What can you do with a .357 carbine?

I

idek

New member
I've considered getting a .357 lever action carbine. The reason it appeals to me include:
- it carries easily
- I can shoot less expensive 38 Spl. cartridges for practice or even small game
- it could serve as an HD weapon in a pinch
- the lever action platform just appeals to me.

My main hangup is that I don't know what it's capable of when hunting larger game. Does it have enough punch to kill deer at 100 yards? It is accurate enough to shoot coyotes beyond 100 yards? Are there any .357 cartridges designed specifically for carbines or any that generally work better than others?
 
Well I think you're trying to talk yourself into buying this. If you don't see a need for it, get a ruger 44 mag carbine in semi or lever action and you will easily find rounds to kill deer at 100 yards with that :)
 
With the right loading and a good bullet that will retain its integrity, the .357 Magnum lever rifle will drop a deer at out to 125 yards if you can do your part.

If Buffalo Bore's numbers are accurate, the .357 Magnum can run with the .30-30 out to 100 yards.

The ballistic drop off after 150 is pretty severe.
 
I think with the right ammo a .357mag carbine will do anything a 30-30 will do inside 150yrds. As a bonus you can plink with cheaper .38spl. I honestly dont think it will be too long before more ammo companies make better ammo for hunting with the .357mag.
 
I have hunted with a B92 357, a B92 44 magnum and a Win 94 30-30.

I do not consider the 357 at all compatible with a 30-30. I have never used Buffalo loads however.

I got rid of my Browning 92 because of poor performance on deer sized game and limited range.
 
Not all .357's will chamber .38 Specials,,,

I do not know exactly which ones will or will not,,,
Several SASS members have told me to always check with the manufacturer.

They will all fire the .38 special cartridge,,,
But some will not feed it through the mechanism.

So check before you buy,,,

Aarond
 
Boats said:
The ballistic drop off after 150 is pretty severe.
Click to expand...

Boats is correct. I was shooting steel with my Marlin 1894C several weeks ago. Our range has gongs at 100 yards, 200 yards, and 300 yards. I was easily able to ring the 100 yard gong, but I couldn't even find the 200 yard gong with any reasonably sight picture. I was shooting a 180 grain RF bullet at 1600 fps and I feel like the bullet was entering it's terminal dive before it got to the 200 yard gong.
 
I've shot close to fifty deer with a 357mag revolver and seven with a Marlin 357 lever gun. Some were well beyond 100 yards. I never lost one deer with this caliber. However, the expansion on the bullets beyond 75 yards begins to deteriorate rapidly. Bullet placement is everything at that point. Don't count on "magnum" offering any killing magic at that range, it won't. It's my favorite caliber but it will not run with, or out perform a 30-30 under any conditions. Just like archery, you need to place your shot or don't take it.
 
The 357 mag / lever action is perfectly fine for deer size animals out to 100 yards. You get some buffalo bore 158 or 180 grain rounds, and you've got an excellent round. It's not a 30-30, then again, it's a lot more versatile than your 30-30. It might not take that deer/elk at 150-200 yards, but it will at 100 yards. The 357 is also better for home defense. It's better on small game. You can shoot/practice with sub-100 grain 38 specials, all the way up to super hot 180 357 magnum loads.

Stay away from the 44mag/44spl unless you're simply looking for a "Safe Queen". 44's are easily twice the cost of 38/357. Unless you reload, and even that's a lot more money than reloading 38/357. If you need the power of the 44 mag in a rifle, you buy the 30-30. If you need the power of the 44 mag in a pistol, then you're on some bad drugs. I consider the 44's to be one of the biggest waste of a cartridge. "Again; because of the price".

So; is the 357/38 lever action as good as the 30-30 for large game? Hell no. But if you do your part, and can get in within the 100+/- yard mark, it will do fine.
 
What can you do with a 357 carbine? You can get the maximum potential out of that pistol round.

You can also make the wifey a "anne oakly" back up. :)
 
.357 magnum out of a pistol is not exactly a pea shooter...It is lots of recoil. out of a lever action it is probably a peashooter. I never understood the utility of having rifles and revolvers in the same cartridge...its not like anyone travels to the wild wild west anymore. There is a walmart on every corner now.

If you want the nostalgia feel of a lever action, by all means, shoot pistol rounds through it but I don't find even 38 special to be inexpensive to non reloaders.

Choose pistol rounds for pistols/revolvers.

Choose rifle rounds for rifles.

The only inexpensive rifle rounds (20 cents or less in bulk) are rimfire 22LR, .223, or steel case soviet block 7.69x39 or 5.45x39.

The only inexpensive pistol round is 9 mm (20 cents in bulk) or whatever surplus you can find unless you want to use Russian steel case fodder. For informal target shooting, the Russian stuff is probably fine if your gun cycles it.

The Serbian company, Prvi Partisan makes inexpensive brass ammo for all types of calibers but the quality is so so (marginal accuracy in various rifles). It always seems to go bang without trouble however.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I'd been considering a 30-30 first, but I liked the fact that a .357 could shoot lighter, less expensive ammo when needed.

The model I was considering was a Marlin 1894c, which is listed as shooting both 357 and 38 Spl.

I realize even 38 Spl. isn't exactly cheap, but as prices go around here, I can buy 38 spl. for about half as much as the least expensive 30-30 ammo.

...Of course, if I conclude that the gun isn't a good choice (for me) for hunting deer, then it's just an expensive plinker (this is why I'm not considering a .223). so I'll have to give it more thought.
 
With the right loading and a good bullet that will retain its integrity, the .357 Magnum lever rifle will drop a deer at out to 125 yards if you can do your part.
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Darn, man! I could never get much after about 75-80 yards from my Marlin.

As Aaron mentioned, be wary of bullet shape when firing .38 Specials; the wadcutters can jam the mechanism something fierce. Hollow points and FMJ are fine, however.

I never understood the utility of having rifles and revolvers in the same cartridge...its not like anyone travels to the wild wild west anymore.
Click to expand...
Actually, for a woods gun, it's a great idea. I don't have to carry two different types of ammunition, and there's definitely a difference between a .357 from a 4" barrel and one from a 20" barrel. Am I going to take it elk hunting? Heck no. Is it good for the smallish black bear and whitetail in my neck of the woods? Yep.
 
I'm on my second Marlin lever .357:

GOOD:
1) Very little recoil makes it a great newbie/kid/wife carbine.
2) Plenty of power for hunting small to medium sized game out to 50-75 yards . . not saying it can't do it further than that, but I'm not good enough to do it.
3) Nominal but decent plinker/HD/bug out/hunting carbine IF a .357mag revolver is one of your favorite handguns.

BAD:
1) No way no how does the .357mag hang with a true rifle cartridge for power, range, etc....
2) a semi-auto often holds more, easier to load, shoots cheaper ammo etc...

You have to prioritize your use of the rifle if it's just a plinker and HD carbine the Ruger PC9, PC-40 and Marlin Camp 9 and Camp 45 carbines amoung others are AWESOME.

If you really are going to be hunting this rifle and really want a pistol caliber carbine the .357mag will do a lot better than the 9mm, .40s&w or .45acp carbines and the .44mag will hit a lot harder than the .357mag.

John
 
Actually; 38spl can be bought VERY CHEAP. The problem is, people's eyes aren't focused.

The average price for a box of 38spl rounds is $14-$15. That's single box and/or bulk. Where your eyes mislead you is that there are 50 rounds in a box of pistol ammo. (Not home defense rounds). That comes out to $0.28-$0.30 per round. OR, in rifle terms, $5.60 - $6.00 for a box of 20. HELLO!!! Brass case .223 isn't even that cheap normally, and that's about the cheapest rifle ammo you're going to find.

30-30 ammo is 3X as much as 38spl ammo. And if you started reloading, you could drop the price in half. Don't let your eyes deceive you. The 38spl is cheaper to shoot than the 30-30 or most other rounds. (Even some russian like 7.62x54, unless you buy bulk mil-surplus).

Also; don't let other's personal opinion that "Rifle rounds are for rifles,,,, and pistol rounds are for pistols". That's personal ignorance. Yes, the cowboys and such had the same caliber for pistol and rifle because they loaded their own, and it's easier to carry the makings for one caliber instead of two. But let's be real. The 357 magnum didn't even come about until the 20th century. The single caliber back then was the 45LC and others. That doesn't mean the 357 mag can't be a good carbine round. It definitely can be. Great for home defense. Good for deer out to 100 yards. Good on coyotes, varmints, etc...

Let's be realistic here. The M-16/AR-15 .223/5.56 was DESIGNED for one and one reason only. Shooting people at close ranges. "Under 100 yards". Well, that has developed into the M4 and has been modified in every direction. The military still considers the .223/5.56 as a close quarters battle caliber. But there are a lot of AR15 lovers; many who are also in the gun business and competition world; who are convinced that the AR specs make is a great 500-600 yard gun. Well, the specs on my car says it can go 150mph, but that doesn't mean it was built or designed to go that fast. Same with the 357 magnum. The round indeed, along with the 38spl, was designed for defensive purposes out of a pistol. But as it evolved, and people realized that the bullet weight was about the same weight as many rifles, 150-180 grain, they figured they could pump up the powder and make it a multi-purpose round.

Anyway; there isn't a damn thing wrong with using the 357/38spl in a rifle. It's great for plinking 38spl to around 50 yards. Good for deer with the 357 out to 100 yards. And 38spl is fairly inexpensive to shoot. Just don't let your eyes become deceived. A box of 20 38spls costs LESS than a box of 20 .223. And 1/3 the cost of 30-30.
 
If deer or black bear is the main concern, the .30-30 is clearly the better answer.

That being said, I think my .357 rifle should have enough out to about 100 yards. Maybe Leverevolution rounds would push that out another 50 yards, I don't know... there are better rounds to be sure, but rifle-class .357 can do it.

I can say that for all tasks lesser than this, the .357 will do it with less noise, recoil and ammo cost. The trouble will probably be finding one - plus expect to pay somewhat more than you would for a used .30-30.

And no guarantees on how well yours would feed .38s. Most guns do OK. Some don't. You just hope you get lucky.


It really just depends on how important the medium-sized game thing is to you, I guess. I like mine, it's fun and I don't plan on getting rid of it. Anybody selling one should probably break even at the very worst.
 
I've a 1894c Marlin, and my son and I developed a load that will not be very forgiving for anything to 125 yards EASILY. Its a 185gr. Beartooth bullet on top of a goodly amount of H110, the dose available from Marshall Stanton (proprietor of Beartooths). this 185gr. hard lead boolit does not need to expand and plows through anything in its way. It kills way out of proportion to what you would think. With jacketed, I'd stay away from 180gr.RN and center in on the much higher velocity 158gr.sp. Loaded with Buffalo bore or 18gr. of lil Gun, you'll get close to 2000fps with both the above loads. Past this, I much prefer my 30-30.

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/bulletselect/index.htm

notice its very large for caliber meplat.

Beartooth185gr357.jpg
 
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A .357Mag levergun will do just about anything you need a rifle to do inside of 100yds., including taking deer-sized game. I'd choose a .30-30Win over the .357Mag only if you needed a dedicated hunting rifle or you had dangerous animals larger than whitetail deer in your area. And, if you're planning for over-100yd. shots, I'd skip the .30-30Win and go straight to a bolt-action rifle in a significant caliber (.243Win or greater).....
 
I love my 1894c .357 so well that I have on the way to me now a Ruger Blackhawk in .45Colt/.45ACP (convertible) and a Rossi 92 in .45 Colt. With some Buffalo Bore ammo (or Ruger Only loads) this combo should be the bees knees for the short range, thick woods hunting I tend to do around here.

I love the pistol/carbine pairing concept. I just need a Blackhawk in .357 to go along with my 1894c as I feel kinda silly toting a stainless GP100 around with it. :D.............but it works.

Buffalo bore (or similar) hot ammo in an 1894c is no joke and is packing near the punch of a .30-30 within 100 yds. It also starts with a larger caliber bullet so it's not quite as reliant on expansion. It's a .35 caliber entry hole and at least that on the exit, provided you use a well enough constructed bullet to exit and aren't extending the effective range too far.

If you get an 1894c look into Skinner peep sights. They are very nice.
 
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