.357 Lever Action Rifle

I am a Marlin man but when I hold Henry to me they feel better made.

The only reason I am not a Henry fan is I like how the marlin reloads. Reloading at the barrel end of the mag tube does not feel right to me. It is much easier to top off a Merlin than a Henry.
 
Henry's are great guns. As others have said I also prefer how the Marlins load. IF I could load a Henry from the side like a Marlin I would likely have more than 1 Henry in my collection.
 
today

Shot my pre-safety Marlin today. One of the best rifle buys I ever made. Very versatile. A wide range of power available. Single loaded .38 WC and I have a very mild step up from .22 and a good trainer. Loaded all up , heavy bullet .357's are enough gun for short range deer and hogs. For many years I shot a mid range lead SWC .357 that was interchangeable with my revolver loads. It did duty as a patrol rifle when we carried .357 revolvers (outside of policy, but comforting no less)

I think the model 92 clones are bought mainly for their looks, and not due to any edge over the Marlin. And the Henry's are way to heavy for what they are supposed to be....carbines.

I've had mine for 25 years, maybe more, and never a bit of trouble. The Marlin strips down for cleaning and repair at the breech end with one screw, try that with a Win/Japchester.

You will not be disappointed with a .357 lever carbine.
 
Marlin still builds a fine carbine. The photo is courtesy of Paco Kelly. This South African impala never knew what hit him!

357impala.jpg


Jack
 
I'm seeing a lot of love for Marlin Firearms but not so much for Winchester, is there any particular reason? I've abandoned the idea of a Henry, I didn't know they were tube loaded and not gate loaded which is kind of a deal breaker. I'm really liking the Winchester Model 1892 Carbine, it has all of the aesthetic features I'm looking for and is a top name company.
This gun will be mainly used for target shooting so aesthetics are king, at least in my opinion. My price range has gone up a bit as well due to a very promising career opportunity that I'm interviewing for on Wednesday. I waffled on the caliber for a bit but settled, firmly, back on the .357 due to cost.
 
While we are on it.....

Marlin or Winchester years ago made their 16" carbine in a take-down model that when took-down would fit in a briefcase-sized case. Now, THAT would be ideal if you live in a state where actual handguns were hard to carry if you kept it under your seat in your car. Anyone ever see those?

J
 
Marlin or Winchester years ago made their 16" carbine in a take-down model that when took-down would fit in a briefcase-sized case. Now, THAT would be ideal if you live in a state where actual handguns were hard to carry if you kept it under your seat in your car. Anyone ever see those?
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My brother has a break down Marlin 30-30. I think he had his done at Wild West guns a few years back (though I am not 100% sure they are the ones who did it)

I am impressed at how well it stores and how easy it is to put back together.
 
Ale - the winchester's are more expensive so that is part of it. But I know I looked at Henry, Marlin and Rossi but ended up with a Winchester 1892 carbine. I liked it so much that within 2 months I had also added an 1892 short rifle. Some say that miroku currently makes a better winchester than Winchester ever made in the last few decades of its existence.

Next on my list is a Cimmaron 1873.
 
I have a new 1894 Marlin .357.... Ive owned it for 2 1/2 months. Its been in for repairs twice (7 weeks). So far its a piece of junk. stock to metal fit-junk. failure to feed...failure to eject. Lever will not operate under normal use after cycling 8-10 rounds...going back to NY again.

Buyer beware
 
gwnorth said:
...ended up with a Winchester 1892 carbine. I liked it so much that within 2 months I had also added an 1892 short rifle.
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What are the differences between the carbine and short? I haven't handled them yet but, besides the $100 price difference, their specs and pictures on the website look very similar.
 
It is largely cosmetics. No barrel band on the short rifle as it has the metal fore stock end cap. The short rifle does have a noticeably thicker walled barrel and I'm told the short rifle is a bit more accurate. This is supposed to stem from the fore stock endcap and the heavier barrel. I'm not really the one to say that's a fact though as with my eyesight and iron buckhorn sights the two shoot pretty much the same for me.

I just like them both and have procrastinated so long on getting one I just splurged on both. The short rifle is the one I am thinking of getting sights for but not sure what - marbles tang peep or something in place of the buckthorns but I'm still researching my options there.

One thing - the only .38spl I've tried were Winchester white box 130gr FMJ flat nose. But those consistently fail to feed. The 125gr and 158gr .357mag I've used have all worked just fine though.
 
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I'm seeing a lot of love for Marlin Firearms but not so much for Winchester, is there any particular reason?
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Real simple, go to any SASS/Cowboy shoot...see what the winners are shooting...Top Ten are usually Marlins.
They make superior barrels and the action is built like an M-1 Abrams tank...kind of hard to beat.....
and you can slap a scope on 'em with very little issue.

Plus, try scoping a Winnie sometime...it'll cost ya and make ya cry at the same time ;)

I picked up an older 1894 (.44 Magnum) for $200 at a pawn shop...
shop smart...hit the pawn shops, it might take longer to find what you want,
but you'll sure as heck find it cheaper!!
 
Curious. I'm not a SASS participant my self but the few shoots I've been to nobody was shooting a marlin, nor any modern (post-1964'ish) winchesters. The most common sorts of things were imports from Cimarron, Navy Arms, Uberti and the like. Seemed to me the 1873 models dominated. But as I say, I am a casual fan, not someone deep into SASS shooting.

The scope issue is certainly one to consider when buying. Myself, I never wanted a scoped lever gun anyway, so it was not a factor in my purchases.
 
Curious. I'm not a SASS participant my self but the few shoots I've been to nobody was shooting a marlin, nor any modern (post-1964'ish) winchesters. The most common sorts of things were imports from Cimarron, Navy Arms, Uberti and the like. Seemed to me the 1873 models dominated.
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This is also what I've found to be true. A quick google search will bring up dozens of sites that show that the old Winchester copies by Uberti, Rossi and others dominate the market. The (older) Marlin is a great rifle, but they were barely mentioned on any of the cowboy action sites. Not being able to scope a Winchester doesn't seem to be much of a disadvantage since it doesn't appear that scopes are allowed in the SASS competitions.
 
I've been shooting cowboy action for a little over two years. From what I understand, the Marlin was the top shooters' choice in the early years of SASS, because the lever throw of the Marlin was naturally shorter than that of the various Winchesters (and replicas thereof). The shorter stroke means you can run the rifle faster.

Later on, gunsmiths developed a way to "short stroke" the "toggle link" rifles (Winchester 1866 and 1873) which made these rifles the fast shooters' choice.

Uberti makes the replica '66s and '73s that are imported by several companies. The 1873 in .357 is probably the "ultimate" rifle in SASS. I saved my nickels to buy one. It is a great cowboy action rifle.

Is the 1873 the best lever action .357 for all around use? Debatable. It is heavier than some of the other choices, but this depends somewhat on the configuration your are considering. No question that the action/receiver of the 1892 is more compact. Some people argue that the actions of the 1892 (a John M. Browning design) and the Marlin have a stronger lockup than the older toggle link guns. Probably true, but the toggle action is probably plenty strong enough for .357.

The Uberti rifles are also more expensive than the competition and (as a new shooter in my club can attest) they can use a little work when new. Of course, a cheap rifle that won't work, and that can't easily be fixed is no bargain.

When I started shopping for a lever rifle the Rossi '92 were the most economical and the ones you were likely to find at your LGS. I think for a woods gun I would be satisfied with it but I found it to be less than optimal as a competition gun. Yes, I know John Wayne had a '92.

The Marlin has a decent following in SASS. It is popular with shooters in the "B Western" category who cannot use a '73 or a '66. It is also touted as a good rifle for those who don't want to spend the big bucks for a toggle link rifle. One of our shooters found one locally for about $750.

There are lots of complaints on the internet about Marlin lever guns made after the Remington takeover ("Remlins"). Supposedly problems with those but they may have sorted that out now. If I wanted a Marlin, I would either look for a used one that I could try out, or I'd buy from a local gun store that would stand behind it.

I think a .357 lever rifle is a great choice. It is versatile and easy to shoot.
 
I like my Rossi in 357. Maybe I'll cut it down to a hogleg. You're probably not allowed to do that. I like it so much I bought one in 38 as well, still need to deal with the licencing for that one.

Yes, scoping them's an issue.

Nothing wrong with the Marlins either, but my 1894's in 38-40.
 
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