Do you guys recall Ruger's other foray into lever guns?
Short throw fed from a rotary box magazine, could handle 44 special or 44 magnum. Didn't sell very well at all.
Remarkably similar to winchester's last lever action, the 88
also a short throw fed from a box magazine, available in the 308 family plus 284 (this was before the 7mm-08) also didn't sell very well at all.
I think lever guns sometimes try and be bolt guns, but if someone is looking for the features of a bolt gun they buy a bolt gun.
I think lever action buyers are always going to desire something that looks more 1894ish. I also think lever action guys like the idea of a 44 magnum lever gun but with more capacity than 4 rounds, 8 is probably the minimum. After all, the 1894 has been offered in a myrid of variations, including many with 'half magazines'...ie the tube stopped where the handguard wood stopped rather than going all the way to the front of the barrel. Proponents of the design stated the gun handled better and three in the tube plus one in the chamber was two rounds more than most hunters would ever need. Still, judging by sales, most people though the opposite. They'd accept a little bit of weight on the front end to have 6+ rounds.
I think the same thing harmed both Ruger's attempts at 44 mag semiauto carbines.
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