Winchester or Marlin .357 Lever Action

P

PeterGunn

New member
I will be in the market for a .357 lever action in the not so distant future, so I will ask now as opposed to later.

Which one of these makes is the better (i.e. durability, accuracy, and function)?

I will not be hunting deer or the like with it. It will mostly serve as a companion for my Ruger GP-100 .357 on the trail, and around the homestead.

Thanks so much for the responces.

If this has been done before, I apologize. I did attempt some searches but they did not yeild very much info.
 
If you choose the 357mag I think either marlin or Winchester will do fine.I have a Winchester trapper in 357 and it works fine. If you go 44Mag There are trade offs.I had a Marlin a few years ago that was bad to jam, and I have seen several others that jammed also on some ammo.The marlin was quite accurate though. I have a Winchester trapper in 44mag, it works good with most any ammo, but the one I have has a light barrel on it and is not all that accurate, but is fine for 50yd shooting and is very reliable so I kept it for home defense.The later win. 44's have heavier barrels I think so are probably more accurate than mine.The New Marlin 44's may work better but the ones in the 70's and 80's were known for jamming with certain Ammo to the point that some gun dealers would not trade for a used one, I have personally seen this.But the 357 worked OK.
 
I have a Winchester Trapper in .357 and love it. I don't get to shoot it very often, but I've never encountered any problems. My only complaint is that the trigger pull is a little more than I'd like. Other than that it's one of my favorite rifles. If you're going with the Winchester I'd reccomend the trapper because of its shorter barrel. I think it's easier to carry, and it's a little lighter, which might be nice if you're going to be carrying it for any great distance.

Just my $.02
 
357 lever gun

Peter, I'm looking for the same type rifle. I also own a 357mag ruger , I've narrowed it done to a marlin 1894cs.The one comment I keep hearing is the winchesters made since 1970's have quality problems or are just cheaply made.I don't know if it's true but I've heard it enough to look for a marlin.
Have you priced a new rifle ? I did a search on gunfider.net it seems that a marlin 1894 cs will run about $450. a bit more than I expected. I'm also thinking about a used rifle because I don't like the added safe button on the new guns.
 
I checked Walmart's order book and Marlin 1894CS was going for $365. I have not seen them for less in a long time. I had a Marlin .44 mag in the mid seventies and did not like the accuracy so I traded it. The comments I've heard and not confirmed is the Marlin will take .38 specials and the Winchester won't. Big 5 Sporting goods has sales on the Winchester in .357, .45 and .44 mag for $279 all the time. MWT
 
My Win. mod 94 in 357 will feed 38specials OK. however I have heard that lots of the Leveraction rifles chambered for the pistol rounds are ammo finicky. The Mod. 92s and the Rosies are known for that.I had 2 different Rosies in 357 that were terible with just about anything I stuck in them.They would not feed worth a dam. I took both back to the dealer. he made it right with me.I feel sorry for whoever ended up with those pieces of junk.
 
I have had both and both are quality firearms. I do prefer the winchester though. I don't like the blocky bolt on the marlin and the winchester has better lines. Both of mine functioned fine. .45 lc chambered lever actions have traditonaly had problems with feeding becuase of the small rim on the cartridge. This is why they were never originally chambered in .45 colt. I shoot the winchester the most. I only kept the marlin as I had it converted to take down by wild west guns and a scout scope mount, ghost rings etc. (winchesters were more expensive to convert).

One thing that might sway you in favor of a marlin is they are coming out a stainless ported .357 this year.
 
opps forgot to mention

My winchesters feed .38 just fine.

WInchesters are now made by browning and I don't think they have any quality control problems.

The winchester is 2 inches shorter and has a much smooter action in my opinion.

[Edited by ajacobs on 12-17-2000 at 11:01 PM]
 
I think the wins can be had with a shorter barrel which is nice.

I have the Marlin and love it, runs great with .38 also.
I would put a receiver site on it. It's an inexpensive improvement.

The wins' were not manufactured for a few years but now I think they have straightend out the problems.

The stainless marlin would be cool. I don't see any reason for the porting though.
 
If you go to a cowboy Action Match, you will find a majority of Marlins. I shoot just about the only Winchester at our matches. A few Rossi's and a couple henry's. I think it is a reliability issue. I like the feel and look of a Winchester but it does have feeding issues. Never saw a Marlin hang up but the Rossi's do.
 
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