Lever action pistol cartridge carbine

Marlin .357

I've had a Marlin .357 (1894) for about 25 years, a pre safety model of course.

For a long while, it was my most carried/most shot long gun. Early on I put a Williams peep on it which aided accuracy and made the little lever easier to shoot. Only recently have my eyes slipped enough to not allow to see the front bead as sharp as I'd like. I can still hit with it, but not like I used to. I guess I will eventually have to scope it.

Shot all manner of ammo through that little lever. Lots of issue +P+ .38/110 JHP, & issue .357/125 (very destructive) . Single loaded .38 WC. Ran it for a long while zeroed to a .357 LSWC 158 at about 1000 fps. Now its zeroed with .357/158 JHP and I hope to take a few deer with it before I have to scope it.

Never had a bit of trouble with leading, although I kept velocities down. LSWC did not always feed reliably if the meplat was to blunt, others did fine.

I think the .357 levers are dandy little carbines and recommend one highly.
 
Friend of mine has a Puma 45 Colt stainless. Absurdly fun, less recoil than the HiPoint carbine I had.

He's still fiddling with the OAL though as it tends to jam with certain bullet shapes.
 
.357

I have had a 16" Rossi in .357 for a couple of decades.
Never a problem. It is a fun range gun. I rarely shoot it beyond fifty yards. I almost always shoot it from the standing position.....for some reason....maybe balance or pointability.....I shoot it better standing than any other rifle that I own.
Over the last year I have started using Hornady's Leverevolution bullets for my reloads. They work very nicely indeed.
Pete
 
i have a marlin 1894 in 357 magnum. in the past 20ish years i bet it has taken about 15 Idaho mule deer at ranges from 20 - 80 yards from my back porch. I got the gun from my father when I was young. He had the barrel cut to 16.5inches. It has been a sweet little gun.

The issue I have now is that my son wants the gun. I would like to let him have it but it is my primary deer gun. Anyone know of another company making a smooth trapper length (less than 17 inches) lever action in 357 magnum? I would like one that can handle hotter loads cause I will use it for the occasional deer. Mine is currently sighted in for Buffalo bore 158 grain ammo at about 2060 FPS. My reloads are a little slower (1940 FPS) but at that range it does not matter.

I need a trapper that will handle a steady diet of these.
 
I have Rossi Ranch hand (hand gun) and several 1894 Marlin all are in 44 Mag. They only issue I have ever had with feeding was with semi-wad cutters getting hung up in the Marlin. That required a complete disassembly to clear. Luckily I had tools handy.
The only thing I shoot in mine is lead and I found a great bullet that feeds better than jacketed and its accuracy is phenomenal.
I’ve been working on groups with a Ruger 77/44 with a new 180 GR Truncated base and at 1400 est. I have them down to 3 inch groups at 100. Although the manufacture says that the bullet hardness is good for 1600 I am about where I’m going to stop. The 240 just came in the mail.
Déjà vu, I know that Chiappa makes 16 inch Trappers, I handled one several weeks ago but never fired one and I know little about their quality.

http://www.chiappafirearms.com/product/823
 
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I think they shoot pretty good. Although I think the Rossi 92 357 magnum, with it's 1 in 30 twist. Does not do so well with heavy bullets.
125gr bullets shoot very very well though.

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