Been toying with the idea of getting a walk around woods gun . Been looking at 357 & 44 mag carbines / rifles . Something light & fast handling for river bottom swampy woods . Fast snap shots & 100yds is long range . Of course I don't want something that's going to become a painful project . My list of suspects include the following :
1) Ruger 77/357 & 77/44 - opinions on these are all over on these . Plus as both have correct twist for my preferred cast bullets , oal not as critical as levergun , strong , great customer service .
2) Ruger 96/44 - hard to find , tough , correct twist .
3) Win 1892 / clone - slick , tough & pricey unless a Rossi .
4) Marlin 1894 - 357 with Ballard would work , 44 twist & microgroove .
5) Henry BB - heavy but if made as good as the 41mag I got acceptable . Correct twist , conventional rifling .
6) Rem 788 / 44mag - probably akin to hens teeth . Good shooters , parts availibility ?
7) Single shot . IIRC some of the Handi Rifles & T/C were probably the most accurate 44mag rifles .
For intended use 3moa with accepted loads will work . My 41 Henry will do 1.5moa @ 100yds , but it's 8.5lbs . Some of the above are 5.5lbs .

Have had a 77/357 for a number of years..... added a Skinner barrel peep sight (backup), a Weaver 1-3x20 shotgun scope and a Ace Paracord sling.. 5.5lbs;6lbs with the scope........ stainless and polymer (?) stock make it nice for field/utility use.

It's my utility rifle at the cabin in the Laurel Highlands of Pa.. Loaded with 158gr semi-jacketed soft point ammo.......

Don't shoot it a lot (Scope check a couple, three times a year); not a range gun, but mine shoots well enough at 50 and 100 for
two legged varmints/Coyotes.... with the 1-3X scope works well in the woods and small fields of western Pa.

5rd magazine works well but does not drop free which is OK with me.

Lite and handy for an evening walk in the woods or take along on the RZR.
Extra ammo in an extra mag or "Ammo Wallet"

See the MSRP is now $999....... seems like I recall mine being closer to half that at a small rural gun shop.



Have Winchester Trapper in .357 w/Skinner barrel peep sight....... nice light fun gun.... but to nice to drag around Penn's Woods.

I would love to have a 77/44, but have absolutely no real need for one. This probably comes from my earlier interest in the 788 in .44. Never got one of those, either.

Have shot the Browning 92 in .44. Nice gun, pricey - and a kicker! I’ve looked at the Marlins off and on. Couldn’t move off dead-center on those so don’t have one to talk about.

My guess is some day I will buy the Ruger 77. I’m partial to bolt-action rifles anyway. I think the .44 is more likely than the .357, but if I’d find a deal on the .357 I’d give it serious thought. Everything I have heard about the Rugers from people I would trust seems to be favorable. (It’s always hard to judge what people say about accuracy.) Of the few people I know who own/have owned them, I don’t think anyone actually used them much. Maybe 50 rounds a year or less, after the newness had worn off.

Be interested to know what you decide - and your results.

I’ve got a Marlin 1894 CSS in .357. I love it and I love shooting it. Unfortunately mine is to nice to be going into the woods with it. I’m sure it would excel though in that role. I think the ruger 77 would be a good option and a solid performer. I just haven’t ever seen one in person, heck no many on gunbroker most days. The popularity of the PCC has grown and with that so has the interest/value of these rifles that were once shunned and nearly out of production for a lot of companies. I’ve heard the Rossi lever actions aren’t bad but can use a little tune up/break in, but have no first hand experience there.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have the Ruger 77/357. I've never owned a long gun that more screams "HANDY!" than this. It's solid and compact, I don't own any long gun that feels quite like this in the hands.

I bought it because I thought it would be fun on range days for slapping steel at 100-300 yards. I'm a long time handloader and I love the hobby but I much prefer the handgun side of loading. Bottle neck rifle... case lube... trimming especially... and the increased cost of rifle bullets in comparison makes center fire rifle something that I just don't do a whole lot of. I figured with a .357 Mag rifle, I could have fun on the rifle range with ammo that would be far more enjoyable to make. For that goal, this rifle has been a success.

I'm not a great judge for accuracy, at least so far -- I haven't given it the diligent work on paper to see what it's truly possible of accomplishing. But I have smacked some steel with it and it's been fun in the limited time I've owned it. My log says around 250 rounds through it.

I've run a few jacketed 158's and a small handful of .38 loads just for giggles, but the go-to handload that I've developed has been a powder coated 180 grain cast round nose flat point that is sold by a guy on Gunbroker by the name of "Drifter1956". I've bought many hundreds of bullets from this guy and the quality of his product and his customer service has been top notch.

I've run these 180gr powder coated slugs with charges of Accurate#9, as low as 11.0 grains (1350 fps avg) up to 12.4 grains (1509 fps avg) from the 77/357 rifle. One note worth sharing -- I have YET to find a trace of lead in my barrel in over 200 of these slugs down range at the speeds listed above. The bore is clean as a whistle.

I haven't used the magazine at all. I leave it in the rifle and single load it, but I have no reason to expect it wouldn't feed if I felt I needed to use it. Extra mags run around $40 I think, the rifle came with only the one magazine as sold new.

My biggest complaint? The trigger is pretty horrendous. Admittedly, I'm a moderate trigger snob. I can shoot any trigger but I really enjoy an exquisite trigger, and the stock trigger on this is pretty lousy. Heavy, gritty, long. I know there are options, I think Volquartsen offers some parts that don't cost a heap, I'll likely give those parts a try.

As for all the different possible options you listed, I have opinions there too. I owned a Winchester 1892 in .44 Mag, this was a new production rifle made in Japan (Miroku, was it?) This was not a rifle I ever chased down and wanted to own... it was in a group of guns that my buddy had that I took in for a while and later sold. I thought the build quality seemed nice and the action was smooth, but that evil monster was horrendous to shoot with it's curved buttplate and .44 Magnum thump. I don't miss it in any way.

I'm not a lever action rifle guy. I think they look great and the mechanics of them are pure enjoyment, but I don't enjoy they way they load, fling empty brass, but more than anything -- you don't have the action strength in a lever gun that you get from a bolt action. I would certainly agree that for fast shots in a hunting situation, a lever action sure seems like a real great setup. But that's not something that I need. So from a handloading standpoint, a 77/357 or 77/44 is light years better for any handloader that loves to experiment and especially any handloader that wants to explore top end loads or beyond.

I believe that someone should ream the chamber on a 77/357 and try the .357 Max in it. It would never feed from a magazine but I believe the action would be easily able to handle it. As I don't chase down 77/357 rifle discussions... I wouldn't be any kind of surprised if someone has already done this alteration. I bet it would be some fun.

Apologies for the length of this post.

Have had a Rossi 92 .357/.38 since the early 90's, has the Puma on the side.
Fun gun, no problems. Deciding factor for me was I am left handed, so bolt action was not as handy for woods walking, etc. 16" barrel also makes for a very handy choice, though others find the longer barrels 20" and up more to their purpose.

__________________
Wherever my mind isn't
Jim

I had a 77/357 for awhile. I had problems with the accuracy. Sent it back to Ruger and they rebarreled it. Nothing changed. One of the problems I believe is the stock design and the take down screw. I've also read that head space is also an issue because it has a two piece bolt. About 6 MOA was about as good as it got even after trying different bullet weights, loads and a laminate stock. Had it about 2 years and I never figured it out. I eventually sold it and moved on. YMMV.

My suggestion is buy a Marlin lever gun if you want to shoot 357 in a carbine.

__________________
That's just somebody talkin.

I hand load 38 & 357. I have shot some thru a friend's 77/357. I like the 77 rifle but not nearly as much as my older 1894 JM marlin 357 without the push button safety. I shortened the barrel to 16.25 and installed a Williams peep sight and a sling. Prior to the Marlin, I owned an older Rossi 92 clone with the short barrel but did not care for the ejection pattern.

i have been toying with the idea of a 44 lever gun for a while now. A friend of mine who I discussed this with posed an interesting question.
What is the advantage of a 357, 44 or 45 Colt lever gun over a 30-30?
In my mind, the model 94 or 336 is not going to handle much slower than a revolver cartridge lever. Am I wrong on this thought?
The 30-30 is gonna deliver more velocity and kinetic energy than any of the 3 mentioned revolver cartridges.
Is it having a lever gun chambered the same as your revolver?
I am curious about this. I have no practical use for a lever gun in a handgun chambering, but it sure sounds like a lot of fun to shoot one.

I would say your assumption regarding caliber performance is correct. The reason people like the pistol caliber carbines/lever action rifles is because of the reduced cost of ammo and the flexibility of loads. My .357 lever shoots .38's with the recoil equivalent of a .22 LR, but to the hottest .357 loads available which out of a carbine barrel perform as a whole different animal. Not to mention I can shoot it at indoor ranges and shoot it more often. Just my two cents!

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

Well the 77/357 isn't a lever gun; it's a bolt gun with detachable 5rd magazine...... an "Ammo Wallet" or two in the RZR or ATV are good in any of the three most common guns I take into Penn's Woods ...... a 3" 66, 60-10 or the Ruger 77/357.

In a lever gun you're looking at 9 rds vs 4 or 5(?) in 30-30

"Ballistic by the Inch" put a 158gr. .357 at 1700fps with +1000 fpe out of an 18 inch barrel.

Unless you're matching handgun and carbine calibers, why not look into some of the short barrel bolt action heavier hitters in .308 or 30-06?

Well I'm in Pa. so biggest thing we've got are small to medium size black bears which really aren't a big issue.......lots of folks good and bad on ATVs and Coyotes...... so 5 (Ruger)-9(my Winchester) of .357 is good to go... at 100yds or less.........so light and handy is #1

And yah.... as mentioned above usually also have a 3" .357 on my belt.

I have a 77/44 that I bought just for Deer hunting here in IN. It is the
stainless/synthetic version. I put a Leupold 1X4 scope on it and fired less
than ten rounds through it to sight it in. I never got a shot at a Deer with
it and because of my health problems I haven't hunted Deer for a few
years now so it sits in the safe. My general take on the 77/44 is that the
.44 Mag is way more gun out of a rifle than the .357 Mag is. The fast
twist of the 77/44 barrel means that heavy bullets like 300 grains
could be used if so desired. It's a very handy powerful little carbine if
you have use for one.

According to Ballistics by the Inch ...... over 1400fpe with a Fed 240gr JHP out of a 18 inch barrel..... vs about 1000fpe from the .357.

But like Ranger514 said I'm matching calibers with my handgun.

Any of those you list will work fine. I've used most of them and I suppose first choices from the list would be the Ruger 96 and the 77/44. However, I'll suggest an alternative not on your list which in my experience supersedes all of these for your purpose; the Ruger Scout Rifle in 450 Bushmaster. Carries as easily as the others, hits harder, allows a LER scope to be mounted easily and has receiver sight option. Great trigger, accurate to 200 yards. My go to gun for a "walk around woods gun."

Jeff
SWCA #1457

I owned a Marlin in .357 Mag. for a while. My only complaint was that you needed three thumbs to get a round passed the spring-loaded loading port.

I'm inclined to agree that for the overall size, something in .30-30 or .35 Remington is far more versatile. If you hand load, rounds may be reduced to handgun velocities. But if you happen to own an M-1 carbine and don't plan to shoot big game with it, you don't need anything else. A convenience gun with a detachable magazine makes more sense.

The Ruger #3 was made in .44 Mag and would be a good option. They tend be about the same cost as a new 77/.357.

The original Ruger carbines are awesome, but repair parts are an issue. The 2nd generation Ruger semi-autos had accuracy issues.

I have a Marlin M94 in .44mag that I carry in the "glades"here in South Florida. It is light, accurate and kills feral hogs out to a little over 100yds in the few places where you get that much range here. I have used it with a scope and with peeps and I find it works well with either. I would consider adding that to your list of possible candidates.

The reason I want either 357 or 44 is I already have revolvers in those calibers & reload for them . I also cast my bullets & use them . Because of terrain & ranges encountered I do not need more horsepower . If I did I already have other rifles . In a 357 RBH I can push a 180 WFN 1200 - 1300 fps , with an 18" barrel same load is now up to 1700+ . Basically doubling effective range . Difference in 44 not as extreme but still substantial . I did not list the Ruger semi auto carbines as I am a cast bullet shooter . I also wish to avoid microgroove barrels as my existing moulds & sizers not large enough even as cast for MG barrels .

I had a Ruger 77/357 and 77/22. Both threaded and used suppressed. I miss the 77/357. I am not a hunter but if I were I would get the 77/44 over the 77/357.

__________________
Just hanging with my dogs

In addition to my 77/44 bolt action I also have a Ruger #3 in
.44 Mag. Few were made and used prices seem to be fairly high.
I have taken 7 or 8 Deer with it. The action is very strong of
course and it's barrel is 22" which adds a bit more velocity.
Standard full power handloads with Win 296 powder and the
old Speer half jacket 225 gr HP chronograph at over 1900 fps.
Pretty good power for a pistol caliber carbine.