Lever-Action 357 mag carbines???

[SabbathWolf]

So I was drifting around on the web and ran across a video by accident really.

It seems that Winchester in 2013 is (or already has?) come out with an 1873 lever-action rifle in 357 magnum. The way the video sounds, it seems it's made just like the old original guns?

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/...873-357-magnum


I was thinking it might be fun to have a lever-action 357 to go along with my 357 Blackhawk. And, since I do own and ride horses, it might make a cool little saddle rifle. But....$1300????? WOW.

I know Henry, Marlin and some others make 357 lever guns for a lot less.
But do they suck?
Are they OK?
Or are they great?
I don't know jack about lever-action guns or the companies who make them.

[MAKster]

I'm sure this "Winchester" 1873 is made by Miroku in Japan. They make the 1892 and 94 models as well.

[Upstater]

I've got say I've got a rossi m92 in .357 mag. And it has never failed me, plus it's a total blast to shoot. YMMV

[SabbathWolf]

Japan?
Really?
Well that sucks...

[RainDodger]

Don't let it fool you... Miroku makes gorgeous rifles. They've been making many of the Browning rifles and shotguns for years. Very well made with great fit and finish. Chances are, they're better quality than many of the old Winchesters made here!

[Scooter22]

Yes it's a great repo aimed at Cowboy Action shooters. But if you want to team it up with your Blackhawk using full power loads I'd go with a Winchester 92 style action or a Marlin 1894. They are stronger than the 1873 style actions. Even with modern steel it's the design that makes them somewhat weaker the action has a "toggle link" action which was fine for the older black power loadings. The more modern M92Win and M1894 Marlin has a much stronger action for the modern .357Mag JMHO Miroku of Japan makes excellent firearms. I have a Browning M71 .348 Win rifle.

[SabbathWolf]

I've read about Rossi 92's and Marlin 1894C's but keep seeing mixed reviews. What about Henry?

[Carl N. Brown]

Miroku's renditions of Browning designs rank with Fabrique Nationale and Ye Olde Winchester production. Those I have seen (but never could afford) were beautiful.

I have a Rossi Puma made for Legacy Sports in .357 and it is adequate for my uses. It is a trick to get it to function with .38 Spl Wadcutters, but so far functions with all other roundnose, jacketed softpoint, jacketed hollowpoint .38 Spl and .357 Mag rounds. Point of impact between .38 Spl and .357 is noticeably different at 75yds+.

[bikemutt]

Originally Posted by SabbathWolf

I've read about Rossi 92's and Marlin 1894C's but keep seeing mixed reviews. What about Henry?

Not sure if Henry makes one in 357, I haven't seen one.

[SabbathWolf]

Originally Posted by bikemutt

Not sure if Henry makes one in 357, I haven't seen one.

http://henryrepeating.com/rifle-big-boy.cfm

[DPris]

The Mirokus are very well-made guns, but they're not "exactly" like the originals.
They have modified safety features.
Denis

[InkEd]

Yes Henry makes a .357 and it's great!

[SabbathWolf]

Originally Posted by InkEd

Yes Henry makes a .357 and it's great!

I think the Henry is the best "looking" of the whole bunch if ya ask me...lol
But I have no idea how they shoot.

[wrs840]

My Rossi R92 Stainless 16"bbl that I've had for 6 months has feeding issues. Hoping it will work out, but I'm skeptical. I don't really want to send it back to the factory, because I've read on the interwebs that's a four-month trip that results in a better than 50/50 chance of "no change".

I'll probably just trade it back in to the LGS I bought it from for a 20"bbl (shoulda bought that in the first place) version of the same thing and hope for a better sample the second time.

[OilyPablo]

I have a turn of the century 1892 converted to .38/357.

I see the 1873 as something I must have. Great. Thanks for that!

[BCRider]

MANY of us Rossi owners are happy campers.

I too have read about some recent fit and finish issues. Enough that I would not buy a current Rossi by mail order. Instead I'd want to shop at a local store and see the one that I am buying, not the demo model. That'll avoid the "sight unseen" fit and finish issues if there are any.

If the rifle turns out to be less than smooth as you'd like invest a further $120 to $150 in it to have a local gunsmith that does lots of cowboy action guns give it a basic slicking up job. This will involve some stoning and spring replacement. But it really makes a big difference to the rifle.

I actually have done my own Rossi using the information off the web on how to slick it up. The rifle is a dream to cycle and is a truly fun plinker with a few basics done to it.

Even with the extra money you spend on getting this work done it'll still end up costing 1/2 the cost of the Miroku 1892 rifle. And many hundreds less than the 1873 clone you are considering.

[35 Whelen]

I own a Rossi '92 in .357 and a Uberti '73 in .44 Special. I've done extensive work, internally, on both. I slicked the Rossi up and polished the snot out of the internals, but it can be very, very picky about ammunition due to having a feed ramp that feeds ammunition at an angle. Mine feeds most any .357 acceptably, but I have to load .38 ammo to nearly .357 length.

The '73 in my opinion is a much more rugged, simple design. The removeable side plates make maintenance and cleaning quite easy and even complete disassembly isn't near as difficult as the Rossi. I installed a short stroke kit which made the rifle lever FAST. Cartridges are elevated by a brass block then fed straight in to the chamber, so the rifle, at least mine, never jams. When I first started using it for CAS, I used a Keith SWC and it fed them flawlessly as fast as I could lever the rifle.

Folks regurgitate the weak toggle link blah blah blah, but I wouldn't worry about it. Winchester's not going to chamber a rifle for a cartridge it can't handle. Uberti even chambers their '73 .44 Magnum if that tells you anything.

I love both my rifles and carry them both. My '92 is a bit lighter and handier than the '73 and I used it just yesterday to whack a Tom I called up not far from the house. But if I were limited to one, it'd be the '73 because of its rugged simplicity.

35W

[OldTex]

I've got a pre-Remlin Marlin 1894 in .357 and just got one of those Miroku Winchester 1892s. The Winchester is a beautiful gun with a really nice action. I was at the range today and another member had a Browning version of the 1892. We were comparing them and the guts look identical. Makes sense since they were both made in the same factory. With full power .357 reloads, it still packs a pretty good punch on the shoulder. And darn near punched a hole in my metal spinner target that is rated for .357.

Here's my 1892 - 24" octagon barrel:

[CA Raider]

so actually the Henry's are the only lever-action pistol-caliber rifles made entirely in the usa?

what about the Mossbergs, by the way. I know those are 30-30 - but are they made in the US??

CA R

[1858]

so actually the Henry's are the only lever-action pistol-caliber rifles made entirely in the usa?

How about Marlin. Here's my 1894CSS in .357 Mag. It's an awesome little rifle.

[OldTex]

The new Marlins (made since Remington bought them out 4-5 years ago - after Remington itself was bought out by a big conglomerate) have had some serious quality control issues. The older guns are fetching a premium price but I wouldn't buy a new one unless I held it in my hands and inspected it very closely. You can go to the Marlin Owner's Forum for more details.

I've never owned a Henry. I was leaning towards getting one of those Golden Boys but I got spooked off by negative reports. I've heard nothing but good about their .22 guns but have heard mixed reviews about the accuracy of the larger bores. Of course, this is all hearsay but it was enough to make me go for a Browning or Winchester instead. But man those puppies are expensive. So are the Uberti replica guns.

I've heard a lot of good things about the Rossi guns lately, at least in the accuracy department. They don't claim to have the looks and fine detail, but that's what drives up the cost of the fancier guns.

[DPris]

Marlins are US. Nice if you get a good one.
Henries are US & heavy. Smooth & generally shoot well.
Rossis are Brazilian, rough & overly sprung.
Chiappa/Pumas are generally good Italian copies.
Mirokus are the best made.
Denis

[muggia59]

I have a rossi 357 w/16" barrel. Its lots of fun. Someday I'll get a nice polish job to smooth it out a little, but for now I have no complaints. So far its most accurate with remington 38spl+p 130. Sure do love my lever actions.

[InkEd]

I own a Henry .357 Big Boy (and obviously it wins the best looking award), I will tell you the action is the smoothest I've ever felt from a gun straight out of the box. There are only two (arguably one) downsides to the design.

The first (which doesn't bug me at all) is they are a bit heavy compared to similar rifles. However, I feel the weight helps keep it steady for follow-up shots and from moving off target when working the lever quickly. (Plus, it's a cowboy gun. Suck it up! LOL)

The second is they can only be loaded from the front of the tube. This makes reloading slower but not a big deal.

[Water-Man]

I have a LSI/Rossi PUMA M92 in .38/.357. I bought it about five years ago.

It's accurate, has a smooth action and has never missed a beat since day one.