What can I do with my levergun?

[Bobby Craig]

Whats something I can do with my levergun? I have a 1895G in 45-70. My only use for it right now is that its part of my Bug Out Bag and thats about all its used for. What should I do to it to fix it up and make it nicer? I dont like peep sights so please do suggest those. I dont need an action job, I dont think I will ever need to unload all 4 shot in just a few seconds. I may remove the extra safety button/bar but then again it really dont bother me. What have you guys done to yours and can I see pictures?

[J Miller]

Bobby,

Welcome to the forum.

I'd hate to suggest anything since you seem to be wanting to fix something that isn't broken. Were it mine I'd get rid of the safety cos they do bug me, and then take it out and shoot it. That's all I'd do. No sense to me changing a rifle just for the sake of change.

Joe

[RKrodle]

Welcome to the forum. If you don't like the safety you can move it to the off position and then slip a small o-ring over the protruding part. This well keep it from inadvertently being pushed on at an inopportune time. But it will still work with enough pressure applied. You may want to put a sling on it. I say shoot it a lot.

[Blaine]

If you don't load, get a Lee hand press and shoot the heck out of it as is. 45-70 loads need not be stout to be HIGHLY effective.

[jnyork]

Go shoot it some?

Smooths up the action very nicely.

[FWiedner]

What should I do to it to fix it up and make it nicer?

Load it?

[jeepnik]

Some of the best fix ups are pretty easy and not that expensive. Wild West Guns has the Happy Trigger, and their Bear Proof Ejector. These slick up the innards pretty good. WWG, and XS have some nice ghost ring rear sights that are considerably more user freindly than the factory sight. You might consider a full lenght mag tube, but I found I didn't like the balance of a friends, so never installed one. Then there are large loop levers, not my cup of tea either, but some like them. Or, how about a laser/flashlight mount also from WWG.

Optics, the sky is the limit. Traditioal mounting or scout. Fixed, variable, red dot, holographic, the choice is darned near limitless.

Some have replaced the wood with synthetic. Other's have coated it with bedliner. And a few have just added some really nice wood.

Lastly, every good levergun deserves really nice leather. There have been lot's of photos posted on what can be done.

[CEMENTHEAD]

Welcome to our world and our forum Bobby !

I say just shoot the snot outta it and then form your own wish list.

That's the great thing about levers.......it's like being at Burger King......you get it your way, every day!

Good Luck !! Thanks, Tom

[Birdman]

I like the model 94's in 44 and 357 but that's my thing. I have slings on both of them. You say you don't like peep sights but I do have Skinner peeps on both. I bought a Wild West trigger that I have not installed yet and I plan to ditch the safety. Now for what I am thinking about doing to one of them. I am thinking about shortening the barrel to 16 1/4 and trimming an inch off the stock. There is a picture of a 45/70 done like this over at the Marlin Owners sight. I believe that one is also a takedown. If I never get around to these mods I won't feel too bad because they are great rifles like they are. In the mean time I will shoot the snot out of them and have fun. Enjoy your toys.

[AJMD429]

I like the model 94's in 44 and 357 but that's my thing.

Me too, for 'bug out bag' purposes - Ten rounds of .44 Mag would do a whole lot better if facing a dozen 'hostiles', than four rounds of .45-70, unless they're all riding four elephants.

Sight-wise I do like the peeps, but if you don't like them, you might consider a FastFire/LaserMax combination as I used on my "Night Scout" project gun:



http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=23531

For 'fixing it up', the only thing I'd do would be consider a full-length magazine, if you want a couple extra rounds, and don't mind the weight and balance change.

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[ next comment added just to stir up trouble... ]

Oh, and I'd get it re-barrelled in .444 Marlin, of course...

[C. Cash]

Welcome! You may need to do nothing to it at all, but shoot it a bit, maybe cook up some nice mild/wild cast loads for it. Shooting it a bunch will be the only way to tell if you want to change stuff up. I agree, for a bugout rifle, one could do a magazine extension for a few extra rounds without too much added weight. More ammo is never a bad thing.

[Streetstar]

I put a good sized "carrying handle" (scope) on mine. It is surprisingly accurate -- the stock irons are tough for me to get decent accuracy with. I haven't changed them yet, but i have been contemplating the XS Ghost ring setup for backup irons . With the stock irons, 4" clay targets are somewhat safe on the 50 yard berm (again, your results may vary)

If i were to actually go out and purchase a scope, I might be inclined to try a scout type setup with an XS rail system, or the compact Leupold 2-7 X 20mm -- but i didnt spend any money on this, it was a cast-off from another rifle. It works great though, so to date it hasn't moved, although a 40 mm objective lens looks huge on a levergun-- just another example of function over form.

I put a thick leather sling on mine as well, the terrain i hunt is pretty rough and sometimes requires some climbing, so this was a necessity in my eyes.
Last hunting season, i did perform a "mag dump" (4 shots in approx. 6 seconds) - the barrel porting really helped keep the muzzle down and the rifle on target -- but a lot of people dislike the ports at the range admittedly. --- That may have been a once-in-a-decade situation, but made me think "what if i needed 5 or 6 shots?" -- hence, a longer mag tube crossed my mind, but i likely wont go there with this rifle -- needing more than 4 shots of 45-70 just rarely comes up, however, if i was travelling in big bear country, i might do it

Everyone customizes their Guide Guns a little bit, but its a fun gun even if you do nothing to it

[2ndovc]

Here's mine, though it's a .450 Marlin instead of a .45-70( the bottom rifle is an LTD-III, .45-70).
XS mount, Leupold scout scope, Kirkpatrick sling. Still think I'll get the XS ghost ring sights for it.
I shoot both of these quite a bit, but the .45-70 gets used qiute a bit more as a fun / camp gun as I
have many different loads for it. I tend to keep my .450s on the heavy side.



Have fun!

jb

[Phideaux]

"What can I do with my levergun?" Best advice I can give you is just SHOOT IT!!!

Phi

[adirondakjack]

Though you may not need it as a "race gun", an action job still holds much benefit. Parts that are slick and mesh without gnashing are far more reliable, and don't beat each other up with every cycling. A levergun with a proper action job is like a blueprinted engine, it operates slick and sweet, works like a charm, and WILL put a smile on your face when ya run it, even for only one shot.

My 1894s will cycle with only two pounds of effort to crank the lever. The parts glide over each other like frog snot on a wet glass doorknob. Your 1895 could too.

[O.S.O.K.]

Welcome to the board!

I will second the idea to get some reloading equipment. 45-70 factory isn't cheap... and you can handload to meet your personal uses. Since you mention bug out bag, I would suggest a Lee Loader - very compact and lightweight - and include a plastic hammer (like a backpacking hammer) to use with it. These are only $25 for the kit and will allow you to carry more "ammo" in the form of components and re-use the brass.

I would also suggest installing a nice leather sling like the Montana Sling (got mine at Cabelas). Here's a pic of one installed on a levergun:



Another thing - also shown in the above pic is a lace-on recoil pad. I got mine at Cabelas but Buffalo Arms also stocks them. The light m95 can kick with stouter 45-70 loads...

You might also consider a nice leather cartridge holder to go on the buttstock if you like that kind of thing.

[Warhawk]

I would go for a better recoil pad, like a limbsaver or Pachmayr Decelerator.

Then book a hog hunt and bust a wild hog with it. Then you'll know what the 45-70 guide gun excels at and will never want to part with it

[MrMurphy]

The XS ghost rings perform very well for speed shooting at closer ranges and pretty decently at other distances (I've shot my .44 out to 100m with them so far).


If you need leather, look up www.shottist.com.

He's a friend of mine, a patrol cop when he's not doing leather, and he makes solid stuff.

[rimrock]

spend some $$ on splatted maple stock?

make it tactikewl by using spray on bed liner

slim down down the fore end

put a leatherwood old fashioned scope on it

put a ladder sight on

just browse around here, at marlinowners.com etc. cuz there is something out there that will absolutely catch your eye.

rimrock

[new pig hunter]

I guess I'm a little more practically oriented ..

I'm thinking buying, and using, enough ammo to pretty much shoot smooth the inside of the barrel. Then install a new barrel and repeat. And have much fun while doing so.

Cheers,

Carl

[Pathfinder09]

What needs doin'?