Considering 357 Lever Action

[kanook]

Not to rain on the parade but I would just as soon own a .30-30.

This is why I own a .357mag rifle,

 

[Sistema1927]

Not to rain on the parade but I would just as soon own a .30-30.

Sure. A 336.

Along with an 1894C and a 39A.

As well as a Rossi 1892 in .45 Colt. And a Savage 99 in .300 Savage.

 

[Paladin7]

GREAT Choice and highly recommended!

As others have stated, the 357 Magnum out of a longer barrel is a whole different thing. Plus, you can shoot 38 Specials which are very cheap to reload.

I would highly recommend the Marlin 1894CSS if you can find one. That is the Marlin 1894C in Stainless. Mine shoots anything I feed it and is particularly accurate with Hornady 158 gr Jacketed Hollow Points at max velocity. Scary accurate.

With this set up, you can plink, deal with varmints, hunt deer and have a quick handling defensive carbine that won't break the bank...

Let us know what you decide...

 

[someguy2800]

My lever is in 45-70, but a big advantage to the Marlin is it already being drilled and taped for peep sights or a scope base, so you can play around with whatever and see what works for you. Williams receiver sights are too much fun.

 

[WelshShooter]

Heh, there's a lot of love for Marlin's in this thread! So let's add another.

I have a JM stamped Marlin 1894 in 38/357mag which I bought second hand 7 years ago for my 21st birthday for £600 (New ones were around £800-£900 I think). It came with a Williams rear aperture sight already installed in the rear tapped holes on the receiver. Since then, I have bought the Williams firesight kit which have fibre optic rear and front sights. I actually still use the Williams rear aperture sight but kept the front fibre optic sight on. This combination works really well for indoor use where lighting isn't too great and causes a lot of reflections off the front brass bead of the factory front sight.

I shoot the rifle predominantly indoors at 25m. The range has velocity constraints and cannot shoot jacketed bullets. The rifle eats up 5.6gr of Ramshot True Blue with 158gr lead Truncated Cone bullets, set at an overall length of 1.600" in a starline case. See the pics below during load development. This is the maximum length I can use before I get feeding issues, plus, this is where the canelure is on the bullet so I can apply a slight taper crimp.

I have shot this rifle a handful of times out to 300m using standard jacketed loads, but it's like artillery at that distance...

People have said that the Remlin Marlin's are trash and not as good as typical Marlin's, but in my experience I can't see how my rifle could be any better.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

If it's for any kind of reasonable price, just get it. You will love it.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

The problem with a 357 lever rifle is that it's a real chick magnet. Every single female I've ever taken shooting has gravitated to it. If you have a girl-friend or wife and they shoot it, it will get appropriated and you'll never get to shoot it again. You'll need to get two.

Yep that's why you get a Henry.

"It's heavy......"

My response is "Yeah it is. Give it back."

 

[Stevenvalleyky]

Thanks for that but I have no interest in reloading. My ADD would kick in about halfway through loading the third round.

I have OCD bad enough that rolling my own is a GREAT outlet to allow me to NOT stop my perfectionist tendencies. I have to usually supress that urge or I would never get anything done. With handloading, I can strive for perfection and do it all in the name of safety.

 

[tacloader]

I've had many great shoots with my Marlin 1894. Shoots best with 158 gr JSP/HP/Plated FP rather than 125 gr. and rings steel plates with authority. As I get older I don't enjoy full power .357 in my S&W as I did years ago but in the lever its hard to beat. I recently read Marlin's in .357 are coming back but that may change with Remington's bankruptcy.

 

[CamaroDMD]

I have a EMF Model 1892 short rifle chambered in .357 and I absolutely love it. It was made Uberti for EMF and is very high quality. It’s a slightly different design than the 94. I don’t know about mounting an optic in it because the brass ejects out the top...but for iron sights it’s great.

 

[drobs]

I picked up an Interarms Rossi 92 about 8 years ago. It's a ton of fun to shoot. Using a starting 38spl loading with 158gr semi-wadcutters it's suppressor quiet. You can also load the Rossi like a single shot - directly into the chamber.



There are a couple on gunbroker:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/758047272
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/758991730
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/758967296
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/761230329
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/758805122

 

[jimherb]

I would be tickled to death to find a good Rossi R92 in .357. They used to make them in 357--but now only in 45LC.
The next fairly reasonably priced model would be one of the Henrys. Some folks don't like the face that they are tube fed rather than by loading gate. The rest, Winchester, Cimarron, Taylor, etc., come in at around $1,200 which is too rich for my blood. I know that Rossi's have a reputation for uneven quality, but they are the most reasonably priced.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

I would be tickled to death to find a good Rossi R92 in .357. They used to make them in 357--but now only in 45LC.

I just don't understand that. Does Rossi hate making money or something?

 

[bluzman]

^^^^^ They've apparently adopted the Marlin business model.

 

[ACES&8S]

For a variety of reasons I am considering buying a lever action rifle/carbine chambered in .357 Magnum. I know very little about lever action rifles. I prefer the idea of side loading vs loading through the tube so I am ruling out Henry. Beyond that I don't know what factors to consider. I see Marlin has a line of lever guns in .357 in a couple of different configurations. Is old vs new really a factor?

I live in South Carolina so I don't need to take down grizzlys. I don't hunt. I have .357 revolvers and like the idea of cartridge commonality. I'm not interested in .45 Colt, 30-30, 45-70 or a Glock 26/19. This would be a what-if general purpose rifle that might travel with me to various states. An alternative to the scary black rifle but chambered in a round that has multiple applications including defense.

What do I need to know if I get serious about buying?

None of mine are in 357 but I have a Rossi here I can fix & buy for very little, in 357, which I have
considered.
Love side load for that Chuck Conners look.
Tube feed for lots of target shooting.
Only thing about lever actions that I change is the buckhorn rear sights to T/C type, I never got the hang
of it for long range.
A scope on a lever action is almost a must for these eyes for hunting but it makes them look
like what an old west revolver would look like with a lazer sight.

 

[Buck13]

I just don't understand that. Does Rossi hate making money or something?

There was a full-page ad in the Shooting Times that came to my mailbox yesterday for the Rossi 92 in .357 or .44 chamberings (only, no .45 Colt or .454 Casull listed). So, for good or ill (depending on what you think of Taurus/Rossi), I would expect that means they are shipping new guns now. You wouldn't think they'd throw away money on an ad for guns they weren't making available soon, right?

OTOH, none are in stock at Davidson's. If you see any for sale, let us know.

 

[Bushpilot]

Is old vs new really a factor?

I have both a Rossi 357 and a 1894 Marlin. They are both good rifles. My Rossi is a little slicker and maybe a wee bit trimmer but the Marlin is easier to mount various sights onto. If you get a good one I think you will be happy with either. Unfortunately, yes, when they were made is a factor in both rifles.

Rossi quality as been up and down over the years, for a long time they seemed to get better and better and then recently they apparently declined again... You can roughly determine vintage by looking at the wood and the sights. Much older examples tend to have darker stained wood and newer models have lighter wood. Newer Rossi's (roughly in the last 5 years) have semi-buckhorn sights vs plainer sights on older models.. Most Rossis are good rifles but there are a few lemons out there...

With 1894 Marlins the older (and usually better) rifles have the letters JM in a oval stamped on the barrel, the newer rifles have REM stamped on the barrel beginning in 2007. In 2007 Remington bought Marlin and the quality of their lever action rifles drastically dropped and then slowly improved, then they stopped making them altogether. Marlin/Remington recently started making the 1894's once again but it's too soon to tell how the new ones will stack up... With Marlin 357s there is also the issue of Micro-groove vs Ballard rifling. Micro-groove rifling has many little grooves and lands and Ballard rifling has fewer and larger grooves and lands. Older JM 1894 Marlin 357's have microgroove rifling which is supposedly less accurate with lead bullets then with copper and the newer JM as well as REM Marlin 357s have Ballard rifling which is supposed to shoot lead better... Your millage may vary...

My advise?
Getting an older JM Marlin in good condition is probably your best chance for a trouble free rifle. Next best chance would probably be a new or used Rossi.. The next option would be to try a brand new REM Marlin, it's expensive and carries some risk but at least it has a warranty. The absolute last thing I would recomend to someone not very familiar with lever actions is to buy a used REM Marlin, you might get lucky and find one that is OK, some are, but you also stand a good chance of buying a lemon......