Pistol Caliber Carbines? (.357 and 9mm)

[brickboy240]

I have Marlin 1894s in 44 mag and 357 and love them both. Accurate, handy, reliable and very fun to shoot. The great thing is that you can load them light, with cowboy loads for plinking and not even need hearing protection or load them really hot and go hunting. I would guess that either caliber loaded with Hydra-Shoks or Silvertips would make a great home defense round.

If the 250gr 44 mag load can stop a 200+ pound feral hog, it ought to put down an intruder with gusto. The 44 mag out of some revolvers is a real handfull, but out of a rifle, it is very controllable. The 44 Special hollowpoints also make great short range varmint rounds.

No, these are not bear or large deer guns or to be used for long distance shooting, but for 100yds or less, they're perfect. I think they make more sense for home defense than any AR variant. They're simpler and not as clunky or have extrenal magazines to fool with and are not nearly as noisy as the 223 round. The lower penetration might be a plus if you live near others, too. Glaser and Magsafe make great 357 and 44 mag home defense loads that will not go through many walls and take out the neighbors or your kids...something to think about. You can also buy a Marlin 1894 and a couple of cases of 357 or 44 mag ammo for what you'd pay for a decent AR rifle.

These Malrin lever-rifles are very stoutly made and will last you a long time. There are provisions for scopes or peep sights, if you want. I really think they have alot going for them. Choose whatever caliber you want and be happy. I really love th Marlin lever actions and carry one on our family ranch most of the time.

- Brickboy240

 

[perpster]

brickboy,

thanks. any suggestions on where to get a case of .357 ammo cheap? I'm thinking of 125 grain JHP or 158 JHP.

 

[Brian Williams]

I fully enjoy my Marlin 18904C in 357, 165gr LSWCgc over some Lil' gun is a hoot.

She ain't a South'rn belle but still cute as the dickens... My daughter Whitney shooting my 1894c

I know so don't tell me about glasses...

HUGH DISCLAIMER
If you reload do so at your own risk with any Internet info
Some Lil Gun is 18 grs.

 

[perpster]

Nice Pics, Brian (and daughter, too!).

What's "up" with that tang-mounted peep sight??

 

[Brian Williams]

A Marble's Tang is the best sight you can have on a Marlin 1894c, with a Merit adjustable peep disc it makes shooting great for old eyes.

 

[perpster]

Does it interfere with grip? It looks like your daughter's hand might be fighting for space with the tang sight.

 

[Gohon]

I have an 1894C, .357 Mag, 18½" barrel. 18 gr. of Lil'Gun under the 158 gr. jacketed bullets from Hornady or Speer get 2000 fps.

That's the same powder and bullet load I'm using. Still 200-300 fps short of the 30-30 and the 30-30 has a much higher BC so the lever 357 is not on par with the 30-30 as some claim but, it still will take deer cleanly out to 70-100 yards. I know, I’ve done it several times. (Load data removed by OP)

Middy, the only person that is going to get wet is you if you automatically rule out the fun you can have with the .357 lever.

Brian, where is the serial number for your rifle? Mine is right where you have that tang sight mounted. I think law would get a little upset if I hid it with a tang sight like that. I did have a Williams WGRS receiver sight mounted for awhile but switched over to a red dot sight which I like better.

 

[MCgunner]

I consider my .357 carbine quite useful. I've killed deer with it, rabbits with it, it's an all around outdoor carbine. If that buffalo bore load turns out as good as claimed, why own a .30-30 when I've got the .357?

Now, useless for me is an AR15.

 

[azredhawk44]

Guys, .30-30 and .357 lever carbine are two different animals.

You can't fit 35+ grains of powder into a .357 case with a 150+gr bullet. You can do that with the .30-30.

You can't get a 110gr sierra varminter spirepoint up to 2600+fps into a .357 case.

You can't shoot a hornady 100gr RN bullet at around 1000-1200fps with a few grains of unique.

You can't even launch a 220gr projectile out of a .357 case. You can do that with a .30-30.

You can't launch a 55gr .223 sabot out of a .357 case at 3400fps. You can do that with a .30-30.

Many of the cartridges I discussed above cannot be loaded into the tube magazine, but for 1 in the pipe and 1 in the mag, they all do just fine.

While both cartridges are optimized around 130-170gr bullets, the .30-30 scares the bejeezus out of the John Kerrys of the world, while the .357 does not. That's because its higher BC will defeat barriers and even some lower classes of body armor.

The .30-30 is a swiss army knife that the .357 will never match. Almost makes me want a Magnum Research BFR revolver in .30-30.

That said, I am strongly considering either a .357 or .44 levergun in the future. Fun toy. Maybe even Puma's .480Ruger lever gun.

 

[azredhawk44]

Forgot to add:

If you handload .357mag or .44mag for the Win94/Marlin1894, be sure to get a solid crimp on the bullet. You don't want it sinking back further into the case from the recoil or spring pressure.

 

[Brian Williams]

Serial number is on the left side of the gun and can be seen in the picture.

 

[MCgunner]

While both cartridges are optimized around 130-170gr bullets, the .30-30 scares the bejeezus out of the John Kerrys of the world, while the .357 does not. That's because its higher BC will defeat barriers and even some lower classes of body armor.

I'd think the added firepower of the .357 (ten rounds in the magazine) would scare the Kerrys more. I mean, isn't that the argument against the AKs and ARs? It sure ain't the powerful round! You'd think they'd put Weatherbys on their "to do" list if power was the thing.

Okay, I know all about the .30-30. I have a .308. Whatever the .30-30 can do, my .308 can do better. Mine's a bolt gun, but it doesn't weight much more than a .30-30 carbine and is about the same length, actually. It's a little M7 stainless Remington. I also have the Rossi 92 in .357. My only lever carbine is a .357 and I like it for a variety of reasons. I like the fact it shoots .22 mag level .38s and also fires deer hunting capable rounds. I reload both calibers, but can crank out .357s on my progressive. If I'm going on a serious deer hunt, I grab the .308, though. The little carbine is my knock around gun, gun I pack in the truck, etc. It's just a handy little rifle and I can do more things with it than I can with a .30-30.

If I wanted to shoot a 220 grain bullet on something big, I'd just take my 7mm Remington Magnum and stick 160 grain Federal Premium Nosler Partitions in it. In reality, my .308 with 140 Barnes would probably work, too, for the same critter at less range. My one current .30-30 is in a Contender Pistol. I handload it with Nosler ballistic tips, something you cannot do in a tube magazine rifle unless you only load one round in the magazine, which is probably what I'd do considering it'd make the little rifle a 300 yard deer gun.

My comments about .30-30 vs .357 mag concern the "buffalo bore" .357 158 grain load. It's putting up over 1600 CLAIMED foot lbs. The .30-30 only makes 1800 or a little over. My handloads, hot as I dare go, make about 1200. If the buffalo bore load IS that good, it'll kill anything inside 100 yards, perhaps 150 depending on accuracy, that the .30-30 could kill. That's pretty impressive if true. I intend to test 'em in the future and maybe keep a box on hand if they turn out powerful and accurate. I think having a little lever gun that is so versatile and can almost match the .30-30 for power would be a really cool thing. One thing, though, I've yet to shoot a .30-30 carbine that wasn't amazingly accurate. I doubt those buffalo bore loads can match a good .30-30s accuracy out of my carbine, but it shoots decent enough at 100 yards with my cast/gas checked handloads for deer hunting and you just don't know what it'll do with another load until you try it.

 

[MCgunner]

I've also gotten 1840 fps with a 180 grain hard cast Lead LBTGS ahead of 14.5 grains of 2400. This load will take the toughest pig or even black bear if needed.

Wow, that'd be too hot for my little Rossi I'm afraid. I guess the marlin is a stronger action, but I shoot a 158 grainer over that charge for a max load. I can push a 180 grain XTP bullet to about 1600 fps with AA#9. I prefer to restrict that load to my Ruger Blackhawk, though, but I've fired it in the Rossi. I do have a 20" barrel, though.

 

[Z_Infidel]

Marbles Tang Sight

I had the Marbles tang sight on my 1894C for a while and I agree it is a fine sight indeed. However, I have since installed XS Sights' ghost ring setup on both my 1894C and my 336C and I really like it better. The white line on the front sight is easy to pick up in all reasonable light conditions and the sights are very rugged. Plus now both of my lever guns have exactly the same sights, which is a good thing for me.

As for the argument regarding the .357 Mag vs .30-30, I bought the 1894C for the very reason that it shoots a less powerful cartridge that I feel more comfortable shooting around my home property than a true rifle cartridge. True, there are now commercially available loads that put the .357 close to .30-30 territory, but at a higher cost than .30-30 -- and the .30-30 still has the range advantage between the two. Plus, the new Hornady ammo raises the bar on .30-30 performance a bit more.

For me the ideal cartridge for what I want out of the 1894C is the 158 gr soft point in typical factory loads. Plenty of hitting power within its effective range and a good balance of penetration and expansion from the carbine-length barrel.

 

[Gohon]

Wow, that'd be too hot for my little Rossi I'm afraid. I guess the marlin is a stronger action, but I shoot a 158 grainer over that charge for a max load. I can push a 180 grain XTP bullet to about 1600 fps with AA#9. I prefer to restrict that load to my Ruger Blackhawk, though, but I've fired it in the Rossi. I do have a 20" barrel, though.

Actually MC you are correct.......... that load is to hot and I wasn't thinking when I posted it. I've been playing with fire with that particular load and just because I have gotten away with it in the past, it does not mean I always will. Manufactures publish max loads a little on the conservative side but there is a reason for it so disregard the load info I posted for your own safety.

 

[Glockman17366]

I personally don't have any use for them. If it's a pistol calber, you can have it in a convenient pistol sized package. If the weapon is larger, go with a rifle caliber and make the best use of a larger weapon. Again, just my opinion.

Welll, in the days when the cowboys were really cowboys, there was a damn good reason for carrying a rifle that shared cartridges with the sidearm. Seems like they did pretty good too.