The lever from below is forever, or “A holy place is never empty”
Winnetou and Shetterhand. Please note that the latter has a Winchester M1894 with a semi-pistol grip in his hand. Frame from the film "Among the Kites" (1964)
“Despite all my caution, what I feared happened. Some three hours had passed after sunrise, and suddenly about twenty armed natives showed up in my rear. I lean against a tree and decide that if I sell my skin, I will take it dearly. And they yell, yell and run right at me. I take aim and think: maybe they will stop. But after all, those boobies believed that the carbine did not shoot, there was nothing to be afraid of. And now they are already twenty paces away from me and shout, and wriggle, and grimace, and shake their spears. Well, there was no more time to think about it. I shot! Dude, that was like a cannon shot! Think: seventeen grams of English gunpowder! Three people dropped dead. It was terrible to see what the explosive bullet had done.
- I think! This bullet can kill an elephant!
“To their own misfortune, they stood one behind the other.
- Well!..
- Poor fellows! .. I didn’t need to shoot anymore - I remained the master of the situation. They ran like a herd of antelope and disappeared from view. I got freedom."
The Diamond Thieves, Louis Boussinard
- I think! This bullet can kill an elephant!
“To their own misfortune, they stood one behind the other.
- Well!..
- Poor fellows! .. I didn’t need to shoot anymore - I remained the master of the situation. They ran like a herd of antelope and disappeared from view. I got freedom."
The Diamond Thieves, Louis Boussinard
stories about weapons. History about the Marlin rifle was liked by many VO readers. But questions arose as to how many different firms in the United States produced rifles controlled by a lever-bracket. True, we have already talked about some of them here, in particular, about the Savage rifle (or Savage, you can do this and that). But to see them all at once in one material is also very interesting. It is not for nothing that it is said: “How to compare, but look ...”, and that’s exactly what we will do today.
And we’ll start by remembering that the shutter control mechanism using a lever located under the bolt box appeared for the first time not on Winchester rifles, and not even on a Henry rifle (which we also talked about in great detail), and not on a pistol " Volcanic", but on the Jennings rifle, which from 1849 to 1852 created and sold a primer magazine rifle (with an underbarrel magazine) of lever action. The Jennings rifle was manufactured by Robbins & Lawrence in Windsor, Virginia. Moreover, the foreman there was one B. Tyler Henry, who then played a prominent role in the design and development of lever weapons. That is, he had a place to gain relevant experience.
Jennings rifle. Photo 1895gunner.com
Production of the Jennings rifle ceased in 1852, and all of the company's investors are said to have suffered heavy losses. Well - money problems were not something new then in the firearms industry, as in any other.
Ball rifle. Please note that it does not have a lever as such. Just the trigger guard is slightly enlarged. Photo 1895gunner.com
Another model little known to us, especially in comparison with the rifle of the same Tyler Henry, is the rifle attributed to Albert Ball of Worcester, Massachusetts, which since 1865 was produced by Lamson & Co. of Windsor, Vermont. It used the very powerful .56-50 Spencer rimfire welt cartridges. The total length was 95,8 cm. The barrel length was 50,8 cm.
The result is a fine lever-action carbine suitable for scouts, snipers, infantry and mounted troops - compact enough to be used in close combat. The cartridge provided good stopping power and range, and seven rounds were ready to fire in a tubular magazine. A small number of these carbines were converted after the Civil War to fire .44 "Long Ring" cartridges.
Bullard rifle. Photo 1895gunner.com
Manufactured by Bullard Repetition Arms. A distinctive feature of the Bullard rifle bolt was its movement along two gears. Accordingly, there was a gear rack at the bottom of the shutter, and another of the same rail was controlled by a lever-bracket. Because of this, the movement of the shutter was exceptionally smooth and smooth, but on the other hand, the receiver turned out to be somewhat longer and heavier compared to other “lever rifles”. The method of loading through the hole in its lower part was also unsuccessful.
They were produced from 1883 to 1890, but only 2800 rifles were produced chambered for: .32-40-150, .38-45-190, .40-70-232, .40-75-258, .40-90- 300, .45-85-290 and .50-115-300. Bullard's company tried to compete with the Winchester, Marlin, and Whitney companies. But despite the smooth action of the shutter and excellent quality, it was not possible to “kill” the enemy companies with their rifles.
Rifle "Colt-Burgess". Photo 1895gunner.com
The rifle was designed by E. Burgess of Oswego, a photographer by profession, and had a very unusual action with a receiver cover. When the lever was fully pressed down, the bolt rose to a vertical position, while its cover in the receiver moved back horizontally. During the period from 1883 to 1885, 6403 rifles chambered for .44-40 Winchester were produced.
The tubular magazine is located under the barrel in a manner similar to other lever-action rifles and has a capacity of 15 rounds in the rifle version or 12 rounds in the carbine version. The receiver of the Burgess rifle is smaller than that of the Winchester M1873, which makes it a lighter weapon. The bolt action of a rifle is also considered to be a more robust design. The 1883 rifle was designed and patented by Andrew Burgess, who sold his design to the Colt Company. Replicas of the Burgess rifle and carbine are currently manufactured by the Italian company Uberti chambered in .45 Colt.
It is possible that the sheriff (on the left) fires just such a shotgun. Frame from the movie "Stagecoach" (1935)
Rifles manufactured by the Ithaca Gun Company were sold in the United States from 1961 to 1978. The company was founded in 1883 by William Henry Baker and initially produced double-barreled shotguns. But then she also began to produce "winchesters", but unsuccessfully, and in 2005 she had to sell all her assets.
Repeating rifle Iver Johnson. Photo 1895gunner.com
The rifle was sold from 1985 to 1990, and was chambered in .22 caliber rimfire Winchester long cartridges. Barrel length 47 cm. The magazine holds 15 rounds. The rifle was designed by Erma in Germany. Rifle design by Louis Imperato, father of the Henry Repetition Arms
Rifle from Morris & Brown Conical Repiting Rife. Photo 1895gunner.com
The rifle appeared in 1861 and was chambered in .38 caliber rimfire and was completely unusual in every way. The fact is that she had a six-shot drum, behind which there was a conical funnel that directed the fired bullets into the barrel. The drum surrounded a cylindrical shutter to prevent the release of gases from it to the outside. Interestingly, the drum did not rotate: instead, when cocked, the drummer turned and each time stood in front of the next chamber. Despite the interesting design, the big disadvantage of this design was that the trap funnel wore out quickly. A total of two copies were made, both had breech damage that needed to be repaired. A ring lever behind the open trigger (no trigger guard) cocks and rotates the firing pin. Currently, two surviving examples can be seen at the Cody Firearms Museum, Wyoming, and at the Virginia Military Institute.
Rifle Stevens 425 "High Power". Photo 1895gunner.com
Produced from 1911 to 1917. Cartridges: .25 Remington, .30-30, .32 and .35 Remington. The M425 was Remington's standard model, followed by even more expensive examples such as the 430, 435 and 440, with the later ones featuring fancy walnut stocks and stocks with high quality knurling and extensive engraving on the receiver. Interestingly, outwardly, the rifle was very similar to the Marlin M336. Stevenson's shutter goes back in an arc and becomes vertical!
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Whitley-Kennedy rifle. Photo 1895gunner.com
The history of this rifle is as follows: it was produced from 1880 to 1886. In 1880, Samuel W. Kennedy and Frank W. Teasing modified the 1878 Burgess rifle to use the popular .44 "Winchester" cartridge. The total production is estimated at about 23 copies. Rifles were produced in .500-45, .75-40, .60-38, .40-50 and .95-32 calibers.
Also, the Remington Nylon 76 rifle was produced in very large quantities, which in 1962-1965. chambered in caliber .22 "Long Remington" was produced in the amount of 26 copies. It was produced in two versions: "Nylon 327" "Black Apache" and "Nylon 76" "Brown Mohawk". Recognized "fastest-firing lever-action rifle in the world". But outwardly - all the same "Winchester". Only in one case black, and in the other - brown.
Rifle firm "Mossberg" M464 with a pistol grip. Photo 1895gunner.com
Years of release: 2008-2021. Cartridges: .30-30 "Winchester". The rifle is very carefully made and balanced, therefore, it is considered to have the same smooth action as a Marlin, and as good balance as a Winchester.
M464 variant with a straight butt neck. Photo 1895gunner.com
Another "Mossberg" with a lever mechanism - 464SPX. Obviously designed for lovers of everything ultramodern. Photo 1895gunner.com
And these are eminently modern "lever" "Remingtons". Photo 1895gunner.com
"Bloody knife" - a scout from the detachment of General Custer with a Winchester in his hands, 1876. Photo winchesterguns.com
And yet, despite the abundance of copies and original developments, the traditional “Winchester” from the “Winchester” does not give up its positions, and the 1894 model is especially popular.
"Winchester" 1894 Photo winchesterguns.com
True, due to the design of the shutter, it is the “hard drive” that is inconvenient for installing an optical sight on it. That is, it can be installed, but you have to move it forward, which is not very convenient!
This is how the optical sight on the "Winchester" model "Scout" M1894 looks like ... Photo winchesterguns.com
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