357. lever action

REVL33

REVL33

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hey all i was wondering how many of you have 357 lever actions out there i really was thinking about getting one as i have 2 357 . handguns and a nice carbine in the same caliber would keep my ammo stock in harmony my thought is keeping only a few calibers to keep things simple .

the only problem i seem to run into is they seem to be rare these days and used one are going for a premium price my question is are they worth it are they reliable if new manufactured i have heard marlin is having major issues right now and alot of qc problems and i dont think they are even making them right now i have contacted ruger and mossberg and suggested they get into the game of producing pistol carbines .

in my state ca most rifles are frowned on the ar 15 and ak variants so why not just get a good lever im not going to war but would like a good survival rifle if it ever came down to that so what is the opinion out there i would love to hear some feed back from you all thx REV
 
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I own and would recommend an OLDER Marlin 1894 carbine in .38/.357 caliber. They also made a version called the Cowboy Rifle which has a longer octagon barrel. I have the shorter Carbine with the smooth round barrel and it feeds and shoots like a champ. The REAL key here is OLDER Marlin as the new ones over the last 3 years have gotten pretty bad reviews since they became part of Remington. I believe they call them "Remlins". The older ones work great!
 
i agree with the chief..
i don't think you can go wrong with an OLDER Marlin.
as far as are they worth the money...i have one from a gentleman who did not see the value in a 357 carbine...
i thank him every time i take it out.
 
thx chief my thoughts exactly i cant seem to find one though i would prefer a non octagonal barrel and yes i hear the remlins are really bad and dont think they are even making them right now i dont think i want a rossi as i would like a american made rifle i would like a good parkerized finish on mine like what mossberg did to there 464 spx line with a traditional synthetic stock . i should have thought of this sooner and i would not be in this jam oh some day right somebody has to come to table and put one on the market .
 
I'll let you know just as soon as my Henry 357 gets to the LGS. The factory was affected by super storm Sandy, so there's no time line for it's arrival into my loving care. I've got a Winchester 44mag lever action carbine to go with my Model 29, figured the Henry would be good company for my Model 19.
 
I have a Marlin. I believe it is from the newer production, but I have had no problems with it. Also an older, pre-safety Rossi that handles like a dream. The Rossi is a 92 Winchester replica, thus slimmer and lighter than the 1894 Marlin.

I also have Winchester and Rossi leverguns in .45 Colt.

All four of mine are the "Trapper" length versions.

A well known gun writer, I believe John Taffin, said if he could have only one centerfire rifle, it would be a Marlin in .357 magnum. The .357 round out of the 16-22 inch barrel is a whole different animal than from a 4" to 6" pistol barrel.
 
I have a Puma I used for SASS compititions. I may get a Winchester down the road, I've seen plenty at the Cabelas in Pa. over the years.

The Rossi is well talked about.
 
I have what I think is one of the last Marlin 1894 carbines made in the Marlin factory before being bought by Remington. I really have no need for this rifle, except that I always wanted one (a lever gun - comes from watching too many episodes of "The Rifleman"), and I got one NIB for an exceptionally good price a couple of years ago (I think I paid < $500.00 cash). This rifle is a lot of fun to shoot. It loads and fires .357 Magnum as well as .38 Special rounds without any difficulties. Recoil is almost non-existent (my rifle has a factory recoil pad). In lots of ways, I think it is a very close match to the M-1 carbine in terms of compactness, light weight, accuracy and handling. I hope you can find one of the Marlins at a good price. They are getting harder and harder to find. In fact, every time I take mine to the range, and once people figure out it's a .357 Magnum and not a .30/30, I have to fight off multiple offers to buy it.

Best of luck,

Dave

PS - Sorry, I forgot to add that I was told if you want a true Marlin made rifle, you should look for a "JM" stamp on the barrel.

Regards,

Dave
 
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+1 on the actual JM marked Marlins. I understand from Marlin specific forums that there were QC problems as Freedom moved production to Remington's plant. However now the quality is better. But there appears to be a dark age.

I'm looking for an older Marlin .357 carbine myself. The shooting distance for varmit control around me isn't too long, 100 yds or so, and a .357 would be just right.
 
Old Marlins

Plus One on the Marlin micro-groove lever action .357.... I bought one of these back in the 70's and it was a wonderful little carbine. I certainly wish I had it today! They were competitively priced and very well made. I liked the side ejection on their lever-action guns, as it made them more easily adapted for scopes, IMO.
 
When Remington bought Marlin SIX years ago and moved the manufacture to the Remington factory, initially there were problems. Old school Marlin fans will never accept a "Remlin" no matter what. That being said you may want to take a look at one before you judge. From what I've seen, Henry is another good choice.
 
I have a new 1894C and couldn't be more happy with it. There's not one single issue with the gun. I tried to find one in stainless steel, 1894CSS, but the prices are reaching registered magnum levels on those.
 
Lee in Quartzsite said:
I bought this Rossi in .357: M92 Carbine .38/357 Blue 8+1 16" Rnd Bb Lrg Loop
Click to expand...

That's what I have, too. I've only put a couple dozen rounds through it, so I can't speak to long term reliability, but no malfunctions so far. The first time I pulled the trigger, I was sure it hadn't fired. With .38 Specials loaded for the range, there was no recoil and very little noise (with hearing protection). It would be a great one with which to teach a newbie.
 
I have a JM Marlin 1894C and a bunch of S&W .357 subbies but I decided I needed a (sort of) period correct single action to go with it, so I got a New Blackhawk in .357. With all those S&W snubbies looking for a long gun companion, I bought a Ruger 77/357, what a nice rifle!

The disease keeps creepin'
 
I had a Rossi 92. Bought it in 96, I believe, on the recommendation of Jeff Cooper. He'd said that a lever-action carbine in 357 or 44 magnum would make one excellent "patrol car" gun. Ten shots quick. 357 or 44 out of a 20 inch barrel would be screaming, and with that tube magazine, you could top it off after firing a couple (try that with an AR15). It ate both 357s and 38s. I had it drilled and tapped for a receiver sight (that's an advantage to the Marlin, I think, it already comes drilled and tapped). Called it my "Goblin Gun".

That gun was SWEET, and I liked the hell out of it. I kept it for 16 years. Buuuuut, I decided I liked my daughter more, so I gave it to her last Christmas. She lives in the BIG CITY, and her Goblin protection was just a 642. I feel better about it, now.
 
I have to agree with you. The .357 in lever action is one heckuva combination. This is my old Marlin Cowboy Ltd. in .357. A tough little gun and a great saddle companion. Personally, I'd try to find an old Marlin. They're great rifles.
002_zps077b5465.jpg
 
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You can find em at Academy Sports and Outdoors providing you have one near you. The one by me has a few 357 lever action rifles including the Mares Leg.
 
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