Get A Grip On Lever-Action Accuracy
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2018/1/24/get-a-grip-on-lever-action-accuracy/'January 24, 2018
Most hunters consider traditional lever-action rifles to be less accurate than bolt-action rifles, and let it go at that. Altogether, there is no way the lever-action, with its rear locking lugs, two-piece stock and a tubular magazine tied to its barrel, can compete with the bolt-action’s rigid lockup and one-piece stock. But even though the bolt-action may have the accuracy edge, lever-actions are still plenty precise for many hunting applications.
To confirm that I wasn’t just trying to convince myself of that, I talked with Eric Lundgren, the product manager for Remington and Marlin rifles. He shot his first deer many years ago with a lever-action Marlin Model 336 chambered in .30-30 Win. “I’ve been a 336 junky ever since,†he said. “In fact, I killed my first 10 deer with the 336, and still occasionally hunt with the rifle.â€
Lundgren said Marlin engineers have managed to produce great accuracy when testing Marlin lever-actions. It all depends, however, on a couple of important factors. One of those factors is the bullets fired through those firearms. Often, the big, round-nose, flat-base bullets commonly shot in lever-actions do not possess quite the accuracy potential of the sleek, boattail designs commonly fired in bolt-action rifles. Another factor is sights. “The open sights on lever-actions are rugged,†Lundgren said. “But I’m 51, and can’t see them as well as someone who is 21.†Marlin tests its Model 1894 lever-action chambered in .44 Mag. for accuracy at 50 yds., aiming with the carbine’s open sights. “We expect the guns to shoot 2" groups at that distance,†he said.
Conversely, Marlin tests the accuracy of its Model 336 and 1895 rifles at 100 yds. and mounts scopes on them to remove eyesight issues from the accuracy equation. “Our new Model 1895GSBL .45-70 shoots groups between 1½" and 2" at 100 yds.,†he said. “Bolt-action rifles may be a bit more accurate, but not all that much.â€...