Marlin / .357 Max.

F

Fisher

New member
I have had a 12" Contender pistol barrel in .357 Max. for quite a while now. Excellent shooter and takes deer with the best of them. I also have several Marlin lever guns in assorted calibers. My question is this. How hard would it be to take a Marlin lever gun chambered in .357 mag. and re-chamber it in .357 Max. ? I doubt that the actually chambering of the barrel itself would be difficult. Reaming barrels is something I hear about quite often. However I think the problem might be in the action itself. The added length of the shell/casing itself may cause issues.

Anyway, I thought it might be an interesting project. Any thoughts or comments would certainly be welcome.

Jim
 
Marlin chambers the 1894 in 357 Magnum. It does not have enough bolt throw for the 357 Maximum. But a Marlin 336 could easily be converted to 357 Maximum. New barrel, some cartridge carrier work, and you could shoot your 357 Maximum to your heart's content.
 
Folks have tried both conversions.

#1 Marlin 1894C to .357 Max. Much money and unreliable feeding due to loooong lever throw. Right at the limit of action adaptability. Owner deems it a dumb move.

#2 Marlin 336 to .357 Max. Required a custom barrel (can't rechamber a .35 Rem) and action too long for the cartridge (this is why the 1894 was brought back for the .44 Mag although the 336 was made for one year in .44 Mag). Owner deems it a dumb move and rebarrels to .35 Rem.

#3 Winchester 1894 .357 Mag to .357 Max. Owner ran into unforeseen feeding problems. Apparently the length of the cartridge and the angle it had to approach the chamber were problematic. Last word was don't do it but no follow-up since.

Consensus, get a .35 Rem rifle, .357 Mag (which does in a rifle what the Max does in a pistol, i.e. 10" barrel).
 
I reload .357mag for 1894C.. if the cartrdg overall length is just a blonde CH long the action jams. love the gun but your conversion sounds like bad idea
 
Guys, thanks for your reply to my post. Things that sound so simple usually turn out to be the biggest problems. I already have the 30-30, .35 Remington and the 45/70 in the Marlin lever guns. So I guess I really don't need the .357 Max for anything. It just sounded like something to have fun with and to sit around the fire and talk about. Maybe I will pick up a .44 Mag. and the .357 Mag. in the Marlin to help me get over this.

Thanks,
Jim
 
Don't feel too sad, I have seen loads listed for the Marlins in 357 with 158gr. that are over 1900 fps and 125's that are pushing near 2200. That is not bad for a pistol ctg. Compare that to some lighter 150gr. 30-30 loads and you see you get alot out of that much smaller case. And a slimmer trimmer slicker action than say a 94 Win. Maybe a Max could get up there in 30 WCF territory, but I suspect the pressures might be alot in a Marlin 94 action. And you get a slightly bigger hole too. Then I have to decide whether to take the M1 carbine or the Marlin out to play. Do I need rapid fire, or the bigger thump? 110 30 or 158 357 at 1900fps?
 
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