Best 357 lever action

[sharps54]

What are your experiences with 357 magnum lever action carbines and rifles? I am looking for something that is short, well built, accurate, easy to single feed, and is not very picky about case length; i.e. will feed 38 Special and 357 magnum length cases interchangeably. I know the last one is the toughie which is why I am asking.

I figure my options are
Marlin 1894c (18 1/2" barrel) I have heard this is picky about case length and it can be tough to single feed. That said they are built well and easy to take down / clean.

Puma 1892 copy (available in 16" stainless steel ) this should be easier to single feed but I don't know how durable it is. Not as easy to take down as the Marlin

Henry Big Boy 357 I hear these have reliability issues

Used Winchester 1894 357 (16" Trappers are out there and my old 44 Mag. Trapper fed 44 Specials fine) These are easy to single feed but harder to take down then the Marlin

I'm leaning toward the Puma but the ability to reliably feed both 357 and 38 rounds would push me either way. This would mainly be shot with handloads but it needs to be able to feed factory rounds as well.

Thanks in advance!

[Old Ironsights]

...Puma 1892 copy (available in 16" stainless steel ) this should be easier to single feed but I don't know how durable it is. Not as easy to take down as the Marlin
...

There is your answer.

Mine has been tuned by Nate Kiowa Jones (http://www.stevesguns.com) but it is everything you could want.

I top-feed it all the time. I have loaded random .38 & .357 into it with no cycling problems.

And Stainless is the best thng for a truck gun if you don't want to send it out to be RoBar'd.

I had Steve Bead Blast mine to make it more "woods friendly".

Takedown for cleaning is a non-issue. Use an Otis or a Bore Snake for 99% of your cleaning. You should probably only disasemble your gun once a year or so anyway.

I shoot 90% handloads out of mine - either 358156HP in .38 (soft lead)/.357 (GCWW) as plinkers or C358180RF hardcast at 1800fps or so for hunting deer. Works good out to 110 yds.

[Lefty Dude]

Follow the link on this site to: Our very own Steve Young. For your purpose I'd get the Puma from steve. Have him do his action job so it will reliably feed 38's.

And how often are you going to tear down the piece ?

Get the Rossi, you will like it.

[Hobie]

I've never HAD to take down my 92. The only reason to do more than clean the bore is to say you've done it. (Dittos for most Win. 94s). Heck, I clean my Marlins the same way. Taking things apart is asking for trouble. If it works, don't fix it. KISS...

BTW, I can recommend Steve Youngs work as well. GREAT work, GREAT guy.

[Old Ironsights]

Oh... don't worry about the accuracy of a Puma/Rossi...



That's offhand at 50yds.

[sharps54]

Wow, thanks for the quick feedback! Nice to know I was on the right track.

[Old Ironsights]

Wow, thanks for the quick feedback! Nice to know I was on the right track.

I think one of the fastest ways to get a non-"argumentative" response here is to ask about .357 leverguns... especially when you give solid criteria.

Now... if you want a debate... ask whether or not you should choose between .357, .45LC or .30-30

[rjohns94]

OI hit it right on the mark. NKJ '92, mine is in two tone, mostly brushed but some of the hardware is shiny. Steve also can replace the safety with a plug. Mine has a larger loop and a receiver sight.

[GANJIRO]

I'm totally happy with my 94AE Trapper 357 especially since losing the tang safety and replacing the rebounding hammer with a leaf spring halfcock hammer. I think the 94 Winchester had the least issues concerning overall cartridge length it having room to spare, mine feeds over a dozen different 38, and 357 loads without a hiccup.

[pharmseller]

Welcome to the forum! Beware the advice you get here, it leads to frivolous lever gun purchases!
I have a slicked-up Puma, a Marlin 1894C, and a Browning 92.
The Browning is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of quality, ease, fit and finish, operation, etc., but she doesn't like to feed .38 Specials. So she's out.
The Puma eats anything I've fed it and is built on the '92 design. It's a pre-safety model and is plenty accurate. I do not like the sights and options are limited. If anyone has suggestions let me know.
The Marlin also feeds very reliably. It's still fairly new so it's a little stiff. Very handy at 18.5", but heavier than the Puma.
The Puma carries better but the Marlin seems to be made better i.e. "tighter," but that is a function of the design of the Puma.
Get a Marlin on sale at Big 5 and a Nate Kiowa Jones Rossi. What the heck, it's only money. Shoot them both then send the one you don't like to me.

Quinn

[Old Savage]

This one does all that.

[Old Savage]

OI, that is excellent off hand shooting - I wish I could do as well.

[Ysabel Kid]

Welcome to the fire!

I have an 1894 and it has only once failed to feed a .38 Special - because I was dumb enough to try to feed a full wadcutter into it! These are good, solid guns.

I have a Puma 92 in .45 Colt that NJK (Steve Young) worked on for me. It is - hands down - the slickest lever-action I own!!!

Either will work fine; really just a matter of personal preference...

Good luck and post a picture when you decide!

[gamekeeper]

I had a pre safety S/S Rossi 92 and it never failed to feed .38sp or .357 mag factory loads or my friends reloads. The action could have used a little slicking up but the more I shot it the better it got!

By the way, welcome to the fire.

[sharps54]

Ya'll sure make a fellar feel at home, thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! I'll be sure to post picks as soon as I decide what to do. This project has been shifted to the back burner due to another purchase, I found a Walther PPK/S for $260 shipped on another forum and couldn't let that slip by! Once I replace the money I'm spending on it I'll probably just buy a Puma from NKJ and be done with it.

[Ysabel Kid]

Ya'll sure make a fellar feel at home, thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! I'll be sure to post picks as soon as I decide what to do. This project has been shifted to the back burner due to another purchase, I found a Walther PPK/S for $260 shipped on another forum and couldn't let that slip by! Once I replace the money I'm spending on it I'll probably just buy a Puma from NKJ and be done with it.

You'll not be sorry! Of course, buying a semi-auto handgun ahead of a lever-action rifle is a bit of a sin around these parts. Best way to atone is to post pictures of your new PPK/S when it arrives. Even better would be a range report. You'll wide our tastes in firearms here may focus on leverguns, but runs far, wide and deep - and that we're all pretty-much addicted to "gun-porn" (firearms photos), range reports and reloading recipes!

[AJMD429]

I've never HAD to take down my 92. The only reason to do more than clean the bore is to say you've done it. (Dittos for most Win. 94s). Heck, I clean my Marlins the same way. Taking things apart is asking for trouble.

What about if you get out in the elements and there's moisture under the forend; I see lots of gunk get under there and whenever I DO take apart a levergun, that seems the first place you see rust form.

[gundownunder]

I've got the Marlin 94 "cowboy" and it does everything right for me but if I was going to get a gun with your selection criteria I would go the 92 because that will be a lot easier to single feed and its also more forgiving if you overdo the handloads.

[salvo]

Welcome to the fire sharps54.
You will really enjoy the old .357 out of a carbine. I was not sure which to buy either and ended up with a Marlin CB, then I spotted a Puma 92 on sale at Big5 and bought it too, it was quite a bit less expensive than the Marlin, but works just as good. I don't think you could make a bad choice, I also have a Winchester Trapper in .44Mag. and it too has been a great rifle and will feed about anything also.

Here are my .357's


And the .44

[Levergun]

Man, I need to get in here more often. This is a good thread and some nice looking leverguns!

That is a great picture there Iron sites. Can you e-mail that to me? I'd like to put it on my website if that is OK?

[RIHMFIRE]

There are a couple more options...

Uberti 73 ...Cimmarron and Chaparral
also make em but it cant handle the heavy loads


I think you can get a winchester 92 in 357
made in Japan...But they are $$$

the last winchester legacy models came in 357 too!
Bottom one

theres browning too!

[w30wcf]

I have a Rossi copy of the '92 and an 1894 Marlin Cowboy in .357.
Both are great guns.
I find the Rossi (same as the Puma) to be more critical as to overall cartridge length than the Marlin.

Also, you can single feed the Marlin faster. All you have to do is place the cartridge into the ejection port and close the lever. In so doing, the lifter aligns the cartridge with the chamber and the bolt pushes it into the chamber all in one swift motion as the lever is closed. NEAT!

Now, how many of you Marlin users were aware of that.

The same is true on the 336's as well.

w30wcf

[O.S.O.K.]

I had a Rossi .357 that fed 38 Spcl's just fine and gave good accuracy. No problem there.

I still have and will keep my Marlin 94CS - its very accurate and feeds 38 Spcl's without a hitch. In fact, it was my two boy's cas rifle and that's all it shot and I do not recall any misfeeds or jams - and that's a lot of shooting...

[Bob]

Pharmseller, I put a Marble's tang sight on my Rossi Puma Trapper. I had receiver sights on all the other leverguns and wanted to try something different. I really like that tang sight, especially for a trapper length gun.
Bob

[sharps54]

Ya'll sure make a fellar feel at home, thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! I'll be sure to post picks as soon as I decide what to do. This project has been shifted to the back burner due to another purchase, I found a Walther PPK/S for $260 shipped on another forum and couldn't let that slip by! Once I replace the money I'm spending on it I'll probably just buy a Puma from NKJ and be done with it.

You'll not be sorry! Of course, buying a semi-auto handgun ahead of a lever-action rifle is a bit of a sin around these parts. Best way to atone is to post pictures of your new PPK/S when it arrives. Even better would be a range report. You'll wide our tastes in firearms here may focus on leverguns, but runs far, wide and deep - and that we're all pretty-much addicted to "gun-porn" (firearms photos), range reports and reloading recipes!

I can understand some mistrust about buying a bottom feeder first (I prefer wheelguns myself) but at that price I had to jump on it. I'll get around to putting up some photos in a day or so. I'm a little embarrassed that the only lever guns I have to show at the moment are a CPA 44 1/2 in .32-40 and a Shiloh Sharps 1863 .54 Sporting Rifle, what an article on the site calls "single shot leverguns." I sold that .44 Winchester Trapper year ago and I sold my .44-40 Uberti Henry to pay for the Shiloh earlier this year. I liked the Henry but had stopped shooting SASS and the Shiloh was calling, that is one rifle I won't be selling!

[wildmanh]

I have a Rossi copy of the '92 and an 1894 Marlin Cowboy in .357.
Both are great guns.
I find the Rossi (same as the Puma) to be more critical as to overall cartridge length than the Marlin.

Also, you can single feed the Marlin faster. All you have to do is place the cartridge into the ejection port and close the lever. In so doing, the lifter aligns the cartridge with the chamber and the bolt pushes it into the chamber all in one swift motion as the lever is closed. NEAT!

Now, how many of you Marlin users were aware of that.

The same is true on the 336's as well.

w30wcf

I knew that about the Marlins. When I got the gun my friend and I read that in the manual and tried it out. Worked just fine. We shoot anything from 125 grain .38 specials in it up to 158 grain .357 Magnums. Works great!! I have the Marlin 1894C By the way.

Heber

[2ndovc]

i have an older Rossi/ Interarms 92 in .357 Mag. When I got it it wouldn't feed more than three 357s at a time. A few months with Mr. Young/ NKJ and it has become one of my favorite rifles! Slicker than whale snot on an ice flow!



jb