Lever Gun in 357 Magnum

[az_imuth]

I have the 24" Rossi with the octagon barrel and crescent buttplate. It's been a real pleasure to own and hasn't done anything but work as it was intended. The safety is so small that it's almost unnoticeable IMO. I will probably plug it some day when I have nothing better to do, but it certainly doesn't cause me any distress by being there.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I vote Rossi for the price.

I don't Marlin has quite redeemed themselves yet and you will still pay for the Marlin name.

 

[CardiacColt68]

Just got back from shooting my Marlin 1894cs. It is a lot of fun, and runs flawlessly. I am a Marlin fan. It's hard to beat their action.

 

[Big JJ]

I have no safe queens, therefor the Rossi 92 works great for me. I shoot everything I own.
The Rossi does everything the other major branded rifles do but it does it at half the price.
I shoot slow 38 sp at 800 fps and hot loaded 357 at 1800 fps.
They all shoot true to there loading speed.
If you want looks go for the higher priced brands if you want value and functionality buy the Rossi.

 

[Starter52]

Another vote for the Rossi.

I picked one up last summer for the kids at camp. We ran about 1K rounds through it without a problem. A nice gun, and top value for the money.

 

[hapidogbreath]

I have a Rossi.... Needed a little work. Took me 1 hr to "slick it up". Runs great now. Price was right.

 

[HighExpert]

I solved that little problem. I have an 1894c in .357 and.44. Love both.

 

[denton]

I have the Marlin 1894SC in 357, and it is a joy to shoot.

For cheap shooting, I load 38 Spl Cowboy Action loads.

If you're going to shoot cast bullets, keep the MV below 1250 FPS.

 

[JTHunter]

edmo01 - my mother and I own 3 Marlins between us. Two are .22LR and one .22 Mag.

I have also been looking for over 2 years for the Marlin 1894, without
"affordable" success. There have been used guns going for over $1200, about 2X the MSRP!!

I settled on wanting the Marlin over the Winchester, the Rossi clone of the Winchester, the Henry, and the Uberti for several reasons. Of the five, only the Marlin is a "side-eject". This would make it difficult to mount a scope on the other four. Also, the bright brass on the Henry and its "belly- loading" tube magazine (like a .22 tube magazine) make it less desirable for hunting or SD/HD due to shine and slow reloads.

The Marlin also has a relatively flat, padded heel on the stock. The other three have an unpadded, curved heel that does NOT fit my shoulder. The
"points" of the heel poke into my shoulder and would make this mild recoil uncomfortable.

With its side loading gate, the Marlin is easy to "top off", the side eject keeps dirt & rain from getting into the inner workings, and the padded stock makes for more comfortable shooting.

Price-wise, the Rossi may be the lowest with the Marlin and Henry being comparably priced. Both the Uberti and the Winchester are, IMO, over-priced.

Good luck!

p.s. At least three different dealers have "advised" me that the newly made 1894s are being nicknamed "Remlins" as they are being made by Remington and the quality is lacking. Most notably, they have been having feeding problems.
FYI

 

[chemist308]

I looked at a lot of 357 Mag lever rifles when I bought my Henry. I was at a gun shop that literally had them all (Mackey's Landing in NC). What I disliked about Marlin was the small trigger guard and risk of ramming my beefy trigger finger while working lever for fast follow up shots. Also the action simply didn't impress me. I don't remember being impressed by the Rossi either. I do know the build quality of my kids' Rossi Trifecta is underwhelming.

Have you worked the Henry Big Boy's action and compared it to the others? It's difficult to scope that one, but the open sites are slick. Much past 100 yards the 357 requires a more precise range estimation and holdover than you'd want for a shot on game anyway.

 

[DPris]

The Prisbrey Report, Kindle ebook, "Return Of The Marlin 1894C".
If you want the current story, spend a whole 3 bucks on Amazon & get it.

The quality issue is very old news & behind the times.
Denis

 

[pps]

I bought a Marlin 1894 that was manufactured in the 1990's in .357 and it's excellent.

 

[greyling22]

Use the search function. This question comes up about 1x a week, and there have been many good posts.

But the short of it is the '92 action (design, not brand) can be slicker, and is trimmer out of the box. That said, I like the marlin action better. It is easier to work on, there are more different sight options, etc.
In my opinion, I like in this order: miroku's new winchesters, old marlins, rossi, henry, and the jury is out on the very newest marlins. Don't even bother with the original run remington marlin's.

And if you buy new, both marlin and rossi will cycle very roughly and need action jobs.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

I owned a Rossi Puma in .357; never again.

Currently own two Marlin 1894C's...a love story if ever there was one.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have a Marlin 1894C and my Marlin will fire both .357 Magnum and .38 Special ammunition flawlessly. My rifle is very accurate and happens to like 170gr and 180gr bullets best.

As for the Rossi 92, I have heard very good things about it but never owned one so I can't say first hand either way with the Rossi.

 

[rromeo]

I was looking at Marlins and Henrys, then my wife bought me a Rossi 92 for our anniversary. It's only been 3 months, but so far it's been a good little gun. I've probably shot 500 rounds of .38 Special as well as .357 Magnum in various bullet types and haven't had any feed problems. The plastic magazine follower will probably be replaced soon witha stainless.

 

[OilyPablo]

The Rossi new here is $520 after tax (~8.2%).

 

[H&R Glock]

my 92 Rossi was a lemon

I got one in 38/357 about 2 years ago from Bud's on line. I made the mistake of falling in love witrh it before I took it out to shoot it.
It would absolutely not feed either 38's or 357's. It jammed the bullet into the top of the chamber.
Believe it or not I sent it back to the factory THREE times before they got it fixed. The second time I got it back from them the reciever was discolored in one spot as if it got red hot at one time! They replaced the barrel and made it work, as well as refinishing it. It looks slicker than snot now and I am once again in love with it.
Make sure your new gun feeds with both kinds of ammo before accepting it from the dealer!!!!