What’s the best caliber for a Lever Gun

I often get asked what caliber Lever Gun should I buy especially if it’s my first. Well let’s chat about that, what is best for you guys. Special thanks to @armedconceptstexas for helping with the coating and this build. @henry_repeating_arms @rangerpointprecision @blackbeardbelts @smithelite @areswatchco @dillonprecisionstore @steel_ops @tat3d_targets @jkarmament @witt_machine_outdoors @tier1concealedofficial @anvl.usa @holosun @modernmateriel

[@Thisthat1234]

.357mag/.38 Special for sure larger ammo capacity. Suppressed .38 is INSANELY quiet. Cheaper ammo prices

[@Mark-iu8my]

Good choice or 44 Mag

[@HighPriestVaticanAssasin]

most commonly available as well.

[@glmorten]

I run 38 special in my Henry Big Boy x 357 with an obsidian 45 and its such a joy to shoot.

[@landgabriel]

Double that with an ankle holster 357/38 wheel gun snubby and you're in business. Only thing missing is a 12 guage.

[@elihollingsworth6852]

I'd love to have a lever action that could shoot 10mm/.40 s&w. Slightly better ballistics but similar availability and versatility

[@josephleggett5559]

I am a lifelong Montanan (only exception is military service) and I currently own centerfire lever actions in 30/30, 358 Win and 405 Win. I have to say 30/30 is my favorite lever caliber. I used the 44 Mag, back in the 90s and it was great too. When the 45/70 and Marlin 1895 was cheap, I had one but it's not as useful. The 30/30 is extremely useful, was a long time patrol rifle and is exceptional inside of 200 yards with inexpensive bullets.

[@KeithCPerry]

Wow... that skeletonized Henry looks good! This resurgence of the level gun is cool af.

[@RJTrezise1983]

..... am I the only one that just enjoys the happy middle ground that is the 30-30?

[@martinoswald2814]

30-30 for the redneck-assault rifle! Better ballistics than the other calibers, with hornady ftx easy out to 300 yds. Cheap to reload. Handgun calibers suck at distances over 100 yds, 45-70 is overkill for the assault-rifle purpose.

[@Ideo7Z]

Nah I'm right there with you. You can take game and it has similar ballistics to 7.62x39 if you want to flex it into an hd rifle. Marlin Dark 336.

[@Heisenbrick]

I don’t own any lever guns yet but I’m always asking myself 30-30 or .357 I plan on buying a tactical lever action carbine in the next year or so. Marlin has been catching my eye.

[@RJTrezise1983]

@@Heisenbrick I have a Marlin 336 dark in 30-30. It's great. 30-30 is an excellent calibre.

[@drezwider]

Nope

[@georgewashington7312]

I wouldn't mind one in 357 magnum.

[@TheGorillafoot]

I got one. It's great. Hardly any recoil.

[@georgewashington7312]

@@TheGorillafoot I imagine reloading for 357 magnum specifically out of a carbine lends itself quite well to that cartridge.

[@Thisthat1234]

.38 special suppressed on the lever is movie quiet, it’s insane

[@JohnAdams-mu7xd]

I wouldn't mind one in 120mm M829.

[@richardhenry1969]

That would be my dream 357 and matching wheel gun. But since I was in the army I always wanted a 45-70

[@lordhellfire153]

.357 magnum. Best self defense pistol cartridge, and a perfectly acceptable rifle cartridge.

[@mikie1466]

So 9mm?

[@tonkerdog1]

You start at 45-70 and work your way down.

[@eriksforestryvision8751]

My ammo budget disagrees..

[@Argonaut80]

357mag/38spl. First off there is a lot of versatility. 357 gets serious efficiency gains from long barrel. It’s powerful enough to be lethal. More capacity than 45/70. More available, and common in a scavenger scenario. Cheaper to train with. Suppressed 38spl is about as silent you are going to get, for stealthy operations, including hunting without drawing a crowd.

[@robertgarza600]

One of my goals is to have a collection of lever guns and single action revolvers. Just haven’t found the job to support the dream lol. Thanks for the video.

[@ChristianGrest]

Absolutely love my shortened Henry all-weather in .44 magnum decked out with RPP parts. Just started getting some reloads together for that caliber and so far I'm loving the versatility.

[@RangerPointPrecision]

Great video Chris. We agree that 44 Mag is a great caliber for home defense and hunting. Most of us have loading benches too and not only can reloading be cheaper BUT you can also work up your own special loads to fine tune your rifle performance.

[@Diemerstein]

For hunting yes, for home defense....hell no, way too hot for home defense.

[@proctortoad]

@@Diemerstein you sissy, my home defense is a 458 LOTT

[@AldenReed-ni3fb]

44 mag is not a good home defense weapon it will penetrate every room in your house kill the wife and kids.

[@boredvet]

Hey, when I asked you guys if you had handguards for the Henry big octagon barrels, you guys told me no because they won't fit. Dude in the video has a octagon barrel and one of your handguards. Did you guys make products that fit the big boy octagon lever guns now? Or?

[@mannyzuccarelli]

Brethren! Thank you for always sharing solid info!

[@Cyotis]

I appreciate the realistic B-Roll where it shows malfunctions too. Thanks for not blowing smoke to sell a product.

[@thepracticalrifleman]

Nice to see you loading your own, Chris!

[@lukasstrne3780]

Dayuum totally awesome gun room!

[@joeg8269]

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about reloading is that it's primarily for those in the firearms community who are obsessed with long-range precision rifles or those old guys who were mentored by an even older guy and are whipping up "home brews" in their basement. This can be intimidating to the average shooter, i.e. those who want to train in self-defense shooting (high volume of rounds) or those who primarily plink (don't care about using the best and premium components). But, take it for what it's worth...there is truly something for every shooter in the reloading community. I'm primarily in the "volume" camp of reloading, and I can't believe that it took me this long to get into the hobby.

[@1776AxlePowerDM]

This helped a lot. I have been looking to get into lever action rifles. Of course i would love a 45.70 but i cant afford the rounds. Im thinking of the .357 magnum and later buying a 30-30. Great video and well done. I appreciate how you left the stumble in the opening when you fumbled with the lever. Most would cut that out to keep the image of being perfect. Everyone is human and has fumbles now and then. Well done.

[@jonecliptic]

Classic 30-30 win 🏆 👌

[@savageinstitute9569]

.30-30 is the best, for me. This may be because I only have a .30-30. 😂 30-06 very practical, .45-70 very fun, .44 and ,357 mag good choices.

[@charleschristianson2730]

.44 hits about as hard as .30-30 but will fit way more in the tube. It's not quite as flat-shooting, but neither of them are exactly long-range precision calibers anyway.

[@ritotron5752]

30-06 Lever Gun? Seems a bit dangerous

[@savageinstitute9569]

@@ritotron5752 why would you think that?

[@mcbridecreek]

@@ritotron5752 perfectly safe in a model 1895 Winchester!

[@jessesoto8887]

@@ritotron5752why’s this

[@the_inquisitive_inquisitor]

I'm a big fan of .357/.38 for a lever gun. Powerful enough, accurate enough and good enough magazine capacity.

[@johndunbar2393]

My comment is only because you show a bit of it on your videos, depending on your angle of the camera, but a video tour of your room there, would be frickin amazing. If not, that's fine too. It just looks pretty awesome.

[@oldscratch3535]

I would say .357 magnum is probably the best for most occasions. You can load some hot as shit .357 loads as well as use .38 special. .44 mag is a good one too but as far as cost and availability, .357mag has it beat.

[@8654ZuluFoxtrot]

Truth is......they are all good if you understand their capabilities and actually enjoy training with it. I went with .45 Colt because I simply love that caliber for the reason that it's extremely versatile and subsonic. 45/70 does amazing damage, but not something I'd recommend for home defense, camping defense, truck gun, etc. because it's vastly too powerful and you will run into issues in court if you end up using it for self-defense. Everything that is mentioned about why to choose .44 Mag or .357/38 is also applicable to .45 Colt, they are all very versatile and great choices. The reason I've stuck with .45 Colt over 45/70 is because my wife won't train with something that is not fun to shoot. The 45/70 will wear out anyone if you spend a few hours training, the .45 Colt (or any of the others mentioned previously) are a caliber you can shoot all day long. For this very reason it simply makes vastly more sense because it doesn't matter one bit how great a caliber is if people don't enjoy shooting it.

[@axt2]

a man of culture and refined taste

[@rickherbert3496]

I went with a Henry in 45 Colt. I do SASS so I load 45 Colts using a 255 grain bullet at about 700 t0 800 fps. In my rifle it is light and fun. With the 45 Colt when I am using it as a saddle gun , I use hot loads or +P loads. I can load a 250 grain, Hornady JHP and get it up to almost 1600 fps. It is a very versatile round. I really enjoy mine. Just have to be careful to keep my pistols loads and rife loads separate. Finger nail polish helps and separate well marked ammo boxes.

[@operator5677]

Can you use 454 casull in 45 long colt?

[@8654ZuluFoxtrot]

@@operator5677 In theory you should be able to from what I’ve heard. I have not tried it, but my Henry can handle .45LC +P, which is basically more pressure than the 454 Casull. I’d check with the gun manufacturer before I tried it though.

[@operator5677]

Thank you for the reply, I have the Ruger 454 Alaskan and was thinking of the cost effective way of ammo sharing and I’ll definitely inquire with the gun store

[@chrismartinez8393]

Reloading is a must during these times.

[@MrSharpe95]

Loving the lever gun action. Here in the UK it's a great choice for good fun.

[@user-xb2pk4lt9b]

This is exactly the video I was looking for yesterday!

[@dcady1440]

45 70 packs a serious punch i love it, but darn it's expensive ammo!

[@eidtnaci]

I want one but like u said the ammo makes me think definitely.

[@dcady1440]

@@eidtnaci 2 bucks a trigger pull 😳

[@Swishersweetcigarilo]

Reloading may help you reconsider and give you a new hobby. Put together some light range loads or some full house stuff. It's fun if you have the interest and patience.

[@HighGear39]

No Love for the .30-30? More downrange energy than a .44, and can be loaded subsonic. Lots of brass and bullets available.

[@pragmaticparadox5981]

And it's a helluva lot cheaper.

[@johnbowhunter7676]

30/30 is a classic!…👍

[@chrissavage8107]

Look at Costa letting the lettuce Flow! Heck yeah buddy looking good.

[@fanbatcher]

I have a tactified Henry .410 lever action based on the .45-70 frame. Extremely accurate shooting Brenneke slugs.

[@fanbatcher]

Ranger Point’s rear receiver mounted sight is superior to the Skinner model since it nestles lower allowing you to utilize the factory front sights in most applications

[@garyzimmerman8679]

I have a Marlin 1895SBL 45/70 and a Two Henry’s both Mares Legs converted into SBR’s. 45 colt and a 22mag in lever action. Love mine.

[@littleteethkeith]

45 Colt is cool because with new brass you can hand load some butt stomping rounds or you can turn around and hand load some plinking loads. Lots of bullets weights to choose from. Now 45/70 has a wide range of loads and weights too.

[@NorthwoodsNomad]

I love my Henry Carbine .44 Mag ! Just put on a set of Skinner peep sights . I’ll hunt whitetail with it this fall in the cedar swamps in Northern Michigan…using Hornady 225 grain FTX or 240 grain XTP’s .

[@B2close]

The best caliber is the one you can afford to shoot and practice with

[@mattgraff2563]

I've got a .44 mag Rossi model 92, 24" stainless octagon barrel. I'm quite large so the barrel length works for me. Great for deer here in the East and great for hogs.

[@juliancain6128]

That is a sweet rig!

[@511tactical]

Great video Chris!

[@TheofficialCostaludus]

Appreciate that my friend

[@SerBrynden]

Always great to see Serj Tankian on the range.

[@charlesharper7292]

Depends on what you want to do with it. Mine's .45 Colt.

[@TheKunsky]

The JK suppressors are the perfect combination with these lever guns!

[@banditleu1342]

My 2 lever guns , marlin 1895 skinner trapper 45/70...and a model 336 ..chambered in 35 Remington..👍👍👍

[@savageinstitute9569]

That henry is magnificent!!

[@romekin]

your shop background is impressive!! ;)

[@markmilan57]

Cool one!

[@jacobmoore7650]

Had a chance to shoot a Henry X with the Midwest rail system and a Rugged Obsidian suppressor. Using subsonic 44s, it sounded amazing and had no recoil. With the sealed action it seemed way quieter than the suppressed 9mm, at least for the shooter.

[@joemo1033]

Just getting into reloading SPECIFICALLY for this caliber. Will you make some tutorials as you become an expert on each stage?

[@ralphgreenjr.2466]

It depends on where you live and what you hunt. A lever gun in .44 mag is great for farm defense and hunting east of the Mississippi. The 45-70 and 30-30 have universal application. The .405 win, .348, .32 spcl, 25-35, .35 rem, all have their following. I am looking forward to getting a gun in .360 buckhammer.

[@leroybishop2245]

Great video Chris🙏. There are many, many reasons why we choose our calibers. I (we) decided on the .38 Spec/.357 Mag. It works great for us. If you haven’t already tried the Henry Mares Leg in .38/.357 I can tell you it’s quite handy. Just imagine how quick handling it would be if you put on a standard Big Boy stock(but that does magically turn into a SBR). Just saying. 🫣🤙

[@phild8095]

I always tell people the best caliber is what they can handle physically and economically. I'm enjoying the Henry 223 Remington-5.56 Nato. The old shoulder can spend an hour at the range with that caliber.

[@pump5687]

OK you’ve got me hooked on lever guns. Want to equip my Henry with a QD mount on Woodstock and ranger point forend. Looking at slings blue force or flat line fiber company, your thoughts, and or a video on this topic nobody has covered slings on these modern lover gun applications.

[@__Ryan_]

That garage/gun room is awesome!!

[@mkshffr4936]

Kind of depends on a lot of factors including usage profile, priorities, and applicable regulations.

[@jacspring5459]

Yep, I just started this vid... but too (I see previous comments) select .357 Mag chambered lever guns. I have a Rossi R92 rifle (24" octagonal barreled with rifle furniture including a crescent butt plate fitted with a Marbles fully adjustable tang sight) chambered in .357 Mag and it's a pip. It will hold up to 12 magnums in the tube and it can really be very potent - like sneaking up on a 35 Remington. It can also shoot the .38 Special and hold more rounds and be very good for anti-personnel work...

Grew up on lever action Marlins.. still a 30/30 and a .22 in use that were my fathers. I'm 62 now

[@hogfry]

Hornaby has a 325 grain that gets around 2000 fps. If found that to be kinda my sweetspot for 45-70. Wont powder your shoulder will fully stop a charging 380lb hog at 400+ yards. Which is impressive for a bullet that has the flight characteristics of an enraged brick

[@fortnite.burger]

I've never had a hog charge me from 400 yards before.

[@jacobsmith5199]

I've been out of the loop for a while I guess. Costa is now tactical Bob Ross. I like it.

[@Kmcmichael1959]

.45 Colt. Subsonic is great for suppressing and can be easily purchased. Hot loads are readily available.

[@johnny.3693]

45 colt is now more expensive than 44 mag in Pa.

[@danoman5217]

Like your rifle I have a model 336. Old school type.

[@jaygibson5057]

Good stuff

[@leonarddaneman810]

I passed on a pristine Marlin in stainless steel, 45-70, at a local shop for around $500 . . . lever action like buttah . . . but, I live in the city and don't get out into bear country much, and that is what that rifle does best. Now, twenty years later, I'm still kicking myself for not buying it. What did I buy instead? A Beretta 21A in .25 . . . for close quarter self defense carry.

[@spotchris2506]

Some old marlins in 308 marlin express are selling for over $3000 and there is a reason . By far the best lever action cal..

[@Clockwork0nions]

As much as I love 45-70, .357 is the perfect lever gun caliber. 38 special is also a lot more plentiful around me compared to 44 special (I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on the shelf here in FL). Though I have seen the new lever guns they showed off at SHOT that accept AR or AR10 mags……

[@FloridaBikeVlogger]

shoutout the 727

[@paul.aragon]

Sales on the foregrip would definitely be higher if Henry could get their act together to ramp up their X series. After calling/emailing over 40 stores and 2 distributors...I've had no luck. Any chance on putting pressure on Henry to get their act together so it justified getting your RPP products?

[@TheofficialCostaludus]

There pushing faster than anyone else so far. Who new so many still loved the lever gun. Marlin is hoping to have handgun calibers after summer. But it’s hard to find a 4570 from them

[@koshaocpb]

@@TheofficialCostaludus been on waiting list since november 2022.

[@sj1roese]

It seems that Henry is taking care of their favorite Gold Dealers, not going down a list by date. Find the right Gold Dealer and get on a list for your particular item. You will know you've found the right/wrong Gold Dealer when you either get a call, or don't, when you see a fresh batch of listings for your item on Gun Broker. That's how its done. Thank me later.

[@wildcat8598]

45-70 I think is what I usually think if when I think of cowboy rifles. 45lc are cool too. Hell really they all are even 22lr lever actions are fun to shoot. Of course they will always have a place but these days I feel like semi auto is king and with as expensive as everything is I primarily run 223rem/556 NATO and 9mm. I’ve got it to where I can make each for around 30-40 cents a round. Then again I have t had to buy materials in years. Down to under 1k small rifle and just a little over 1k small pistol primers now and I dread to think of having to look/shop for primers now that they are ridiculous prices.

[@timothyburford7293]

I personally just dropped about 1200 for the whole Casta RPP set up for my true marlin 45-70 gov. Paired with a F-1 foregrip, with an eotech red dot with flip over magnifier... I Love It!!!... only thing left to do is chop to 17" and suppress... but I know that just as the henry with a 6" at 430 grain sub-sonics you can't hear it standing next to the gun... 😊😊😊

[@O8WRx]

Just got my 45LC... mmm, spicy. lol. I am getting into the smaller calibers next. These rifles are so much fun.

[@michaelgunn6106]

Damn that’s nice

[@aaronwilcox6417]

Getting started, forget the presses and high costs. Start out with a 357, 44, or 45-70 with a Lee hand loader kit. All you need is a small mallet. It's slow but let's be honest it will be just fine for the average person and it will keep ya up and running and one can always upgrade loading equipment as funds allow or I'd one honestly needs more production.

[@Nexus-6]

My god, that Henry in 44 Magnum is magnificent. 😮

[@northernninety7]

I’ve been thinking about a 44 lever gun cause I already have the revolver.

[@markserpa4511]

Thanks for the videos. I just put a Costa Nighthawk on layaway. It's the smaller 1911 I found, beautiful gun. Do you happen to know how many were made in your collaboration with Nighthawk? Thanks in advance and take care.

[@mirekslechta7161]

Almost perfect, to get it 100% perfect I would need folding stock..(to be able to fold the skeleton part)

[@e.l.robbins5614]

My favorite lever gun caliber is a wildcat I have. 357/454 Casull. It’s a Winchester trapper, and I’ve got to see if Ranger point Precision has something for it.

[@kenkeller8158]

Waiting for one in 350 legend.

[@556ChannelHD]

.44 mag lever action is the way to go!!

[@vincenta.1677]

For factory 45-70 loads I found Hornady Leverevolution 325 gr at 2050 fps to be outstanding! Marlin 1895. 1" groups at 100 yds. In my opinion, very manageable recoil,even from the bench 👍

[@URBANAMERICANTAC]

I tell you what, I’m looking at that new Bond Arms LevAR gun. Something I can use my already owned uppers on. I do what a tricked out 45-70 lever action too.

[@RangerPointPrecision]

We've been looking at that Bond Arms too. I hope they sell the lower by itself. At the show they talked about only selling full rifle builds which I think would be a mistake for all of us with uppers.

[@jimbok2492]

That is an awesome rifle

[@Freelunch10]

I am today days only when I learned that my .44 mag revolver will accept .44 special, this vid spurred the research. Freaking awesome!

[@TheofficialCostaludus]

Lol 357 guns will run 38 special. Life hacks

[@tbabajan]

What do you think of the AR mag fed lever gun Fightlite is putting out soon??? The Herring model 2024. 450 bushmaster sounds fun out of it!

[@eidtnaci]

I got a 44 magnum but definitely want a 45-70 and a 357

[@MindZye]

The shotgun world seems to have embraced soft, velcro-backed shell cards over fixed, rigid holders and I'm curious if that would benefit lever guns at all. Rip off the empty shell card, pull a new one from whatever container and you're good to keep going!

[@jacobthomas6905]

It's out there. Just seen one online last night

[@mcbridecreek]

Don’t forget these two great Winchester lever action calibers: .25-35 and .38-55.

[@Lethal_Intent]

I have a 44mag and a .30-30 but i'm thinking about a 45 colt as the best overall for me. The cowboy loads for "special" type loads then ill hand load some heavy ruger/tc type loads.

[@michaelnava7580]

With actual field use hunting axis deer in Texas, I can confidently say .44 mag is the best all-around. For speed shooting and lapping as most people do, probably .357 mag.

[@roysmith7087]

I think it depends on how you are going to use it. North America towards Alaska and way northern states 45.70 More south,I would have a .38/357 or .44 or.45 or 30.30. Those are the do everything guns. I would use the .22magnum everyday like that

[@umami0247]

What are you using it for. I prefer a bit more bang for my buck kinda guy. So 450 460 480 500 45-70 are good for me. They will work both for personal defense and hunting. Cost really isn’t a concern the availability is the key issue. But when I see the round I want I buy as many as I can get. Same with reloading you have to get it when you can.

[@a1racer441]

45/70 is what I’ve always wanted in a lever action, I just can’t justify another toy anytime this year.

[@KnifeFanatic]

I think I would love to have a .357 lever just so I can get a .357 revolver... maybe like a henry big boy with the color case hardened side gate and a smith and wesson with the blued finish on it... man that would be such a sweet combo.

[@nomad5454]

which lever would you recommend for variable optics with a ton of aftermarket parts?

[@billybudd45]

I like fud lever action all wood iron sight. 357/38 seems versatile and affordable.

[@jacspring5459]

I know this is about Ranger Point but I'm more of a traditionalist for my lever guns. I have an old Winchester 94 "build" in 30 WCF AI but my other three are all Rossi R92's in pistol calibers.

[@sirfrydryk360]

"She calls bull sh*t!" Love it.

[@rsbreeze]

I want a Henry X in 10mm!

[@christianlove420]

Plz.plz.plz

[@laughinggas6703]

I like your affro

[@montecraig7032]

I have 25 lever guns. If I could only keep one it would be my 1980 made Oliver Winchester commemorative 38-55 or maybe my 1988 Browning 1895 30-40 Krag.

[@firedude3337]

There's only one thing that would make all this just a little bit better. Cornrows. Cornrow that dome up and good things will happen.

[@Iggischmalz]

Multicam Black 😍

[@82delta]

Personally I like the .357 better for the nickel cases for corrosion resistance and the ability to go super hot 125's for self defense and 180 grains for a really deep penetrating deer/black bear hunting load.

[@FloridaBikeVlogger]

i once took pictures of my one buddys reload info, no idea what it means but maybe just one day lol