In a carbine-length barrel the.44 Magnum gains a lot of velocity; with a scope its an effective 200-yard hunting rifle.

We lost some great designs, including the Savage 99 and Winchester 88, and sales of traditional lever guns were slipping.

In the early 2000s Winchesters best-selling 1894 saw its first break in production.

More recently, Marlin was out of production for several years.

Marlin is back and selling new variations of their 94, 336, and 95 lever actions as fast as they can make them.

Winchester is also back, and faithful reintroductions of their classic lever guns consistently sell out.

Although production runs arent huge, Brownings sleek, fast BLR offers modern alternatives.

Mossberg reports steady sales of their 464.30-30.

Henry, very much a lever-action company, is doing well.

And there are other alternatives, including Big Horn Armorys new Model 89 and some excellent off-shore reproductions of classic designs.

Unlimited Versatility The lever action is one of Americas most significant contributions to modern firearms.

It was the first successful repeating action, and in the 160 years of repeating rifles, almost all lever-action designs have been American.

Almost the only exception was Sakos excellent Finnwolf, but unfortunately, its also gone.

Actually, there are just two: Henrys Long Ranger in.308 Winchester and Brownings BLR.

The BLR is currently chambered to 17 cartridges, including four WSMs and two belted magnums.

The M88, although Winchesters fourth best-selling lever action, is getting hard to find and Sako lever actions are scarce.

So, if you want full-spectrum versatility from a lever-action, you can have it.

However, despite todays hunger for long-range performance, not every North American hunter wants to reach way out there, and many of us dont need to.

Instead, a premium is placed on fast handling and easy carrying.

In close cover shots are often fast and presentations arent always perfect.

Sometimes a fast second shot saves the day The lever action isnt as fast as a semiauto and is no faster than a slide action, but for most of us, a lever gun is faster for repeat shots than a bolt action and much faster than a single shot.

When you venture afield with a lever-action rifle, you must feel at least a small surge of patriotic pride.

The lever action is John Wayne, fast-firing Chuck Connors as The Rifleman, and even Teddy Roosevelt.

To some extent, I think its the fun factor that is renewing interest in the all-American lever action.

With a low-power scope, this Marlin 1894 in.44 Remington Magnum proved exceptionally accurate.

Savage 99 Year Of Manufacture