Levergun renaissance
Old technology still strong with American riflemen
While firearms are more high-tech than ever, oldschool lever-action rifles and revolvers are enjoying a renaissance.
Levergun popularity covers the entire spectrum of trim and finish to accommodate every type of user. Smith & Wesson, for example, recently entered the levergun market by introducing an upgraded version of the 1854 rifle.
It ain’t your great-grandaddy’s 1854. About the only thing it has in common with the original is its oversize lever ring. S&W chambered the new 1854 in 44 Remington Magnum, a cartridge introduced in 1956. The standard version has a black synthetic stock and stainless steel, bead-finish metal. It also has slots for attaching a bipod, tripod or shooting sticks.
Atop the receiver is a modern Picatinny rail for mounting a telescopic sight or an electronic sight. The crown is machined to mount a suppressor. It would be a great rifle for hunting deer from a ground blind or for still hunting. It would also be a superb home defense firearm.
Henry, the primary player in the lever-action market for the last 20 years, is introducing its Long Ranger model chambered in 300 Blackout. It has much of the same hardware as the S&W 1854. Lyn Forester, manager at Don’s Weaponry in Rose City, said Henry’s objective with the 300 Blackout is to offer a fully suppressed .30-caliber rifle.
“If you’ve got a 308 and it’s suppressed, it’s still going to be somewhat loud because it’s supersonic,” Forester said. “The 300 Blackout gives them a subsonic round choice that’s truly suppressed.”
In the middle are Henry’s rifles chambered for modern high-powered cartridges like 308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 243 Winchester and 223 Remington/5.56 NATO.
A notch closer to traditional is the Ruger/Marlin SBL 1895 chambered in .4570. Yes, Ruger is the latest company to wield the Marlin brand, having bought it from the wreckage of Remington’s bankruptcy.
At the most traditional end of the spectrum are the replicas of famous rifles from the 1800s. These are works of art in terms of metal finish, walnut grade, brass trim and tight wood-to-metal finish. Even they, however, are built to withstand modern chamber pressures of the 357 Remington Magnum and modern 45 Colt loads.
Ironically, these guns are mostly made in Italy by Uberti.
Ironically again, Hollywood is driving the renewed interest in lever-action rifles, Forester said. As much as pop culture campaigns against guns and gun violence, guns are cinematic staples, and gun enthusiasts pay close attention to what’s in screen vogue.
“It goes all the way back to the Silverado movie in 1985,” Forester said. “They were making fewer and fewer Westerns. People were concentrating on police drama and action movies. Silverado actually started a little resurgence. The early 90s saw ‘Dances With Wolves’, ‘Tombstone’ and ‘Wyatt Earp’. Some of the recent ones, like Hostiles with Christian Bale. A lot of moviegoers are young people. You will see a lot of those things rejuvenate as long as Hollywood is exposing young people to it.”
For about a decade, the levergun appeared to be headed for extinction. Winchester discontinued its famous 94 model, the lever-action avatar. Remington acquired Marlin and discredited the brand’s reputation. Henry singlehandedly kept the levergun alive while taking advantage of its lone presence in the arena.
Anthony Imperato, founder and CEO of Henry Repeating Arms, said his good fortune was the result of creativity and ingenuity along with a little luck.
“When I started Henry in 1996 — my first guns shipped 1997 — it was a point that I would say the lever-action was really beginning to fade away,” Imperato said. “Winchester at that point was diminished. Marlin was significant in the space at that time, but it certainly smelled like it was going to be a firearm of the past.”
Imperato entered the levergun market with a .22-caliber rimfire, an everyman’s gun for small game hunting, plinking and target shooting. Well made and inexpensive, it was what the public craved.
Bigger bore models followed.
“That entry is what got us started on this very nice ride to where we eventually hit a position where we were 95 percent of the lever action market over the past 25 or 26 years,” Imperato said.
Not so fast, podnah! Eric Lundgren, product manager for Ruger/Marlin, said that Marlin is back and will be as strong as ever. Lundgren did not flinch when asked about the challenges of reintroducing a dormant brand back into a competitive marketplace. It would be like reintroducing Pontiac or Oldsmobile into the automotive marketplace. They made great cars, but other brands filled their voids quickly. It’s hard to claw back in.
Lundgren said that Marlin’s re-entry is modest. Its lone entry for now is the Model 1895 in .45-70, a familiar mainstay. A .30-30 is coming soon, Lundgren said, as well as a 44 Magnum and 357 Magnum.
“The Marlin name is 152 years old,” Lundgren said. “It is still very strong in the industry. Even under the last ownership group, the name and brand was still strong. The challenge here at Ruger is to make a gun that the old Marlin faithful could be proud to own.”
Re-entering the market at the time of a levergun renaissance doesn’t hurt, but Lundgren reminded us that Marlin introduced a lot of the accessories that energize the market now. In a way, the company was about 10 years ahead of its time.
“I supposed it is a renaissance, but there has always been a core market for Marlin even as more modern platforms become popular,” Lundgren said. “Ten years ago, Marlin introduced the big loop, the [mounting] rail, that type thing. I think that attracted a different consumer.”
Marlin also introduced black composite stocks, laminated stocks and stainless finishes on lever guns.
“The Dark Series opened up a new market that I don’t know we were aware existed,” Lundgren said. “Ruger’s dark gun is exactly the gun that new consumers of lever guns are looking for.”
Uberti’s reproductions occupy a unique niche. They adhere faithfully to the original designs, but their metallurgy and hardware are designed to withstand the pressure of smokeless powder loads. An 1873 Winchester reproduction in 45 Colt is a perfect addition to any collection.
“The longest running American cartridge is the 45 Colt,” Forester said. “As of this year, you’re looking at about 152 years of continual production of that cartridge.”
The difference is that modern loadings are truly high performance. It ain’t your great-grandaddy’s 45 Colt, and neither is the rifle that shoots it.