Best Lever-Action Rifles (2026): 8 Picks From Henry to Marlin

Best lever-action rifle overall

Guns.com, new (.30-30 Win): from about $910 · MSRP: $1,165.00 · Weight: 7.0 lb

If you want one lever gun that does what lever guns have always done best, carry easily and drop a deer in the timber, this is it. Henry now calls it the H9 Classic Rifle, and it's the company's steel-framed .30-30 with walnut stocks, a 20-inch round blued barrel and Henry's two-way loading: a side gate on the receiver to top off the magazine, plus Henry's removable tube for safe, quick unloading without cycling every round through the action.

Henry lists the large-loop version (H009GL) at 7.0 lb with a 1:12 twist, a 14-inch length of pull and 6 rounds. It comes with a fully adjustable semi-buckhorn rear sight and a brass bead front, it's drilled and tapped for a Weaver 63B scope base, and it ejects to the side, so a low-mounted scope doesn't block the empties. A transfer bar safety means there's no crossbolt button to fumble for. Henry itself rates it for deer and elk "best at up to 125 yards," which is an honest range for a .30-30 with iron sights.

On October 6, 2026, Guns.com had it new from about $910, about 21 percent under Henry's $1,165.00 MSRP. The standard-loop version (H009G) lists at $1,135, and Henry also builds the same rifle in .360 Buckhammer for states that require straight-wall cartridges. Note that some Guns.com listings say 5 rounds; Henry's own spec is 6.

See Henry Side Gate .30-30 at Guns.com →

Best .357 Magnum lever action

Guns.com, new (.357 Mag): from about $890 · MSRP: $1,135.00 · Weight: 7.0 lb

"Henry 357" is one of the fastest-rising lever-action searches right now, and this is the rifle most of those searchers mean. Guns.com still lists it as the Big Boy Side Gate; Henry now calls the steel-framed model the H12 Classic Rifle. It's the same idea as the .30-30 above, scaled down to a pistol cartridge: a 20-inch round blued barrel, walnut stocks, a side loading gate and the removable tube.

Henry lists the .357 Magnum / .38 Special version (H012GM) at 7.0 lb with a 1:16 twist, a 14-inch length of pull and a 10-round magazine. Because it also shoots .38 Special, practice ammo is cheaper and milder, which makes this a great first centerfire lever gun and a fun range rifle that pairs with a .357 revolver. With .357 Magnum loads, many hunters use it for deer at close range; check your state's rules, since some set minimum cartridge requirements.

The lowest new .357 listing on Guns.com on October 6 was from about $890, about 21 percent under Henry's $1,135.00 MSRP, and the large-loop version (H012GML) was only $5 more. Henry also makes it as a 16.5-inch carbine and in brass and color-case-hardened finishes for more money.

See Henry Big Boy .357 at Guns.com →

Best lever action for longer shots (.308 and .243)

Guns.com, new (.308 Win): from about $1,130 · MSRP: $1,239.99 · Weight: 6 lb 8 oz

Searches for ".243 lever action" are up 450 percent this month and ".308 lever action" is climbing too, and the Browning BLR is the rifle that has owned that niche for decades. It's not a tube-fed cowboy gun. The BLR uses a rack-and-pinion lever, a rotating bolt head and a detachable box magazine, so you can safely run pointed spitzer bullets in modern bolt-gun cartridges.

Browning lists the Lightweight '81 in .308 Win (034006118) at 6 lb 8 oz, the lightest centerfire in this guide apart from the Rossi, with a 20-inch barrel, a 1:12 twist, a 13.75-inch length of pull and a 4-round detachable magazine. The receiver is aluminum alloy with a polished blued finish, the straight-grip stock is gloss Grade I black walnut, and it's drilled and tapped for a scope. The .243 Win version (034006111) has the same weight and MSRP with a 1:10 twist.

Browning's MSRP for both is $1,239.99. On October 6, Guns.com had the .308 Lightweight '81 new from about $1,130, while the cheapest new .243 BLR Lightweight was $1,250.99 and several other BLR listings showed their price only in the cart.

See Browning BLR at Guns.com →

Best big-bore lever action (.45-70)

Guns.com, new (.45-70 Govt): from about $1,140 · MSRP: $1,359.00 · Weight: 7.4 lb

If you hunt elk, moose or hogs in heavy cover, or you want a rifle you can trust in bear country, the .45-70 Guide Gun is the classic answer. Since Ruger bought Marlin, it has been rebuilding the line, and Marlin says this model (formerly the "1895 GBL," for Guide Big Loop) is Ruger's first reintroduction in the Guide Gun family and its first alloy-steel Marlin with a blued finish.

Marlin lists model 70456 at 7.4 lb with a 19.1-inch cold hammer-forged barrel, a 1:20 twist, a 13.38-inch length of pull and a 6-round tube with a loading gate. The barrel is threaded 11/16-24 with a protector, the stock and forend are brown laminate with sharp checkering, the lever loop is oversized for gloves, and it uses a crossbolt safety plus a traditional half-cock hammer. Sights are an adjustable semi-buckhorn rear and a hooded brass bead front.

Marlin's suggested retail is $1,359.00, and its own page says it's shipping with limited availability. Guns.com had it new from about $1,140 on October 6. Recoil from full-power .45-70 loads is stout, so try one before you buy if you're recoil-sensitive.

See Marlin 1895 Guide Gun at Guns.com →

Best tactical lever action

Guns.com, new (.30-30 Win): from about $970 · MSRP: $1,129.00 · Weight: 8.07 lb

"Tactical lever action" is one of the biggest searches in this category, and Henry's X Model is the most direct answer: the same steel .30-30 action as our top pick, dressed for modern use. You get a black synthetic pistol-grip stock, a forend with M-LOK slots and a Picatinny section for a light, fiber-optic sights front and rear, a large loop lever and a barrel threaded 5/8x24 with a removable protector for a suppressor or muzzle device where legal.

Henry lists the .30-30 X Model (H009X) with a 21.375-inch barrel, a 1:12 twist, 5 rounds, a 14-inch length of pull and 8.07 lb, which makes it the heaviest rifle here. That weight soaks up recoil, especially with a can on the end, but you'll feel it on a long walk. It's also drilled and tapped for a Weaver 63B base, and Henry offers it in .360 Buckhammer as well.

Henry's MSRP is $1,129.00. Guns.com had one new .30-30 X Model listing on October 6, from about $970.

See Henry X Model at Guns.com →

Best modern stainless lever action

Guns.com, new (.44 Mag): from about $1,070 · MSRP: $1,279.00 · Weight: 6.8 lb

Smith & Wesson's Model 1854 is the newest serious lever gun on this list and one reason "modern lever action" searches are climbing. The synthetic .44 Magnum model (SKU 13812) pairs a forged 416 stainless receiver with a 19.25-inch 410 stainless barrel, a black synthetic stock with textured grip panels and an M-LOK forend. It loads through a side gate and also has a removable magazine tube for unloading.

S&W lists it at 108.8 ounces (about 6.8 lb) with a 9-round capacity and a 1:20 twist. You get an XS ghost-ring rear sight and a gold bead front, a large loop lever, a flat-faced trigger, a barrel threaded 11/16-24, and a top rail that S&W says accepts mounts compatible with Marlin 1894 hole patterns. Every 1854 is backed by S&W's lifetime service policy.

MSRP is $1,279.00. On October 6, Guns.com had the synthetic .44 new from about $1,070, and the 1854 is also listed in .357 Magnum, .45 Colt, .30-30 and .45-70, plus walnut and Stealth Hunter versions.

See S&W Model 1854 at Guns.com →

Best .243 lever action (box magazine)

Guns.com, new (.243 Win): from about $1,030 · MSRP: $1,330.00 · Weight: 7.0 lb

If the BLR's price or polished look isn't for you, Henry's Long Ranger is the other modern lever gun built for bolt-action cartridges. It uses a geared action driving a chromed steel bolt with a six-lug rotary head, a flush-fit detachable steel magazine and a free-floated barrel, and Henry pitches it squarely at hunters who passed on lever guns because of accuracy doubts.

Henry lists the .243 Win Long Ranger with sights (H014S-243) at 7 lb with a 20-inch blued barrel, a 1:10 twist, a 4-round magazine, a 14-inch length of pull, an ivory-bead ramp front sight and a folding adjustable rear. The receiver is lightweight alloy with a black hardcoat finish, the stock is checkered American walnut, and safety is Henry's in-hammer transfer bar instead of a button. It's also made in .308, 6.5 Creedmoor and .223.

MSRP is $1,330.00. On October 6, Guns.com had the .243 new from about $1,030, about 22 percent under MSRP and roughly $200 less than the cheapest new .243 BLR that day.

See Henry Long Ranger at Guns.com →

Best budget lever action

Guns.com, new (.357 Mag): from about $780 (R92 Gold version) · MSRP: $840.99 (standard 20 in) · Weight: 6.2 lb

The Rossi R92 is the lowest-priced way into a centerfire lever gun here, and it's the lightest rifle in the guide. It's built on the Model 92 pattern, the slim, quick-handling design Winchester made famous with the 1892, with a hardwood stock, a polished black oxide finish and an adjustable buckhorn rear sight.

Rossi lists the standard 20-inch .357 Magnum / .38 Special +P model (923572013) at 98.9 ounces, about 6.2 lb, with a 10-round tube, a 1:30 twist and a thumb safety, at an MSRP of $840.99. A 16-inch version holds 8 and lists at $833.99.

The lowest new .357 R92 on Guns.com on October 6 was the R92 Gold version, from about $780, which adds gold-finished barrel bands, hammer, trigger and lever and a crescent buttplate to the same 20-inch, 10-round rifle. Standard 16.5-inch R92s were listed from about $845. If you want the classic '92 look and can't stretch to a Henry, start here.

See Rossi R92 at Guns.com →