In a real case of “what’s outdated is new once more” the final a number of years have observed no longer just a resurgence of the lever motion rifle, however an evolution of it. Even if this platform was once as soon as reserved for ranchers and cowboy motion shooters, well known firms like Midwest Industries have dedicated vital sources to growing equipment that modernize this oft-overshadowed platform. Smaller customized properties like Mad Pig Customs move even additional, providing entire boutique tactical lever gun builds with selectable furnishings, equipment, and colorways. With all this effort expended to show an outdated gun new tips, a few of you’re indubitably questioning: why?
We’re no longer positive there’s a definitive resolution. If all you care about is practicality and cost-effectiveness, it’s inconceivable to disclaim the benefits of a contemporary semi-auto rifle with a removable 30-round mag. However there are nonetheless some authentic deserves to an up to date lever gun, infrequently colloquially referred to as “the cowboy attack rifle.”
Talking attack rifles, a rifle with a manually cycled motion and tube mag can skirt almost about any attack weapon restriction within the nation. You’ll be able to overlook about fin grips and put flash hiders again at the menu, even in puts like California. For many who reside in (or continuously trip via) freedom-restricted territory, a tactical lever gun may well be a good way to get round draconian regulation whilst nonetheless having a correct and heavy-hitting rifle with all approach of contemporary equipment.
Above: Tom’s rifle includes a conventional sling from Desolate tract Tactical connected to studs at the underside of the inventory and handguard.
Caliber choices are many, starting from rimfire to the behemoth .45-70 that has a documented historical past of taking down lots of the international’s largest and hardest sport — Marlin even jokingly marketed it as tremendous in opposition to a T-Rex. Either one of the pattern weapons you’ll see on this article are in .30-30 Winchester, a extremely first rate caliber in its personal proper for basic preparedness. With bullet weights generally starting from 150 to 170 grains and muzzle velocities round 2,000 ft in line with 2nd, this caliber has been used on just about each and every sport animal at the North American continent from mule deer to black undergo, elk, and moose.
This interprets simply to make use of as a defensive caliber. Whilst no longer recognized for its long-range features, it is most often authorised as a 200-yard cartridge, which is true in keeping with maximum mass-issue army calibers. In truth, its trajectory and ballistic information is similar to that of arguably essentially the most broadly used army caliber at the fashionable battlefield: 7.62x39mm Russian. Whilst a lever gun lacks the capability or charge of fireplace of an AK-type rifle, the .30-30 is in excellent ballistic corporate with regards to in extremis use in combined terrain environments.
Above: Throughout the category, Gunsite teacher Lew Gosnell imparted knowledge and coached us via plenty of drills to fortify our lever gun abilities.
Preparation is an intensely private pursuit. Some other people have decided that they just don’t require the capability or fireplace charge of a contemporary semi-automatic carbine. However lots of those self same other people assume it prudent to have a firearm of a few sort round for the ever-ominous “simply in case.” A lever-action rifle is more straightforward to shoot than a pistol and reaches farther than a shotgun. However, till a couple of years in the past, this selection supposed sacrificing simple get entry to to fashionable improvements like suppressors, weapon lighting, digital optics, lasers, modular grips, or adjustable shares. The ones days are over, and we’re right here to end up it.
We’re showcasing two separate rifles, each constructed through Mad Pig Customs, each and every with other furnishings and equipment. Mad Pig refinished each and every rifle in our most popular Cerakote colours, put in their signature lever and cause portions, and carried out a whole motion activity to make sure clean and dependable capability. We are hoping to shed some mild at the myriad conceivable configurations to be had with a modernized lever-action rifle and end up as soon as and for all that this platform hasn’t been relegated to historical past books.
RECOIL Personnel Editor Tom Marshall’s Setup
This rifle began lifestyles as a Marlin 30AW. Not in manufacturing, the 30AW was once supposed as a extra budget-friendly choice to the flagship Marlin 336. With more economical furnishings subject matter and no more refinement within the are compatible and end, the 30AW was once actually a running guy’s gun. The staff at Mad Pig Customs stripped this rifle right down to the skeleton and rebuilt it, beginning with a Midwest Industries M-LOK handguard and a Shape Shares again finish.
The MI handguard gives a full-length, seven-sided M-LOK floor with a continuing peak rail. This allowed us to mount each a Vortex UH-1 holographic sight (on an ADM riser) in addition to a Holosun LS-321G dual-beam laser/illuminator. Additionally from Midwest Industries are the common shell caddies, which each and every keep a couple of .30-30 rounds. The Shape inventory keeps a modicum of conventional styling with the improve of an adjustable-height comb, which is useful when the usage of an optic riser.
A SureFire Twin-Gas Scout mild gave us low-light skill, with a dual-lead faraway transfer to run each mild and laser from one transfer. A couple of Walker Protection NILE grip panels and an Emissary Construction Handbrake Mini gave us just a little customization for improve hand keep watch over. In the end, a Langolis Rhodesian sling from Desolate tract Tactical was once fastened to the manufacturing unit sling studs. The muzzle software is a Rearden Production brake that still options their suppressor mount.
RECOIL OFFGRID Editor Patrick McCarthy’s Setup
Not like Tom’s rifle, this one has been a so-called “tactical” lever gun from day one. It began out as a Marlin 336 Darkish Collection, a distinct variant that was once most effective to be had for a short while prior to Remington went bankrupt, ceased manufacturing of Marlin rifles, and offered the logo to Ruger. (Ruger not too long ago introduced the re-launch of the Marlin Darkish Collection, this time with a M-LOK forend and adjustable inventory immediately from the manufacturing unit.)
Above: A lever gun’s guide of fingers is quite similar to that of a pump shotgun, however the half-cock secure place calls for an extra finding out curve.
In the beginning, the Darkish Collection got here with a 16.25-inch threaded barrel, XS lever rail with ghost ring sight, and black-painted wooden fixtures. Mad Pig Customs changed this rifle’s wooden fixtures with a machined aluminum inventory from Chisel Machining and a LASAI handguard from Hoptic USA. The inventory includes a gentle Kick-Eez balk pad, adjustable cheek relaxation, QD sling socket, and an attachment level for a six-round Hoptic LongBow ammo provider.
The handguard is provided with a Hoptic USA Quiver wearing two extra rounds of .30-30, a JMac Customs HRD handstop, a Burn Evidence Tools heat-resistant rail wrap, and a SureFire Mini Scout Mild Professional Infrared with selectable white or IR output. Atop the rifle’s authentic XS sight rail is a Leupold Patrol 6HD 1-6x24mm LPVO in a Midwest Industries 30mm QD scope mount; a Leupold DeltaPoint Professional NV crimson dot is fastened on the 12:00 place on a Reptilia ROF-SAR ring mount.
Above: The Burn Evidence Tools Rail-Rap observed in those footage is our newest addition to the rifle. The suppressed barrel heats up temporarily with fast fireplace, and this gives coverage for gloved or ungloved palms.
The magnified optic’s easy duplex reticle and illuminated FireDot are perfect for daylight capturing, and the top-mounted, NV-capable DeltaPoint pairs with the IR weapon mild to make this rifle usable beneath evening imaginative and prescient similar to my favourite AR-15s. I crowned off my rifle with a JK Armament suppressor connected to the threaded Rearden SPB muzzle brake by the use of a Rearden Atlas adapter, and a Blue Power Tools Vickers padded sling.
Ammo Carriage Issues
One of the crucial downsides of lever weapons is their tube magazines, which make their guide of fingers extra like that of a shotgun than a contemporary bolt-action or semi-auto. Whilst we’ve already touched at the idiosyncrasies of reloading, this additionally impacts ammo carriage and cargo bearing. You received’t be wearing a field mag in a belt pouch, so that you’re left with tossing a fistful of unfastened rounds for your pants pocket — a compromise that’ll inevitably result in gradual, fumbled reloads — or looking for specialised ammo carriage apparatus that’s just a little more difficult to supply. We discovered two firms who be offering lever-gun-specific ammo pouches.
Desolate tract Tactical gives a easy, low-profile answer known as the ZipLoader. That is the similar of dressed in an ammo butt cuff to your belt. It’s a easy nylon platform with 10 elastic loops for particular person cartridges. We paired this with a small, zippered Worm Pack, additionally from Desolate tract Tactical, which was once used to hold unfastened rounds to fill up our different ammo carriers between drills.
Above: Sellier & Bellot supplied the 150-grain .30-30 ammunition we used throughout this lever gun elegance at Gunsite.
For many who desire a greater provide of arranged ammo garage, or extra flexibility for carriage, Grim Hunter Tactical makes two merchandise we had the risk to guage for this text. The primary is their Fast Loader Pouch, a fold-out pouch that carries 24 rounds. There are 8 loops exhausting sewn to the out of doors of the pouch. Throughout the pouch are two extra tear-away “playing cards” that keep any other 8 rounds each and every, which connect to the interior of the pouch through hook-and-loop.
We in reality like this modular design, because it lets you connect the ones playing cards to different puts you may want ammo — stick them to the headliner for your truck, the out of doors of your differ bag, and even the sleeve of your battle blouse or jacket. The Fast Loader Pouch may also be ordered with both MOLLE/PALS backing or a belt loop and is to be had in just about two dozen colours.
Above: The light-weight Patrol 6HD LPVO from Leupold supplies a lot of magnification for exact photographs, and the top-mounted DeltaPoint Professional NV is appropriate for evening imaginative and prescient use.
In case your lever gun is your devoted bugout or SHTF rifle, Grim Hunter gives a Lever Gun Chest Rig consisting of 2 Fast Loader Pouches and a 3rd removable pouch that can be utilized as a clinical equipment or admin pouch. On Grim Hunter’s website online, you’ll make a selection to have your ammo pouches biased to the left or proper aspect of the rig, in keeping with private desire. It’s to be had in plenty of colours with a couple of harness choices.
In the end, just like a shotgun, it can be tremendous to hold a couple of further rounds at the gun itself for pace reloads. Those may also be carried on a conventional cloth or leather-based butt cuff or connected to fashionable M-LOK-mounted carriers reminiscent of the ones observed on our rifles.
Whilst checking out and coaching with our lever weapons, we used Sellier & Bellot 150-grain soft-point .30-30 ammo.
House at the Vary at Gunsite
The effectiveness of any device is contingent on its consumer’s ability and enjoy, and our lever-action rifles are not any other. The 2 people have spent somewhat just a little of time coaching with AR-15s, however AR-15s those ain’t. Lots of the basics elevate over — stance, grip, sight image, cause keep watch over, and so forth. On the other hand, the guide of fingers is greatly other from an AR, along with the reloading and ammo control demanding situations we discussed previous.
This led us to hunt coaching from Lew Gosnell, an teacher who has accumulated plenty of antique and fashionable lever-actions and spent a few years instructing scholars concerning the intricacies of those rifles. Gosnell is a Marine Corps veteran who additionally spent 31 years running in regulation enforcement at the streets of East L.A. In this day and age, he teaches Defensive Lever Gun and different lessons at Gunsite Academy in Paulden, Arizona.
If you’re no longer aware of Gunsite, it’s regarded as through many to be the mecca of firearms coaching in america, if no longer the entire international. Based in 1976 through Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper as a location at which to show his Trendy Method of the Pistol, Gunsite has advanced into an expansive facility with quite a lot of pistol, rifle, shotgun, or even edged weapon categories.
It gives the whole lot from school rooms and conventional differ bays to run-and-gun Simulator lessons, complicated shoot properties, and vehicle-based coaching spaces. It’s like an amusement park for capturing lovers, entire with catered lunches, an on-site campground, and a museum constructed inside of Cooper’s house.
After touring to Gunsite and assembly Gosnell, we headed out to the 50-yard Hanneken differ to begin running with our lever weapons.
Part-Cocked
The primary order of commercial was once to be told about manipulating the lever gun’s safeties. Either one of our Marlin rifles function guide cross-bolt safeties — Marlin calls it a Hammer Block Protection — however this selection is a reasonably contemporary addition presented within the early Eighties. Gosnell and lots of different lever gun customers view this guide protection as redundant and over the top. Traditionally, the main protection on an uncovered hammer lever gun was once the half-cocked place, pulled again midway to complete cock.
This avoided the hammer from resting in opposition to the firing pin, which might doubtlessly fireplace a around if an object struck the hammer exhausting sufficient. It additionally avoided customers from wearing the gun absolutely cocked and waiting to fireside all the time, which might result in a negligent discharge if a overseas object touched the cause.
To organize our lever weapons for a drill, we went via the next process:
- Part cock the hammer then interact the guide protection.
- Load the tube mag.
- Cycle the lever to chamber a around. The hammer is now absolutely cocked. (Best off the tube mag with another around if important.)
- With the guide protection nonetheless engaged and the gun pointed in a secure course, position the firing hand thumb at the absolutely cocked hammer and observe force.
- Keeping up company force at the hammer, press the cause simply lengthy sufficient to scrupulously decrease the hammer into the half-cocked place.
- Index the cause finger safely at the aspect of the receiver and disengage the guide protection.
Once Gosnell gave the command to fireside, we temporarily thumbed our hammers again to completely cocked place and pressed the cause.
In some way, the guide protection serves as coaching wheels — if a shooter we could the hammer slip whilst returning it to 1/2 cock, it prevents the gun from firing. However after we had executed sufficient dry and reside fireplace reps of this procedure to be absolutely ok with it, we left the guide protection disengaged and moderately returned our weapons to 1/2 cock after firing. All the time watch out to deal with a excellent grip at the hammer whilst returning it to 1/2 cock; this isn’t one thing that are supposed to be rushed. As Gosnell defined, this process might really feel ordinary to us as of late, but it surely was once the usual modus operandi for greater than a century prior to the advent of cross-bolt safeties.
Feeding the Beast
Loading a lever gun is very similar to loading a shotgun, however the placement of the loading gate at the proper aspect of the receiver (versus the bottom) manner you’ll must load along with your firing hand. Cling the gun in a low-ready position in opposition to the shoulder and press each and every around into the tube mag till the loading gate closes in the back of it. Alternately, you’ll use a “violin load” place through resting the buttstock sideways over your shoulder, leaving the loading gate going through upward. Gosnell reminded us to stay our heads up and eyes downrange whilst loading to stay conscious about attainable threats.
Additionally like a shotgun, it’s OK to load a around immediately into the chamber whilst the motion is open. This may also be helpful for pace reloads along with a match-saver-style ammo provider immediately in entrance of the ejection port (as observed on each our rifles). On the other hand, bear in mind that lever weapons will have hassle feeding in the event that they’re operated at steep angles. So, don’t attempt to chamber load — or perform the lever in any respect — with the muzzle pointed on the floor.
To run the lever, be fast and forceful however planned. Babying it or failing to run the lever all of the approach ahead might induce a malfunction. We additionally discovered that the attitude of hand motion is vital. Relying to your rifle and lever design, you might want to push your hand down, ahead, or someplace in between to succeed in the smoothest motion.
Checking out Our Abilities
After we have been at ease manipulating, loading, and firing our lever weapons at the 50-yard differ, we moved directly to extra complicated demanding situations. In spite of everything, that guide of fingers might really feel at ease on a flat differ, however doing it whilst working, transitioning between a couple of objectives, and navigating round hindrances is a distinct tale. This wasn’t only a lever gun elegance — it was once a defensive lever gun elegance.
We began through putting in place a barricade at the differ, leaning out from all sides to shoot with out exposing ourselves greater than important. Then, we ratcheted up a notch through heading right down to The Pit, an indoor Simulator route that the majority people would name a shoot area. We practiced clearing the construction, “chopping the pie” round doors and corners to methodically absorb each and every perspective prior to continuing.
Above: Tom Marshall slides right into a capturing place.
Admittedly, we’d favor a semi-auto rifle over a lever gun for those close-quarters programs, since thumbing again the hammer prior to firing and working the motion between photographs was once harder than simply mashing a cause. That stated, our Mad Pig Marlins had no hassle getting repeatable, correct hits at the threats in hallways, corners, and home windows. The tall-mounted red-dot optics on each rifles have been useful for this objective, providing a large box of view and rapid sight acquisition.
Subsequent, we headed to Gunsite’s Army Crest, a winding path with more than a few herbal capturing positions and an array of metal objectives at distances of 100 to 200 yards or better. We braced off bushes and rocks, and used our rifles in status, kneeling, and sitting positions. With a slight hold-over for the longer photographs, we had no hassle ringing metal from each and every place. The one problem we encountered was once working the lever in positions the place the rifle was once rested on a flat floor, reminiscent of kneeling in the back of a stump; it can be important to boost or rotate the rifle to make room to transport the lever. This could also be why lever weapons aren’t superb for vulnerable capturing.
Above: Whether or not you are a fan of contemporary “tactical” lever weapons otherwise you favor wooden fixtures and iron points of interest, get available in the market and teach. It is the most effective strategy to construct lasting skillability.
For our ultimate problem, we moved to the Scrambler, a route that persisted our paintings on positional capturing however added an emphasis on pace. With 4 rounds in our weapons and a shot timer working, we sprinted between seven positions and shot metal objectives whilst status, kneeling, and sitting. Some stations had fallen logs or bushes to make use of for improve, however others required unsupported photographs. This additionally examined our skill to load our rifles temporarily whilst shifting, and to scrupulously interact the half-cocked place after each and every hit — similar to another move-and-shoot drill, it’s very important to make your weapon secure prior to working forward with it. By way of the tip of the Scrambler, we have been out of breath and grinning.
Ultimate Ideas
So, the query stays: Is it well worth the effort to show an outdated gun new tips? In line with our enjoy with those two builds and our differ time at Gunsite, we’d give an emphatic sure. Whilst we indubitably received’t deny there are extra environment friendly, ergonomic, and cost-effective defensive guns available on the market, that doesn’t imply the venerable lever gun isn’t price proudly owning. And if it’s price proudly owning, it’s price editing and bettering with aftermarket portions, similar to your favourite semi-auto carbine.
Above: Some might scoff on the concept of the usage of a lever-action for house protection and CQB, however in states and nations the place semi-automatic rifles are closely limited, it can be one of the vital easiest choices to be had.
Those two modernized lever weapons have been constructed to intentionally push the envelope and turn into as AR-like (or “tactical,” for those who favor that time period) as conceivable. They’re unabashedly excessive, like vintage muscle automobiles transformed into fire-breathing supercharged dragsters. You won’t desire a complete M-LOK forend and adjustable inventory to your lever gun, a lot much less an infrared laser and night-vision-height optic mount, and that’s OK. Our intent was once to turn what’s conceivable the usage of current off-the-shelf parts and just a little fine-tuning within the palms of lever gun consultants at Mad Pig Customs. The result’s a couple of rifles that by no means fail to fire up controversy on social media or draw a crowd on the native differ. Extra importantly, they’re a lot more succesful for dynamic capturing and defensive use than they have been in unmodified shape. Sorry, grandpa, you won’t adore it, however the long run is now.
Assets
- Mad Pig Customs: madpigcustoms.com
- Midwest Industries: midwestindustriesinc.com
- Sellier and Bellot: sellierbellot.us
- Desolate tract Tactical: thewilderness.com
- Grim Hunter Tactical: grimhuntertactical.com
- Gunsite Academy: gunsite.com
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Editor’s Observe: This newsletter has been changed from its authentic print model for the internet.
The submit Pushing the Barriers of the Tactical Lever Gun gave the impression first on RECOIL OFFGRID.
