Mossberg 464 Lever Action Rifle
Mossberg have released a new lever action rifle, the 464. It comes in a rimfire (.22LR) and a centerfire (.30-30) model.
* Quality queues - Features a button-rifled barrel, recessed muzzle crown, top-tang safety, recoil softening rubber buttpad and a smooth, robust lever-action.
* Special Features - Precision machined receiver provides the 464 Lever-Action with positive lockup for consistent accuracy and long-lived reliability; ejection port developed and positioned specially to ensure proper scope clearance of spent cartridges.
* Drilled & Tapped - Centefire model includes factory drilled and tapped receiver for quick, easy optics installation.
* Capacity - Tubular magazine offers 6+1 capacity (centerfire) and 13+1 capacity (rimfire).
* Every 464 rifle includes a free gun lock and 2- year limited warranty.
The price for the centerfire will be around $473, no price available for the rimfire model.
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“Mossberg have released a new level (sic) action rifle,”
Spell check.
thanks.
I’ve never had the opportunity to fire a lever action rifle. What is the advantage of a lever action vs bolt action?
DoubleTapper
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They are faster to cycle than a standard bolt action. The lever is pushed forward and pulled back rather than a twist up, pull back, push forward, twist down of a bolt.
I am particularly excited about this new rifle and am looking forward to examining it. From what I gather, the 464 is an updated version of John Browning’s calssic Winchester 94. Notable differences include a round rather than square bolt (similar to the Marlin 336) and a “bridge” above the locking block mortise on the rear of the reciever which will make a much steadier perch for mounting a scope or reciever sight. The new rifle should have a real world retail price of around $300 or so, making it very price competitive.
I own one of the last Winchester 94’s made, circa 2003. It has accounted for several deer and is a good working hunting rifle. However the wood to metal fit and the looseness of the parts inside the reciever is clearly substandard and is a constant reminder that the rifle was built to fulfill a low price point. I am planning to get the rifle restocked soon which means I should have spent extra money on one of the better models in the first place. If Mossberg can produce this rifle with the good fit and finish that we used to expect from Winchester then it will be a winner.
FergusonTO35, if you get a chance to handle one please let us know how it compares to your 94.
Another advantage is that you can “top up” the magazine while the rifle is on your shoulder in a ready condition through the loading port on the side plate. A lever action is also much easier to shoot and cycle from a horse, although that is rarely needed these days. They are also much better than a bolt action for follow up shots on moving targets, and less susceptible to “short-stroking” than a pump action.
There are some disadvantages which prevented lever actions from being adapted as military arms. Firstly, they aren’t as robust as bolt actions and can’t be easily field stripped. They are must more vulnerable to dirt and abuse and can’t take sustained firing for long periods without tightening the screws every 50-100 rounds. They having more moving parts, some of them quite delicate. As rounds move down the magazine tube, the balance changes and so does the sight zero (slightly). Also, they are not very adaptable to fire from a prone position. The travel of the lever forces the firer to lift the gun and his head up a few inches while ejecting and cycling.
Marc-
You are right on all points, the levergun is great for a hunter and is also dandy for home protection for all the reasons you mention. I own a Marlin 1894 (357 magnum), Marlin 1895 (45-70 Gov’t), and Winchester 94 (30-30 ) and love ‘em. There is one key difference between the 94 and the Marlins I think I should mention. You can top off the magazine of the Marlins any time you like, but the magazine of the Winchester 94 will not accept more shells after the last one has been pushed completely into the magazine. This is because once a shell is pushed completely through the loading gate on the 94, pressure from the magazine spring pushes it behind the gate onto the cartridge lifter, blocking more shells from being inserted until there are no more in the magazine. The Marlins have a small metal “finger” in front of the loading gate which keeps the shells all the way inside the magazine tube until the action is cycled. I wonder how the new Mossberg deals with this, if it can accept more shells in a partially filled magazine?
Happy shooting, Lance.
Sorry for the basic ? here, but I’m a newbie AND a lefty…Is there a model that ejects on the left side?
I have not heard of a left model. Try calling or emailing mossberg.
I own a Marlin 336 and can say I do like it better than the model 94 I owned prior to selling it in 2006…with one exception, the model 94 was more accurate then the 336, at least initailly. Since I’ve gotten the 336 broken-in with a couple hundred rounds it seems to shoot groups just as well as my model 94 used to…about 2.5 inches at 115 yeards on a three shot group from a cold barrel (on my own slice of BLM range out here in New Mexico). The Marlin weighs a little more and just has a better feel to it than the thin, and very fast-handling 94. My 94 also required a side mounted scope, so I just used a peep sight on it until I sold it…and I suspect that’s one reason why the groups were a little large…my Marlin 336 now shoots 1.5 inch groups from sandbags at the same distance with a 4x scope. I think I’ll buy a Mossberg 464 and see how the button rifled barrel does with the LeverEvolution loads from Hornady…both with the iron sights and a 2-7x scope I have my eye on.
I saw and handled my first Mossie 464 at L.L. Cote’s in Errol, NH today. I was honestly surprised to see one in stock (actually, they had at least two there, possibly more…they had them scattered all over the store for no apparent reason -_-) so soon after the rifle was announced; I haven’t seen one in any of the other local stores yet. The fit and finish of the gun seems to be pretty good, definitely a cut above the the late, lamented “Wal-Martized” Winchester 94s and not too far off the Marlin rifles. Bluing quality seems to be excellent, and the wood-metal fit is quite good also (I did note a slight space gap on the left-hand side where the pistol grip portion of the stock meets the action). The stock itself looks just like pictures show-for once-reddish colored, with minimal figure and straight graining. There was no checkering on any part of the stock, and it was capped off with a well-fitted red rubber butt pad. The sights provide a precise aiming picture, but the rear was set too high on this one; cheek weld was poor using it correctly, but it has a good amount of elevation adjustment, so sliding it down would be no problem. The front sight is a very nice brass bead. With the rear sight folded down, it would probably work very well with an aperture/peep rear of some sort. The trigger pull won’t win any awards I’m sure, but was crisp and relatively smooth if not altogether light. It reminded me of the trigger action found on the Stevens 200 and H&R Handi Rifle-not spectacular, but good enough. Perhaps, like those rifles, the Mossberg’s trigger can be made better with a bit of home tuning. The action of the rifle seems to be a dead copy of the ‘94; relatively short and fast, but very stiff and hard on the operating hand. It is definitely rougher and heavier than that of a comparable Marlin, and cannot compare in any way to the buttery smoothness of Henry rifle. Still, it works, and with a little use and some Gunslick, should smooth up well enough. The safety is relatively unimpressive as well. As there is no half-cock, the sliding tang bar is all you have. It is neither smooth nor quite to operate, but it is not automatic in any way thank heavens. It is readily put on “Safe” with a quick pull of the firing thumb to the rear, but required almost half the length of said thumb and a good push to get to the forward “Fire” position. Again, a bit of use might help that somewhat. One last note; I could not tell if the barrel band was synthetic or metal, but I would guess the latter. It is finished in a matte style manner at any rate and seemed quite solid. The current MSRP on the 464 is $473; the dealer wanted $399 for his. If one could be had in the $350 range, I think it would be a good value. Still, it faces strong competition from the Marlin 336 line at that price, and I don’t see anything about it to warrant a higher price than that. Early reports seem to indicate it shoots well, so, with any luck, Mossberg will sell a bunch of ‘em. I hope they do personally. I may look into one myself if I can find one for the right price; have to comparison shop with the Marlins first
Hi Nate, thanks very much for your review!
You’re welcome Steve. I humbly apologize for the length of my post and the ramblings therein lol. Hopefully, my info has provided a little more insight into the basics of this neat rifle; it is obviously not perfect, but I think it has potential. My biggest grip is that damn tang safety…it’s such a b*tch to operate, at least ‘as new’ and it would be entirely unnecessary if they just used a good old half-cock device, like everything used to (and Henry rifles still do). I was hoping the action would be smoother out of the box, but I was not honestly expecting it to be better than a ‘94. Ferguson brought up an interesting point regarding the ‘topping-off’ capabilities of Marlin and Winchester rifles; I honestly did not know there was a difference. It does make me wonder how the Mossberg works in this regard. If I get the chance to try one, I’ll make a note to check it out. My bet right now is that, given how similar most other aspects of the 464 are to the ‘94, it’ll operate very similarly, if not 100% the same.
Kind Regards,
~Nate~
Thanks Nate for sharing your observations concerning Mossberg’s new 30-30 Lever Action rifle. I was not turned off by your observations by any means. As a matter of fact as soon as I get my “bank together” I’ll purchase one. I’m a Lever Action enthusiast and make good use of my Henry 22 mag. Although I really like Henry’s ultra smooth action their 30-30 Lever Action is priced above me and is on the hefty side. I like the idea of a “modern 94″ in a 30-30. I can adjust to the tang safety and don’t have a problem breaking-in my rifle. To me perfection is being able to bag game out to 100-150 yards with one shot. In order to stay honed in on that level or any level of perfection one has to practice. I’m keen on Mossberg’s new approach to the Lever Action itself. It appears to me that their action is an improvement. Okay, so much for theory. When I make the purchase and enter into the final degree of certainty i.e., actually handling and shooting the weapon I’d be more than happy to write about my findings here.
Im looking into buying a 30-30 lever action rifle but i dont really know what my best bet would be with the model 94 or the Mossberg 464?? I was wondering if anyone can help point me into the right direction??
Thanks
SugarBear