You might think that the cutting edge of bolt-action and gas-gun technology is impressive, but the lever gun’s tenure as one of America’s favorite hunting rifles is an equally stunning testament to the concepts and designs of some of our very first repeating rifles.
The 2024 Outdoor Life gun test showed us just how relevant the lever gun still is, and that some gun makers are devoting the time and attention to crafting the highest quality production lever-action specimens we’ve ever seen. These guns are better made, incorporate more user-friendly features, and they’re more versatile than ever.
A New Sheriff In Town?
Marlin has been one of the biggest players in the lever action world for many decades, and after being drawn from the ashes of the Remington bankruptcy by Ruger, the company has made a huge comeback. In fact, Marlin had award-winning submissions in our previous two gun tests. Marlin has been making its rifles with better function and more precise attention to detail than they ever did before — arguably becoming the uncontested top dog of lever action rifles. That is, uncontested until now.
“No one had a newly-designed lever gun from Smith and Wesson on their bingo card for 2024,” says OL shooting editor John B. Snow, in this week’s episode.
This .44-magnum-chambered lever gun made waves at SHOT Show 2024, but we reserved judgment until we could test it for ourselves. Within a day on the range, the Smith & Wesson 1854 grabbed the test team’s attention. It’s hard to find anything wrong with this rifle, including the great price. Is Smith & Wesson going to take over the lever-gun market? That remains to be seen, but Marlin and Henry certainly have a new competitor in the arena.
Classical to Tactical: The Lever Gun Will Never Die
If anything is apparent from the field of lever rifles in 2024, it’s that American hunters and shooters will always have an appetite and practical use for the platform. In addition to the Marlin and Smith & Wesson rifles, we tested lever actions from Chiappa/Taylor’s & Co., Henry, and Winchester. Other companies such as Aero Precision and Stag Arms are even jumping in with variations of their own.
Read Next: The Best Lever-Action Rifles
We see traditional cowboy-style lever guns, wood-stocked New England brush rifles like the Marlin 336, fully tactical-ized rifles like the Marlin 1895 Dark, and everything in between. The Chiappa-made 1892 Alaskan Takedown is a top-ejecting stainless .44 Mag. that can be broken down and stowed in your go bag or backpack, and the octagonal-barreled Henry .22 is the silhouette gun of your dreams.
Many guns come and go, and trends rise and fall, but the lever-action rifle has endured the shifting winds since the days of Lincoln, and it’s here to stay.
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