“lever-actions”

The New Original Henry Rifle is true to Henry’s 1860 patterns and patents, and virtually identical aside from adjustments required to adapt to the .44-40 Win. and .45 Colt centerfire rounds that replaced the long-obsolete rimfires.

A quick-handling lever-action excels in situations where seconds count, but like any rifle is only as good as the hunter who’s carrying it.

Over the decades, several cartridges have proved themselves as worthy against charging bears in North America. Here’s a look at the best bear defense cartridges ever made.

Hunters looking for a gun that offers high performance with a straight-wall rifle cartridge should welcome the 444 Marlin. It functions well, provides excellent accuracy for a big-bore lever-action and accepts a scope.

Whether mounted on an AR, a lever gun or a single-shot, the KonusPro M-30 1x-6x-24mm is a handy scope for up-close encounters. Some of its features—such as a 30mm main tube and a well-designed reticle with dual-color illumination—may come as a surprise, considering its relatively low MSRP of less than $360.

The Model 94 Sporter is fast and reliable, and it's made with a quality that assures it will put bucks on the ground for generations to come.

Deer rifles and the cartridges loaded in them have run the gamut the last 50 years, from the Winchester 94 in .30-30 Win. to the Weatherby Mark V in .30-378 Wby. Mag. and the DPMS ARL in 6.5 Creedmoor.

Henry’s Big Boy Steel Carbine has traditional lever-action lines but retains Henry’s signature cutout in the magazine tube, through which cartridges are loaded and unloaded. Though somewhat unconventional in appearance and function, it makes the lever gun infinitely easier and safer to unload at hunt’s end.

In no particular order, here are our picks for the best new shotguns of 2017.