thinking about a .357 lever gun...

[Carbon_15]

I have a 70's Marlin 30A with a scope in 30-30. Its very nice, but generaly gets left at home. Its too small fro the type of deer hunting I do, and too expensive to plink with. I don't plan on buying a set of reloading dies, bullets, powder etc for a gun I rarely shoot. I do like the look and feel of the lever action though. I have been thinking about trading it on a .357 lever action
Tell me about your .357 levergun. are they fun to shoot? Do you get bored with them quickly? what about range and accuracy?

 

[dracphelan]

I just recently got a Marlin 1894c. I've taken it to the range once, and love it. I can't wait to take it again. Maybe when the highs drop below 100 again.

 

[Beemerguy53]

I have a Winchester 94 Trapper in .357 Magnum. I've owned it for about 12 years now. It is light, handy, fun to shoot, accurate, and reliable.

I equipped it with a Williams receiver sight, which I much prefer over the standard rifle sights, other than that it is totally stock.

Accuracy with 158 grain loads is very good at the ranges I have shot it. If memory serves me -- I have not fired it in several years -- at 50 yards, which is the longest range I ever shot it, it printed about 1" groups. For a long time I had hanging on wall of my garage a B-27 target I shot at 50 feet...with the X-ring totally shot out. If memory serves me, I think that was about 50 to 60 rounds fired.

I have sampled the Marlin 1894 in .357...also a very nice piece.

I do not hunt, and cannot tell you about the suitability of these rifles for hunting. But for home defense, I think this would make a very good choice: effective cartridge, easy-handling weapon, reliable action, and a PC platform.

Bottom line: I don't think you can go wrong with a lever-action .357.

 

[Z_Infidel]

Fun to shoot, yep. The 1894C is a great little carbine, especially with a good set of ghost ring sights. It is easily accurate out to 100 yards, and is a great "knocking around" gun. The .357 Magnum can be used for deer-sized game at 75-100 yards with proper ammo selection, and is also good for varmints. My 1894C shoots very well with 158 grain bullets.

 

[Byron]

My 94 Trapper has proven accurate and smooth in cycling.I shoot 158 grain JHP's I reload. While i have not hunted with it, people that do are pleased in the woods with ranges under 75 yards. Byron

 

[Brian Williams]

Stop thinking and Go get one. My suggestion 1894C from Marlin or the 1894 Cowboy with a 20" octagon barrel

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Do what I did--get a Marlin 1894C.

Then get another one!

 

[PaladinX13]

Stop thinking and Go get one. My suggestion 1894C from Marlin or the 1894 Cowboy with a 20" octagon barrel

Easier said than done, it's been real hard to get 1894Cs lately... anyone know what Marlin's production schedule is like?

 

[Ben Shepherd]

You should have one. (I have three ). All as acurate as iron sights are capable of.

A couple points:

1. A winchester is lighter than a marlin, making it a little faster handling.
2. A winchester will be the more expensive option now that they are out of business.

 

[VeT|Us]

Fun? Extremely!
Usefull? Can be used for HD, shtf, hunting, plinking, pretty much anything.
Ammo is cheap, and you have the choise between the real cheap .38's and the powerfull .357's. Theres room for lots of rounds in that tube, and it can be topped of easily. Did I mention that with some practice that lever can be cranked really fast?
I really love mine.bought it for small game and as a "go-to" rifle.

At my first outing, I really sucked. Truly. My eyes hindered me from hitting anything. Scoped it, and now I held around 2.5 moa at 100 yards with .38's.
And I'm a terrible shot with rifles. I mainly shoot shotguns. I'm sure the rifle has lots more potential than 2.5 moa.

And it's so handly and light! Did I mention I REALLY love mine?

Go buy it! Everyone should own one!

 

[Carbon_15]

any experiance with the Rossi or Puma?

 

[Razor]

I have a Rossi M92.

Sweet little rifle, it's my other "fun gun" (10/22 is the first)

I originally had some feeding problems, esp. w/.357mag, but it seems to have cleared up after a couple of hundred rounds.

 

[Warhawk]

I have an 1894c Marlin, it wears a Weaver V3 scope. It's an amazingly versatile little rifle. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a deer or wild hog with it, and it's accurate enough for small game out to about 100 yards.

Perfect companion for a 357 wheelgun.

 

[TimboKhan]

My Dad has a Rossi and a Marlin in this chambering and he seems to like the Rossi just fine, though he does prefer his Marlin. I am not a particularly big Rossi fan, but when I inspected my Dad's rifle, I really couldn't find anything to complain about.