Lever action rifles are almost universally associated with cowboys and the Old West era.
But even in a world dominated by AR-15s and other modern semi-automatic rifles, the lever action refuses to die and companies are producing more of them than seemingly ever before. This alone proves how it’s more than merely a relic of days gone by.
Lever action rifles were truly revolutionary when they first appeared on the firearms scene in the 1860s, and they remain just as effective as hunting or even as defensive weapons now as they were then. Lever guns are also much faster to shoot multiple shots in rapid succession than bolt action rifles…and some would say they’re more fun too.
Here are the 23 coolest lever action rifles ever produced:
1 – Henry 1860 Rifle
It was the Henry 1860 rifle that started it all…sort of. The Henry was the world’s first successful lever action rifle. It was descended from the earlier Volcanic lever action carbine of the 1850s, which had been partially developed by Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson (the same men who would go on to found Smith & Wesson). Named after its designer, Benjamin Taylor Henry, the Henry Rifle improved upon the Volcanic and was chambered for 15 rounds of the .44 Henry rimfire cartridge. Henry rifles were highly prized by soldiers in the Civil War due to the incredible firepower it offered an individual man at the time, but they were never put into wide production due to the high cost. Around 14,000 original units were made, and high quality reproductions are offered by companies like Uberti and Henry Repeating Arms (not the same as the original Henry) today; the rifle in the image above is a reproduction.
2 – Winchester 1866 Yellow Boy
After the Civil War, Oliver Winchester renamed New Haven Arms (the manufacturer of the Henry rifle) as Winchester Repeating Arms and immediately set to work to improve the Henry rifle. The result was the Winchester Model 1866 ‘Yellow Boy,’ which basically added a wooden forend for the supporting hand, a barrel band at the end of the barrel and magazine tube, and a side loading gate for ease of loading. Chambered for the same .44 Rimfire caliber as the Henry rifle, the Model 1866 was an instant success for Winchester and formally established the ‘Winchester lever gun.’ It was produced until 1899, but high quality reproductions are produced by companies like Uberti today. The 1866 in the above photo is a newer production gun.
3 – Winchester 1873
The Winchester 1873 took the 1866 Yellow Boy and improved it by moving from the 1866’s bronze brass alloy to much more durable steel, and upgrading from the .44 Rimfire to the much more powerful .44-40 Winchester caliber. The 1873 was one of the most successful rifles of the Old West period, and became known as the “Gun That Won The West.” The 1873 was produced until 1923. Modern day 1873s are made by companies such as Uberti and Miroku, the latter of whom build the guns for the Winchester brand name. The 1873 in the above image is a newer production model.
4 – Winchester 1876
The Winchester 1873 was a wildly successful design, but it had one major weakness: it was chambered for pistol calibers like the .44-40 and others, and therefore had limited range and effectiveness against big game. This is why long range shooters and big game hunters often had to rely on single shot rifles like the Sharps, Springfield Trapdoor, or the Remington Rolling Block rifles. The Winchester 1876 was Winchester’s first lever action rifle that was chambered for large bore rifle calibers, such as the .45-60 Winchester, which offered big game hunters the option to finally use a repeating rifle. Production of the 1876 ceased in 1897, but reproductions are still produced today. The rifle in the above photo is an original 1876.
5 – Winchester 1886
The Winchester 1886 upgraded the 1876 with a stronger action designed by John Moses Browning and the ability to chamber and shoot the enormously popular .45-70 Government cartridge, which the 1876 could not handle due to its toggle link action. The success of the 1886 caused the 1876 to gradually be phased out, and it’s still in production today, although new models are produced by Miroku for Winchester and reproductions are sold under other brand names like Uberti and Chiappa. The rifle in the above photo is an example of an 1886 reproduction.
6 – Winchester 1892
The Winchester 1892 was basically an 1886 that was scaled down to chamber and fire pistol caliber cartridges like the 1873. Like the 1886 as well, the 1892 was designed by John Browning and had a stronger action than the 1873. The 1892 became a common presence in early Hollywood Western films where it stood in for the 1873. This was because 1892s were much easier and cheaper to come by in those days. The rifle in the above photo is an example of a Winchester 1892 with a short magazine tube.
7 – Winchester 1894
The quintessential ‘.30-30 deer rifle,’ the Winchester 1894 was designed by John Browning as an intermediate rifle between the 1892 and 1886, in that it could chamber cartridges larger than the former but smaller than the latter. It’s also notable because it was the first civilian rifle ever made for smokeless powder rounds. It became Winchesters’ highest selling product of all time, with over seven million units sold. The 1894 is still in production today and is also made by companies who reproduce Old West firearms like Uberti. The rifle in the above photo is a newer production example.
8 – Winchester 1895
Arguably Winchester’s most unique rifle is the 1895. Also designed by John Browning, the 1895 was Winchester’s strongest lever gun and was designed to handle large rifle cartridges with pointed tips that could not be safely loaded into a magazine tube. The 1895 was in production until the mid-1930s, but in 1984 it was resurrected by Japanese arms manufacturer for the Browning brand name for a limited run. Then in the 1990s, Miroku resumed production again, but this time under the Winchester name instead. The rifle in the above photo is an example of a newer production 1895.
9 – Winchester Model 88
Another distinctive lever action rifle made by Winchester is the Model 88. This lever action rifle accepts a detachable box magazine, which was completely unlike any previous Winchester designs. The Model 88 became the third highest selling rifle in Winchester history, and production ceased in 1973. The design went on to inspire other lever action rifles such as the Browning BLR.
10 – Marlin 1881
Marlin entered the lever action market with the 1881 rifle. Designed to compete with the Winchester 1876, the 1881 could chamber and fire the popular .45-70 Government round that was in widespread use throughout the country, whereas the 1876 could only chamber and fire proprietary rounds. This was one reason why Winchester decided to contract John Browning to design the 1886 so they could have a .45-70 lever action rifle as well. The Marlin 1881 was in production until the early 1900s and helped establish Marlin as Winchester’s main competitor.
11 – Marlin 1893
The Winchester-Marlin rivalry continued with the release of the Marlin 1893 rifle. Like the Winchester 1894, the Marlin 1893 was designed to fire smokeless powder rounds (like .38-55, .32-40, and .30-30, among others) as opposed to black powder rounds. The 1893 was also notable for its side ejection and solid top design over the receiver, which was arguably more durable than the Winchester design but at the expense of being slightly more bulky and heavy. The 1893 was in production until 1936.
12 – Marlin 1894
The Marlin 1894 followed the 1893 as a pistol caliber lever action rifle that would compete with the Winchester 1892. Like the 1893, the 1894 incorporated a solid top receiver and side eject design that has become Marlin’s trademark. This design proved to be more reliable than the Winchesters’ open top receiver in subzero conditions, but again, at the expense of a somewhat heavier and bulkier rifle. The 1894 was an enormous success for Marlin and they are still produced today by Ruger under the Marlin name.
13 – Marlin 1895
The Marlin 1895 was released in 1895 as an improvement over the 1881; it incorporated the solid top receiver and side angle ejection to maintain conformity with the 1893 and 1894 rifles. The 1895 was produced until 1917, and was then resurrected in 1972 and chambered for the .45-70 Government round. 1895 Marlins are still produced today by Ruger, but under the Marlin brand name.
14 – Marlin 336
The Marlin 336 is Marlin’s most recognizable rifle and the bestselling gun they have ever made with over 4 million units produced. Introduced in 1948 as the successor to the Model 36 (which in turn was the successor to the Model 1893), the 336 has long competed directly with the Winchester 1894 as America’s bestselling .30-30 deer rifles. The 336 is still produced today by Ruger under the Marlin name; the rifle in the above photo is an example of a Ruger-made Marlin.
15 – Marlin 39A
The Marlin 39A holds the distinction of being the longest continuously produced rifle in the entire world. With over two million units were produced from 1922 to 2007, it is the highest selling .22 LR lever action rifle ever made, and is widely considered to be one of the finest production rimfire rifles produced. It remains yet to be determined if Ruger will introduce the 39A as they have the 1894, 1895, and 336 lever guns.
16 – Browning BLR
Introduced in the late 1960s, the Browning BLR is a lever action rifle with a detachable box magazine designed to fire large caliber bullets with pointed tips that can’t be feed safely into a magazine tube (similar to the Winchester 1895). The BLR can be chambered for some of the largest rifle caliber cartridges, like the .450 Marlin, .300 Winchester Magnum, and 7mm Remington Magnum. BLRs are produced by Miroku under the Browning brand name.
17 – Henry Side Loading Gate Rifle
Henry Repeating Arms was established in 1996 as a manufacturer of American-made lever action rifles. Named after Benjamin Taylor Henry, who designed the original Henry 1860, Henry lever action rifles initially could only be loaded through inserting the rounds individually at the end of the magazine tube, similar to the original Henry rifle. Eventually, however, they wisely introduced their side loading gate models that allow the user to more easily feed cartridges into the side of the receiver like a Winchester or a Marlin.
18 – Henry Long Ranger
The Henry Long Ranger competes with the Browning BLR as an example of a lever action rifle with a detachable box magazine that is designed to fire Spitzer-type rifle bullets. It’s designed primarily for hunting, and can chamber and fire the .223 Remington or .308 Winchester cartridges.
19 – Henry Classic Lever Action .22
Henry Repeating Arms’ signature product, and the rifle that first put them on the map in 1996, is their Classic Lever Action in .22. This is an affordable and well-made rimfire lever action that loads rounds individually towards the end of the magazine tube, similar to the Marlin Model 60 semiautomatic .22. The Henry Classic Lever Action is short, lightweight, and very fun to shoot.
20 – Savage Model 99
Introduced in 1899, the Savage Model 99 was truly unique in the lever action rifle world when it was introduced due to its rotary magazine design. This design enabled the Model 99 to use Spitzer-type bullets so it could compete with the Winchester 1895. It was very popular with hunters and over a million units were produced until production ended in 1997.
21 – Colt Burgess Rifle
It’s not well-known that Colt produced its own lever action rifle during the Old West period: the Burgess rifle. Designed by Andrew Burgess, who then sold the design to Colt in 1883, the rifle was intended to compete with the Winchester 1873 but sales never took off as the Winchester was already well-established. Nonetheless, the Burgess had a stronger action than the 1873. Just over 6,400 units were made in total, but replicas are currently made by Uberti.
22 – Smith & Wesson Model 1854
Introduced in 2024, the Smith & Wesson Model 1854 represents S&Ws formal entry into the lever action rifle market. The 1854 is named after the year where Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson helped develop the Volcanic repeating carbine. It’s a pistol-caliber lever action chambered for the .44 Magnum cartridge, and has a tactical rail installed on the top of the receiver for ease of adding a scope or red dot sight. Like the Marlin lever action rifles, the 1854 ejects spent shell casings to the side.
23 – Rossi R95
The Rossi R95 is a Brazilian-made clone of the Marlin 336. Rossi had previously been making 336 clones with their Rio Grande series of rifles, and like the Rio Grande the R95 is sold more affordably than the competing Marlin rifles. It is available in both rifle and carbine configurations and has a large loop lever to better facilitate gloved hands.
