seeking information on a .357 carbine

R

rrruger

New member
I ask this question in the revolver forum and was told to re-post here.
I am looking for a companion carbine for my GP100 in .357 mag.
I am looking for primarily Home Defense in stainless that will allow me to 'reach out' a little farther but still use the same .38 spc. or .357 mag.

I would welcome your incites and suggestions.
 
The new made in Japan Winchester 1892s are sweet. The older Marlins 1894s are nice too (that is what I have).

I may get flammed for this but I feel the new Marlins and Rossi are substandard.

1873s are nice but they are not built for hot loads

I have shot a RUGER 77/357 and it was a sweet little bolt gun!
 
1) AFAIK, the only new STAINLESS STEEL .38/.357 leverguns made are:

A) Rossi Model 92's (about $550)

B) Italian/Puma Model 92's (about $850+)



2) In my experience (I've owned a few), while .38/.357 leverguns do very well with .357 JSP/JHP and some .38 Spec Round Nose ammo, they don't feed well with ANY ammo loaded with sharp-shouldered bullets - a decided minus in an HD firearm.


.
 
I really like my Marlin '94 in 38/357.

I don't do anything different, I use the same load in my revolvers I use in my Marlin LR Rifle.

That being 150 grn LSWC in both 38 & 357.

Accurate little sucker.

I just picked up my 2013 Mountain Lion tag, might just throw the Marlin in the truck for a while.
 
+1 on the Marlin 1894. I picked mine up several years ago, and it's a sweet companion to the .357 revolvers. Accurate, handy, light, short, it's everything that a carbine should be.

It's not stainless, and if that's a deal-breaker, you'll have to keep looking, but it will let you reach out to about 125 yards with standard ammo. I don't load any rounds especially for the carbine, because I don't want to segregate ammo by whether or not it's safe to shoot in the handgun or rifle.

I've got mine outfitted with a Williams peep sight and the extra several inches of sight radius is nice to have.
 
I have a couple of Miroku-made Winchester 1892's in .357mag and they are excellent rifles - very well made. They are pricey though, relative to Marlin, Rossi, Henry and others. I don't see blued being a big negative, especially for a HD weapon, unless your home is in a high humidity environment, or near sea air, and with no central HVAC or climate control. In many homes with central heat and A/C, the indoor environment is just not really corrosive. Even if using outdoors, corrosion can be avoided with some simple basic regular/routine preventive care.

That said, if you really want stainless, your choices will be much more restrictive, and availability will also be drastically reduced (well, availability is an issue with pretty much any gun right now).
 
I have a stainless Rossi 20'' lever and a Stainless Ruger 77/357. Both are great guns altho totally different platforms. The Rossi is actually a tad more accurate, but this is probably due to the infamous Ruger trigger. Very similar to my 77/44 that I already replaced the trigger. The 77/.357 has only been out for a short time and I have only a few hundred rounds thru it. I have several thousand thru the Rossi. The Rossi with it's tubular mag has twice the capacity of the Ruger, but the Ruger with it's rotary mag is much easier to load and unload. The Ruger is set up to easily accept scopes and Red Dots, where the lever is not. At the range, the Rossi is one of the favorites for shooting, not only by my, but by others that shoot with me. Both have little recoil and are accurate enough @ 100 yards for legitimate deer hunting. Both use the same ammo as my 686s, altho I generally shoot jacketed bullets.
 
Just a FYI, but I was perusing Bud's online inventory, and they actually do have Rossi 20" and 16" 92's in stock, in stainless and in .357mag. The little stainless 16" carbine goes for $474 with free shipping. The 20" is actually $20 less than the 16".
 
I have a Rossi M92 and a Ruger M77/357. I very much prefer the Ruger over the Rossi as its more accurate as well as easier to load and unload due to the detachable magazine.

Both are fine rifles, but my recommendation for a .357 Magnum Carbine would be the Ruger 77/357.

My 11 year old son would agree having taken a nice 6-point buck this season with the 77/357.

Don
 
My 16" Rossi is fun, accurate, durable, reasonably priced, easy to carry and likes the same loads as my Ruger Blackhawk. What's not to like. I would buy another if I needed or wanted a second gun in this caliber.
 
I picked up Rossi's better Italian cousin in a Chiappa `92 Winchester in 357 about [a year] ago that is beautifully-finished, had good ladder sights and as solid as a rock. It also eats pretty much anything over full loads of 110/296 and V-N110:

m8gwon.jpg


Note that it will feed any sharp-shouldered semi-wadcutter in 38Spl length, but like other lever actions, not in full-length 357.
 
I own a Rossi M92, .357/38 (notice that order), 16 inch, big D ring lever rifle.

I have owned a Savage 99A, .308 Win. and an Enfield SMLE MK I.

This is -the- rifle, for .357. Peak optimum performance from manufacturer's ammunition for a .357 handgun, peaks at 16 inches, and then starts to diminish. it is fast, handles well, feels right, and I can get a more positive 'throw' actuating the lever.

Notice I wrote: ".357/.38"? The OAL difference between the two cartridges, is enough to cause a headache, if you do not doo your homework, first. yes, sure, there are Marlin guys that ell you their rifle eats all ammo. A Rossi is not a Marlin. A Rossi is a clone of the Winchester Model 1892. Yes, Rossi rifles can be persnickety in ammunition. The OAL .357 length is 1.58 inches. A decimal over that, by the manufacturer's matching of bullet length to case length, can cause a glitch. it is not a fault of the rifle. Semiwadcutter bullets have square shoulders on them. The ledge of the loading ramp can make for a frustrating moment, if you are not aware of that. Truncated bullets work. Flat nose bullets work. Gosh, for a .38 round, NYCLADS work! The ogive of the bullet is what will hang you up. Also, remember, it is a tube magazine, so no pointed bullets, for your safety. The Rossi has Ballard style grooves in the barrel, fyi.

The crescent buttstock shoulders just fine. Out of the box, first shots on the range, for me having a 27 year gap, in shooting a rifle, I kept everythiing at 25 yards, in 4 moa.

I wish you well in your shooting years.
 
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