What is a John Wayne Lever?

[Mountain Man Gramps 34]

The Shooters Handbook says ““John Wayne” style levers may be substituted on rifles for the standard factory lever.” .  What is a “John Wayne” style lever?  Is the Ranger Point Precision lever a John Wayne style lever?  I have big hands and a larger lever would be more comfortable.

[Ace_of_Hearts 1,114]

1 hour ago, Mountain Man Gramps said:

The Shooters Handbook says ““John Wayne” style levers may be substituted on rifles for the standard factory lever.” .  What is a “John Wayne” style lever?  Is the Ranger Point Precision lever a John Wayne style lever?  I have big hands and a larger lever would be more comfortable.

This is just an example.

https://henrypride.com/collections/rifle-parts/products/large-loop-levers-for-lever-action-henry-rifles

The Ranger Point large levers would also be an example.

 

Edited December 24, 2020 by Ace_of_Hearts

[Wyoma 69]

[Nate Kiowa Jones #6765 466]

9 hours ago, Mountain Man Gramps said:

The Shooters Handbook says ““John Wayne” style levers may be substituted on rifles for the standard factory lever.” .  What is a “John Wayne” style lever?  Is the Ranger Point Precision lever a John Wayne style lever?  I have big hands and a larger lever would be more comfortable.

 

 

That is pretty much a generic term. It's not really specific because the Winchester 92's  John Wayne used did vary over the years. Those were prop guns made up by Stembridge Gun Rentals. Early on some had really big loops.

 

Later versions where  slightly smaller and

 

 

And have become the most know version. It was even replicated on the new production Miroku made wins.

 

 

 

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 1,114]

This...

[McCandless 1,926]

14 hours ago, Mountain Man Gramps said:

The Shooters Handbook says ““John Wayne” style levers may be substituted on rifles for the standard factory lever.” .  What is a “John Wayne” style lever?  Is the Ranger Point Precision lever a John Wayne style lever?  I have big hands and a larger lever would be more comfortable.

 

Yep, as shown in the pictures, a highly exaggerated lever made for shooting with gloves.  Pretty much useless for CAS 

[Stump Water 115]

 

[Dirty Dog Doug 1,956]

He sure broke the 170!!!

I have huge hands XXL welding gloves are snug and uberti and winchester levers fit just fine 

[Tom Bullweed 457]

16 hours ago, Dirty Dog Doug said:

He sure broke the 170!!!

I have huge hands XXL welding gloves are snug and uberti and winchester levers fit just fine 

And he was shooting Gunfighter!

[Dapper Dynamite Dick 53]

20 hours ago, McCandless said:

 

Yep, as shown in the pictures, a highly exaggerated lever made for shooting with gloves.  Pretty much useless for CAS 

I had one on a Rossi M92 a few years back when I was shooting "B Western", I figure that it added 5-9 seconds to every stage.

[Snake-eye, SASS#45097 77]

This also

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 1,114]

Does this count?

 

 

Funny how the Chiappa doesn't have the super big loop like the Rossi above.   But it doesn't have any silly safeties.

[Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 198]

I am no expert but I am a big fan of John Wayne movies and have both the 94 & 92 JW commemoratives. 
I think the perfect movie to check out both “large loop” styles if El Dorado, Robert Mitchum is using a loop similar to Chuck Connor’s style of the large “D” style, minus I think, the screw that allowed the gun to fire when the lever is closed. I am guessing that since Johnny Crawford is in it that the film company might have borrowed one from The Rifleman. This is also the same loop shape that John Wayne used in Stagecoach. The other one that you can find on Winchester 92 & 94 rifles appears to me a bent D loop. This is the rifle lever that John Wayne uses in El Dorado and all the other movies where he has a large loop lever. 
there used to be a man that would take original 92 Winchesters and install the same loop with the screw like the one used by Chuck Connors. 
I have a Browning 92 that I wanted to get that installed on, but I am afraid he is no longer doing it. 
Won't hurt my feelings if I made a mistake do feel free to correct me. 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 1,114]

I can not confirm this, but I have read that many people think that the gun used John in Stagecoach and the one used by Chuck on the rifleman might be the same rifle.   But this has never been confirmed one way or the other.

[Rafe Conager SASS #56958 434]

Got your answer, my question is how can you be a cowboy action shooter and not know what a John Wayne loop is? I thought it was a prerequisite to join sass! 

Just kidding, merry Christmas.

Rafe

[Stump Water 115]

I've never noticed the "blooper" in the meadow scene.  JW has the rifle in his right hand and the pistol in his left during the initial charge.  When they pass he turns and shoots a bad guy with the rifle.  Cut to bad guy falling off his horse.  Cut back to JW and the guns have changed hands and he shoots another bad guy with pistol.  Cut to bad guy & horse falling.  Cut back to JW reining his horse around and the guns are switched back.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 1,114]

I just watched the scene.  It's not a blooper, it's an editing trick.  Apparently that short moment must have been staged "backwards."  So, they flipped the film around, mirror imaging it to make it be staged properly.  You notice the Rooster's eye patch has switched eyes in that segment, and if you look closer, it seems that the Colt has the unloading spring on the wrong side of the gun.  Harder to tell, but it looks like there's no loading gate on the Winchester either.

Edited December 26, 2020 by H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

[Mountain Man Gramps 34]

So it sounds like pretty much any level will do.  Seems like that rule doesn’t have much use.  But bigger levers will obviously result in a lot of slop and slow you down. I’ll probably just keep my stock Marlin 1894 lever for now. 

[Nate Kiowa Jones #6765 466]

1 hour ago, Mountain Man Gramps said:

So it sounds like pretty much any level will do.  Seems like that rule doesn’t have much use.  But bigger levers will obviously result in a lot of slop and slow you down. I’ll probably just keep my stock Marlin 1894 lever for now. 

 

 

I actually make and sell the big loop levers for the 92 style rifles.  For the CAS game they aren't that useful. Mostly just Hollywood novelties. Now, if you plan to hunt with your gun in the colder climates the 3/4 size seems to work well gloves.

 

 

 

 

Some like this one. Sort of a compromise. 

 

It's based on the 2nd gen maresleg.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 1,114]

I have found the big loop to be fun to shoot.  The pic of mine is up above.  With that shape lever, I have discovered that if you move your hand in a kind of circular motion, it moves the lever rather efficiently.  Trying to work it the same way as a standard lever kinda sorta doesn't work quite right.

[Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 198]

On 12/27/2020 at 2:27 PM, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

I have found the big loop to be fun to shoot.  The pic of mine is up above.  With that shape lever, I have discovered that if you move your hand in a kind of circular motion, it moves the lever rather efficiently.  Trying to work it the same way as a standard lever kinda sorta doesn't work quite right.

I will try that the next time I shoot. I enjoy the look and have always had too much fun shooting to care about being competitive, being slower with the large loop has never been a concern. Thanks for the hint. 

[Snake-eye, SASS#45097 77]

I like the second generation loop that Nate shows. I’d love to trade mine out.