.38/.357 Rifle practical for a first rifle?

[luvit]

.
hi.
i have some 38 special and 357 pistols. -- i reload.

besides reducing my reloading resources, would rifles in these calibers be practical firearms?
i shoot coons and groundhogs when necessary, but right now i do not take time to hunt.

i have no real purpose for a purchase other than i should at least own a rifle.
what would you believe a 38/357 is rifle good for?

.

 

[rule303]

The .357 is a lot more powerful from a rifle than it is from a revolver. It is fun to shoot, with low noise, and virtually no recoil. It would be fine for home defense, dispatching varmints, and game up to and including deer, and black bears. I say go for it.

 

[David E]

I'd get a .22 normally, but given the current lack of ammo, if you have rounds and/or components for .38/.357, that's not a bad choice at all.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

I love shooting my Marlin 1894C in .357, I have yet to experience anyone shooting it that did not come away with a huge grin and ask if they could come with me to the range again. I load the cartridges for the rifle with Accurate #9 powder and flat nose bullets; they really make water filled gallon milk jugs explode!

 

[BCRider]

I'll echo that it's a great option. With my Cowboy action Rossi Win'92 clone sighted for the usual 30 yard CAS work I only had to hold about 6 inches over to hit the 200 yard gong at my club's rifle range. I would not want to hunt at that sort of distance since the large diameter relatively light bullets give up their velocity pretty quick. But out to 70 to 80 yards for deer and easily 120 for the smaller stuff it'll sure get the job done.

You've got a few lever gun options from Rossi, Marlin, Uberti and a couple of other makers. Then there's a bolt action Ruger model 77 chambered in .357. And finally if you can find one NEF makes a break open single shot chambered in this round. Oh, and of course Thompson Center if you go through the hoops needed to set up a Contender with a rifle rear stock. I believe that option is an SBR in the US.

 

[Njal Thorgeirsson]

Normally I would also recommend a .22. But that's actually a great choice for a first rifle now that I think of it, that would a be a fantastic rifle. More powerful, and very versatile (and inexpensive, especially with once-fired brass) with handloads. Go for it!

 

[MCgunner]

Been shooting mine for lack of .22 ammo. Lee 105 SWC over 2.3 grains Bullseye in .38 brass shoots 900 fps MV and 1.5" at 50 yards accurate. Great for small game. 16.8 grains Lil Gun with a 165 grain (with gas check installed) Lee 158 SWC moves out at just under 1900 fps and shoots 4" at 100 yards using a ghost ring aperture rear sight off an old .22. It is repeatable, click adjustable for elevation and all I have to do is dial in the elevation setting for the load I want to use.

It's a VERY versatile rifle and one I'd never sell. Plus, it just looks so damned good. I've had mine, a Rossi 92, for 25 years now. I have a sling installed and it's a great utility rifle around the place. I shot it just today with said .38 loads plinking because i didn't wanna burn anymore of my .22 stash.

 

[Revoliver]

A .357 rifle would be a perfect first rifle, even more so when paired with a revolver you already own. You will be served extremely well by one.

 

[steveo452]

It's good for just about anything. You came hunt deer & pigs out to about 100yds. It's a great HD rifle and just a joy to shoot. I own 6 very nice CF rifles, My Roosi M92 in 38/357 is by far the most fun to shoot.

 

[greyling22]

I'll echo steveo, I have lots of rifles, and my marlin 357 is the most fun. And a crowd pleaser. Everybody loves it. Be Prepared to a do a little action work and is will slick right up and cycle much easier.

 

[OilyPablo]

I bought a very old Winchester (SN 7235X, Made in 1894) in 2011 that was converted at some time in the past to .357Magnum/.38Special. Seems have been done fairly professionally and bluing looks great. I fire it quite a bit and it is extremely accurate and reliable. Somebody put a Williams peep site on it. So it's a real hodge podge from earlier days when such an original rifle was not considered sacred. All that said, it's a super handy, fun handling, sweet rifle. TOTALLY PRACTICAL, imho. Someday I would love to hunt with it, as it really has some soul and has become attached to me.

http://www.practicallyshooting.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=4777

 

[BCRider]

On slicking up the action there's a very nice article with pictures on the web if you google for "rossi trigger job".

I've done metal working for far too many years. But I only recently got into the gunsmithing aspects when I got into the shooting sport. But even so the article guides you and details things nicely.

SLIGHTLY topping off the machining marks on the flat sliding bits makes the action move very smoothly. You don't need or want to remove the marks. Only just top off the peaks with a medium stone so you have a whole series of flat "plateaus" that will ride on the rails and sides of the receiver.

DO spend some time to de-burr the ejector from stem to stern. By far the biggest improvement in my own Rossi came from this one aspect. And this includes deburring the ejector spring holes in the ejector so the windings can't catch at all.

Check the extractor spring to ensure it's flat. Carefuly and smoothy bend it over a pipe or other big radius form to straighten and flatten it from side to side so it's a straight line as seen from above. Some of them look like skis apparently. Mine was flat so it didn't need anything. You want it to be able to slip easily into the groove. It makes it easier and smoother to jump the hook over the rims and produces a smoother closing of the action.

Buy and install the reduced power spring kit. It consists of a mainspring and ejector spring. Both are overly stiff for what they do as delivered. ESPECIALLY the ejector spring.

Those are the biggies. Do these and you'll have an awsome field gun. It won't be slicked up to CAS standards. There's a couple of other things that need to be done to slick them up so they tolerate being flicked open and closed without jamming. But for a plinking/field/hunting rifle that makes you smile the ones listed will do the most for the least.

If you don't trust yourself to do this on your own getting a smith to do the work shouldn't cost more than an hour of their time. So the bill should be pretty cheap to take the lever and trigger feel to that next level.

 

[luvit]

I'm glad to hear all the excitement over these rifles.
I appreciate each of you understanding my OP right-off and how a 22 is would normally be most practical, but at the present, the 38 will be a great choice, too.
Thanks, guys!
I've never held a 38 rifle, so I will be working my way quite slowly attempting to identify these better.

 

[dagger dog]

luvit,

Rossis are a tinkers rifle,they can be a diamond in the rough,most that buy them don't mind if they have to tinker with it to make it run correctly, some are fine right from the box others have severe problems and have to be sent back to Rossi, which takes a 6 week turn around. If you buy used shoot before you buy. I have one in 45 Colt.

Winchesters ,older Marlins, are selling at a premium, the newer Remington made Marlins had problems to the point of Remington stopping production until the quality contrrol could catch up, which from reading and mouth to mouth information has been done.

If you want to try a 357 rifle and you are not sure you want to spring for a 500 buck Rossi newer Remlin @ 750 or 850 plus for a Wnchester ot JM marked Marlin, why don't you try a H&R or NEF Handi single shot ?

You can always sell it if you get a lever gun, they are good shooters and you can fnd them used for 150-175 bucks. You can even thow it behind the seat of your truck if you get another .357.

 

[shafter]

Sounds like an excellent choice to me. Practical and fun. I love my Rossi 92!

 

[goon]

I had a Marlin 1894 in .357 once and would love to have another one, perhaps one of the Cowboy II's. They are a lot of fun. I can't imagine someone not liking one.

 

[wyohome]

Check your local laws regarding hunting with a .357

 

[jaysouth]

I have a handi-rifle reamed out to .357 Max.

However, it still shoots .38 semi wadcutters at cast speeds, .357 Mag Pistol cartridges to great effect and .357 Max reloads at screaming insane velocities with great terminal effect.

A very versatile rifle that handles all my needs for empty cans, rabbits and squirrels and Whitetail deer to 200 yards. At the top end of velocity and pressure, the recoil is still less than a .30-30 with better terminal effect.

 

[dragon813gt]

My 1894C goes everywhere I go.


Everyone should have companion Handguns/Rifles in 357 and 22


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[luvit]

.
Wow. we need more pictures of 38/357 rifles.
All the posts are helpful either way!

Rossis are a tinkers rifle,they can be a diamond in the rough...
...why don't you try a H&R or NEF Handi single shot ?

I would likely be please with a single shot rifle. I prefer to shoot once for satisfactory results or don't shoot.
Once you tinker with a Rossi to how you like it, are you typically done?? or do heavy users always have to tinker for reliability...

 

[ID-shooting]

While not a lever gun, i had the IMI 38/357 for a while. It resides in my memory as one I never wish I sold.

 

[az_imuth]

Once you tinker with a Rossi to how you like it, are you typically done??

I have had a Rossi '92 in 38/357 for a couple of years now and it is indeed one of my favorite rifles to shoot. Mine was a little stiff right out of the box, but smoothed up very nicely on it's own just by repeatedly working the action whenever I had a little spare time. It has had no trouble feeding and is surprisingly accurate out to 50 yds, which the farthest I've tried it yet. Here it is fresh out of the box.

 

[OilyPablo]

Here's a lousy pic of mine:

 

[dagger dog]

luvit,
I disassembled mine dejunked and smoothed out the rough innards before I ever shot it and intalled a kit from Stevesgunz.com, bought his DVD, it was a snap. Wound up being a very slick accurate reliable rifle.

The factory ships it with a plastic magazine follower that will eventually swell and cause problems, the front and rear sights are minimal at best .

I bought a Marbles full buckhon rear and ivory bead front to replace tham, I also bought StevesGunz saftey replacement plug to get rid of the factory pigtail safety, repaced the ejector spring. Things that you don't have to do but it makes it a real slick usable rifle.

There is Ranch Dogs Rossi Riflemans web site and a bunch of info there on the Rossi's go over there and check it out, also try stevesgunz store.

 

[VVelox]

I see nothing wrong with it.

My first rifle was a Marlin 1894 in .44 Rem. Mag. Was planning of going with the 1894C in .357 S&W Mag., but could not find one locally.