Home Defense Firearms: Are Lever-action Rifles Reliable?

  • by Casy Smith
Home Defense Firearms: Are Lever-action Rifles Reliable?

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The lever-action rifle has been a staple of American firearm culture for more than a century. Its popularity grew throughout the latter half of the 19th century as hunters, farmers, cowboys, law enforcement and travelers made it the go-to gun of the Wild West. The lever-action rifle's mystique grew as the Winchester Model 92 and other similar firearms were featured in Western films, making it the gun of many firearm owners' childhood dreams. 

While the lever-action is still used for hunting and target shooting, it may be easy to overlook this rifle format for self-defense. However, a renewed interest in lever-action rifles has grown over the last few years. Firearms manufacturers are bringing new ideas to build excitement for this famed manual firearm. 

You may be wondering, "are lever-action rifles reliable enough to protect myself and my family?"

Our short answer: yes! Stick with us to see why we think this rifle can be your go-to home defense weapon and explore the importance of this firearm's revival.

How Does a Lever-action Rifle Work?

A lever-action rifle is a manual firearm, meaning it must be cocked between each round fired to chamber the next cartridge. Lever-action rifles use a lever underneath the gun that doubles as a trigger guard. You pull the lever down and push it back up to discard the previous cartridge, cock the weapon and load the next round into the chamber.

Classic lever-action rifles have a tubular magazine that sideloads ammunition, while newer models may incorporate detachable magazines. A lever-action may seem simple in comparison to semi or fully-automatic firearms you see today, but its development took decades of iteration to attain its status as a classic. 

The History of the Lever-action Rifle

The lever-action repeating rifle has a long history that several excellent firearm historians have documented. According to this article from the American Rifleman, the lever-action rifle was initially patented in 1848 as the Volition Repeating Rifle. However, this model was highly complicated and was never brought to market. 

The patent was sold to Oliver Winchester in 1855, and he brought in Benjamin Tyler Henry to refine the rifle's design and develop new cartridges to optimize the form factor. The Henry rifle was a huge step for lever-action rifles moving forward and was a commercial success. The Henry rifle then morphed into the Winchester Model 1866 and was slowly iterated on by other firearm manufacturers over time. 

Today, lever action rifles remain similar but offer a wide range of caliber and tactical options. While this firearm carries a storied history, is it right for you?

Home Defense and Beyond: Are Lever-action Rifles Reliable? 

Let's dive into why the lever-action rifle could be a good fit for your home defense strategy over other rifles. To answer the question, "are lever-action rifles reliable?" In most instances, yes, they are reliable. Like all other types of firearms, jams can occur but are less likely when you purchase from a reputable manufacturer. 

Here are the six distinct advantages of using a lever-action rifle over other rifle formats for home defense:

  1. Ambidextrous use - Unlike other manual rifles that isolate the action to one side of the firearm, you can cock a lever-action with either your left or right hand. 
  2. Rate of fire - Lever-action rifles allow you to maintain your firing position between shots as you use your firing hand to cock the gun. With plenty of practice, a seasoned lever-action rifle user can deliver a rate of fire comparable to a semi-automatic firearm.
  3. Wide caliber range - Lever-action rifles can use larger rifle-caliber rounds or pistol cartridges. You can share ammo between your concealed carry pistol and rifle, which could help you save on your ammunition expenses.
  4. Capacity-  Lever-action rifles offer a higher capacity than manual rifles and may be compatible with larger magazines, depending on your chosen model. It's always essential to check your state's laws about magazine size.
  5. Ideal home defense caliber - When you use pistol caliber cartridges, you lower the chance of overpenetration, reducing the likelihood that a bullet will hit something or someone beyond your target. 
  6. Compact - Lever-action rifles are generally more compact than bolt or pump-action rifles. This can make them ideal for home defense as you have to navigate through hallways and other tight spaces.

Regardless of your final decision on a personal defense weapon, you need to make sure you store your gun in a secure, concealed location. Liberty Home Concealment offers a wide variety of concealment options for your home, so you always have your personal defense weapon nearby. Browse our collection today. 

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Hanging instructions for the Patriot Wall Shelf

Factors to consider befor you start

Installing a Patriot wall shelf can be a very simple project but there are several factors that you need to understand. our shelves have been designed to work with standard pine 2X4 construction that was 16" on center. Because they were designed around the 16" on center pine 2X4 framed walls that is the process for our instructions. Installing the shelves on amy other type of wall is done at your risk. Liberty Home Concealment does not advise you to attempt installing your shelf onto amy other type of wall.

Understanding what is beneath your walls

Anytime you are doing work or attaching something to a wall it is wise to have a solid grasp of what lies beneath the surface of your walls. If you are not comfortable with the task of hanging a shelf on your wall perhaps it would be wise to hire a licensed, bonded, and insured contractor to install the shelf on the wall for you. There are many factors that you should consider prior to beginning yur shelf installation. SAFETY is the first and top priority.

Safety First

As a consurmer of Liberty Home Concealment, it is a safe assumption that you are a gun owner. Liberty Home Concealment sincerely hopes that you have a great grasp of the concept of SAFETY FIRST. The installation of our shelves requires several steps and we highly recommend that you have a friend help you with the installation. This is very important as the size and moving parts of the shelves can make the installation very cumbersome and potentially dangerous for a single person to accomplish by themselves. So please, we urge you to get some help. Secondly, proper tools that are in good serviceable condition are a must. Please use your tools in a manner consistent with the manufacturers intended use. Using proper tools can make the installation quick, simple and enjoyable. But most importantly, SAFE. So, save yourself the trouble and use the proper tools.

CAUTION!!

Failure to follow and comply with these instructions could result in INJURY and even DEATH!

Tools that should be considered for a safe proper installation

Stud finder, Tape measure, Pencil, Level, Electric screw driver, and Safety glasses.

Step 1

Confirm your desired wall has adequate support by finding the studs with the stud finder. Also, remove the foam insert until later instruction. Mark your stud locations and transfer those measurement onto your shelf. Drill pilot holes through shelf in marked locations. We recommend using a 1/8" or 3/16" bit for the pilot hole. A hole too big will allow the screw to pull right through the back of the shelf. That would be bad. And unnecessary. Please use the proper drill bit. Depending on your wall you should be able to locate at least two studs to anchor your shelf into for maximum strength. Some walls may even allow for three studs to be anchored into. The shelf MUST use at LEAST (2) pine 2X4 studs and the shelf bracket's to fully support the finished loaded weight.

Step 2

With the help of a friend, and using a level and your original measurements hold the shelf in its desired location and transfer the pilot hole locations to the wall. You should be using a minimum of two studs for this step. Each stud receiving (3) screw locations. Two internally, and the other two in the brackets on top. For now, only focus on marking the internal locations. Mark the four internal screw holes. Make sure to hold your shelf nice and level for this step or yur final installation will be crooked.

Step 3

With the help of a friend, hold the shelf into its' mounting location. Line up the holes in the shelf with the marks in your wall and your wall anchors, and install the six long wood screws into the wall. Four into two different studs, and two into the wall anchors.

Step 4

Installing the shelf brackets to the TOP of your shelf. At this point your shelf is attatched to the wall but it is not ready for any weight. Please DO NOT ADD ANY WEIGHT until you have firmly mounted and anchored your brackets into the top. Have your friend help you support the weight of the shelf until you can get the brackets tightly mounted to the desired location on your wall studs. Again, use two studs. Do not add weight to your shelf either inside, or on top, until both brackets are fully installed. Using the supplied 3/4" screws attach brackets to the top of the shelf and 2 of the longer screws for the stud attachment.

Step 5

Unlocking your shelf. Use your magnetic key to locate and unlock the bottom of the shelf. Do this while the shelf is open so you can see what is going on. You may even want ot make two small marks on the bottom of the shelf if it helps you to locate the pickup. It will take a little practice to find the location of the magnetic pick up but you will find it. Make sure you aren't inadvertently trying to unlock the gas damper. Once the location of the lock pickup is located, the magnet will hold itself in place. However, the shelf will not fully disengage the locks until you release the pressure on the locks by lifting the shelf slightly upward with a simple squeeze of your hands. Once you hear the audible clicks of the locks disengaging you can slowly open the shelf allowing the gas damper to lower the shelf to its resting stop.

Concealment Picture Frame Installation Instructions

Consider What is Beneath Your Walls

Anytime you are doing work or attaching something to a wall it is wise to have a solid grasp of what lies beneath the surface of your walls. If you are not comfortable with the task of cutting a hole in a wall perhaps it would be wise to hire a licensed, bonded, and insured contractor to install this item in the wall for you. There are many factors that you should consider prior to beginning your shelf installation. SAFETY is the first and top priority. CAUTION!! Failure to follow and comply with these instructions could result in INJURY or even DEATH!!

Recommended Tools

These tools are not required to install your Liberty Home Concealment picture freame however they will help with the installation process. Stud Finder, tape measure, level, pencil, jigsaw, circular saw, keyhole saw, Sawzall, drill/driver, inspection mirror, flashlight and a second set of hands to help with marking your wall before cutting. These products were designed to work with "standard" 2X4 construction that was framed on 16" centers.

Step 1

Acquire all the tools to complete the job. Do not forget about proper personal protective gear.

Step 2

Confirm that your wall space is empty!! Failure to do so could result in serious injury or even death!

Step 3

Clean your work area around your desired install location. Cover any furniture with a tarp, drop cloth, or painter's plastic to aid in quick easy cleanup.

Step 4

Use a stud finder to locate the space between two studs. Confirm that you have 14.5" between the two stud edges before marking and cutting your walls.

Step 5

The back box of your picture frame is the size you need to make your hole. Hold picture frame tight against the wall and use your level to ensure frame is sitting level against the wall. On smaller sized picture frames such as 5"X7" and 8"X10" you will fasten to both studs. While holding the picture frame tight against the wall while checking for level and trace around the outside perimeter of the picture frames back box.

Step 6

Before cutting the entire wall opening Liberty Home Concealment recommends that you cut a small hole within the area that wil become the full-size hole. This is done to check and confirm your wall is truly clear of obstructions inside the wall such as electrical wiring plumbing. It's much easier to patch a small hole vs repairing a large hole because you got ahead of yourself. Do not skip this step!!

Step 7

Once you are sure that there are no obstacles inside your cut area, cut the full rectangle that you have marked previously. Remove drywall cutout away from the wall.

Step 8

Slide your new insert/picture frame into the hole you just cut.

Step 9

Use the supplied screws to fasten to the stud or studs that run up the sides of the rear of the box. On smaller frames box will only fasten to the stud you biased your hole towards.

Picture Installation

1. Lay frame face down on soft surface such as a towel or blanket. 2. Hold firmly and slide picture frame in to the open position. 3. Remove four metal picture retainer clips, if clips are tight use a flat bladed screw driver to wiggle free. 4. Remove wood backer noard and lay picture onto glass. Making sure of proper orientation. 5. Reinstall backer board and 4 retaining clips. 6. Slide picture frame closed and enjoy!

Wall maunting instructions for Freedom Series Coat Rack

Recommendation

Liberty Home Concealmemt does not recommend the use of hollow wall anchors to mount larger items on your walls. While anchors may provide sufficient holding capability, Liberty Home Concealment recommends attaching directly to the studs located inside your wall to ensure the most secure level of attachment.

Step 1

Choose the desired location of the item you are wanting to mount your coat rack.

Step 2

Once you have your ideal location use a stud finder to locate 2 studs in your wall that will support your coat rack. Mark the location of each stud's center with a pencil. Use a nail to confirm stud has been located.

Step 3

Hold product against wall and use level to make sure it is even. Use a friend to help hold level while transferring stud location marks to inside of product to be mounted. Tip: Remember the adage "Measure twice cut once." That same rule applies when making holes in your walls.

Step 4

Check that product is plumb and level before securing. Once proper placement is achieve fasten first screw through product and into stud. Re check for level and attach second screw into next stud.

Step 5

Step back and admire your handy work. Now get started filling your piece of concealment furniture with all the items you are wanting to keep stored securely out of sight. ENJOY!!

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