Thread: Lever guns - What do ya reckon?

Throwing in my 2C.

A lever gun in 30-30 will do what you're looking for. I used a Winchester 94 in 30-30 for quite a while and it was very effective - carried nicely, worked in tight bush, pointed and shot well etc. My only complaint against the winchester 92 and 94 family is that they're overly complex internally, so when you end up hunting in wet conditions they are a real pain to properly clean out requiring several tools, good lighting, and have lots of small fiddly parts. For that reason I'd recommend a Marlin 336 - they're far simpler to disassemble for cleaning. The only downside for you is that they're built for right handed shooting, whereas the 94 and 92's are top-eject.

The henry long ranger is a good alternative - it's available in 223, 308 etc, and is a well designed and light weight rifle. My only complaint is that it's limited to 5 rds. I suspect a suitably determined and motivated individual could modify a mag or lever to allow for a larger magazine, but it's not something I've looked into or heard of anyone doing.