them despite their old age. Maybe there’s something about their simple operation, elegant look, and tough build that most shooters gain a liking to this type of rifle.

In this article, we’ll give you the lowdown on the best lever-action rifles.

First, however, let’s talk about lever-action guns.

How Do Lever Action Rifles Work?

The concept of the lever action’s operation is somewhat similar to a bolt action. Using the lever is like charging the handle of the bolt and semi-automatics. In addition, lever-action rifles use a manually operated cocking handle located near the trigger guard. The lever can also work as a trigger guard in some rifle models. You use the lever to load new cartridges while simultaneously ejecting used ones in the chamber. Moreover, the rifle’s design has the lever connected to the bolt that loads a new round in the chamber. Furthermore, lever-action rifles also use a tubular magazine that’s located below the barrel. Working the lever allows the rifle to pull out a fresh round from the magazine.

Lever-action rifles immediately became popular after it was introduced. The most famous model is the Winchester Model 1873. Meanwhile, the most commercially successful is the Henry lever action, which soldiers used during the United States Civil War, including Spencer’s rifle. Lever actions have a variety of calibers and they can chamber powerful rounds. Additionally, they’re versatile. Use them for plinking, hunting, sports, self-defense, teaching, and target shooting. It’s a rifle that holds a long and legendary history with proven reliability. However, nowadays, most lever actions are limited and rare. Some manufacturers also discontinued producing them, making them a gun collector’s item.

Here’s a YouTube video by 3DGunner showing how a lever-action rifle works:

To show how to shoot a lever-action rifle, here’s a video below:

Pros and Cons of Lever-action Rifles

Of course, different types have their own purpose and advantages, including guns. So, here’s a list of the pros and cons of lever-action guns you need to take note of:

Lever-action Gun Buying Guide

Most of the lever-action rifles on our list exhibit the following characteristics. But if you found a rifle out of our shortlist, here’s a guide on the qualities you should look for when buying a lever rifle:

The 15 Best Lever-action Rifles

Winchester Model 94

Specs

John Browning designed the quintessential Western lever-action rifle for many shooters in the U.S. The Winchester Model 90 is an excellent self-defense weapon or hunting rifle. In addition, it wears a classic look with its color-case hardened finish that covers the steel receiver, lever, and forearm cap. It also sports a grade V/VI walnut grip stock and forearm.

The wood material of this rifle is exceptional and complements its look with bold grain patterns and a deep oil finish. The polished blue-bolt slide, trigger, and barrel also add to its classic design. It also features a rubber pad with a traditional buttplate that’s flush-fitted to the stock.

The Model 94 can wear a scope. It’s also lightweight and fast-handling. Moreover, it delivers a reliable rapid firing that’s powerful for medium-sized game. Additionally, its grip is comfortably textured that’s not overly aggressive. It’s also balanced, has low recoil, and provides a smokeless cartridge use.

The Model 94 sold 7 million units, and no other sporting rifle has reached those numbers. It made its name as the groundbreaking sporting rifle in American history. Therefore, getting a Model 94 is equal to owning an authentic piece of history in your hands.

Browning BLR

Specs

Even after the Browning BLR’s initial release in 1971, hunters continued to get their hands on this rifle. Browning manufactures quality rifles, and the BLR is one of those top-quality models that many shooters have been eyeing on.

The BLR comes in four different models, which include the lightweight, stainless steel, and takedown variants. All four models wear Browning’s iconic golden trigger. In addition, the BLR has a hammer with three distinct positions: full-cock, half-cock, and fired. It has no manual safety. Instead, the half-cock position doubles as a mechanical safety. Moreover, you can rotate the hammer easily once you need to fire it quickly.

The hammer is half-inch wide and easy to manipulate. You can also engage it using its flip-forward feature. It doesn’t need a scope because its standard iron sights work remarkably well for close-range hunting. Additionally, its front sights use gold or fiber-optic bead. Meanwhile, Browning positioned its rear sights low with a screw-adjustable notch.

Upon picking this rifle up, you’ll instantly notice its well-balanced profile. Therefore, it’s easy to handle, especially for hunters. Furthermore, you’ll get a smooth operation from this quality BLR lever-action rifle.

Marlin 1895G

Specs

Next is the Marlin 1895G, another lever-action rifle with a quick pointing feature and a classic style of chambering. Hunters refer to the Marlin 1895G as the “Guide Gun.” It features a laminated stock with a Cerakote finish. In addition, this rifle’s hardware has a stainless steel or polished blue finish, and the inside parts are smoothed and polished. Hence, it’s easy to maintain and clean.

On the back, you’ll see that it has a ventilated rubber recoil pad. Additionally, it has a flat top for easier optics mounting. It has a rail mount with a ghost ring aperture and sports an enlarged finger loop wrapped with a nylon parachute cord. The lever loop is also larger than most standard lever-action guns. Additionally, it wears a walnut stock sporting a pistol grip style and has a stock you can use with open sights.

The popular caliber for this rifle is the robust .40-70 Government. It is fast-handling and suitable for close-range self-defense use. You’ll find the Marlin 1895G in eight different models chambered in the .40-70 Government such as variants with a 22-inch barrel, 26-inch octagon barrel, and six versions with 18.5-inch barrels.

This lever-action beast works exceptionally at 400 yards, but it works best between 150 yards. It’s best for small to big game use, extremely accurate, has a crisp and clean trigger, and offers a hard-hitting round.

Henry Classic Lever Action

Specs

Henry is known for having its innovative design of the lever-action rifle. Because of this, its 1860 lever-action rifle became the first design being commercially successful. It made several models, and one of the best ones is the Henry Classic Lever Action. It’s a Western-style rifle that’s perfect for plinking and small game hunts. Additionally, it’s also affordable and equips itself with a thin and supple barrel that’s straightforward to handle.

It features a multiple-grooved, durable blued steel barrel, side ejection, adjustable rear sight, and hooded front sight. Moreover, it also comes equipped with a 3/8-inch grooved receiver for mounting a scope. The Henry Classic has well-laid-out controls, and your fingers can naturally rest to grip on the hammer. Additionally, you can squeeze it comfortably into a decocked position. This rifle also features a front-loading tube magazine that eliminates the side loading gate, another plus for reliability. It also wears an American walnut stock.

The rifle’s action is smooth. In addition, the popular caliber for this rifle is the .22 LR, making it accurate and easy to control, with a recoil that almost doesn’t exist. It’s also an excellent gun you can use to teach new shooters.

Marlin 336 Dark Series

Specs

This rifle looks like a modern take on the lever-action rifle. It’s painted black — especially its stock and forearm. In addition, the Dark Series of the Marlin 336 has features like brush-gun ballistics, hammer spur, and modern optics mounting. It’s also suppressor-ready.

The Model 336 Dark Series comes equipped with a wide stock that makes managing recoil easier. It also has a butt pad that locks on your shoulder comfortably. A distinct feature of this gun is its paracord sling, giving the rifle a modern look while making it easy to carry. Marlin also added a paracord wrap on the lever loop and swing.

Its barrel has an excellent balance and wears Marlin’s signature Micro-Groove rifling. However, some folks might find its trigger heavy, with a pull of 5.5 pounds, but it sure has a crisp break. The 336 Dark is very customizable and has a long rail for adding optics, lights, and other accessories you want to add. Moreover, its advantage among other guns is that it has a long hold and has a solid receiver top. Another feature is that its bolt safety is easy to manipulate. It becomes marked in red when it’s set to “fire” mode. In short, the 336 Dark Series is an excellent rifle with less recoil, less noise, and less muzzle flip at an affordable price.

Uberti 1866 Yellowboy

Specs

The Uberti Yellowboy became a big hit after its release. It’s typically an improvement of the first commercially successful lever-action gun, the Henry 1860, and the recreation of the Winchester rifle. In addition, its distinct and remarkable feature is its loading gate. Instead of dropping the cartridges down the tubular magazine, you can shuck the rounds one by one in the loading gate. Moreover, this design is Winchester-patented and enables passing the cartridges through the side of the receiver. It also eliminates the split-tube magazine type of the Henry lever-action rifle.

Looking at the Uberti Yellowboy, you’ll notice its exceptional brass-polished receiver. This rifle also features a nicely polished barrel and a back that sports a walnut stuck and brass butt plate. Additionally, the trigger has a blued finish. It’s also the lever-action rifle that’s popular in chambering the .45 Colt cartridge.

Moreover, this rifle has been featured in the news as a lifesaver. A man used it to stop a bear, weighing 250 pounds after firing eight shots in Colorado. Lastly, the Uberti Yellowboy has a highly functional lever and allows the installation of a wooden forend. Also, it looks elegant.

Henry Big Boy Steel

Specs

The next lever-action is Henry Repeating Arms Big Boy Steel. It’s a gorgeous-looking gun that features a walnut stock and forend. It also outfits itself with walnut furniture with a matte-finish blued steel frame. In addition, you can also add a scope mount on its receiver as it is drilled and tapped. Although, it doesn’t need one since it’s for close-range shooting, and it might ruin the rifle’s aesthetic.

The Big Boy Steel features adjustable Western sights. It’s also lighter than its brass counterpart and big brother, the Henry 1860 rifle. It’s because of its steel frame and round barrel that is lighter than an octagon barrel. Additionally, this rifle features a sliding transfer bar safety instead of manual safety. Its solid rubber recoil pad also provides an excellent grip on the shoulder.

You can use it as a brush-gun or short-range big game rifle depending on the caliber you use. Moreover, it has sling swivel studs for a hands-free carry. Overall, the Henry Big Boy Steel is accurate, fun to shoot, and has a fast and smooth operation. It’s one of the lever-action guns that you must have in your arsenal.

Savage 99

Specs

Next on our list is a hammerless lever-action like its Model 1895 predecessor. You’ll notice instantly that it’s a Savage Firearms lever-action right away if the rifle lacks a tubular magazine under the barrel. The Savage 99 features an innovative design desired by many gun collectors. Aside from its unique hammerless feature, it also uses a rotary magazine. The rotary magazine eliminated the difficulty of using cartridges with pointed bullets in tubular-fed guns.

The rifle is sleek, slim, and streamlined. In addition, it’s also the first lever-action with a coil mainspring. Its advantage over the standard leaf springs is that it provides a faster lock time. The popular calibers for this rifle are the .250 and .300 Savage. Additionally, it also features a hole on top of the bolt that shows the status of the firing pin. It shows C if it is cocked, and F if a round has been fired. It’s a great feature, however, it also makes cleaning difficult. Therefore, newer models removed this feature.

The Savage 99 wears a two-piece stock forend and buttstock. The buttstock is curved slightly to fit the shooter’s shoulder. Overall, the Savage 99 is accurate and also one deadly rifle when used for medium to large game.

Henry All Weather 30-30

Specs

Comparing this next rifle with all other lever-action out there, it has no shiny silver or brass hardware. Instead, Henry outfits the All Weather in a utilitarian design. However, it has a durability that’s beyond doubt. The rifle also sports a durable hard-chromed exterior metal surface. It’s one tough finish that has better corrosion-resistant properties than stainless-steel ones.

In addition, the All Weather also sports a black-stained hardwood instead of the classic American walnut material. The black-stained hardwood can stand wear, tear, and scratches. Moreover, it also has a weather coating that seals out moisture. The buttpad is also comfortable with its rubber material, and it uses a transfer bar safety. The sights have an adjustable semi-buckhorn rear, while the front sight utilizes a brass bead.

The stock of this rifle is simple and looks good. It also has checkering on both the grip and fore-stock. Moreover, Henry made the screws of this rifle out of stainless steel — talk about long-lasting! The performance of this firearm is exceptional as it offers excellent accuracy. It’s also easy to handle. So if you’re looking for a lever-action that screams durability and outstanding performance, then the Henry All Weather is a great option.

Winchester 1873 Short Rifle

Specs

Winchester prides itself with the 1873 short rifle as shooters credited it as “The Gun That Won the West.” Why? It’s because this rifle can chamber the same calibers used in most revolvers. In addition, it comes available in carbine, rifle, and musket models. It also comes in different elegant finishes. It has a nostalgic look that makes you imagine cowboys and horseback.

The rifle features a satin oil-finished walnut stock that’s velvet smooth to the touch. Additionally, it wears a classic configuration straight-grip stock, a rifle crescent buttplate, and a forearm cap. It also has a gold bead front sight and a semi-buckhorn adjustable rear sight. The receiver is also ready for scope mounting with its drilled and tapped surface.

Overall, the Winchester 1873 short rifle is an excellent rifle for those who want to use the rifle for some cowboy action. It also has low recoil and offers impressive accuracy. It’s indeed an excellent option for those who want an iconic piece of history in their hands.

Browning BL-22

Specs

The Browning BL-22 has three types of model families, such as discontinued models, limited availability models, and the current production models. The current production has five different models available:

The BL-22 doesn’t use traditional safety. Instead, it uses a hammer-based design. To put this rifle in safe mode, you need to lower the hammer slowly into a half-cocked position. The BL-22 also has a bullet tube rod that you can depress easily. Moreover, it can carry 15 rounds, which is a lot compared to what other lever-action rifles can offer.

The BL-22 has a crisp lever pull, however, you won’t feel the grit on the lever. The trigger is heavy, but it’s crisp. Additionally, its front sight is a blacktop bead, while the rear fits in the notch perfectly.

To summarize, the BL-22 is a quick and accurate lever-action rifle priced reasonably. It also chambers cheap ammunition that has almost no recoil. Furthermore, shooting the BL-22 allows you to get fast and easy follow-ups. You’ll also love its smooth and robust action.

Marlin 39

Specs

Marlin introduced the Model 39A in 1954, and it holds a lot of history. Additionally, it’s the oldest and longest firearm continuously produced in the world. Not only that, but it’s also one of the most accurate .22 LR rifles ever produced and considered as one of the finest examples of a .22 lever-action rifle.

The rear sight features a buckhorn type with elevation adjustment only. It’s easy to handle, and it’s accurate. The Model 39A has a cross hammer safety, unlike its Model 39A predecessor. Moreover, it features its proprietary Marlin Groove Rifling that helps you get accurate shots. Marlin also made the parts of this rifle out of durable forged steel parts. So you can guarantee that this hefty lever-action will last long.

Aside from its external parts, it also offers quick firing, hefty shooting, and a crisp trigger break. This rifle is rare now, and you can seldom see them in some gun shops. However, getting the Marlin 39A enables you to keep a classic rifle with its share of history. Plus, you can keep them for a long time as an heirloom and pass them on to the next generation.

Is the Marlin 39A Still Great Among .22s? [Full Review] — YouTube:

Mossberg 464

Specs

Mossberg 464 features its precision-machined receiver and blued barrel finish. In addition, it has an elegant walnut wood pistol grip and ambidextrous top-tang safety. Behind the tang, you’ll find a red dot that shows you when this beast is ready to fire. It also utilizes a spring-loaded gate that feeds on a regular tubular magazine.

One distinct feature of this lever-action rifle is its optional sights. You can choose from outdated fold-down Buckhorn rear sights or 3-dot adjustable fiber-optic sights. Additionally, the fiber-optic sights are an excellent choice as it has an advantage of excellent use in low-light environments. However, it’s not as robust compared to using iron sights.

You can use this rifle for rapid shooting. Picking up the sights is also a breeze. Mossberg made the surface drilled and tapped for easy scope mounting. Additionally, it has a slip-resistant recoil pad and unique hardwood straight grip stock. Lastly, the 464 also has an ergonomic lever design. Overall, it’s quick-handling, lightweight, and has an almost nonexistent recoil. This rifle’s an excellent deal for those who want a classic Western-style cowboy gun for hunting and self-defense.

Taylor & Co 1892 Alaskan Takedown

Specs

Not many brands offer a takedown lever-action rifle, but the next one on our list is compact and portable. Moreover, you can fit it in a pouch or survival back with its takedown feature. It’s also easy to disassemble and it even sports a classic Western look. Another distinct feature of the Alaskan Takedown is its skinner rear sights. The sights also feature fiber-optic quality — ideal for low-light situations.

The Alaskan Takedown wears black hardwood furniture that has a soft-touch rubber over-molding. In addition, it has a flat-top octagonal barrel made of carbon steel and finished in black oxide. Its sights are also highly visible. You can get a quick target acquisition using this lever-action rifle.

Its buttstock wears a comfortable antishock rubber and also has a well-fitted rubber recoil pad. Additionally, it has a slightly oversized lever and a weather-resistant finish. The Alaskan Takedown is ideal if you are opting for a rifle that offers excellent portability and storability. It’s arguably the best rifle for survival and backpacking.

Rossi Model 92

Specs

The Rossi Model 92 is typically a replica of the Winchester 1892. It comes in two different finishes: the blued steel and the brass-finished. Aside from its finishes, you can also choose from many versions of this rifle. Rossi offers models that have a variety of barrel lengths, profiles, and calibers.

Each model is equipped with a wooden forend and straight grip shoulder stocks. Aside from being available in various models, the Rossi 92 is also versatile. You can use it for plinking, hunting, sports, and home defense. It’s accurate at 100 yards and felt recoil is very mild when firing lighter loads. Additionally, Rossi built all major parts of this rifle out of stainless steel, including some internal components. The hammer also doubles as a safety notch when placed in a half-cocked position. For sights, it utilizes a bead front sight and an adjustable Buckhorn rear. Moreover, you have the option to replace the rear sights with a weaver-type rail for installing a red dot or other accessories.

Shooting this rifle is easy as it comes with an accessible loading gate and recoil-dampening buttpad. Overall, the Rossi 92 is easy to handle and fast to maneuver. It also comes at an affordable price.

Conclusion

And that concludes our list of the best lever-action rifles. Although this type of rifle goes way back, many gun enthusiasts worldwide still use it. Any of the rifles mentioned in this article is a great option. Make sure to know your objectives to choose the right lever-action that suits your needs. Have you chosen the best lever-action rifle for you in this article? Let us know in the comments below.

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