Author Topic: Lever Action Accuracy (Read 6153 times)

jimster · « **Reply #30 on:** May 07, 2010, 11:23:46 AM »

I have never actually benched any of my lever actions, by that I mean supporting the butt of the rifle and the front so it couldn't move at all, but shoot a lot using just my front hand on bags. All the levers I've had shoot plenty good, if I were going to bench rest a rifle it would be my 30-30, maybe I will try that someday to see what it might do with the butt supported. Usually to sight my levers in I just rest my fore hand on a sand bag and shoot more rounds per group to decide where to move the sights. With my Rossi lever (45)) I can get consistant 4" groups all day at 100M without resting the butt with just the semi-buckhorn sight and front bead, and anyone that shoots it thinks it's a dream and can bounce around milk jugs from 50M to 100M shooting from any position they want. Many a person has wanted to buy that from me after plinking. I've decided to send away for a tang sight soon to help me out.

Quote

I guess they can't get good steel in Brazil or they just don't know how to properly harden it.

No complaints on my Rossi lever (EMF Hartford model), it feeds, ejects, and works smoothly, got a 2002 Mil-spec .45 (Imbel Brazil) that I lost track of how many thousands of rounds went through it, no problem with the forged steel slide and frame in that, that is not for sale ever, and there is this old Rossi M68 by Interarms in .38....I swear it's a cross between a Smith and Ruger (coil main spring) and I have no idea why it is still in time and locks up tight and shoots so well after 30 years...you would think it should be a piece of junk by now. Might have that buried with me, nobody wants a Rossi anyways...

454Puma · « **Reply #31 on:** May 09, 2010, 12:28:10 PM »

As promised I went out and shot a target for all you that don't think Lever action's are not accurate!

The target was shot at 100 yards with my cast load which is my hunting load as wel! As you can see it is very accurate as good as many Bolt guns! Gun was rested on Bags on front only! Hold was center ,bottom black

There's also a pic of the plain Jane 336 W with the cheap Tasco 4x that came with it!

Didn't relise until after I shot it -target was unside down!

Dee · « **Reply #32 on:** May 09, 2010, 04:32:04 PM »

A couple of days ago, I went out with my Model 94 Winchester 3030, and on the 5th shot hit the bottom of a 12 ounce soda can at 250 yards. Same as before, It was layin on it's side about 2 feet off the ground on forked sticks. Every miss was very close. The problem was shootin 9 inches high at that range at a 2 inch circle. A deer would have bee a cake walk. Most levers will shoot if you find a load it likes and LEARN THE RIFLE AND LOAD.
Those legendary rifle shots you read about in days gone by, had one rifle. They didn't jump around from rifle to rifle like us modern guys do. Since I have stopped that habit pretty much, I am much happier, and get a lot of satisfaction making these shots that folks say can't be made.
And for you guys that don't know. No I don't use a scope.

454Puma · « **Reply #33 on:** May 09, 2010, 04:46:18 PM »

Dee
So true! Though I own quite few rifles and I make it a point to find the load it shoots very well and I shoot them alot! I can pick up any rifle I own and hit what I want to hit! I don't own anything I can't shoot very well!

This load I shot in the Marlin also shoots very well in my Win 94 that bullet also shoots very well out of my '06 with the same charge of 28 gr H4895!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #34 on:** May 10, 2010, 04:53:05 AM »

Most people use lever guns to hunt with , easy to carry and shoot in the field . If you can stand upright and hit a 4 inch circle at 75-100 yards you can harvest deer . If you want tight groups from a gun while stiing at a bench then there are better choices . I have hit turkeys flying with a mod 94 and missed them with a scoped mod 70 .

454Puma · « **Reply #35 on:** May 10, 2010, 03:19:11 PM »

SHOOTALL
But the unfortunate fact is that Lever guns get a bad rep for being inaccurate! Which is by and large untrue!
I have both Levers and bolt guns! Both with open sights and scoped and I really can't see any difference in accuracy! Both are capable of sub-MOA groups!

Really the on;y difference between them is that bolt guns can and are chamber for higher pressure rounds that give them great range! And now even that line has been blurred with lever guns getting some regular bolt gun calibers!

john keyes · « **Reply #36 on:** May 10, 2010, 03:27:40 PM »

I shot this three shot group today at 200 yards. Its not the greatest but I like it. Its 170 gr flat speer and H335 out of a 336W

that was my 30-30, my 45/70 and 444 leverguns are really accurate and have embarrassed more than one of my bolt guns.

also flat and round nose bullets are pretty damn accurate for some reason.

Swampman · « **Reply #37 on:** May 10, 2010, 03:40:55 PM »

I've embarrased several boltgun shooters myself.

454Puma · « **Reply #38 on:** May 10, 2010, 03:47:50 PM »

Swampman
I have done so myself- 90% of the time it's some guy with a super mag!

Mainly that doesn't shoot enough to be to be accurate with it!

Most of our rifles are way more accurate then we are!

WyoStillhunter · « **Reply #39 on:** May 10, 2010, 05:24:09 PM »

I am a "good enough" kind of guy. I am not one who slaves over minimal differences to get the last ounce of accuracy out of any firearm. All my firearms are more accurate than I can shoot. So I humbly submit the following as evidence that Marlins are often capable of phenomenal accuracy.

Here is a target I fired from a Revelation 200 (made for Western Auto Stores under the trade name of Revelation by Marlin) in .30-30, using a 4X scope and a variety of factory ammo from sandbags at 100yards. The average size of the 3-shot groups is 0.88".

Another target for the Revelation 200.

Finally, yesterday I fired two shots of a casual handload in the same gun, this time with peep sight and front post, that went 1.0" center to center.

Likewise, a 3-shot group of reloads from my 1977 Marlin 444S went 1.12" CTC at 100 yards from benchrest using gold bead front sight and Williams Foolproof receiver sight.

Every firearm is a rule unto itself and lots of leverguns can produce excellent accuracy. All this proves nothing, however. Give me a genuine MOA boltgun with top-of-the-line scope and tailored handloads and I can find dozens of local firearms enthusiasts who literally couldn't hit a beer can at 100 yards. The critical unit of measurement is the total combination of rifle, sights, ammo, AND shooter. A 3 MOA rifle/sight/ammo combo in the hands of an excellent marksman/hunter will fill deer and elk tags year after year. Period.

Dances with Geoducks · « **Reply #40 on:** May 10, 2010, 06:03:47 PM »

Quote from: Drollerindy on April 27, 2010, 06:20:25 PM

What is good accuracy from a lever action rifle and which is most accurate?

I didnt buy both my levers to do pin point shooting with. Do to my eye focal point shifting beyond the barrel length.
I had to scope my Marlin recently. Im still pissed.
It cuts its own holes, with a 4x scope, and 160gr FTX

Marlins are best best by a long shot.
The newer technology to the basic frame paid off with a modern lever.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #41 on:** May 11, 2010, 02:54:38 AM »

Mine shoots good also but i shoot critters more than paper . Now don't be flanting those great groups ! Next thing you know there will be a run on lever actions and prices will inflate and then we will be paying bolt gun prices

454Puma · « **Reply #42 on:** May 11, 2010, 12:56:42 PM »

SHOOTALL
Nah most of those wiss bang bolt gun guy's wouldn't go against what the most recent Gun Rag say's!!

So I think we're safe!

As been seen here not many of them are boasting of how accurate they are!

Now don't get me wrong I love my bolt guns as well! Just can't stand it when folks bad mouth the leverguns!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #43 on:** May 12, 2010, 02:04:23 AM »

454Puma · « **Reply #44 on:** June 02, 2010, 08:51:43 AM »

SHOOTALL
Here's and example of my Win 94 30-30! Just a 50 yard open sights target for the *ostal match over on Marlin Owners board! Load is 170 gr Lee Cast GC over 24 gr IMR 4895 light load but very accurate!

This was the first time shooting this load so I will get alot better groups then this! More to come!

geobru · « **Reply #45 on:** June 15, 2010, 08:51:42 PM »

My best group was a 1/2 inch 3 shot group shot with a BLR, 308, 126 yards, off a bench with shot bags for a rest and a 2-7 scope. The fourth shot hit the thumbtack holding the paper onto the backboard.
My model 88 will shoot MOA at 100 yards with a 3-9 scope sight. I'm still trying to figure out the "right" load for this rifle.
The next most accurate rifle is a 1951 vintage 94 Winchester, which gave me a .7 inch group at 50 yards with the factory sights.
The Braztech 44 mag has the oversize bore and until I get some properly sized boolits, I won't know how well it does shoot. So far it is disappointing.
The 86's vary. Best groups are 1.5 to 2" with iron sights at 75 to 80 yards, in 40-82 and 45-90 caliber. These guns are tempermental and sensitive to temperature changes, etc.

The open sighted guns would probably do better if the shooter could see the sights clearly.

Canuck Bob · « **Reply #46 on:** July 16, 2010, 06:52:19 PM »

My Marlin 444 with a microgroove barrelis a good shooter. 1" 3 shot groups when I had a scope on it. POI wanders with different loads but group size is very consistent with either handloads or factory ammo. It really liked the old 265 grain Rem factory ammo. Stout 265 grain Hornady bullets also shot the tightest groups.

Mt_Sourdough · « **Reply #47 on:** August 03, 2010, 08:46:20 PM »

444 with 22 barrel 270 gr Speer GD/46 gr H4198 100 yards

same 444 Ranch Dog 432-350 (actualy 365 gr w/gc) 39gr RL7 5 shots at 100 yards

same 444 same bullet 43 gr RL7 2050 fps 5 shots at 100 yards

The cool thing is I just started to reload and cast. These groups will get better.

Dogshooter · « **Reply #48 on:** August 11, 2010, 01:48:35 PM »

My 308 MXLS is the first lever rifle I have owned in many years and the only reason I have it is bcause of the deal I got on it. Planned to trade it off but went ahead and put a Leupold VXIII 3.5 X10 on Warne QR rings and after taking it to the range to see what it would do, I am keeping it. It is chambered in the 308 Marlin Express cartridge and shoots sub MOA. Going elk hunting Aug 20th and plan to try it out then.

demented · « **Reply #49 on:** August 18, 2010, 09:48:10 AM »

While I'm sure there are exceptions, the run of the mill Winchester 30-30 will shoot well enough within the range limitations of said cartridge to do its job as a deer rifle. Four to six inches @100 yds. are what I usually see and while this sounds really bad, this will still allow kill shots to 150 yards, about as far as I'll try a 30-30 on deer.

gallatin · « **Reply #50 on:** February 06, 2011, 05:03:28 PM »

my marlin 1895CB, my browning blr 243 and my savage 99E 308 will shoot 1/2 moa with scopes at 100yd.
John

geobru · « **Reply #51 on:** February 06, 2011, 08:09:05 PM »

This group was with a BLR with a 2-7 Redfield on it at 100 yards, using a lead sled. My best 3 shot group was 1/2 inch at 126 yards with this gun.

I am a lot more proud of this group. It was a 200 yard group shot through an 1886 Winchester, 40-82 caliber, with a Lyman tang sight, again using a Leadsled. This one took some serious time in load development and a switch to the tang site so I can see the sights. I have 50 yard targets that were worse than this one!

dpe.ahoy · « **Reply #52 on:** February 11, 2011, 04:50:12 PM »

Every time I have put my 338 MXLR on paper from the bench, it has layed 2 overlapping with the third just far enough out so it's not a cloverleaf. That is with factory Hornady LE ammo. My 308 MX was almost as good until I swapped stocks with my 336 XLR, now I have stringing, going to change the stocks back. DP

Pat/Rick · « **Reply #53 on:** February 13, 2011, 07:38:08 AM »

Accurate enough to kill game, and too have killed game for how many years now?

GRAMPS 94 · « **Reply #54 on:** February 19, 2011, 12:45:59 PM »

Henry Big Boy 100yards on a rolled up towel. Blazer 357mag 158gr. JHP
Skinner Peep site, stock front site. After a few shots my old eyes see fuzzy sites. But the first aint too bad.
These are reclaimed targets and are the acuall shots I made. Im keepin my Henry.