Been thinking about a lever action for HD/SD

[thralldad]

I just picked up a Rossi 16" in .357/.38 and I am impressed. It's right next to my Mossy 12 ga. pump. Either will do in a pinch!

 

[yuppiejr]

I owned a stainless Rossi .357 16" carbine and it was a fun shooter, reliability with .38 Specials was spotty and could induce a wicked jam that would give you a bad day in a HD situation. I had 0 feed issues when running a variety of .357 magnum loads and would not want to deal with the long term cleaning implications of the chamber getting fouled up from the shorter .38's anyway even though the gun is advertised as good to go with either. Recoil is mild even with full power .357's, if you hand load you can always turn out reduced powder .38 type loads in .357 magnum cases.

Out of the box the plastic (yellow) magazine follower tended to stick and cause the magazine to perform unreliably so I replaced it with a stainless steel model (1 screws to remove the magazine tube cap, zip out the spring/follower - run a dry swab or 3 through the magazine tube while you're in there and then swap the metal for plastic follower, reverse steps... 5 minutes you're done):

http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=3

I also disliked the full buckhorn rear site and and replaced it with one of the Marbles Bullseye rear (replacement drifted right in to the stock dovetail, 5 minute project, max).

http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_26&products_id=44

After 1 box of 50 Federal .357 magnum 158 grain Semi-jacketed SP's the action slicked right up and was much smoother than the recent batch of Marlin pistol caliber levelguns I've tried. I can't argue with it's likely effectiveness as a home defense gun as long as you're feeding it .357 Magnum ammunition, 9 rounds should take care of business if called upon.

The little safety switch on the bolt is the only feature that would give me some heartburn, in a HD firearm I'd likely remove this feature and plug the hole with one of these:

http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=4

Also, the latest batch of the Rossi 92's have been drilled/tapped for a scope mount below the rear sight in a forward/scout configuration (for a red-dot or pistol optic). Stevez also has the mount option for this:

http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=76

 

[mdauben]

Even from a carbine, the sharp blast of the .357 cartridge is something to consider indoors. The .45 Colt will be much easier on the ears, and they will recover faster. I would rather have the .45 Colt for ballistic reasons as well.

Lever guns are hard to load/keep loaded, and IME, less reliable than a good semi-auto.

I'd be more inclined toward something like an Ar-15 than a pistol caliber lever gun, just based on the ease of use.

You need to keep the conditions the OP stated in mind, though. He's looking for a rifle/handgun combo that share the same cartidges, and he's on a budget. For .45LC the only real options I know of for a SD handgun is the old, OOP S&W Model 25, which is probably going to cost him an additional $600-800 on top of the cost of the rifle. As far as going for a semiauto carbine, any AR15 is probably going to cost at least twice what the Rossi lever action he was considering.

I would tend to go with the .357 option for the OP's needs. It makes a good SD round in a revolver, and should be just as good if not better in a carbine, as long as it functions reliably. Sure, it may not have the "stopping power" of full up 12ga buckshot, or the ease of loading of a semiauto, but it should still be an effective SD set up.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

an SKS would cost about as much as the marlin, and would do a better job.

 

[CraigC]

an SKS would cost about as much as the marlin, and would do a better job.

If that was true, we'd all trade in our leverguns for SKS's but that ain't happening.....ever.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

I did trade in a model 94 for an SKS, and I'm happy i did it, but i don't see where what i said warranted that response.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

When I travel, I often only bring that which I enjoy to shoot. Often it is my lever gun with a back up pistol. I personally like a 16" barrel as it is compact. For your purposes, I would lean towards the 20" barrel for the extra rounds. Since you like the 38/357 I would go that direction. I'm partial to Marlins and I'm sure you can find a used one in your price range.

Two websites worth looking up are velocity by the inch (may not be exact title) that has taken the time to measure lots of velocity data with many length barrels. The other if box o truth which has done lots of penetration tests to help sort out fact from fiction.

By the way, lever actions are lots of fun. So much so that I rarely want to play with my semi auto rifles. It's probably not e best choice purely for self defense but if you train with it you will be well armed.

 

[blackhawk44]

You can carry more .38/.357 rounds per pound than .44 or .45. When supplies run low, .38's and .357's are more common, thus will be easier to scrounge.

 

[nyc71]

^^^ They are not as convenient as semi but they are so much fun.

 

[Red Cent]

Andrew Wyatt, nothing personal but I would not trade my lever(s) for an SKS.
Just a preference. Like yours.

 

[Texan Scott]

The thing about lever actions is, the only "gas tube" or " impingement" issues I've ever had with them have been solved dietarily . Y'all enjoy your semis, and that's great... I really want that .357 levergun now.

 

[stubbicatt]

A couple things:

1. Don't shoot too many 38 specials in your lever gun, they leave a ring of schmutz in the chamber that is nigh on impossible to remove, even using a brush. Don't know why that is.

2. One thing I learned loading 170 grain bullets in a 357 mag, although I don't remember what the velocity was now, it came within 150 fps of a 30-30 170 grain load. I remember being impressed with that performance from a 16" carbine length Marlin.

I think your idea is a swell one.

 

[19-3Ben]

Lever guns are hard to load/keep loaded,

I have one and the only reason it is hard to keep loaded is because I want so badly to go shoot it!

I went through exactly what the OP is going through. I keep my Rossi M92 16" next to the bed, loaded, along with my Ruger Security Six.

I also have a Remington 870 with 18" bbl, but the Rossi is shorter, lighter, higher capacity, quicker (for me) to operate, shoulders more quickly, has less recoil, and still more than powerful enough to get the job done.

People compare the power of a .357mag out of a carbine, to a .30-30. That's true, but there's another thing to take into account. The .30-30 only really comes in hunting rounds, and it's a .30cal bullet that will likely over penetrate and not expand THAT much.

On the other hand, a .357mag 158gr. hollowpoint like the Speer Gold Dot that I have loaded in mine will expand like crazy at the high velocities it reaches in a 16" bbl. And it's a .35cal bullet instead of a .30cal. It's really more aptly suited for "two legged game," not to put too fine a point on it.

The 870 is now relegated to second string home defense in my house. If trouble finds me, that slick little carbine is first at bat.

 

[benEzra]

FYI, if you choose a lever-action for HD, this video is well worth the money:

Fundamentals of Defensive Long Guns

It is a video by instructor Rob Pincus on the defensive use of long guns, and he has an entire chapter devoted to how to best employ a lever-action in the HD role.

 

[K1500]

So what it isn't "the best" choice. Almost every choice we make is constrained in some way. Do you drive 'the best' car, live in 'the best' house, wear 'the best' clothing? There are a ton of choices that are worse than a levergun, so don't let that bother you.

I use a levergun often, especially when I am camping. I realize that .44 Mag and .357 Mag are both great out of a rifle barrel, but I really like the .30-30 chambering for my uses.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, but they are ALL going to penetrate more building material than a 5.56x45 round will. If that is a concern or not depends on your locale.

 

[parkerdude]

.38/.357 Lever action carbine, You betcha!

I don't have a lever action .38/.357, but I have a couple of S&W .357's and a .38 cal model 36 Smith.

I think a .38/.357 lever gun could but the right stuff, since you reload, less than magnum loads wouldn't be a problem. I have 6 or 7 hammers, I only use the 16lb one occasionally.

The reason I wrote was to share this.

If you have to "bug-out" and grab your .38/.357 pistols and your lever action carbine, hunt with .38's.

I used to squirrel hunt with my .357. After my second murder scene, I switched to .38 wad-cutters. The magnum's weren't leaving enough squirrel to justify carrying them back home to clean.

Sounds like a lotta fun, post picts if you decide to get one!

 

[shiftyer1]

I haven't owned a rossi but I have a marlin in 357, I have no complaints. I really like that mares leg but I can't find an actual use for it. 38/357 is my most useful caliber aside from 22lr and mag and of course 12ga.

I almost bought a puma a few years back but we just couldn't come together on the price. Found a marlin in great shape for a little less but I had to search for it for quite some time. Don't come across many used, I guess that should tell ya something.

 

[ECVMatt]

I have a few leverguns and really like my Win 94 Trappers in .357. They are short, handy, decently powerful, and very accurate. They are also very easy on the shoulder and ears. I would have not problems using these for HD, in fact I often do. They are also my traveling rifles and go on most vacations, camping trips, etc...with us.

Last spring I killed a 150-180 lbs wild hog with my .357 Trapper and 158 grn XTP. I dropped right on the spot when shot from 20 yards. The XTP more than did it's job and terminal performance was very impressive.

I like my .44's, .30-30's, .45-70's and others, but mostly stick to the .357 for HD Duties.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Shot my 1894 in 44mag today a little bit. Yeah. It'll do.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

Assuming we have a choice I think in an HD situation the .357 carbine trumps the longer stroke 30-30 rifle before we even talk about all the 357 load and bullet configurations. If feeding is a concern consider the Lever-evolution stuff from Hornady. I'm a real believer in my 870 but the Marlin 94c is right next to it ready to go.

 

[shafter]

I would go with the 20'' carbine. It's still pretty compact. Mine holds 12 rounds of 357 magnum or 13 rounds of 38's and boy is it slick! I bought it second hand and have not had a single problem with it. It feeds absolutely anything.

 

[303tom]

You mean like this ?

 

[aHFo3]

I bought a used Marlin 357 a year ago that was on the top end of your price range. It loads everything I've tried in it (38 or 357, including full wadcutters) except semi wadcutters. I have had it jam on me twice. I guess it's called "the Marlin jam". I haven't figured out why it jams open that way. The only remedy is removing the lever which isn't very tactical

For me that takes it out of the personal defense category. I'll just stick with the Winchester 44 trapper.