A tactical lever action rifle is a traditional lever action rifle outfitted with modern components. Instead of traditional wooden furniture, these rifles feature aluminum or reinforced polymer handguards with M-LOK or Quad-Rail mounting capabilities, upper picatinny rails for optics, and enhanced stocks for better ergonomics.

This fusion of old and new makes it easier to mount accessories and optics, adapting the rifle to perform well in various applications.Lever action rifles can be chambered to take a wide array of ammo, with  bcm complete lower   each one lending itself to different applications. Traditional larger calibers like .45-70 and .30-30 are some of the most popular options, but there are a lot of other large caliber chamberings for lever actions. Modern lever action rifles feature newer options like .360 Buckhammer. It offers higher velocities and less bullet drop, making it an excellent hunting cartridge. Other notable calibers include .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend.

Lever actions can also be chambered to take smaller pistol cartridges too, such as .357 Magnum/.38 Special, .44 Magnum, and .45 Long Colt. Each one offers substantially less recoil, plus their smaller size usually comes with a greater magazine capacity too.

WHICH CALIBER SHOULD YOU CHOOSE
Choosing a caliber depends on your personal preferences and intended use. For hunting, larger calibers like .30-30, .45-70, and .360 Buckhammer are more than suitable for hunting white-tail deer, elk, and other large game. For small to medium game, smaller calibers like .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 LC are perfectly suitable cartridges.

For recreation, though, you can realistically use any of the cartridges mentioned above. For the sake of affordability, though, options like .357 Magnum and .45 Long Colt is generally easier to find and has lower costs compared to other calibers. In addition to them, you could also opt for something even smaller, like .22LR, if you’re looking primarily for a fun plinking rifle that is.

Although none of the calibers mentioned above are tactical rifle cartridges per se, they’re all great options for their specific applications.
HENRY REPEATING ARMS
Henry Repeating Arms is one of the most popular lever action manufacturers around, with their Model X being one of the more sought-after options for a tactical lever gun build. The Model X isn’t just one rifle, but it instead encompasses multiple Henry models, including the Big Boy X and the large frame Lever Action X Model.

Henry Big Boy X Rifles are chambered in either .45 Long Colt, .357 Magnum, or .44 Magnum, and come with a 17.4-inch or 19.8-inch barrel. Henry Lever Action X rifles have a longer 21.375-inch barrel and come chambered in larger cartridges like .45-70, .30-30, and .360 Buckhammer. No matter which one you go with, each model comes standard with a black synthetic stock and handguard, a fully adjustable rear sight, a fiber optic front sight, and a blued steel finish on the receiver. In addition to this, the barrel is threaded to accept different muzzle devices.

As far as tactical modifications go, Henry Model X rifles already have most of the features you need. For a true tactical build, though, you’ll mainly need to add an upper picatinny for mounting optics. These rifles are easy to customize. As we mentioned before, there are a ton of manufacturers producing high-quality components for them, so as far as customization goes, you have free rein.
WINCHESTER
Winchester needs little to no introduction. As one of the oldest and most well-renowned firearms manufacturers, they’ve produced a fair number of solid rifle platforms. This same commitment to quality has translated well to their lever action rifle like the Winchester Model 94 and Model 1886.

The Winchester Model 94 was originally introduced in 1894 and has since become one of Winchester’s most popular lever action rifles. Most chambered in .30-30 and .450 Marlin, these rifles come standard with wooden furniture and adjustable iron sights. Although these rifles don’t come with features like threaded barrels, and M-LOK handguards, they can easily be upgraded to include such features. In the same vein, the Winchester Model 1886 is another solid choice, having many of the same features as the Model 94, albeit in a bigger package that’s capable of chambering larger calibers such as .45-70.

Renowned for their reliability, it’s no surprise that these are some of the most popular rifles offered by Winchester, making for solid picks for a tactical lever action build. Still, keep in mind that there are some features that are unavailable without further alteration, the greatest of which being the lack of a threaded barrel. You can send your rifle off to a gunsmith to have your rifle’s barrel threaded, but if you want that feature, it’ll be easier to go ahead and pick up a rifle that’s already configured that way.