From the company that brought you the chainsaw shotgun, say hello to the new tactical lever gun. The Mossberg 464 SPX is a rifle ready for the zombie apocalypse.

Available in .30-30 Win and .22 LR, the new tactical lever action rifles are set up so they can be customized into the ultimate home defense gun, suitable for repelling the undead, Soviet hordes and the more mundane drug-crazed home invading thug.

The .30-30 version of the 464 is the real powerhouse between the two. Using the amazing Hornady LEVERevolution ammunition, you get a 160 grain bullet moving at about 2400 fps at the muzzle. As a famous on-screen lawman by the name of Sheriff Buford T. Justice once said, “That’s an attention getter.” If you put one or two of these into the chest of an armed home invader, they are not likely to get back up. Capacity is six rounds in the tubular magazine.

This rifle uses a 16 1/4” blued barrel with a 1:10 twist rate. An M4-like flash suppressor is optional. The overall length of this rifle is 32”.

The buttstock uses an ATI six-position, adjustable stock similar to what is used on an AR-15 rifle.  While I much prefer the traditional look of a wood stock on a lever action rifle, the adjustable length of pull certainly has a functional usefulness. Different shooters can adjust the gun to fit them, rather than trying to fit the body to the gun.

The rifle has a Picatinny tri-rail forend for the attachment of accessories and other doo-dads. I definitely like to have a white light on my home defense gun, and a rail system makes that easy. With all of that rail space, I’m sure some folks will want to add a laser, vertical grip, and cup holder. Mossberg does include ladder-type rail covers to block off what you aren’t using.

Sights are a much more visible when compared to traditional iron sights. Adjustable fiber optic, three-dot sights are standard on these tactical guns. The receiver is also drilled and tapped for the addition of glass should you so desire.  A scope rail is included with the gun.

This gun has front and rear sling swivels. I believe that a sling is an essential piece of equipment on any long gun, and the 464 makes it easy to add one.

The .22 LR version of the Mossberg 464 SPX is similar to the .30-30 version, but it does have some differences other than caliber.

The .22 LR model ships with an 18” barrel instead of the 16 1/4” found on its bigger (caliber) brother. The barrel uses a 1:16 twist.  A muzzle brake is an option for this model.  The ported muzzle brake is removable, and the gun comes with a thread protector.  This suggests that it should be easy to attach a sound suppressor.  While I don’t suggest a .22 for home defense, I heartily endorse the use of sound suppression to protect your hearing.  The factory muzzle brake likely does more damage in the audio department.

As I mentioned, I don’t recommend the .22 LR for self defense. However, no one wants to get shot with one. In the right places, the .22 LR can incapacitate an attacker quickly, though it is less likely to do so than other, larger calibers will.  With a .22 LR it is important to anticipate multiple shots to make an attacker stop. Fortunately, the tube mag on the 464 will hold 14 rounds of rimfire.

As with the .30-30 version, this model ships with the six-position stock and Picatiny tri-rails.  The .22 ships with standard rifle sights instead of fiber optic sights.  Additionally, this model has a dovetailed receiver instead of one that has been drilled and tapped.

MSRP for these rifles runs from $497 to $527 depending on model and options.

I have said for many years that the lever gun is an excellent home defense tool.  Loaded in either .30-30 or in .44 Magnum, the guns offer a reasonable balance of ammunition and punch without looking “scary tactical” to a jury.  Additionally, a lever gun loaded in either of those calibers is suitable for taking deer-sized game at distances of up to 150 yards.  I think the rifles make a lot of sense for a lot of people.

That said, the Mossberg 464 SPX seems to take the lever gun to a whole new level.  The adjustable stock, black furniture and tri-rail go a long way to make the rifle look like something out of a sci-fi movie.  I can’t say I like the styling, but I do like Mossberg’s ability to step outside of the box and get creative. 

If the lever gun is a stereo, Mossberg cranked it all the way to 11.