Recommendations for lever action rifle in .44 or .357

R

rifleman23

Inactive
I am looking for a lever action rifle for plinking and occasional hunting (I guess you could call it a 'fun gun' :) ) in .357 or .44. I am looking for one in .357 but .45 LC or .44 will also do, I'm not too concerned about that. Accuracy, Fit/finish, overall quality and ease of operation are important.

I hear a lot of praise for the Henry rifles– I really like the look of the Big Boy and its brass receiver. I haven't even seen one or held one though.

What do you guys recommend. thanks in advance.
 
I have a 1964 Marlin 336 in 44 Mag.
Fit and finish are good, accuracy is better than my old eyes.
I can get 4" at 100 yards offhand with the stock open sights.
I would recommend a older one. not so sure about the new ones.
 
If I was buying one it would be a Henry. I have a .22 Henry lever gun and if the big boys are as good of guns as the .22 then I know its a quality rifle.
 
OPINION...

The Miroku guns are beautiful, if not a bit expensive at MSRP of $1300.00 - 1700.00...! :eek:

ETA: prices differ, but, wow.
 
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I own two Marlins. A .357 older Marlin, a SS carbine and a new Remlin Marlin in .44. Both are real fun and easy to shoot. :)
Marlin did have a problem but they (at least some) are better now.
I do not hunt but for plinking both are great. The .357 is a little cheaper in the ammo department.
You can't go wrong with either. I have read that the Henry Big Boys are good too. My Henry .22 has been flawless.

Good Luck,

Lateck,
 
HENRY BIG BOY! AMERICAN MADE....The quality is excellent and the Company has the best customer service in the industry. You won't be sorry.
 
I have a pair of miroku made Winchester 1892s (carbine and short rifle) in .357mag. Out the door I paid between $900-$1000 for each.

The fit and finish of these is superb - very nice walnut and great fit of stock to frame. And the bluing is deep, uniform and well polished. The marble sights were right on for 50yds out of the box. Action is slick and smooth and they have functioned flawlessly.

They will not reliably feed .38spl though, if that is a concern. I've shot mostly 158gr .357 through them, as well as some 125gr I had sitting around.

So, yes they are pricey relative to others, but they are very well made firearms. They also are much lighter than a Henry. Nothing against the Henry's but just that their octoganol barrel adds a lot a extra weight (that's a pro or a con, depending on your view).
 
I have a few of the older Rossi levers in 357 & 45lc and a Marlin in 44mag. All 3 have been solid performers and would have no problems with getting any of them again. The problem comes into the part where you said it will be a fun gun / hunting gun, also do you reload? If it is for fun then I would get the 357 because it kicks the least and is cheap to shoot. If for hunting then I would suggest the 44 or 45 due to more knock down power but then the ammo cost goes up but you need to practice more due to the fact that you want to use it for hunting. The Marlin is the easiest to put a glass on but the Rossi is one of the lightest.
 
If I wanted the rifle for something other than cowboy action shooting, and I wanted to feed it a steady diet of magnum loads, I'd probably choose a Marlin first and a Brazilian '92 second. I don't know that the Miroku guns are that much better than the Braztech '92s to justify the substantial difference in cost.

If I wanted the gun primarily (or exclusively) for cowboy action, I'd choose the Uberti replica of the '73 Winchester first and the Marlin second.

The Henry, to me, seems too heavy for a field gun. The lack of a loading gate and the lack of aftermarket support takes it off my list for cowboy action. The Big Boy is not popular with cowboy shooters (for a couple of reasons) although I know a couple of cowboy shooters who have them and have not complained.
 
the Henry is a nice rifle but as stated above it lacks a loading gate. I am a marlin fan but I would not turn down a Uberti.
 
I don't scope my pistol-caliber levers, and the Henry is way too heavy and clunky in style to me, so another +1 for the 92s. I've shot a variety of them for 45 years--owning mostly clones (Rossi and Browning). All the 92s are nice, just depends on your budget which one to get: whatever matches your $ will be hard to miss with, literally and figuratively.

Between (barely*) the Rossis and current Winchesters in price (*some matching Wins in $) are the Italian-made Chiappa/Armi Sport 1892s marketed by Cimarron, Taylor's and Legacy Sport (LSI). They're perhaps the most correct cosmetically to the originals--with no add-on safeties like modern-day Rossis and Wins--and have great fit and finish. Some have reported issues with a few of the small internal bits, others not.

Also in the same rough price category as (some less than) the Italians would be a Browning 92 (B92)--"used" only, as they've been out of production for 20+ years.- but made by the same Miroku, Japan plant as the modern-day Winchester 92s. Any Miroku is absolute tops in overall quality of fit and finish. The current ones irk some with their rebounding hammer (like all Wins in the past 25+ years)--some experiencing light primer strikes--and safety set up--and view these things as blemishes on the original design rergardless. For others, these "features" are no bother. Being a newbie to levers, the OP may not notice or care about these. These aspects are "correctible" to Browning (and original Win) type configuration, but obviously voiding of warranty if permanently messed with. Ditto Rossis. I never had to send one of my Rossis--all pre safety--back anyway, so that aspect is seldom an issue with me. If a lever is going to fail due to a manufacturing/assembly/quality issue, my experience is it will usually surface soon after purchase and not so much down the line.
My .02.
 
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thoughts

The Henry's I've handled seemed heavy and awkard to me also.

If youi want a shooter, I'd opt for .357, as you'll shoot it cheaper than a .44. My choice in .357 levers would be an older pre safety Marlin '92.

If yoiu're content with a .44 as a shooter, or want more punch in a hunter, my thought is not for a cowboy lever, but the Ruger 96 lever. Slick and hammerless, of modern design w/ a fast twist for .44 heavy slugs, easily scoped if you want.

Of course the new Ruger company discontinued it.
 
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