In today’s shooting world, there are many manufacturers that cater to what some new shooters and hunters think they want. They must have something to make the newbie go without something and buy something that is “New and Improved!” Just remember the Edger Allen Poe quote, “Believe nothing you hear and only half what you see.” He would suggest that you look into the history of firearm hunting to get a good look at what is best for your needs.
Folks, recoil and loud noise are part of hunting. Whether it’s big game or long range game like white tail deer and all the bigger game. A lot has been done to help control recoil and noise, like suppressors and muzzle brakes, but you’ll have both, so if you can’t deal with them, stick with small game where you can use 22 long rifles, 22 Winchester. Magnum or a 17 HMR.
In the warmer weather on the range when I wear a t-shirt to keep recoil on my large centerfire rifles, I wear a past recoil shield that goes over my shoulder. I love it because it absorbs recoil to the point where the recoil doesn’t distract me from my mission at the firing range. The Past Recoil Shield is ambidextrous so it works equally well for left or right handed shooters.
I also wear electronic shooting muffs to protect my hearing. Electronic earmuffs allow you to hear conversations and range commands, but mute the sound when a shot is fired.
Another thing to keep in mind when shooting centerfire rifles for hunting is are you being a coward?
Before you burn out and do something you might regret later, use your head and see what you want your new weapon/caliber to accomplish. Do a little homework and see why all American lever action rifles in 30-30 Winchester and 45/70 Government have been around for over a hundred years and are still popular and selling. If you doubt my words, check with Henry, Marlin and Winchester.
Here’s a little background on the originator of the lever-action pistol, Benjamin Tyler Henry. Henry, who conceived the first practical lever-action repeating rifle, patented his new rifle in 1860.
The Henry rifle gave one man the firepower of a dozen muzzle-loading musket-armed marksmen, and the first Henry rifles were in the hands of Union soldiers in mid-1862. Due to their revolutionary design and rapid rate of fire, the Henry quickly found popularity with military and civilian buyers.
So folks, let’s take a look at the modern lever action rifle for hunting.
I personally own a Marlin Model 1895 SS in 45/70 Government, given to me by my family for Christmas many years ago. I had wanted a 45/70 liver action rifle for many years and that is a treasured memory of my family. I’ve also shot thousands of rounds with it at the range and hunting.
The 45/70 Government cartridge began and was designed by the Springfield Armory in 1873 and underwent some changes over the decades. Today it is still popular for hunting big game.
I have had 30-30 lever action and they will still do the job of hunting whitetail deer with no problem, however I prefer 45/70. I don’t know why, except I find it to be more versatile and will handle anything you want to hunt. I found that with my load of whitetail deer it doesn’t break up the meat like my 308 Winchester or 243 Winchester does.
I have personally found that I can get the best performance out of the rifle and ammo by making my own custom ammo. That’s one of the reasons many people load their own ammo anyway, so it’s not much of a reveal.
Rifles may leave the factory with consecutive serial numbers, but each one will fire a little differently from each other. Factory ammo, as good as it gets today, does a fantastic job of getting the best performance they can mass produce.
I know some may consider me a dinosaur who revels in my 45/70, so for those still under the impression that they need something more modern, Henry has his lever action rifles in .223/5.56 NATO, .243, .308, and 6.5 Creedmoor. They also have a host of other calibers, so for a complete list of everything that’s available in Henry lever action pistols, visit their website at www.henryusa.com.
A couple more items I haven’t addressed are the Henry pistols which are 100 percent made in the good old USA and the lever action rifles are ambidextrous so they work equally well for right handed shooters or with the left.
So if you’ve been looking for a good practical deer rifle for whitetail deer this year, a lever-action rifle may be exactly what you’re looking for, and as history shows, it’s a perfect fit for your needs. They’re a design that’s proven over decades to be completely reliable, will last long enough to pass down to your kids, and is made for just about any game you choose to hunt.