Lever-action - Definition and Overview

A lever-action is a type of firearm which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area (often including the trigger guard itself) to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel when the lever is "cranked". The most famous of such lever-action firearms is the Winchester rifle, but many manufacturers produce lever-action rifles.

Both Marlin and Winchester have a model 1894 lever action rifle, as both manufacturers released them in that year. The Marlin has a single stage lever action, and the Winchester has a double stage. This is hard to describe, but is easy to notice when the two are compared.

Common calibres are .38 Special/.357 Magnum, .44 Special/.44 Magnum and .45-70, and some shotguns can be found with a lever action, as seen used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Terminator 2: Judgement Day"

The design is suited to any relatively short, rimmed cartridge.

External links

Lever-action rifle manufacturers

• Winchester Rifles (http://www.winchester-guns.com/homepage/index.asp)
• Marlin Rifles (http://www.marlinfirearms.com)
• Henry Rifles (http://www.henryrepeating.com)
• Uberti Rifles (http://www.uberti.com)
• Photos and information about current production Marlin lever-action rifles (http://www.gunshopfinder.com/marlinrifles.html)