Refuse to own another lever gun. Had 4, none would cycle.
Been some years, so the models are hazy, but the first was a winchester in. 30/30. Dropping the lever would release a bullet into the receiver, but you couldn’t raise the lever because the bullet would guide anywhere BUT into the chamber. It had to b3 chambered with your fingers to be fired. This rifle was purchased new at Academy.
Second lever garbage: a Henry in. 357. Purchased new, it would never eject a round. You had to roll the rifle on it top and shake it to make the spent case fall out, and didn’t cycle new rounds well.
Crapper no. 3: .444 Marlin, which would release all bullets at once into the receiver once you cycled the lever, causing epic jams each time there was more than one bullet in the tube.
The last attempt of mine to own a lever gun was another Henry in .44 magnum and if it were loaded with more than 2 rounds, they would stay in the msg tube no matter how you try to pump the lever. Only th3 first two rounds would cycle.
I will never wowing own a lever extinction anything. I always wanted a John Wayne rifle, but you gotta be the Duke to make them work. Beli3v3 I’ll stick with my Mak90
By the way, all those guns were bought new except the Henry .44
“Refuse to own another lever gun. Had 4, none would cycle.
... winchester 30/30. Dropping the lever would release a bullet into the receiver...Second lever garbage: a Henry 357...would never eject a round...no. 3: .444 Marlin, which would release all bullets at once into the receiver once you cycled the lever, causing epic jams...another Henry in .44 magnum...loaded with more than 2 rounds, they would stay in the msg tube no matter how you try to pump the lever...I always wanted a John Wayne rifle...”
An infamously epic run of bad luck.
But after 15 years in the trade, selling every make & model you mentioned, and repairing guns old and new, I can say with confidence that no make nor model is immune to problems. New guns can misbehave right out of the box. No quality gunmaker should allow it to happen, but it does. Quality control and pre-shipping inspections ought to have been tight enough, and sufficiently thorough, to catch such errors before rifles leave the factory, but the unhappy truth is they don’t always.
I’ve repaired every model you tangled with, encountered every malfunction you did - and a great many more, in guns new and old. The fixes for the problems you endured are straightforward, for moderately experienced repair techs. Unfortunately, gunsmithing is a profession in decline. Actually finding a reliable repair technician who is competent, trustworthy, and experienced in fixing your model of choice grows more difficult every day.
If by “John Wayne rifle” you mean the Winchester 92, I’d say don’t hesitate. Their reliability and toughness are legendary - and the legends are true. They cycle more smoothly than any other repeating rifle.
Avoid the Rossi copies. Browning used to make a copy, but I’ve no direct experience with it. Winchester recently introduced modern replicas, but I cannot speak to their quality as I have no direct experience with them either.
From 1892 into the 1930s, Winchester made over a million original Model 92s; they are plentiful on the used market. But demand has run high for years, so a specimen in any decent sort of condition can be pricey. There is good news though: even heavily used 92s continue to function well, and they usually shoot tight groups, even when the bore is severely worn or corroded.
That’s some serious bad luck. I’m around a bunch of cowboy shooters and the only malfunctions I’ve seen are when they run at speed and eject a live round by mistake.
The lever guns I’ve shot have all been reliable.
To give you an idea of what some folks are capable of with one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n68PJM5bazM