Instead of leaving it a weak, unimpressive 2-6 with extremely poor ballistics and no actual advantages worthy of being a reserve rifle, change the ammunition to a new caliber and make it a worthwhile addition.
I suggest the .360 Buckhammer and a class range of 4-8. It was designed to be a stark improvement over other lever action cartridges and has proven highly effective on large game at distances exceeding 200 yards.
It also uses a considerably heavier bullet which makes it well suited to larger game like elk and black bear and a passable moose cartridge.
Yes, there's other 4-8 rifles, but at least this would be a legitimate improvement for the outrider instead of the underwhelming ammo it's using now