.357 Lever Action Rifles

i have also heard that marlin has suspended production but have no proof. I think your only other option is the Henry.

I don't know where you are but I know a local gun store has Winchester 94 .357 for less than $600, it used to be mine. They also have a new Henry for just over $600. If you want I can get you contact info for that store.

Try backpage.com in your area. marlins may be obnoxiously hard to get these days, but I remember one or two for sale in the AZ Phoenix area over the last week or so. Of course, that's mostly used. And on the off chance you haven't already, google.

I saw Cheaper Than Dirt had the Rossi Braztech Model 92s on sale for about $436. I mentioned that price to my LGS, and he got on the phone to his distributor, and said he could sell me one for $439, and save me the FFL transfer fee. With state sales tax and background check, it was about $470 out the door. I went for the .45 Colt instead of the .357, with the 24" octagon barrel. Pretty gun, and it shoots well, too.

Yep, I have the Rossi in 454 Casull and am very happy with it. The only "knock" I have heard on the 357 model is that it sometimes has trouble eating 38 specials.

I had a Marlin 1894 .357 Magnum. Never again; failures of every type you could have with a lever gun. My friend bought the Rossi, and it has been 100% reliable in every way.

I am currently trying to get a Marlin 1894 .357 to fire more than 4 rounds without a failure to feed. I will never own another Marlin and will probably loose money selling this one soon.

Ouch. Are these new or old models with the feed gremlins? I have a 2002 336 that doesn't have any issues.

From what I have seen and used, the 336 is a solid performer. The troubles I had are with the models that fire pistol/revolver cartridges.

I had a Marlin 1894 .357 Magnum. Never again; failures of every type you could have with a lever gun. My friend bought the Rossi, and it has been 100% reliable in every way.

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I am currently trying to get a Marlin 1894 .357 to fire more than 4 rounds without a failure to feed. I will never own another Marlin and will probably loose money selling this one soon.

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Ouch. I've been researching .357 Levers for awhile and had settled on getting an older (pre-2008) Marlin 1894c. I hadn't seen any complaints until these posts.

Now I don't know if this is typical or not of the design.

If I had to get an alternative, like the Henry, Rossi or Uberti 1873, what would be the next best choice?

I guess I got lucky. I've got two 1894 Marlins one carbine and one rifle. Both will feed .357 hps and 38s , even wadcutters.

I know there are good gunsmiths out there that specialize in these. Check the leveraction forum.

Cheers,

ts

I have had a Rossi 357/38 carbine for almost 20 years. It has never failed to chamber and fire either cartridge.....chris3

My Marlin 1894 feeds everything I throw at it .357, 38 spl doesn't matter. My son uses it for Cowboy Action and never had any issue. It's an older one though, probably 2004 or 2005.

acmax95 said:

i have also heard that marlin has suspended production but have no proof. I think your only other option is the Henry.

I don't know where you are but I know a local gun store has Winchester 94 .357 for less than $600, it used to be mine. They also have a new Henry for just over $600. If you want I can get you contact info for that store.

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I think the proof is an announcement on Rem or Marlin website. Might have been on facebook. My local dealer confirmed it.

I have a Marlin in .45 Colt and a Rossi/Braztech in .357. I've spent the last year trying to get the sights on the Rossi squared away. I think the current models ship with a brass bead front sight, mine had a simple blade up front and a crappy rear. Both have been replaced with Marbles units and I can actually see the sights and hit what I aim at now. It also had some extraction/ejection issues until it had a few hundred rounds through it.

The Marlin (purchased early 2009) has been utterly reliable and the factory sights are much better. If I could get a .357 from that timeframe or earlier, I would buy it. Of the current production .357s I'd probably get a Henry.

Big Sky Guns has Marlins in 357. They'll ship to an FFL
http://www.bigskyguns.com/showall-Lever_Action_Rifles-Marlin_Rifles.html

I have had a Rossi 357 lever gun for years and it eats everything like a champ. Great gun.

I had both the Rossi and a Winchester (the one with that ultra-ugly crossbolt safety), and both functioned 100%. I added a ghost-ring sight set with front blade to the Winchester, and it is fast, accurate and easy to use. With the .357 loads it easily knocks down 6" steel round plates at 100 yards from off-hand. That was the outer limit for me with that gun, but it is possible to mount a scope on top if desired.

grgvntlnd said:

I am currently trying to get a Marlin 1894 .357 to fire more than 4 rounds without a failure to feed. I will never own another Marlin and will probably loose money selling this one soon.

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Exactly what is the failure to feed issue? My brand new Marlin 94 had a failure to feed problem that I solved.

Can you describe this to me?

Dan

I bought an older 1894c I have yet to have any feeding issues.


"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety"- Benjamin Franklin

grgvntlnd said:

I am currently trying to get a Marlin 1894 .357 to fire more than 4 rounds without a failure to feed. I will never own another Marlin and will probably loose money selling this one soon.

Click to expand...

I'd suggest going here. You'll get your problem straightened out very quickly. It's the 1894 section of the Marlin Owners forum.
http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/board,32.0.html

All my LGSs are saying they cannot get the Rossi's. I really want one, but shops say the they can't find them in stock with distributers. Ya'll know an online source?

Table of contents
http://marauder.homestead.com/files/Contents.html

Rossi 92

http://marauder.homestead.com/files/Rossitune.htm

Marlin 1894

http://marauder.homestead.com/files/Marlin_1894_Carrier.htm

I am aware that there are some who say "leave it alone". This post is not anything but to show you what a bunch of cowboys do to make their rifles run good and fast. None of these mods mess with the integrity of the rifle. Having competed for quite sometime, I know these mods work and work very well.
Marauder is a very good shooter and his site has grown over the years from proven input from cowboys.

Widowmaker has developed some ways of getting rid of any feeding problems of the 94.

http://marauder.homestead.com/files/Widdermatic_Marlin.htm

I hope you enjoy the site. There is much more there.

At this point, I would advise against ordering a new Marlin levergun or committing to buy one sight unseen.
If you can't personally inspect it first, and try to cycle at least a couple rounds through it, you'd be better off going elsewhere.

On the other hand, the Rossi 92 is not easy to clean. Just FYI.
Denis