More than a century and a half after the introduction of lever-action rifles, the American shooting public seems to be discovering these guns anew. And the latest craze is the tactical lever gun — something we would have called an oxymoron in years past. Now, we see the usefulness of the concept. New lever-action models bring different stocks, threaded muzzles, and better sights to the platform, so we grabbed samples of two of the most interesting tactical lever guns chambered in 30-30 Winchester to test. The first is the Rossi R95 Triple Black 953030161TB, $950. Unlike Rossi’s more conventional lever guns, this model brings an adjustable peep sight mounted on a Picatinny rail, a brass-bead front sight, a large-loop lever, and is threaded for a suppressor. Then we added the Marlin Model 336 Dark 70902, $1260, which sports a redesigned loop, a polymer stock with a good recoil pad and M-Lok slots, along with an octagonal fore end also festooned with M-Lok slots.
