School me on rifles in 38/357

Rossi is decent for the money, but the winchester made by miroku are probably the cream of the crop.

Older JM stamped Marlin 1894, nothing better

I have a Marlin from the late 1980's that is both fun and very accurate with 357's. It is capable of shooting 38's but I never have had the urge as I also reload. You can load with slower powders for rifle rounds if you want more punch than an off the shelf pistol round. I have a couple of manuals with loads for rifles and pistols separated.

Listed in order of quality/desirability

Browning/Winchester 92
Marlin 1894 - Ruger 77/357
Henry









Rossi

The Chiappa 1892 lever action 20" rifle chambered in .357/.38 is FUN to shoot. You've got to keep track of the OAL when using .38s, but otherwise no issues.

natman your order is wrong

#1 is the JM stamped marlin

I've got a pre-safety Marlin 1894C which has never stopped impressing me with how well it functions and how accurate it shoots, .38sp have also been fine in it.

Not quite what Natman posted. For me it would be:

Browning/Winchester 92
Marlin 1894, Ruger 77/357, Uberti 1873, Uberti 1866
The Henry copy of the original Henry or the Uberti copy of this same Henry
Rossi
Henry Big Boy








Chiappa

Why? Because while Rossi can sometimes need a bit of slicking up to make it smooth and the wood these days is poor at least they are cheap and relatively reliable.

I prefer them over the Henry Big Boy design for the Winchester 1892 design and the fact that the center fire Henry's tend to be rather heavy.

The Marlin Ruger and two Uberti rifles are all on one line because I'd rate them as equal in overall quality and looks and it's just what you like the looks of.

The Chiappa is the one spaced down so deep because of issues I've had with Chiappa made firearms, experiences of a few I shoot with that had problems that could not be fixed economically and lots of reports that mirror these failures that exist either right from the box or early on with shooting the arms.

Note that of the whole lot the least expensive, even adding on the cost of a basic cowboy action slicking up job from a gunsmith, is the Rossi. They may not be the flashiest choice but they are the best bang for the buck if you don't mind a basic utilitarian carbine/rifle in this caliber.

kitsapshooter said:

natman your order is wrong

#1 is the JM stamped marlin

Click to expand...

I own both and while a JM Marlin is a very well made rifle, the Miroku / Browning is simply better made. This shouldn't be too surprising since the Miroku cost considerably more.

Or, one could go for simplicity,,,

H&R Handi-Rifle in 38/357.



With 38 FMJ loads it's a gentle plinker,,,
Clay pigeon accurate at 100 yards or more.

With .357 JHP cartridges,,,
It's an armadillo slayer.

Some people think they are junk guns,,,
But this one and my .22 shoot just fine for me.

Just an option.

Aarond

.

Don't forget the repros... I have a Uberti 1873, which runs right around the same price as the Winchester. Mine is in .357 and it's just a blast to shoot. Very smooth, and fit and finish is excellent. Not sure if you're looking for a more modern action for sure or not. There's also the Browning levers which aren't made anymore, but they're out there. They're kind of pricey, but I have one in .44 Mag that is really nice.

Here's the Uberti:

Agree with Natman that the Winchester/Browning 92 is a better finished carbine that does cost more.

However, since both the Win. 92 and the Marlin 94 were originally designed for bottle neck cartridges,
I feel the Marlin feeding sequence is much more reliable with the 38/357 straight case.

The Brownings can be finicky with both the speed at which it is cycled to chamber the straight .357 case and especially with the shorter O.A.L. of the .38 Special.
The Marlin has no such issues in my experience.
Have not owned the Japanese Winchester, so no comment.

I vote JM Marlin based on weight,performance, and capacity combined with trouble free fun.

My .02, JT

I'm very happy with my Rossi 1892 16" Trapper. It's an older Interarms without the safety. At 4.9 lbs it handles like a dream and is surprisingly accurate. The kick with Magnums is just enough to make me smile.

I had a Rossi in .38/.357 also, many years ago. Great gun, wish I hadn't sold it!

Good choice on the 357. I think it is my favorite all around shooting caliber for casting and loading.

The GF shoots the rossi 92. Loves it, but it took a good bit of work to get it reliable and semi smooth. Excellent rifle once we got the bugs worked out.

I am super close to pulling the trigger on a Ruger 77/357 right now.

I like the break actions rifles too with 357s. An Encore with a good non TC barrel can shoot very well. The TC barrels have some goofy throat issues if you shoot naked lead.

Just a data point of one, I am happy with my Marlin 1894C chambered in 357 Magnum from the early 1980s.

With the microgroove barrel, mine seems to shoot jacketed bullet better than cast but I know there are lots of opinions on this.

Fun to shoot. Handy to have a rifle that is chambered for the same cartridges as some of my hand guns.

Another vote for the Marlin 1894C. I own 4 leverguns and all are great especially the one in .357 Magnum...

The Ruger m77s are good looking moderately priced guns. Would be great with a low power scope for close in work.

The lever actions are great as well. I have a winchester 1873 in .357 and its a blast.

the higher end winchester 1892 clones are super smooth right out of the box,they are costly tho. the marlins are very good too(older ones better), the higher end win 1873 clones are very good also. the rossie crowd are a crap shoot,very good to dismal. the henry,s are just not for me(personal thing). i have quite a few original winchesters and marlins and most i bought for less than a 1000.00(talk about smooth), the last two win,s i bought were a 94 in 25-35 carbine and 92 special order in 25-20 last dec. at a gun show for 1700.00 for the pair. eastbank

If you plan on scoping the rifle it may be best to find a side ejector like the Marlin 1894. Below is a "Remlin" I converted to pistol grip and laminate furniture, real good shooter, especially with .357 mag.

I bought a Rossi online, it was one that slipped though QC, terrible. I would still buy one as long as I could inspect it in person first.

Also had a pretty rare Ruger #1 in .357, nice rifle but after the first few rounds and getting warm, the groups just fell apart.

bikemutt said:

Also had a pretty rare Ruger #1 in .357, nice rifle but after the first few rounds and getting warm, the groups just fell apart.

Click to expand...

Is that one of the California Highway Patrol commemoratives?

#1 is the JM stamped marlin

Click to expand...

Not hardly. I love my Marlins but they don't hold a candle to the Miroku guns.

Great thread. Opinions all over the place, which I love. I saw nothing about the Winchester/Miroku 1873. Wondering about it in comparison with the Uberti.

[In another thread I admitted buying a used Taylors/Chiappa. It's still a beautiful gun, but it wont eject (even unfired rounds) and about half the time won't even extract them; they just lay there in the action. It's going to my gunsmith Wednesday.]

Another vote for the marlin 1894c. Got a 1873 all raced up and purty, but if you aren't in the game, the 94 is just a tack driving tank that fits like a glove and will run forever. Now to your caliber choice...45LC!!! One cartridge to rule them all?? isn't that how the saying goes? HAHA