Big Horn Armory Model 89

     Notes: Big Horn Armory makes replicas of Old-West-type lever action rifles; currently, the Model 89 is their only product, though in the past they have sold other rifles.  The Model 89 has the appearance of a deluxe firearm, with the wood being deeply and richly finished and with an excellent wood grain tone.  Though the appearance is “old school,” the construction and manufacturing methods are all-modern, including metalwork of 17-4 satin-finished stainless steel, precision-machined with the help of computers and using the latest CNC technology.  The stock is of select-grade black American walnut, with a one-inch-thick rubber recoil pad; the stock has a pistol-grip wrist.  The stock’s finish uses a weatherproof synthetic material.  Checkering for the pistol grip wrist and fore-end are optional. Sights consist of an aperture rear and post front sight, though it is not normally drilled and tapped for a scope. The lever and trigger guard are large to allow easy operation even when the shooter is wearing heavy gloves.  The rifle uses a half-length tubular magazine; the carbine has a full-length tubular magazine, so the carbine actually has a greater magazine capacity.

Chaparral Winchester Reproductions

     Notes: Chaparral Arms is a company that specializes in reproductions of Old West firearms, like the Winchester 1873.  Chaparral’s Winchester 1873 is a very accurate reproduction, though chamberings are sometimes different than the original.  It is also able to fire both modern propellant and blackpowder loads.  Chaparral’s Winchester 1873 is made in rifle, short rifle and carbine versions; the barrels of the rifle and short rifle are heavy octagonal, while the carbine barrel is blued.  The rifles have 24.25-inch barrels, the short rifles have 20-inch barrels, while the carbines use 19-inch barrels.  The barrels and magazine tubes are blued; the rest of the metalwork is color case-hardened.  The wooden stock has a sharply curved butt.  The hammer is exposed.

     The Chaparral Winchester 1866 is essentially the same as the 1873 in game terms, but has several differences in design.  The drop of the stock is more pronounced, the metalwork is finished in blue for the barrel and brass for the rest of the metalwork.  The lever loop is smaller, and the sights are a bit different.  For game purposes, however, the 1866 is identical to the 1873.

     The Chaparral Winchester 1876 is quite different in design and chambering than the 1873 or 1866.  It is a reproduction of the Winchester 1876, also called the Centennial Model, and is sort of a larger version of the 1873, designed for longer, more powerful cartridges.  Versions include the NWMP Carbine, with a 22-inch round barrel and a near full-length stock (little more than the muzzle peeks out of the fore-end).  The 1876 Rifle comes in versions with 28, 26, or 22-inch heavy octagonal barrels (so the 22-inch version is technically a carbine, though it is called a rifle on the Chaparral site).  The rifles have blued barrels and tube magazines and color-case-hardened metalwork, while on the NWMP Carbine, the metalwork is all-blued.  All have a saddle ring attached.

Forkin/Marlin 1894

     Notes: These are Marlin 1894 lever-action rifles modified by Ben Forkin, a noted Montana gunsmith.  His first such “mini-Guide Gun” was chambered for the .475 Linebaugh cartridge.  It uses a carbine-length 16-inch Pac-Nor barrel, a through-bolt, and a thick Kick-Eeze recoil pad, with a C&H Mercury tube in the stock to further dampen recoil.  The sights are of the ghost-ring type, with a bead front instead of the usual ramped post.  Several years later, Bob Forkin modified the design to fire the .50 Action Express cartridge; this version is actually lighter than the .475 Linebaugh model, since the walls of the barrel are simply bored out to the new caliber and are thinner than the .475 Linebaugh version.  In addition, the Mercury tube in the stock is removed, to further reduce the weight and reduce the complexity (and cost) of the weapon.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Bob Forkin still lives in Montana, and makes modifications of many weapons, including these.

Henry Big Boy

     Notes: Though this appears to be a reproduction of some 19^th century lever-action rifle, the Big Boy is in fact a new, 21^st century design, albeit with a rather nostalgic look.  The Big Boy is a side-ejection lever-action rifle with a tubular underbarrel magazine, flat-topped receiver, brass-finished metal parts and fine walnut stock and forearm.  It basically looks like an Old West firearm.  However, it does have several un-Old-West features, like a magazine loaded by withdrawing a spring-loaded plunger from the front of the tube.  While this is common on .22 lever action rifles, it is not on other calibers.  This feature means that the Big Boy can chamber and fire both .44 Magnum and .44 Special rounds.  Case ejection is easy, basically dumping the cases on the ground under the rifle. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This rifle does not exist.

Henry Golden Boy

     Notes: Like most of Henry Repeating Arms’ designs, the Golden Boy is built to look like something out of days of yore, but with modern manufacturing methods.  It is a rimfire weapon with a straight-wrist, oil-finished American walnut stock, a receiver finished in a bright metal finish called “Brasslite” by Henry, and a bright, lustrous blue finish on the rest of the metalwork.  It is a fairly heavy rifle for a .22, but has a heavy 20-inch octagonal barrel (20.5 inches for the .22 Magnum version), an adjustable buckhorn rear sight, and a front sight with a brass bead insert, all of which contribute to stability and accuracy.  The action has been described by firearms expert Flint Hansen as “smooth as melted butter on glass,” but he also says that the trigger pull is just a little heavy, and that the drop at the comb is a bit to much (of course, this depends upon how the shooter is built).  Variants include an all-blued version (identical to the standard version for game purposes), and a version with a large loop-type lever handle (also identical for game purposes).  There is also the Golden Boy Engraved, a deluxe version with extremely intricate engraving on the receiver, tang, and buttplate.  It is also identical for game purposes, though in real life, it is an extremely expensive, limited-edition rifle.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This rifle does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.