357 Carbines

Used Marlin 1894, the only rifle I’ve ever sold and of course I regret it now. lever but plenty accurate for your intended use.

Get a 1960s era JM Marlin 1884 .357 magnum and never look back.

There was a factory wood stock offered for the Ruger 357/77's once upon a time.

There's always Boyd's as well, they have a couple styles in either laminate or hardwood at reasonable prices with plenty of options.

I sent my 357 and my 44 Browning 92s to Dawson's Doubles on consignment. It should go up sometime this week. My gunsmith said it was the best 92 mfg. I never used either so I cannot tell you how it shoots. The 44 is unfired. I have never had a bad Browning anything. If they were stainless, I would have kept them. Stainless Marlins are dear right now.

gotboostvr said:

There was a factory wood stock offered for the Ruger 357/77's once upon a time.

There's always Boyd's as well, they have a couple styles in either laminate or hardwood at reasonable prices with plenty of options.

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Probably the best solution if a repeater is wanted that isn't a lever action carbine. Ruger seems to own this niche.

The only bolt action I've seen is the Ruger. If you know of a reputable smith, a custom build might be your best option. I ended up with a lever action but I wasn't going for precision shooting.

I have a Henry Big Boy X:
View attachment 1082515
It shoots .357 pretty good; .38 Spec not so much. I just shoot it with the irons - they're fiber optic, and I usually just shoot 50 - 100 yds. I don't know how it does at longer ranges. I believe Henry also makes a wood-stocked version.

JCooperfan1911 said:

Get a 1960s era JM Marlin 1884 .357 magnum and never look back.

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I believe the 1894 .357 wasn’t introduced till 78 or 79

wild willy said:

I believe the 1894 .357 wasn’t introduced till 78 or 79

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I believe you are correct, this is from my 1974 catalog listing only the .44

Yes, this is a 44, but you should also be able to get a wood stock on the 357.

what model is this .44 you have a pic of. I have the Ruger 77/44 in the synthetic stainless version. I use it for large feral hogs in brush here in Texas.

film495 said:

I want an accurate 357 Carbine. I think a lever action, is not as accurate as a bolt action, so - I'm leaning toward bolt, but they are not out there. Is this a correct assumption?

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Being a lever action has nothing to do with accuracy. But you are correct that historically many lever actions are not as accurate as bolt guns from the same mfg. There are multiple reasons for this in my humble opinion:
Firstly, lever guns had a stereotype of being the mountain man's brush gun. Shorter barrels, utility life in a scabbard, lower powered cartridges, etc, so the mfgs deemed it wasn't really necessary to produce under 2 moa results because the customer base didn't expect it. Though some lever guns like my model 94 30-30 can get Moa or close to it.
Because of the utility life expectation, some Mfgs like Marlin and Win made the chamber dimensions for some cartridges looser to accommodate reliability in lieu of frequent cleaning. You have to let a Win 30-30 get pretty dang dirty before it fails to function, and the lands are usually so far out that the action cannot cycle a round that gets anywhere near jam length.
Another problem is the barrel bands on some models. These can affect barrel harmonics and poi because the tube magazine and forearm are clamped to the barrel. Anything connected to the barrel can affect its performance. Sometimes something as simple as changing the forearm and moving the barrel band position can totally change the precision of the gun.
So, in general terms, yes lever guns are often not as accurate as bolt guns, and generally the cartridges they are offered in are not meant for long range.
In the case of a .357 lever gun, most if any deficiencies as compared to a bolt gun could probably be overcome by handloading and some fine tuning, if you have the desire to do so.

TexasPatriot.308 said:

what model is this .44 you have a pic of. I have the Ruger 77/44 in the synthetic stainless version. I use it for large feral hogs in brush here in Texas.

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Same, 77/44. Oddly enough, purchased for the same reason, hog hunting in the hills around Northern California (Tehama County).

I have a 10 round magazine and an extended magazine release on it in that picture. However, I am now, essentially, in the Oklahoma panhandle. There is no hog hunting here, but it is my favourite centerfire rifle to shoot.

If you can live with one shot at a time -- and can source one of these at present -- consider the various 'baby' rolling block carbines from Italy:



https://taylorsfirearms.com/long-gu...block/baby-rolling-block-carbine-357-mag.html

I have the Ruger M77/44. You say you want the bolt for range work and are concerned about accuracy if going to a lever. I shoot both the Ruger and the Henry with open sights (casual plinking and range work) and can’t honestly say one is more accurate than the other.

I held off buying the Ruger M77 in .357 because of the plastic stock AND it’s only made in stainless (at least that I’ve seen)

Frulk said:

I held off buying the Ruger M77 in .357 because of the plastic stock AND it’s only made in stainless (at least that I’ve seen)

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I was doubting you guys, so I went and checked at the Ruger Website. You are right, the 77/357 only comes in plastic and stainless.

I'm partial to my Henry alongside the S&W Model 10...both great shooters.

Marlin reboot notwithstanding, there are somewhat more choices out there for a buyer than there used to be a few years ago.

That being said, if none of them really speak to you for one reason or another then it is what it is. I think anything you could readily find would run a good $800 at least. [EDIT: I guess you could luck into a Handi-Rifle]


Given the soft level of commitment I am sensing here, you may decide you want something else worse... at least for now. I know I personally wouldn't spend that much for something I felt lukewarm at best about. Kind of hard to feed them right now anyway if you weren't already well-stocked.

I really like my Henry single as a range toy. 148 WC with a trickle of Red Dot for bowling bunnies in the backyard? YUP. .357 mag full house experimental heavy bullet seated really long? YUP. Burn up a random batch of .38 cast bullets from an auction with a conservative load walking in and dumping firewood logs at 100 yards? YUP. Borrow it to the neighbors daughter to practice rifle shooting and maybe kill a deer in youth season with a 180 XTP? YUP.

It's heavy gun. Offhand is pretty good with it for this reason. Still short overall even with a 20" tube. Recoil is minimal with the stoutest loads.

Within reasonable pressure limits, those being enough to reliably send the bullet out the end of the barrel, and not so much it blows up the gun or pops primers (pretty sure this firearm can take .308 pressures, but I keep it in and mostly under the .357 mag zone), you can pretty much shoot anything and expect to hit the target with the right zero. Loads of fun, and great for experimental loads/bullets. No feed mechanism to jam.

There's a Browning offering.

I have commented many times on threads related to the .357 in a rifle. I am a fan of the this combo and find it useful for both hunting and plinking. I would add that with the frequency of .357 rifle threads popping up here there seems to be a large interest in this combo. I would love to see a pump action .357 and I would love to see Ruger do something along the lines of the American to make an affordable bolt action in .357. They could keep the magazine of the 77 series and then go for a more affordable build.

JCooperfan1911 said:

Get a 1960s era JM Marlin 1884 .357 magnum and never look back.

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Actually, Marlin did the 1894 up through the early 2000s really well.

I have a nice JM-marked 1894 C from the '90s that's quite worthy. Coincidentally, bought it from a THR member after I'd posted I was looking for one to complete my lever-gun collection.

It's about as much fun as a guy can have with his clothes on...

Old Dog said:

Actually, Marlin did the 1894 up through the early 2000s really well.

I have a nice JM-marked 1894 C from the '90s that's quite worthy. Coincidentally, bought it from a THR member after I'd posted I was looking for one to complete my lever-gun collection.

It's about as much fun as a guy can have with his clothes on...
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Do you only carry one bullet in it?

That little carbine that OLD DOG has is as reliable as the tides with a full tube. Accurate too.