Need Help Choosing a .357mag Carbine/Rifle

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buckshotbob

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I am in the market for a good reliable .357 mag Carbine/Rifle....do not really care for the Henry's...they are beautiful and would look great hanging on the wall but in my opinion both the bluing and the brass are not really working gun finishes...also i have heard about reliability problems with the rossi's....does anyone have experience with or knowledge of a good,tough,strong, hard working carbine/rifle in this caliber?????
 
Rossi's are used alot in CAS & there are smiths out there that can make them sing...

It hurts me to say this, but today... there really isn't a lever being made by any of the companies ( except maybe Henry ) that spends more than 30 seconds checking out the quality of their rifles... if you are buying new... it's really anybodys guess... Marlins used to be some of the best... Winchesters were good, but you were often paying for the name... Marlin is reportedly having QC issues right now, that is serious enough I wouldn't buy one that's been made in the last several years...

on the other hand, reportedly the Rossi / Braztech / Tauri have been getting better... still my one of my buddies just bought a Rossi last year, & my gun smith buddy that fixed it said it looked like they put a 44 extractor in his 38 rifle...

I almost recommend contacting some of the companies that sell & tune Cowboy action levers... new or used, it would insure you got a gun that will function...

my wife will be starting CAS next year, & will be using my 20 something year old Rossi 38 / 357 that works like a dream... so I'm in the market for a new lever myself... I think I'm buying a stainless Rossi in 45 Colt for me to use next year
 
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My Marlin .38/.357 1894C was a gun I regretted the necessity of selling after my divorce. It was a nimble little shooter and I could get a lot of rounds on target quickly and accurately with it. The ergonomics suited me well and with a homemade lever action speed loader a dear friend made me from brass and wood, I could zip nine rounds of .38 or .357 into it fast, too.

It was a great long arm companion to a Ruger GP100 4" .357 Mag revolver, too. *sigh* I hope you find a good one, used and cheap as they are discontinued, and use it well. I at least know that mine went to a friend who keeps it as a truck gun up in VT.
 
I can't speak for the recent ones, but I've been shooting Rossis (all 80s-90s Interarms or pre 2006 EMF without the none-sense safety) for thirty-some years with nary a problem. Some shoot the shorter .38 rounds better than others--another aspect correctable if yours ends up being one that doesn't and is important to you. The .357's a mild sweetheart in a carbine/rifle so the main reason to shoot.38s is economy. If you want to mount a tradtional scope, a used Marlin is the way to go...but to me a scope is kinda antithetical to the concept of a slim, light, handy pistol caliber carbine who's effective range is 125 yards anyway. Still, a Marlin unscoped is no bad thing either. Handle both and decide from there.

The Winchester 94's action was designed for longer rifle cartridges (think .30-30). OTOH, the Win 92-based guns like the Rossi were designed for the shorter "pistol-length" cartridges and are stronger and smoother shooting such. Still, there are a lot of Win 94 .357 fans.
 
I bought a Marlin last year, or maybe the year before (apparently before the QC issues). It's been a dandy woods carbine though I've yet to have an opportunity to take a deer with it. It was a nice partner to the GP100, but I felt sorta strange toting a DA revolver with a lever gun. Didn't seem right...............

Fast forward to a couple months ago I ran across a good deal on both a Rossi '92 Scout .45 Colt and a convertible Blackhawk in .45 Colt/ACP.

That still left me without a SA wheelgun to go with my Marlin though and I recently picked up a .357/9mm convertible to mate up with the Marlin 1894c.

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In comparing the recent manufactured Marlin and Rossi I really see no major differences in build quality. My Marlin (I think) pre-dates the most recent QC issues and I have to say that the Rossi '92 has impressed me. I was prepared to be underwhelmed and it's certainly outperformed my expectations. It's got a nice slick action and it tosses the brass straight up and it lands right beside my shooting position. One criticism I'd heard of the earlier Rossis was the tendency to shuck brass a country mile.

As to which is better, I think it comes down to preferences............
 
The top rifle in cowboy shooting is the Uberti replica of the 1873 Winchester. The action is not as strong as the Winchester 1892 but the simple "toggle link" action runs very smoothly. It's plenty strong for .38-.357. Plus it has a super classic look.

It is an expensive gun but you can always sell it to a cowboy shooter if you get tired of it.
 
Well, you didn't specify lever-action, so if what you want is good, tough, strong and hard-working, you might consider the just-released Ruger 77/357.

http://www.ruger.com/products/rotaryMagazine77357/models.html

This isn't as fast to cycle as a lever-action, but I believe it meets your criteria.

I have the 77/44 version and I think it's great. It handles Pacific NW weather without trouble, so it might get along with Florida's. Easy to mount a low-powered scope. Also easy to replace the factory trigger if you want something more like 2 lbs.
 
Years ago I picked up a used M94AE Trapper from a guy at work and it has been a fun gun to shoot. With the angle eject feature I did put a scope on it as my eyes are not what they used to be. It has handled everything I've used in it without a problem. Early on I used some 38 sp in it but then went into reloading and have used only 357 mag in it since. Winchester made a bunch of these guns before they exited the lever gun business and I would think there are a lot of used ones out there if used is one of your choices. 99% of the ammo I shoot in it have cast bullets as it has the ballard rifling and shoots cast well. I cast my own bullets for it. If you want to shoot cast in your gun I think the Ballard Rifling is the better choice.

Cary
 
I own a Cimarron 1892 "ElDorado" .38sp/.357
The lever action is smooth as butta and craftsmanship is outstanding.
I believe they are actually made in Italy by Chiappa.

CimarronElDoradoSIGNATURE.jpg
 
Unless you are terribly picky, I'll suggest the rossi. They have adequate accuracy out to 100 yards to 5 or 8 inch groups. In close, 50-100 feet, they'll hit an apple reliably with most of what I feed through it.

It's in my parlor closet right now, loaded with 158 grain .357, it is what I grab at when i'm disturbed. I have a 357 pistol, too. I shoot .38 most of the time through it.
 
I will suggest the rossi even though i have heard of some bad ones out there but so far it hasnt been any of them that have recently been manufactured. I have one in .45 colt and it is a great little gun. very accurate to about a hundred yards and no problems at all with the action.
 
I have the Henry Big Boy in .357 and absolutely love it. The fit and finish on mine are terrific. I don't mind the good looks LOL as long as it performs, and it does. It is great fun to shoot, very accurate, and the barrel stays cool enough even shooting .357 that I can easily grasp it to reload the magazine without waiting for it to cool. The heft of it makes it easy to swing, and i love making those hard rubber orange blocks jump all over the range.
 
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