Henry Lever Action Supreme Rifle (MSRP $1,299)
¡Viva La Lever Gun Revolución! Henry is one of the best-known names in lever-action rifles, with the Big Boy and Golden Boy models leading the way in pistol-caliber lever guns. However, most Henry rifles have a rather pointed problem firing modern centerfire-rifle ammunition, namely the pointed tip of the spitzer bullets at the front of the cartridges inside of the tubular magazines that are found in most lever-action rifles. Under recoil, those pointy bullets can strike the primer of the round in front of them, causing a chain reaction that can ruin your gun and your whole day.
The Lever Supreme gets around this problem by using a box magazine to store its ammunition. And not just any magazine, but STANAG-compatible AR-15 magazines, which opens up a new realm of ammunition capacities and capabilities for this rifle.
The Lever Supreme comes chambered in either .300BLK or .223 Rem./5.56 NATO, and it’s that second model that I’m shooting today. I would describe the action as “silky smooth,” but honestly, it’s beyond silk. Motor oil on polished glass might be a better metaphor for this gun. The Lever Supreme has one of best actions I’ve encountered on a lever gun, and that by itself would be reason enough to love this rifle. The fact that it can shoot some of the most-popular calibers out there, using the most-popular magazines available today is just butter on top of the motor oil on top of the glass. Add in features like a large-loop lever, a Picatinny rail on the receiver for adding optics and a threaded barrel, and you have a first-rate rifle that can serve a variety of different functions around your homestead, no matter where that may be.
Bushnell AR Optics 1-8X Illuminated Scope (MSRP $369.95)
A “do it all” gun like the Lever Supreme should have a do-it-all optic like an LPVO, or Low Power Variable Optic. The model we’ve chosen today is a Bushnell AR Optics 1-8X with an illuminated BDC reticle. The “BDC” part is short for “bullet drop compensation.” This case, this means that the hashmarks inside of the scope are set up for use with common 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem. ammunition, allowing you to get your hits with a minimum of math. There is also an illuminated circle and dot for fast shots at close range.
Adjusting from 1X to 8X on this optic is easier than most LPVOs, as there is an integrated throw lever to help switch between magnification levels. The turret rings are capped, and there is a rotating dial on the left side of the optic to change the illumination level.
While it’s traditional to use traditional scope rings on a lever action rifle, we’re using a Warne cantilever mount with the Lever Supreme because it fits well with the “AR” part of this Bushnell optic, and works surprisingly well with the Lever Supreme. The optics height was fine for me, and the eye box was right where I needed it to be when shooting.
Magpul 30 Round TMag (MSRP $23.95)
Magpul kicked off the polymer AR-15 magazine revolution in 2007 with the first PMag. Times change, and new companies have entered the market with polymer magazines with transparent sides which can tell you at a glance how much ammo is remaining in your magazine. This put pressure on Magpul to come out with a transparent magazine of its own, but Magpul also has a number of large contracts with the military, so any new magazine made by the company had to pass some rather rigorous testing.
Enter the new TMag (no points for guessing what the “T” in that product name stands for). Available in 20- and 30-round variants, the TMag has an anti-tilt follower and is compatible with all PMag accessories. The sides of the magazine are slick so you can easily see how much ammo is left, but the edges have an aggressive texture for easier manipulation when changing magazines.
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