- Winchester 94
- Winchester 86
- Winchester 64
- Marlin 36C
- Marlin 1894
- No
Just in case of a Japanese invasion in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attacks, loggers and backwoodsmen in the Pacific Northwest were mobilized and given a gun they understood.
This happened in Canada’s British Columbia province during World War II when a group termed at first the Coastal Defence Guards, then later the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers, were formed in early 1942. While the threat of invasion sounds far-fetched today, keep in mind that at the time Japanese submarines were bombarding the U.S. West Coast while one of Yamamoto’s task forces had seized islands off Alaska and were busy turning them into bases.
The men of the PCMR, recruited from among prospectors and loggers, weren’t expected to be toy soldiers, but instead formed into small teams spread out across rural BC and, as explained by the Naval and Military Museum of Esquimalt, “instructed in tactical situations that included observation, especially coast watching against the possible Japanese invasion, anti-sabotage measures and protection of lines of communication and transportation.”
As formal training was limited, it was decided to initially equip such PCMR detachments with .30-30 caliber lever actions, a gun they would likely be familiar with already. The Canadian government promptly ordered about 3,000 Winchester Model 94s and **Model 64s **as well as an estimated 1,800 Marlin Model 1936s direct from those companies’ respective New Haven, Connecticut factories.
Winchester 94
Winchester 86
Winchester 64
Marlin Model 36C
Marlin Model 1894
- Supplementation: Lever guns like the Winchester Model 1886 (in .45-90) and Model 1896 were sent to the UK.
Between the end of WW1 and the Start of WW2 many countries found themselves in economic hardships. Cutting the armed forces to the bone many suddenly found a dire need for weapons. Incidents like Dunkirk only made this worse as the UK lost its entire army arsenal. I would love to see more lever action weapons that while not used in front line service were included in many rear arsenals like the PIAT of the UK home guard or Ross Rifle.