.357 Lever Action Suggestions

[ACP230]

I had a Rossi .357 and sold it to get a Marlin 1894 in .41 Magnum.
If I was looking for a .357 lever gun again I'd look for another Marlin.
Got a collection of them from the .22 and .41 through the .30-30 and .45-70.
Most are set up with XS Ghost Ring sights.

 

[max]

I have a stainless rifle marked Hartford. I believe it was made by Rossi. It seems to work just fine.

 

[RobertJ.]

I have a Rossi .357, with the 16" barrel and large loop. I have had it for going on 4 years now, and I love it. I upgraded the sights with a Williams peep, and a Lyman white bead front, and bought a plug for the safety. It's accurate and reliable, and very much a keeper!

BTW, my local 'smith who mounted the peep warned me not to disassemble it, because he had a heck of a time putting it back together. Also, I purchased the plug for the safety from Steve's Gunz in Port Arthur, TX. He specializes in Rossi lever rifles.

 

[billwill]

Marlin in 38/357...YES. Finally found one then I found another 'gold trigger' era. It hurts when you run out of $$$

 

[KJM]

I had a Rossi .357 and sold it to get a Marlin 1894 in .41 Magnum.
If I was looking for a .357 lever gun again I'd look for another Marlin.
Got a collection of them from the .22 and .41 through the .30-30 and .45-70.
Most are set up with XS Ghost Ring sights.

You need to add a 35 Rem. That's my favorite I think!

 

[RonJ]

I own the Marlin 1894c. I was lucky and got one that has really good fit and finish. The action isn't as smooth as I'd like but not too bad. Feeding and ejection has been flawless. It is a great fifty yard gun, but groups spread significantly at 100. However I have only tried one brand of 158gr jsp's in it.

 

[HCF]

You need to add a 35 Rem. That's my favorite I think!

I've got marlin 35 rem I love that gun, tight groups at 100yds, decent selection of ammo grain available.

 

[cowart]

Thinking that a new Winchester model 92 would be real sweet!

The 92 is back in production. Bring many $
Model 1892 -- Winchester Repeating Arms -- Product Family

 

[amazingflapjack]

I recommend the Winchester 1894 AE 16" in .357 Mag. I would further suggest the 158gr HCRNFP bullet from midatlanticbullets.com at under 1300 fps.

 

[Faulkner]

I'm very impressed with the Marlin's if you can find one.

I personally own two .357 lever guns;

- EMF Model 1892 saddle ring carbine with 20 inch barrel and color case hardened finish.
- Winchester Model 94 carbine with 16 inch barrel.

If you ever shoot a model 94 and 1892 side by side you'll see how obvious the 1892 is the superior lever gun with short cartridges. The 1892 with short pistol cartiridges like the .38 Special and .357 Magnum operates as slick as butter. The 94, originally designed for the longer .30-30 and .32 Winchester Special is not nearly as smooth, and has a reputation for being problematic with .38 Specials. Conversely, the 1892 runs both .38's and .357's effortlessly.

 

[papajohn428]

Look for an older (pre-2008) Marlin with the "JM" stamp on the right side of the barrel, those are the guns that Marlin made, not the sometimes-junky rifles coming out of Ilion NY these days. I'm currently holding at eight Marlins, including three 1894's, in 218 Bee, 357, and 44 Mag. Micro-groove barrels WILL shoot lead well, you just have to slug your barrel and match bullet diameter accordingly.

I've tried to love the Rossi guns but just can't......they're just not the same, though they do offer them in some calibers the Marlin won't safely handle. I've taken to thinning the forends on my 1894's to feel like the Winchesters, and it's the best of both worlds. In terms of takedown and maintenance the Marlin has it all over the other guns, field-stripping for cleaning involves one screw, and three other parts. And scope mounting, either atop the action or in front of it, is a snap.

Most 1894C's have an ammo preference.........some with happily feed 38's, some will not, but they ALL feed 357's just fine. They get slicker with use, the stainless guns even moreso, and if you get lucky you might even find one of the rare stainless 357's they made before Remington took over production. There are far more stainless 44's on the market.

At this point in time, older Marlins are one of the better investments you can make in Heavy Metals.

 

[Erich]

Well, if everyone else is going to put up pix of theirs, here's my Navy Arms imported Rossi 92 Short Rifle in .357:

 

[cmort666]

Cimarron Model 92, although my preference would be a .44 Magnum.

If I ever get a real job, with vacation days (and real pay), I'm going to get one of their 20" .44 Magnums for deer hunting in Missouri, as a companion to my 6" 29-2.

 

[amazingflapjack]

The 1892 Winchester and clones are surely nice rifles, one caution from my experience is the crescent butt plate. If you have any shoulder issues, or plan to shoot it from a bench, you might want to get the flat plate model, similar to the 1894. As to pistol rounds from an 1894, there is plenty written on them, and mine runs real good.