.357 Lever Guns?
- Thread starter Panzerschwein
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I've got a rossi blued 20 inch 357 with open sights.
It's been flawless with 357 and fairly reliable with 38's. I can ring the steel at 100 regularly with her.
She was a little rough at first but 400 rounds later it's slicked up pretty well.
It's been flawless with 357 and fairly reliable with 38's. I can ring the steel at 100 regularly with her.
She was a little rough at first but 400 rounds later it's slicked up pretty well.
Janos Dracwlya
Member
I have a stainless M92 that I bought lightly-used in 1999. The action was still a little gritty when I first got it, but it smoothed out with use, so much so that I was once asked what smith had done the job. The only issue I've ever had from it was that it didn't like most semi-wadcutter bullets; the only brand of loaded SWC's it liked was Zero, with their narrower shoulder.
It wasn't until 2 years ago that I found one and quit thinking they were unicorns.
I have five Marlin 1894's, one in .32-20, three in .357 Magnum and one in .44 Magnum. The .32-20 was made in 1895 and has a 24" Otagonal barrel and it is just a very cool old rifle to shoot and hunt small game with. It just has got to be the favorite of my Marlins.
Of the .357's, one is from 1983, pre-safety, one from 1990, and one is a Remlin from 2012. With a visit to Marauder's website, http://marauder.homestead.com/files/TUNING_M_1894.htm, and some spring kits from the Smith Shop, http://www.thesmithshop.com/marlin_spring.html, I got them very smooth and they are the main match rifles that me, my wife, and my daughter shoot for Cowboy Action.
The '83 .357 was my original Marlin 1894 and it is my main match rifle for CAS. I shoot the .44 as my main match rifle for Wild Bunch. The .44 is a Remlin from November 2015. I slicked it up just like the others and I have never had a problem with it.
I have three Rossi R92's. I have a 24" Octagonal barreled .357, a 24" Octagonal barreled .44, and a .44 20" Puma Saddle Ring Carbine with the Puma medallion. I have shot them all in CAS and Wild Bunch matches.
I slicked all of them up with visits to Marauder's website, http://marauder.homestead.com/Rifles.html, with Steve's Gunz DVD, https://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?http, and with springs from the Smith Shop, http://www.thesmithshop.com/rossispringkits.html.
The reason that the Marlins became our main match rifles is that the 1894 Marlins have a shorter stroke than the R92 Rossi's and you can work their lever actions just a little bit quicker. A little bit quicker matters in CAS and Wild Bunch.
The Rossi's are still very good rifles and I have no problem whatsoever carrying one of them when I need a pistol caliber rifle.
Of the .357's, one is from 1983, pre-safety, one from 1990, and one is a Remlin from 2012. With a visit to Marauder's website, http://marauder.homestead.com/files/TUNING_M_1894.htm, and some spring kits from the Smith Shop, http://www.thesmithshop.com/marlin_spring.html, I got them very smooth and they are the main match rifles that me, my wife, and my daughter shoot for Cowboy Action.
The '83 .357 was my original Marlin 1894 and it is my main match rifle for CAS. I shoot the .44 as my main match rifle for Wild Bunch. The .44 is a Remlin from November 2015. I slicked it up just like the others and I have never had a problem with it.
I have three Rossi R92's. I have a 24" Octagonal barreled .357, a 24" Octagonal barreled .44, and a .44 20" Puma Saddle Ring Carbine with the Puma medallion. I have shot them all in CAS and Wild Bunch matches.
I slicked all of them up with visits to Marauder's website, http://marauder.homestead.com/Rifles.html, with Steve's Gunz DVD, https://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?http, and with springs from the Smith Shop, http://www.thesmithshop.com/rossispringkits.html.
The reason that the Marlins became our main match rifles is that the 1894 Marlins have a shorter stroke than the R92 Rossi's and you can work their lever actions just a little bit quicker. A little bit quicker matters in CAS and Wild Bunch.
The Rossi's are still very good rifles and I have no problem whatsoever carrying one of them when I need a pistol caliber rifle.
Reportedly production issues and changes within the company. Try finding a Rossi with an octagonal barrel! All Rossi's are getting scarce. Sure like my stainless 24" oct. .45 Colt.
Scott B.
Member
I used to have a Rossi/Puma 92 saddle ring 357 carbine that I stupidly sold many years ago. I am wanting to add a stainless steel 16" barrel .357 Rossi 92 to my collection. I plan to do Steve's mods to it when I pick it up. The 92 I had in the past ate anything I shoved through the loading gate and was a really handy little rifle. Trading it was definitely NOT one of the better choices I have made.
Great, just what Ruger needs, another failed new product release. Time to go short on Ruger stock....
CoalTrain49
Member
I'm looking at a new Winchester 1873 (357).
Does anyone know if I can shoot lead in one of those at about 1100-1200 fps? I have all the components to reload that.
Does anyone know if I can shoot lead in one of those at about 1100-1200 fps? I have all the components to reload that.
Crunchy Frog
Member
Sure, why not?
CoalTrain49
Member
Lead doesn't work real well in some rifles and pistols due to the type of rifling. I suppose the market here would be cowboy action shooting so they would cater to the lead shooters.
Crunchy Frog
Member
I get you now. The Marlin Microgroove rifling is reputed to do much better with jacketed bullets than lead. That's why the Cowboy versions of the Marlin 1894 had standard Ballard rifling.
I know several cowboy action shooters who have the Miroku-made 1873s and like them just fine. SASS rules place a velocity ceiling of 1000 fps on pistols and 1400 fps in rifles but most people are not loading close to the max. My .38 Special match loads run 710 fps out of my revolvers; I use the same load in my Uberti 1873 rifle. I have put a relative handful of .357 cartridges (they happened to be JHPs) through my rifle.
Crowman
Member
I've got a Marlin 1894C that sports an 18" barrel, a set of XS Ghost Ring sights and a leather lever wrap. I've had it for quite a while and keep it around the house for varmints...both two legged and four legged. Even though this is a reliable and accurate 357 Magnum carbine that is easy to shoot, I wanted something lighter, handier and more weather resistant to carry about when ridge walking. Never was a fan of the newer wide forends Marlin has been putting on their guns. For me, the ones from the 60's and 70's are trimmer and easier to hold.
So...about three-four years ago, I got my LGS to source a new stainless steel 16" barrel Rossi R92 in .357 Magnum for me. It is lighter, trimmer and handier than the Marlin. It carries well in the hand as one would expect from the classic JM Browning 1892's design and is a reliable shooter. The action continues to get smoother with use. I put a Skinner barrel mounted peep sight on it so I could shoot it more accurately and a leather lever wrap to make rapid cycling less painful. Eventually it will wear a Firesight on the front. When not out ridge walking, I carry it about the property in a leather carbine scabbard mounted on my Mule 4x4 UTV.
I am happy with both and can recommend either, though the Marlin will apparently need to be sourced on the secondary market. The only thing that I felt was necessary to change, at least for me, were to install better sights.
So...about three-four years ago, I got my LGS to source a new stainless steel 16" barrel Rossi R92 in .357 Magnum for me. It is lighter, trimmer and handier than the Marlin. It carries well in the hand as one would expect from the classic JM Browning 1892's design and is a reliable shooter. The action continues to get smoother with use. I put a Skinner barrel mounted peep sight on it so I could shoot it more accurately and a leather lever wrap to make rapid cycling less painful. Eventually it will wear a Firesight on the front. When not out ridge walking, I carry it about the property in a leather carbine scabbard mounted on my Mule 4x4 UTV.
I am happy with both and can recommend either, though the Marlin will apparently need to be sourced on the secondary market. The only thing that I felt was necessary to change, at least for me, were to install better sights.
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