.357 mag, .45 colt,44mag in a lever gun

[TexasPatriot.308]

got all my pennies saved up, I got revolvers in all three calibers. I am looking for a lever action in one of these calibers for close (100yards or less) shooting. leaning toward .44 mag but at almost 60 don't want a bruiser. will use mainly for hogs, good sized hogs up close. any input will be nice. I know the .357 mag and .45 are pretty tame in carbines, don't know if I need to step up to .44 mag.

 

[ugaarguy]

Even 44 Mag is pretty mild out of a Carbine. I wouldn't be picky on caliber if I found an older Marlin 1894 with conventional rifling - not micro groove. Otherwise I'd look for a Henry. My personal leaning is .45 Colt because even at low velocities a big, heavy, hard cast slug will penetrate. Of course, if you hand load you can do the same thing with 44 Mag cases loaded down to 44 Spl levels.

 

[Squeaky Wheel]

I was in a similar situation within the last couple of years and ended up buying a used Winchester 94 AE lever in 45 Colt (trapper model with 16 inch barrel). I also had a hard time deciding between 44 magnum and 45 Colt. I decided that I would just buy whichever one I happened to find first in best condition. I have been very pleased with my 45 Colt lever. I only use it for punching holes in paper (and I reload for it), but it's quite fun and I have no regrets.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Jackal]

My .44mag rossi 20" stainless has quite a bit of snort behind it. Enough to bruise my shoulder after a few rounds wearing a t shirt. .357 is tame as a .22mag. .45 is somewhere in between.

 

[jstein650]

I also have an older Puma in .44 mag, 20" The period steel buttplate will leave a mark with full power loads and light clothing for sure, but with the kind of clothing I'm likely to wear in deer season, not a big deal. And I shoot top end 300gr hard cast LBT bullets. I think if deer size game is in your future, I'd go with either the .45 or .44 In a '92, I think of all guns, if you handload, the .45 can at least, and probably exceed the .44 Between the two then, I think the .44 may be a bit easier to find brass for, and neither are prone to go out of stock everywhere whenever a 'panic' hits. Factory stuff for the .44 comes in a wider variety. If you handload, you can easily make some cast plinkers for either.

 

[Ed Ames]

I suggest the .38/.357 is probably perfect for most people.

The .45 is great but to get full value you need to handload. It's not that you can't buy factory ammo that takes advantage of these guns, but it costs a LOT (about $2 per round) from what I've seen. At that point recoil is definitely present.

.44 mag can actually be a bit stout from a carbine, especially if you buy real .44 Magnum ammo (not the anemic practice ammo sold for people who want to say they shoot a .44 Magnum but don't want to deal with .44 Magnum recoil).


I have a .454 lever gun...it's not what you want (heaviest recoil of the lot, when shooting casull) but that's where i'm coming from. I shoot a lot of handloads that sort of split the .45c/.454cas difference and are fairly comparable to .44 Magnum. Slower (cowboy) ammo really changes the point of impact so I don't like to go too light.

 

[Archaic Weapon]

I have a full sized Uberti Winchester 1873 in .45LC. I have shot coke cans sitting on a rail at over 100yds offhand, with stock sights. I shoot factory loads out of it, and it's my go to gun.

 

[Schwing]

The leveractions are awesome! I just picked up a Rossi 92 in .357 (mostly because like another guy above, I vowed to get the first one I could find and that one came up).

I do not hunt with it so I can't vouch for a .357 vs a hog but it is extremely fun to shoot and reloads are cheap.

I was a little surprised to see some bruises after my first session (I went through about 300 rounds). I would think that, if you are going to hunt with it, you would be better off with the .44 but, if you are shooting for enjoyment, the .357 is plenty of fun and is gentler if you have a weak shoulder like I do.

I never had any interest in leverguns until a few months ago. A friend talked me into it. It has quickly risen to the top of my list of guns to take out for pure enjoyment.

 

[tubeshooter]

As much as I love my .357 lever, and as fun as it is to shoot... I believe "good sized hogs" takes it out of the running for your purposes.

 

[rhinoh]

I have the Rossi M92 20" stainless in both .45 colt and .357, great fun and I have revolvers in those calibers also.
And this week I found a .44Mag in the same and it is on its way!
Maybe if it gets here next week I can report back on its "bruising factor" soon
I also have the Keltec Sub 2000 series in 9mm and .40, don't know why but for some reason I have an irrational desire for long arms in my pistol calibers.

 

[lloveless]

I have an Rossi puma in .44 mag. I got a couple of shots off at hogs in east Tx, then found out the sights were 18 inches high. Changed to new sights from Steve's gunz. I haven't re-tried the hogs with it, but it definitely is more accurate. That metal butt plate will hit hard. Hold the gun firmly against the shoulder to eliminate the bruising. I can reccomend a chevy cavalier at 68 mph. I ran into a herd of hogs at 2130 3 weeks ago in Carta Valley (377),Tx. left 4 hogs (200 pounders) dead right there, a fifth was euthanized due to a broken back. Then noted 6 fetuses in the road. Good luck with your quest.
ll

 

[firesky101]

I would go with .44, or .45 neither are all that punishing out of a carbine. More importantly to me would be that the barrel twist will be suitable for the longer bullets if I ever did want to load up some thumpers (I believe it is certain Marlins that have the twist too slow).

 

[JoeDaddy]

+1 on the 44 mag. I use this on mine to dampen recoil. With the kick killer installed it's pleasant enough that my wife and kids shoot it.

 

[denton]

357 is really fun to shoot out of a carbine. I like 180 grain cast bullets. If I keep the MV below 1250 FPS, I get very good accuracy with cast bullets in a microgroove barrel. Above that, I need to switch to jacketed, or accuracy suffers.

I have a hard time imagining that 180 grains would not be effective on hogs.

 

[BSA1]

Are you going to be carrying a handgun at the same time? If so then I assume it will be the same caliber.

Contrary to the comments about a 44 magnum carbine being a bruiser I have not found it to be. I suggest that those that are complaining either are not holding the gun tight enough against their shoulder or are not placing the butt in the right position.

On the other hand hot loads in a 44 mag. revolver could be another story.

 

[brbdwyr]

I like .357 myself.

Rossi M92


My step-dad has the Henry big boy in .44. Not much of a recoil, but with that octagon bbl, it weighs in at 12 lbs. Not fun to lug around.

 

[rhinoh]

I have an Rossi puma in .44 mag. I got a couple of shots off at hogs in east Tx, then found out the sights were 18 inches high.

My .357 and .45 also shot high, I expect the same with the .44MAG when it arrives. Had to completely remove the rear sight ramp to get them down enough.

 

[rugerman]

I have Marlins in 22,.357, 44, and 45-70, every year we have a get to gether at the end of deer season to shoot the breeze, eat and shoot. As far as fun guns the 22 and the .357 lever guns get the most use. The kids really like the .357 due to lack of recoil and the damage that they do to 2 liter bottles filled with water. The 44 does a great job on deer at reasoniable ranges as does the 45-70, and the .357 is good for close stuff on deer and is a joy to carry. As for hogs you can kill them with any of these with a well placed shot, but if I needed it and it had to be a pistol caliber I'd lean more toward the 44. My 2 cents.

 

[DPris]

Have a 16-inch Marlin .357 & a 16-inch .44 Mag Marlin.
There's a marked difference in recoil between the two.

The .44 would be a bit more reliable on hogs, depending on size, with the right bullet.
Mine has a good pad on it, among other modifications. I wouldn't be much interested in shooting one with a steel buttplate.

I have a 24-inch .45 Colt Marlin that's not quite as handy in tight places, but very easy on the shoulder, and again with the right load would be quite effective.

If I were looking at sizable hogs, the .357 would be at the bottom of the list, even with 180s.
Denis

 

[scaatylobo]

Marlin cowboy .45 LC

I have a Marlin in .45 LC and that is the 3 rd 'cowboy' gun in that caliber and they ALL shoot soft & pleasant and dead on at 100 yards.

You can shoot some pretty hot loads [ think Buffalo Bore ] from that rifle and they will stop anything you will find south of the North Pole.

If in your shoes,I would go with a load that I already shoot [ .357/.44mag/.45 LC ,and of course there is the .38 special for the .357 and the .44 special for the .44 mag to consider too.

You could also look at the .454 as it can shoot the .45 LC,and then the real hot stuff if your in harms way [ think bear & hog ].

btw - I am 65 going on 66 in 3 months.

 

[jstein650]

I replaced the original sight on my Puma '92 .44 Mag. with this little flip down unit (can't remember the maker, but probably got it from Midway) With the stock front bead it is dead on with 300gr cast WFN bullets in top end H110 loads (my preferred deer load) It has some windage and elevation adjustment to play with, but I hate to mess with it, since that's my most serious load. I'd have preferred an adjustable peep, but didn't want to drill & tap at the time.

 

[mavracer]

Any of the three are capable of getting what you ask done. It's gonna take some load selection on your part. It would help to reload so you would be capable of taylering loads to intended purpose but there are a wide variety of factory loads for each that make them all very capable.

 

[Cosmoline]

Based on my own experiences I'd say any will work but it's important to buy a QUALITY carbine. One of the older Marlins for example. I had a Winchester AE in .45 Colt that had ongoing problems with rounds slipping under the elevator. I had a Puma in .44 Magnum that had ongoing problems with the magazine tube slipping out of place from recoil. So I'd say get something with a very reliable action that has a truly locked-down mag tube, and have fun.

 

[12many]

I have the 44 mag lever. I find it kicks pretty hard. Not unbearable but after a few shots it gets old. It has a steel curved butt plate. The ammo is also expensive. Otherwise I like it. I am shopping for a 357/38, but those are hard to find. I found one couple weeks ago, but they wanted 1100$, so too much for me. It was very nice though.

 

[35 Whelen]

got all my pennies saved up, I got revolvers in all three calibers. I am looking for a lever action in one of these calibers for close (100yards or less) shooting. leaning toward .44 mag but at almost 60 don't want a bruiser. will use mainly for hogs, good sized hogs up close. any input will be nice. I know the .357 mag and .45 are pretty tame in carbines, don't know if I need to step up to .44 mag.

Do you handload? If not, I'd personally rule out a 45 Colt. Between a 357 and .44 Mag, I feel the 357 is FAR more versatile simply because you can shoot everything from a 38 Special wadcutter to a 357 loaded with 180 gr. WFN.

I have a Rossi '92 in .357 and a Uberti '73 in .44 Special. Love both of them!

35W