Lever action is a great choice for NH woods. They are short and easy to carry in thick woods. Keep in mind that south of Concord...its hard to find an area where you can use any rifle due to shotgun only restrictions.
The two major manufacturers are Winchester (the model 94 mentioned earlier) and Marlin 336. Both are great reliable and accurate guns at most NH shooting distances. The major differences are:
1.) Winchester has a "straight grip stock" that matches the straight lever. While Marlin has a pistol grip stock that matches its curved lever. Some people prefer one and some the other...pick up both and decide what YOU like.
2.) the ejection port. On the 94, the ejection port is on the top. I've never heard a complaint from guys about the brass ejecting and distracting them but its a consideration if you want to put optics no the rifle as weaver style mounts won't work...you have to get special side of the receiver mounts. The 336 ejects from the right side of the receiver so the top (already drilled and tapped for optics) is solid.
I bought the 336 because I wanted a scope with a see-through mount so I could use the iron sights if for some reason my scope became fogged or I couldn't see through..the iron sights were easy to pick up. Also as a lefty...the hammer comes with a reversable hammer piece that makes finding an cocking the hammer for a righty or lefty easier than the straight hammer.
Also to my knowledge, the only caliber for the 94 is 30-30...a very capable round for NH. However, I like 35 Remington better based on ballistics which helped make the 336 a choice for me. Marlin also carries lever actions in other larger calibers that are moose-ready should you choose such as 45-70 on its 1894 big bore model.
Mind you that due to stock shape...pound for pound a lever action has more recoil that most bolt action guns at larger calibers like the '06 or even 300 win mag. IMHO. I shot my '06 at the range for about 1/2 hour then picked up my 35 marlin and was amazed at how much a cartridge that looks minuscule compared to the '06 kicked. Note...its not overwhelming but if you have a chance to shoot both a lever action and I bolt action...I think you will agree.
While I have both a bolt action '06 and lever action .35, if I were to buy another center fire today for NH...it would be a .308...the swiss army knife of cartridges.
Final note: savage USED to make a lever action (the 99) that since it didn't have a tubular mag...wasn't limited to blunt nosed cartridges. I'm not sure why they stopped making them but you can still find them in the used gun sections of gun sellers.
Hope this helps. As for price...browse the used sections of big stores like Kittery Trading Post to save some cash. Or stop in at one of the many gun stores around the area. Otherwise retail won't vary much from store to store.
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