.357 Lever Action Rifle

.357

I bought a pre-safety Marlin in the mid 80's and have never regretted it. Shot all manner of loads through the little carbine, the only ammo that would not reliably cycle from the tube mag was .38 wadcutter. Single loaded, the .38 WC was a hoot and akin to shooting .22 lr in terms of noise and recoil, very mild.

The idea of handgun and carbine in same caliber was appealing, but I never really found myself simulataneously carrying both . Also, there was enough variation on points of impact with different loads that I found myself rezoring the rifle frequently to match what ever handgun/ load was on deck at the time. As an example, I shot a lot of .357 mid range 158 SWC in those days from a SA revolver, , and the carbine did not do badly with them either, .....but when zeroed for the mid range load, nothing else heavier or milder really shot to the same point of aim. Likewise, if zeroed for full house 125 JHP to match a DA revolver carried for SD, the midrange loads were not on target. Eventually, I zeroed the carbine for a full house 158 JHP and just left it.

A peep helped prolong my use of the carbine as a GP rifle, but I really need a low powered scope these days to bring my shooting with it back up to par.

I believe a .357 lever carbine makes a very versatile GP rifle and you will not be disappointed if you get one.
 
I was wanting a Henry 357 but ended up getting the big boy 44 mag instead. Other than the price of ammo I love the Henry and the 44 mag.
 
I picked up a pre-safety Marlin 1894 in .357 last summer that's pretty sweet. If I wasn't able to find a Marlin, a Rossi M92 was second on my list. The Henry's don't really speak to me, and they're about 2 lbs heavier than the Marlins and Rossi's and more expensive to boot.
 
I understand the concern about putting your hands
down by the muzzle to reload.I don't have a problem with it.
Do you people have a problem reloading a 22 lever action.
Keep the lever down, I assume your concern is adding bullets
to a partially loaded tube.
 
For me the Rossi was the answer.

The Marlins are made of unobtanium and Browning B-92s in .357 are simply out of my price range.

I really like the looks of the Henry and those I've handled were very smooth, but I just can't get past the fact that you almost have to put body parts at the business end if you want to top off or reload.

Rossi is what falls out and it is a decent gun and a lot of fun.
 
I've own a rossi. It shot jacketed bullets very well but refused to shoot lead. Every lead bullet load I tried would be starting to tip at 30 yards. I looked for several years for a used Marlin. I finally gave up and bought a brand new one. It is now my favorite of all my guns. I so much hate I waited so long to get one.

I also own Marlins in 22, 32 mag and 44 mag. The 357 is just the best balance between weight and accuracy. But the 39A is also extremely accurate. Its like target rifle accurate.

I would love to find a second Marlin 357 so I have one each for my two sons. But unless I just luck into one I doubt it will happen. Those things are crazy expensive. I did send an email to remington asking if there were plans to make them and they said not at this time. So if you have one hold on to it.
 
I have the Big Boy steel in both .357 and .41 and love them. I prefer the tube loading, don't like the gates my self. Personally I think the loading gate is a big PITA. No need to " put body parts in front of the muzzle and danger", I just angle the barrel away from me at about 30deg and slide them in. Never been an issue. I actually prefer the .41, for me it's dead nuts accurate with whatever load I run through it out to 50 yards and a little more load specific beyond that. But if you don't handload obviously the .357 is the better choice. I enjoy shooting mine more than my AR's. If I had one complaint about the Henry's it would be the finish on the barrel. They need to make these barrels smoother with a nice deep bluing would be a 100% improvement for what these things cost. You definitely need to keep things oiled and cared for to avoid any rust, they aren't low maintenance as far as the finish is concerned.
 
I just picked up the Henry Big Boy Steel .41Mag carbine & love it.

Count me amongst the "loading gate is a PITA" crowd. I grew up with tube-fed Marlin .22s, so loading the Henrys is a non-issue to me.

I've always been a Marlin fan & have a 39A, a 30AS in .30-30 & a 1895GS in .45-70. That said, I'm very impressed with the Henry & while they won't replace my Marlins, they are a very welcome addition.

Had a Rossi 92 20" .357 for a while, but sent it down the road. Accurate & fun, but it sent brass into a low-earth orbit & my eyes need either peeps or an optic & the top-eject design just isn't the best choice for that.

There is definitely a 20" Henry .41 in my future, along with a .357 carbine to keep my "little" Blackhawk company.
 
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