Which .357 Lever Gun.

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Grandpa Ron
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Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by Grandpa Ron »

I am sure this is and old question but it is new to me.

After the holidays I am going to bite the bullet on a lever gun.

I am looking for a .357 to match my pistol. I rarely hunt but I do a lot of target shooting.

I have perused the internet until my head is swimming with opinions on Rossi, Marlin and Henry guns. I like the fact that the Marlin and Henry are side eject as I may want to add a scope someday. Right now my preference is for the Marlin Cowboy with a 20 Inch barrel. My second choice is a steel framed Henry.

The question is, with all the assorted internet hype, are there really any serious feed or accuracy issues with these guns.
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Blaine
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by Blaine »

Grandpa Ron wrote:I am sure this is and old question but it is new to me.

After the holidays I am going to bite the bullet on a lever gun.

I am looking for a .357 to match my pistol. I rarely hunt but I do a lot of target shooting.

I have perused the internet until my head is swimming with opinions on Rossi, Marlin and Henry guns. I like the fact that the Marlin and Henry are side eject as I may want to add a scope someday. Right now my preference is for the Marlin Cowboy with a 20 Inch barrel. My second choice is a steel framed Henry.

The question is, with all the assorted internet hype, are there really any serious feed or accuracy issues with these guns.
My Buddy got a Henry .357....He loves it. He tells me that unless he holds it without canting to one side it does not cycle properly sometimes. I have also found that to be true with some, but not all, Marlins of different flavors.... To me, the Henry seems heavy at about 8 pounds.
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TomF
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by TomF »

Marlin 1894CB 24"
Marlin 1894CB 20"
Marlin 1894CP 16"
Marlin 1894C 18.5"

My preferences in order. I have had no issues with any of the 3 Marlin 357s I own, CBx24, C and CP.. No experience with the others

TomF
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by flatnose »

I am not a Marlin type of guy, and have only one. 2005 year 1894c in 357 mag. I load semi wadcutters of around 148 grains and w231 powder. Feeds fine, and no jams, accuracy good.
if you are reloading your own get bullet samples and try them out. Maybe I got lucky first time out.
I would not buy a newer marlin, or Rossi.
Prefer Browning, winchester 92, Marlin.
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bmtshooter
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by bmtshooter »

I have both the Marlin and the Rossi. "Shootability" is about the same with either. Due to the fat fore-end on the Marlins, I prefer the feel of the Rossi as a gun to carry around. If you shoot mostly targets, this might not be an issue for you.

None of those choices are bad. Kind of like trying to decide on blondes, brunettes, or redheads.........your opinion may be different on different days.
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ollogger
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by ollogger »

Welcome Ron!!
I have a Henry in 357 & its a pleasure to shoot that gun, I shoot only cast bullets with mid range loads
for me the extra heft of the gun for off hand plinking is a plus!!I have no problems with 357 loads
but a little trouble with 38s, if I seated them out farther im sure they would work just fine



ollogger
jnyork
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by jnyork »

TomF wrote:Marlin 1894CB 24"


TomF
If you find one and don't want it, let me know. Thanks.
jazman
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by jazman »

I flat love my NKJ Rossi trapper, that one will never leave the family.
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Griff
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by Griff »

Image and Welcome to THE Forum.

Are you planning on shooting .357Mags or mostly .38Spls? Or a combination thereof. For .357Mags I'd definitely stick with the Marlin for scoping ease, or the Rossi for the strength of the action. IMO, the Rossi is the stronger action over the Marlin 1894 or Henry's Big Bore. The difference in length between the .357Mag and .38Spl make feeding more a matter of compromise than an exacting science. Some folks have experienced some challenges with the Rossi in trying to cycle both .357 & .38s equally well. I have two, and while one was a breeze, the other took a little massaging. The Marlin and Henry are very similar in all operations except loading. I find the Henry upsized version of a .22 magazine a little off-putting and awkward. Others find its convenience for unloading without cycling live rounds thru the action a major plus.

Don't over look the use of a tang peep sight to take the place of a scope. They are great for increasing the field of focus one's eye is capable of. It naturally centers the eye and makes precision shooting quite possible, even for some of us older types, that otherwise might be very reliant on glass.

IME, bullet shape also plays a major part of smooth operation. Big, wide meplats are great, but, can be problematic in some leverguns. Especially when combined with sharp shouldered designs. The round flat nose or truncated cones with smooth shoulders seem to feed best and provide the least opportunity for interference with the chamber mouth.
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Pete44ru
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by Pete44ru »

.

1) Welcome to the fire !

2) Get a Marlin 1894 - the Marlins have more aftermarket goodies available (peep sights, scope mounts, action rework kits, etc, etc, etc)

I've long been a non-denominational levergun addict - and it's hard to fault the Marlin Cowboy's for the uses you're intending to put a .357 through.


.
MrMurphy
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by MrMurphy »

Marlin. Known quantity for the most part.

Henry appears to make a solid rifle, but they are front load only, which is totally a deal killer for me. For a hunting/range gun, that may be fine.

All of my rifles are evaluated for possible defense use first...front loading levers stopped being smart in 1866.
Lastmohecken
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by Lastmohecken »

My favorite but a little more expensive, probably, is the Uberti 73 short rifle. Mine shoots very accurately, and has a very smooth action, although I did have to take it apart, and take off some rough edges because the shells were hanging up coming out of the mag tube, but after I did that, all has been well.

It is a little heavy, compared to a 92.
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J Miller
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by J Miller »

My experience with .357 lever guns is limited. It was a late 80s Marlin 1894.
It would feed any 38 Spcl or 357 mag as long as the length was around the 1.60" mark and the shoulders were not too sharp. For instance, it would not reliably feed the Keith style 358429 bullets in 357 cases due to the location of the shoulder. It would feed them when loaded in 38 cases.

The bulbous phat forearm can be trimmed down if you find them awkward and clumsy as I do.

I'd be really careful about a new Remlin though, they aren't a patch to the original Marlin made guns.

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Old Ironsights
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by Old Ironsights »

Any of them.

I'm partial to my M92/Rossi because (A) it's Stainless, (B) Doesn't have the issue of the "dreaded marlin jam" caused by wear on a soft lifter (and I've fixed a few...), and (C) I bought it from NKJ.

Still, the best .357 lever is the one you can buy and care for.

Does anything else really matter?
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HCH
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Re: Which .357 Lever Gun.

Post by HCH »

I had a Rossi M92 in .44 mag that shot very well. I would be looking at a Rossi.
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