The lever-action is an iconic and, some would argue, quintessentially American rifle. The first commercially successful lever-action gun, the Henry Rifle, was introduced in 1860, more than a decade after the design was patented. At a time when the standard military rifle was a percussion cap musket, the lever-action repeater represented a giant leap in firearm technology.
Lever-action rifles were never officially adopted as a standard rifle for the U.S. military due in part to difficulty of operation when firing from the prone position and, in the early decades, incompatibility with high-powered smokeless cartridges. However, some lever-actions, such as the Spencer 1860 repeating rifle, saw limited use in the Civil War. But by the mid- to late-19th century, lever-action rifles, particularly those made by Winchester Repeating Arms, surged in popularity, most notably on the Western frontier.
Lever-action rifles have always offered shooters a faster rate of fire than their bolt-action counterparts, often in a more compact design, with many modern models capable of taking the largest game in North America. Now, more than a century and a half since their inception, they remain a favorite among hunters and firearm enthusiasts, and can be found in gun cabinets in countless American households. (Here is a look at the 14 most versatile hunting rifle cartridges.)
Using a report from Gungenius, which compiled sales data from GunBroker.com, an online firearms marketplace, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 most popular lever-action rifles in America. Guns are ranked based on 2022 online sales, though exact sales figures were not provided.
No company has more rifles on this list than Henry Repeating Arms, a Wisconsin-based company that manufactured more than 1.3 million rifles between 2016 and 2020, or nearly 9% of all U.S. made rifles in that period, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Though the company takes its name from the original lever-action repeater, it was founded in 1996 and has no affiliation with its namesake.
It is important to note that some families of Henry rifles on this list overlap with others. The line of Henry .30-30 models, for example, includes rifles from other Henry lines, such as the Henry X Model.
Other companies represented on this list include Browning, Marlin, Rossi, and Winchester – the brand name behind the Model 1873, dubbed the “Gun That Won the West.” (Here is a look at the most common firearms from the Old West.)
Click here to see the most popular lever-action rifles in America.
Click here to read our detailed methodology.
Source: Courtesy of Winchester Guns
10. Winchester Model 1892 Rifles
> Approx. base price: $1,170
> Popular usages: Hunting, target shooting, home defense
> Chambered in: .357 Mag, .44 Rem Mag, .44-40 Win, .45 Colt
> Parent company: Herstal Group
> Parent company domestic rifle production, 2016-2020: N/A
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: New Haven, CT (Winchester)
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Source: Courtesy of Henry USA
9. Henry Repeating Arms Long Ranger Rifle
> Approx. base price: $1,243
> Popular usages: Long range precision, hunting, target shooting, home defense
> Chambered in: .223 Rem/5.56 NATO, .243 Win, .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor
> Parent company: Henry RAC Holding Corp
> Parent company domestic rifle production, 2016-2020: 1,303,769 (8.8% of all U.S. rifle production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Rice Lake, WI
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Source: Courtesy of Henry USA
8. Henry Repeating Arms .30-30 Lever
> Approx. base price: $1,057
> Popular usages: Hunting, target shooting, home defense
> Chambered in: .30-30
> Parent company: Henry RAC Holding Corp
> Parent company domestic rifle production, 2016-2020: 1,303,769 (8.8% of all U.S. rifle production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Rice Lake, WI
Source: Courtesy of Henry USA
7. Henry Repeating Arms X Models
> Approx. base price: $1,091
> Popular usages: Hunting, target shooting, home defense
> Chambered in: .360 Buckhammer, .30-30, .45 Colt, .357 Mag, .38 Spl, .44 Mag, .44 Spl, .45-70
> Parent company: Henry RAC Holding Corp
> Parent company domestic rifle production, 2016-2020: 1,303,769 (8.8% of all U.S. rifle production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Rice Lake, WI
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6. Browning BLR
> Approx. base price: $909
> Popular usages: Hunting, target shooting, home defense
> Chambered in: .223 Rem, .22-250 Rem, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Rem, .308 Win, .358 Win, .270 Win, .30-06 Spfld, .450 Mar, .300 WSM, .7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag
> Parent company: Herstal Group
> Parent company domestic rifle production, 2016-2020: N/A
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Morgan, UT (Browning)
Source: Courtesy of Henry USA
5. Henry Repeating Arms Side Gate Lever Actions
> Approx. base price: $1,057
> Popular usages: Hunting, target shooting, home defense
> Chambered in: .360 Buckhammer, .44 Mag, .44 Spl, .30-30 Win, .45-70, .45 Colt, .357 Mag, .38 Spl, .38-55 Win, .35 Rem, .40-70 Gov’t
> Parent company: Henry RAC Holding Corp
> Parent company domestic rifle production, 2016-2020: 1,303,769 (8.8% of all U.S. rifle production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Rice Lake, WI
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Source: Courtesy of Henry USA
4. Henry Repeating Arms Golden Boy
> Approx. base price: $636
> Popular usages: Plinking, target shooting, small game hunting
> Chambered in: .22 S/L/LR, .22 Mag, .17 HMR
> Parent company: Henry RAC Holding Corp
> Parent company domestic rifle production, 2016-2020: 1,303,769 (8.8% of all U.S. rifle production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Rice Lake, WI
Source: Courtesy of Rossi USA
3. Rossi R92
> Approx. base price: $800
> Popular usages: Hunting, target shooting, home defense
> Chambered in: .44 Mag, .45 Colt, .357 Mag, .38 Spl, .454 Casull
> Parent company: Taurus Armas, S.A.
> Parent company domestic rifle production, 2016-2020: 246,438 (1.7% of all U.S. rifle production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Bainbridge, GA
Source: Courtesy of Marlin Firearms
2. Marlin Model 1895 Rifles
> Approx. base price: $1,239
> Popular usages: Hunting, target shooting, home defense
> Chambered in: .45-70 Gov’t
> Parent company: Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.
> Parent company domestic rifle production, 2016-2020: 3,263,701 (22.0% of all U.S. rifle production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Southport, CT
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Source: Courtesy of Henry USA
1. Henry Repeating Arms Big Boy
> Approx. base price: $1,039
> Popular usages: Hunting, target shooting, home defense
> Chambered in: .45 Colt, .44 Mag, .44 Spl, .357 Mag, .38 Spl, .41 Mag, .327 Fed Mag
> Parent company: Henry RAC Holding Corp
> Parent company domestic rifle production, 2016-2020: 1,303,769 (8.8% of all U.S. rifle production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Rice Lake, WI
Methodology
To identify the best selling lever-action rifles in America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a report from Gungenius, which uses data from Gunbroker.com, an online firearm sales platform. The model or model families that make up the guns on this list are ranked by their 2022 unit sales on Gunbroker.com.
The firearms on this list are presented as reported by Gungenius, even though some models by a given manufacturer may overlap with other models in their lineup.
Data on 2016-2020 U.S. gun manufacturing totals for the companies on this list is from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Tobacco. Domestic manufacturing data was not available for every company on this list.
Approximate base price for each firearm is from the manufacturer’s website. Many of the models on this list have variations, however, that are far more expensive than the price listed in this story.
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