Lever action

A lever action is a type of action for repeating firearms that uses a manually operated cocking handle located around the trigger guard area (often incorporating it) that pivots forward to move the bolt via internal linkages, which will feed and extract cartridges into and out of the chamber, and cock the firing pin mechanism. This contrasts to other type of repeating actions such as the bolt-action, pump-action, semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode actions. A firearm using this operating mechanism is colloquially referred to as a levergun.

Most lever-action firearms are rifles, but some lever-action shotguns and a few pistols have been made. The Winchester Model 1873 rifle is one of the most famous lever-action firearms, but many manufacturers (notably Henry Repeating Arms and Marlin Firearms) also produce lever-action rifles. Colt produced the 6403 lever-action Colt-Burgess rifles from 1883 until 1885 and Mossberg formerly produced the Model 464 rifle.

In 1826, a lever-action revolver was capable of firing six shots in less than six seconds. It was produced in Italy by Cesar Rosaglio and patented in 1829.

The first lever-action rifles on the market were likely the Colt's 1st and 2nd model ring lever rifles, both cap and ball rifles, produced by the Patent Arms Mfg. Co. Paterson, N.J.-Colt's Patent between 1837 and 1841.^{[citation needed]} The ring lever was located in front of the trigger. This loading lever, when pulled, would index the cylinder to the next position and cock the internal hidden hammer.

Multiple lever-action designs, including the Volcanic pistol, were designed before the American Civil War,^{[citation needed]} but the first significant designs were the Spencer repeating rifle and Henry rifle, both created in 1860.^{[citation needed]} The Spencer was a lever-operated rifle with a removable seven-round tube magazine, designed by Christopher Spencer.^{[citation needed]} Over 20,000 were made,^{[citation needed]} and it was adopted by the United States and used during the American Civil War,^{[citation needed]} which marked the first adoption of an infantry and cavalry rifle with a removable magazine by any country.^{[citation needed]} The early Spencer's rifle lever only served to unlock the action and chamber a new round; the hammer had to be cocked separately after chambering.^{[citation needed]}

The Henry rifle, invented by Benjamin Tyler Henry, had a centrally located hammer, cocked by the rearward movement of the bolt rather than an offset hammer typical of muzzle-loading rifles. Henry placed the magazine under the barrel rather than in the buttstock, an idea copied by most designers since.^{[citation needed]}

John Marlin, founder of Marlin Firearms Company, introduced the company's first lever-action repeating rifle, the Model 1881. This was chambered in rounds such as .45-70 Government and .38-55 Winchester. Its successor was the 1895 solid-top design, known as the Marlin 336 today. It gave rise to the Model 1894, which is still in production.^{[citation needed]}

By the 1890s, lever actions had evolved into a form that would last for over a century. Both Marlin and Winchester released new model lever-action rifles in 1894. The Marlin rifle is still in production, whereas production of the Winchester 94 ceased in 2006. While externally similar, the Marlin and Winchester rifles are different internally. The Marlin has a single-stage lever action, while the Winchester has a double-stage lever. The double-stage action is easily seen when the Winchester's lever is operated, as the entire trigger group drops down to unlock the bolt which then moves rearward to eject the spent cartridge.^{[citation needed]}