.357 Lever Action Rifle

A

Ale GOlem

New member
After reading some of the horror stories posted on various NY firearm forums about 4 month waiting lists for handgun classes and 13 month waits to get permits issued in Saratoga county I'm thinking I might buy a .357 lever action in the meantime. I decided on .357 because it'll compliment the .357 revolver I'm planning on picking out once my paperwork is submitted. I was looking at a Henry but wanted to see if anyone had some recommendations. This will just be a range rifle, I don't hunt, and I'd like to spend $500 or less for a used model if that's feasible.
 
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marlin 1894 is probably the best lever action in 357 you can find, even if they belong to Cerberus now. they are a bit spendy in the $800 range but they will beat the brakes off a Rossi or a henry from what I've heard.
 
Be careful of the production time of the Marlin. They had to stop
production about a years ago because of the quality control issues.

Buy the Henry of you can afford it. Go to a store and compare the smoothness of the action. The Henry is a superior built firearm.
 
Shot my friends 1894 Marlin with .44 Magnums. The lever beat-up my finger, just was not a comfortable gun to shoot (for me). We shot small water bottles at 100 yards, it was very accurate.
 
I have a Winchester (miroku) 1892 short rifle and carbine in .357mag and love them. They will set you back quite a bit more than $500, but the Japanese company Miroku knows how to make a beautiful and very well made rifle. (btw they have been making long guns since the 1890's, Including modern Browning Citori shotguns).

If this is intended to be used as a HD weapon then a 16" barreled trapper carbine would be best. But for a range gun I like mine which have 20" barrels.
 
I have an EMF (Rossi) M92 20" carbine in .38/.357. It has worked without issue for 7 years and it's good out to 100 yds for me.

Light, handy and quick to the shoulder.
 
There's a lot to like in the Marlin 1894, but I bought mine before the Remington/Cerebus/Freedom Group dynamic. I've got mine and it's a dandy. I can't vouch for any of the younger ones.

If I were in the market today for a Model 92, I'd call Steve Young and see what he has in stock. He's the Rossi 92 specialist and he makes guns for the Cowboy Action crowd. I'm sure if Steve sells it, it will run.
 
.357 lever

I would not hesitate to buy either the Henry or the Marlin, they are both excellent rifles.I sold both brands at Bass Pro in Foxboro,MA with no complaints!:) Cliff
 
I have a Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and a Winchester 94 in 357 magnum. Both are great rifles and both are easily and consistently sub moa rifles. If you want light and handy, it is hard to beat the 94 but the Marlin is, imo, a little better gun, especially for use with a scope. I would absolutely take either one over a Henry or Rossi.
 
I love my Marlin, found it used for about $350, hard to beat for the price. The Marlin & Rossi willshoot both 38/357 not sure about the Henry. I know the the Winchesters aren't made to shoot 38spl.
 
I have a Marlin 1895, but in a larger caliber (.450 Marlin) and it is a great lever gun. There are a lot of Winchester 94 fans on this site and I am sure that rifle has earned it's reputation, but I think Henry's are over rated. I don't have any first hand knowledge of the Rossi.
 
Generaly when it comes to pistol caliber lever actions the Rossi and Japchestor 92's are prefered over the Marlin 94's. You go to a Cowboy shoot and you'll see the 92's the most followed by '73 clones and Marlins. You'll have a hard time finding a current production Henry. Generally the Henry's aren't well thought of and seem chunky and heavy. The 92's are light, slimmer and quicker. Marlins in beween.

The only real choices are between the Marlin and the Rossi. If you'll NEVER want a scope the Rossi wins, if you MAY want to scope it at any time the Marlin wins.

LK
 
In all fairness, the only problems with the Henry Big Boys are weight and you can't reload from the side. They are the best looking and smoothest actions though. Alot of SASS guys don't like them because "they aren't period correct." Which is just silly because neither are so many other things.
 
I will also chime in to support the Rossi. I've had mine for a couple of years and I use it a lot. It's a great rifle for silhouette shooting, out to 100 meters. I've never had a problem with it. Shoots .357 and .38, even my cast handloads. I've shot everything from wimpy Trail Boss loads to black powder to full house .357s and it's been a champ.
 
I love my Henry .357. Can't recommend them enough! But you will be very hard pressed to find a used one for $500. I haven't seen one for under $575 in a couple of years now.
 
I picked up one of the 24" Rossi rifles in 38/357 a while back and I love it. The action smoothed right up with just a little use and the rifle was dead-on with 38's right out of the box. I picked the Rossi over the Marlin mainly because I wanted the traditional crescent stock and an octagon barrel. For just a shade over 400 I ended up with a rifle that looks and performs exactly the way I wanted.
 
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