357 magnum rifle ?
- Thread starter rebs
- Start date
Yes, much, yes.
The .357 carbine is a handy, useful companion to the .357 revolver. Ammo commonality is a huge benefit, but what most of us find is that the .357 cartridge becomes a wholly different cartridge when fired from a rifle. For example, my 180 grain thumper load gives me 1200 fps from my handgun, but 1600 fps from my carbine. The extra barrel length transforms the cartridge from a marginal deer load in the handgun to a capable load in the rifle. Even my standard 158 grain .38 special load gives 789 fps from the handgun, gives me a little over 1000 fps from the longer carbine barrel.
I have a Marlin 1894. It's a lightweight, handy, short, carbine that carries easily, is wonderfully accurate, and is just the tool for the thickets and brushy areas where I hunt.
Some will tell you that the lever .357s won't feed .38 special, but I've never had a problem with the shorter cartridge. In my rifle, it feeds, fires and ejects just fine.
The .357 carbine is a handy, useful companion to the .357 revolver. Ammo commonality is a huge benefit, but what most of us find is that the .357 cartridge becomes a wholly different cartridge when fired from a rifle. For example, my 180 grain thumper load gives me 1200 fps from my handgun, but 1600 fps from my carbine. The extra barrel length transforms the cartridge from a marginal deer load in the handgun to a capable load in the rifle. Even my standard 158 grain .38 special load gives 789 fps from the handgun, gives me a little over 1000 fps from the longer carbine barrel.
I have a Marlin 1894. It's a lightweight, handy, short, carbine that carries easily, is wonderfully accurate, and is just the tool for the thickets and brushy areas where I hunt.
Some will tell you that the lever .357s won't feed .38 special, but I've never had a problem with the shorter cartridge. In my rifle, it feeds, fires and ejects just fine.
NoSecondBest
New member
Years ago I just started using all 357 cases and just loaded them up or down to the levels I wanted. Never had to worry about feeding and never got the brass mixed up.
I have a pair of the 1894 Marlins in .357; one made in 1980 the other in '81. Neither has a "C" on it. One of them I've had for years and it was a knock-about truck gun. Very handy, very fast to deploy and bring to target with open sights and accurate enough for feral dogs and coyotes out to 150 yards or so.
The other one I found in a pawn shop last year at a ridiculously low price and couldn't pass it up.
Although I've no experience with them, don't forget the pump .357s (IMI, Uberti, Taurus), the single-shot, and the bolt action Rugers in .357 before you decide to buy.
Best,
Will
The other one I found in a pawn shop last year at a ridiculously low price and couldn't pass it up.
Although I've no experience with them, don't forget the pump .357s (IMI, Uberti, Taurus), the single-shot, and the bolt action Rugers in .357 before you decide to buy.
Best,
Will
Years ago a guy I worked with had a Winchester Trapper M94AE in 357 mag he wanted to sell. At that time I already had a S&W M19-6 revolver in 357 mag. I ran the idea of picking up the Winchester by the wife and she said OK. I have really enjoyed that Winchester through the years I have shot it. At that time I still reloaded and used 38 special in my 357 mag guns and the Winchester didn't have problems with them. Since then I have also eliminated using 38 special cases and strictly use all 357 cases now. As already mentioned if you reload your own you can just load them to your liking. My Winchester also likes a 180 grain bullet as PawPaw mentioned. I get my best accuracy with that bullet from that gun. It is a cast bullet I cast from a SAECO mold I bought just for it years ago. Using either H110 powder or Al-2400 behind that bullet makes a great combination. Reloading my own and making my own bullets I can shoot fairly economically. Have fun and stay safe.
Cary
Cary
Mine's a custom Ranch Dog bullet that a bunch of us ordered as a group buy at the Cast Boolits forum. It works great in both the .357 and the .35 Remington. It's a gas-check, wide meplat mold and a very nice bullet.Cary said:
I know that the factories offer jacketed bullets in factory ammo for the .357, and I had to carry it when I was a cop back in the '80s. After that, I never bothered with jacketed loads because a properly sized hard-cast bullet works so well in the .357. I had heard a rumor that some people actually buy jacketed bullets for the .357, but I figured that was another urban legend propagated by the internet.
My first center fire rifle was a Marlin 1894 in 357 magnum. Because I was a scrawny little kid at the time, my dad had the barrel cut back to 16.5 inches and the stock shortened to fit me.
It is still in my possession. I have taken I would guess 30 deer with it in my life time (mostly mule deer). I have even taken an elk with it when i realised that I had accidently left my 45-70 home but the trusty old 357 was in the back window of my truck. The guys all gave me grief but it worked! We did have to track the elk about 3/4 of a mile and I gave him a second round just to be sure.
The thing with 357 magnum rifles is to trajectory is very rainbow shaped. I would recommend getting a load you like and practice a great deal with it. I also live and hunt in thick wooded area in Idaho (not typical for idaho) where a long shot is about 80 yards.
I don't think this would be a good gun for planes hunting. But even just for plinking it is very fun.
p.s. mine feeds 38 specials and 357 magnums. But 99% of what I feed it is in 357 magnum brass because I have a ton of it!
It is still in my possession. I have taken I would guess 30 deer with it in my life time (mostly mule deer). I have even taken an elk with it when i realised that I had accidently left my 45-70 home but the trusty old 357 was in the back window of my truck. The guys all gave me grief but it worked! We did have to track the elk about 3/4 of a mile and I gave him a second round just to be sure.
The thing with 357 magnum rifles is to trajectory is very rainbow shaped. I would recommend getting a load you like and practice a great deal with it. I also live and hunt in thick wooded area in Idaho (not typical for idaho) where a long shot is about 80 yards.
I don't think this would be a good gun for planes hunting. But even just for plinking it is very fun.
p.s. mine feeds 38 specials and 357 magnums. But 99% of what I feed it is in 357 magnum brass because I have a ton of it!
PawPaw,
My SAECO mold is also for a GC bullet. Those RD molds look like great molds but mine works good for me so I seen no need to replace it. No leading is another feature of this bullet in my Winchester. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Deja vu it sounds like you have a good gun as well.
Enjoy,
Cary
My SAECO mold is also for a GC bullet. Those RD molds look like great molds but mine works good for me so I seen no need to replace it. No leading is another feature of this bullet in my Winchester. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Deja vu it sounds like you have a good gun as well.
Enjoy,
Cary
SteelChickenShooter
New member
I had a bolt action 357 Mag, but the magazine didn't work. So I dumped it in favor of a 44 Mag that did work. I also had the Henry in 357 Mag that shot just fine. And it shot the 38's just fine as well. However, there was a lot of difference in where the bullets hit. I thought I could use the mags for hunting and the specials for fun. There was just too much delta in impact elevation so I decided I really needed to choose one function for the rifle and one load and stick with that.
tahunua001
New member
I don't but my brother does. his is a ruger M77 bolt action. yes you can shoot 38 out of it but the POI change is quite extreme. you either have to sight in for 357 or 38 but you can't sight in for one and expect the other to hit what you aim at.
I have a 77/357 as well. Besides the change in POI, you also can have some function issues, specifically, "rim lock" with the .38's.
It doesnt happen all the time, but enough to be annoying. Once it happens, you have to drop the mag and fiddle with the rounds to get them unlocked.
I dont bother with the .38's anymore. My rifle seems to like the 125 grain 357's the best anyway, and with them, the function issue, isnt an issue.
It doesnt happen all the time, but enough to be annoying. Once it happens, you have to drop the mag and fiddle with the rounds to get them unlocked.
I dont bother with the .38's anymore. My rifle seems to like the 125 grain 357's the best anyway, and with them, the function issue, isnt an issue.
tahunua001
New member
interesting... I have yet to see the rimlock issue. I'll be sure to ask him about it next time gun talk comes up.
bamaranger
New member
Marlin 1894
Oh gosh, handy little carbine. For years, it was my favorite woods bumming rifle. Loaded it up and down the scale, from .38 WC (single loaded) to 160 jacketed that were much stout. Considerable 125/.357 JHP or 110/.38 +P+ to partner with a DA revolver so loaded as well.
Had to watch bullet profile a bit, the WC's did not feed, and certain SWC stuck periodically. My system was jacketed ammo was always full power, lead was midrange, and stuck with mag cases almost exclusively except for the WC stuff which was factory .38. These days it gets 158/.357 JHP and doubt it will ever shoot much else again.
They are scarce and pricey these days, I hear, but worth seeking out and acquiring in my book.
Oh gosh, handy little carbine. For years, it was my favorite woods bumming rifle. Loaded it up and down the scale, from .38 WC (single loaded) to 160 jacketed that were much stout. Considerable 125/.357 JHP or 110/.38 +P+ to partner with a DA revolver so loaded as well.
Had to watch bullet profile a bit, the WC's did not feed, and certain SWC stuck periodically. My system was jacketed ammo was always full power, lead was midrange, and stuck with mag cases almost exclusively except for the WC stuff which was factory .38. These days it gets 158/.357 JHP and doubt it will ever shoot much else again.
They are scarce and pricey these days, I hear, but worth seeking out and acquiring in my book.
jersurf101
New member
Love my Rossi 92 .357 trapper. It is not perfect and I have some issues with .38 special. Sometimes the rifle will double feed .38's and kick both out of the rifle at the same time. IE eject 2 live .38 specials with one pull of the lever. Other than that no issues. The gun is just fun to shoot.
I have had a couple of the Marlin .357 carbines over the years (and a .44). They are great little guns. Short, light, handy, more than accurate enough for the iron sight ranges they are used at. Light recoil (.357, NOT the .44
)
My father in law, who was not a gun guy, fell in love with mine, so I gave it to him one Christmas. For him, it was the perfect gun. Powerful .357 Magnum, fit neatly into the wardrobe of his truck camper, taking very little space, and being a rifle, he could travel widely without concern for different states handgun laws.
A few things to know about .357 carbines (and the Marlin, in particular). First, the extra velocity from the long barrel is not always a good thing. Mostly it is, but in the case of the regular factory 125gr load, its a double edged sword. To a degree, it also applies to the other .357 loads, but the effect is most pronounced in the 125gr JHP loadings.
First, the short bearing surface of the bullet and the huge increase in velocity from a carbine can result in unsatisfactory accuracy in some guns.
Second, but most important, I think, is the fact that a bullet built to expand fully at velocities around 1400fps (and in the moderately light resistance of a human body) will not expand the same way when the impact speed is 2000fps (top end 125gr loads from a carbine can hit 2200fps).
The 125JHP has a well deserved reputation, and is optimized for defense. out of a pistol. out of carbine, it expands violently, and consequently penetration suffers. Its a devastating round for some things, but its important to know the change in bullet performance from the carbine, and choose your shots accordingly. Heavier bullets (158-180) are also affected but not to as large a degree, in my experience.
About the Marlin, they are a bit length sensitive. Never had any issues from shorter .38 Spl cases, but have had issues with rounds that are too long. A friend once loaded some of the old 200gr LRN in his carbine (.357 cases, IIRC). Round dropped in the chamber was fine, but round in the mag was too long to feed through the action. Wound up having to take the gun apart to clear the jam. Watch your COAL. It's possible a 180gr load might do the same thing. Anytime you get long bullets, test them in the gun, don't just assume that it will feed (even factory stuff).
The other thing the rifles I've had would all do, sometimes they would hang up feeding SWC bullets. Anything rounded (RN, SP, JHP) always fed slick as you could want, but sometimes SWCs would hang up. (never tried full wadcutters).
What would sometimes happen was that the round would "bounce" a little bit on the carrier, and the sharp shoulder on the bullet would catch on the sharp shoulder (edge) of the chamber. Being lead (not the slickest thing) and flat edge against flat edge, things tended to want to stop, right there. And adding more force to the lever just makes sure things stop.
The trick is when this happens, back off on the lever, just a bit. Once the pressure is off the round, it drops back down where it belongs, and feeds into the chamber slick like it should. Its easy to do, and fast, once you learn the trick. If your lever gun jams feeding, don't try to force it closed, just bump the lever forward a little bit, and then close it. Usually that's all it takes.
)My father in law, who was not a gun guy, fell in love with mine, so I gave it to him one Christmas. For him, it was the perfect gun. Powerful .357 Magnum, fit neatly into the wardrobe of his truck camper, taking very little space, and being a rifle, he could travel widely without concern for different states handgun laws.
A few things to know about .357 carbines (and the Marlin, in particular). First, the extra velocity from the long barrel is not always a good thing. Mostly it is, but in the case of the regular factory 125gr load, its a double edged sword. To a degree, it also applies to the other .357 loads, but the effect is most pronounced in the 125gr JHP loadings.
First, the short bearing surface of the bullet and the huge increase in velocity from a carbine can result in unsatisfactory accuracy in some guns.
Second, but most important, I think, is the fact that a bullet built to expand fully at velocities around 1400fps (and in the moderately light resistance of a human body) will not expand the same way when the impact speed is 2000fps (top end 125gr loads from a carbine can hit 2200fps).
The 125JHP has a well deserved reputation, and is optimized for defense. out of a pistol. out of carbine, it expands violently, and consequently penetration suffers. Its a devastating round for some things, but its important to know the change in bullet performance from the carbine, and choose your shots accordingly. Heavier bullets (158-180) are also affected but not to as large a degree, in my experience.
About the Marlin, they are a bit length sensitive. Never had any issues from shorter .38 Spl cases, but have had issues with rounds that are too long. A friend once loaded some of the old 200gr LRN in his carbine (.357 cases, IIRC). Round dropped in the chamber was fine, but round in the mag was too long to feed through the action. Wound up having to take the gun apart to clear the jam. Watch your COAL. It's possible a 180gr load might do the same thing. Anytime you get long bullets, test them in the gun, don't just assume that it will feed (even factory stuff).
The other thing the rifles I've had would all do, sometimes they would hang up feeding SWC bullets. Anything rounded (RN, SP, JHP) always fed slick as you could want, but sometimes SWCs would hang up. (never tried full wadcutters).
What would sometimes happen was that the round would "bounce" a little bit on the carrier, and the sharp shoulder on the bullet would catch on the sharp shoulder (edge) of the chamber. Being lead (not the slickest thing) and flat edge against flat edge, things tended to want to stop, right there. And adding more force to the lever just makes sure things stop.
The trick is when this happens, back off on the lever, just a bit. Once the pressure is off the round, it drops back down where it belongs, and feeds into the chamber slick like it should. Its easy to do, and fast, once you learn the trick. If your lever gun jams feeding, don't try to force it closed, just bump the lever forward a little bit, and then close it. Usually that's all it takes.
Beretta686
New member
Is there a load that's optimized for a .357 Carbine, especially for hunting? Such as something from Buffalo Bore or other niche cartridge company that loads it hot?
I often hunt pigs with a S&W 686, but a .357 carbine would be a nice addition for in brush, when I don't feel like lugging around my AK or 7.62x39 AR.
I often hunt pigs with a S&W 686, but a .357 carbine would be a nice addition for in brush, when I don't feel like lugging around my AK or 7.62x39 AR.
HopeandChange
Inactive
My buddy picked up this Nice looking Martini Cadet thingy. 
Kinda fun to shoot. But throws a lot of wild flyers.
Kinda fun to shoot. But throws a lot of wild flyers.
jersurf101
New member
Accuracy on my rossi 16" trapper is good with 158 grain jacketed and cast boolits. 125's are even better. The rifle will hold 3 inches at 100 yards with the buckhorn sights, which I do not love for distance shooting.
The rifle has a low twist rate like 1/32 I believe so lighter bullets seem better so far.
Never shot a Henry or a Winchester .357 magnum so I cannot speak on those.
The rifle has a low twist rate like 1/32 I believe so lighter bullets seem better so far.
Never shot a Henry or a Winchester .357 magnum so I cannot speak on those.