Deer hunters who want a flat-shooting caliber with gentle recoil have long favored the .243 Winchester. Henry chambers its Long Ranger model H014243 in it and finishes the rifle in blue and black for a clean working look.

The Long Ranger is not a traditional tube-fed lever gun. It uses a rotating bolt locked by the lever, and it feeds from a box magazine, so it can use pointed bullets and modern loads. That gives you lever-action speed with more reach than the old straight-wall rounds.

A .243 is an excellent match for whitetail, antelope, and coyotes, and it is kind to young or recoil-shy shooters. The rifle takes a scope well, which helps on open fields and power-line cuts where shots stretch out.

If you grew up around lever guns but want something with a longer stride, this one deserves a look. Keep the action clean, wipe the barrel after wet hunts, and check scope mounts from time to time. The rifle ships to your FFL dealer, where the background check is completed before you take it home.