Marlin Lever Gun in .357 and cast bullets

[Paper Shredder]

I'm reloading in .357 and I have recently gotten a Lyman 358665 mold. I had intended to buy a Marlin lever gun in .357 to shoot this bullet. But I read an article by Glen Fryxell last night that said - among other things - that the Marlin is very finicky with .357 and will not function well with the 358665 when said bullet is loaded to the crimp groove.

I was wondering if anyone here shoots the 358665 in a lever gun. What gun? And what is your experience with the Lyman 358665, loaded in .357 cases to the crimp grove and used in a lever gun?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[JSH]

I would suggest looking at molds designed for the platform rather than trying to force feed it. My Marlin 357 can get finicky about what it likes. I have to molds from group buys I years gone past designed with feeding in lever guns. There are some
Ranch dog molds designed for lever guns that work extremely well.
Jeff

[shortlegs]

I use a similar boolit in my marlin that functions fine. I was using a swc that would shave a portion of the wc ring when levered from mag tube but shot fairly well.Check your oal and trim brass to min length if cartridge is too long to feed well.

[Walks]

I tried some in my 1992 1894CS. Only in a .38SPL case. Fed perfectly. I prefer the LEE 358-158-RF. Again .38 cases only.
For the hot .357MAG loads I use the LYMAN #358156GC. Lubed 50/50, cast of #2 over max 2400. It feeds perfectly, without a problem. The SWC's with the big front driving bands like to "hangup".

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

The Winchester 73 clones are picky about COL also. It is not just Marlins. SWC and lever guns just don't mix well.

[MT Chambers]

358665 is an excellent boolit for feeding and accuracy in the .357, I have sold thousands to Cowboy action shooters.

[Paper Shredder]

I tried some in my 1992 1894CS. Only in a .38SPL case. Fed perfectly. I prefer the LEE 358-158-RF. Again .38 cases only.
For the hot .357MAG loads I use the LYMAN #358156GC. Lubed 50/50, cast of #2 over max 2400. It feeds perfectly, without a problem. The SWC's with the big front driving bands like to "hangup".

Thanks for the reply. I've read that they make great lever gun ammo in .38 cases. It might be worth looking around for old Keith load data for magnum .38s. But if I did this, I might be making a roundabout decision to never buy a .38 special gun.

Still, The bullet just looks like it would feed great as a full length .357. I was looking in the Lyman cast bullet book and the COAL for the 358665 is 1.575 inches. This is not overlong.

Maybe Mr. Fryxell just had a bad example of the Marlin? I don't know. There is a guy on the Midway site, under the reviews tab for the 358665, that says it feeds in his Henry Big Boy. Wasn't really my first choice gun, but if it works?

[Paper Shredder]

358665 is an excellent boolit for feeding and accuracy in the .357, I have sold thousands to Cowboy action shooters.

Yes! Yes! This is what I'm hoping to hear a few times.

[Paper Shredder]

I use a similar boolit in my marlin that functions fine. I was using a swc that would shave a portion of the wc ring when levered from mag tube but shot fairly well.Check your oal and trim brass to min length if cartridge is too long to feed well.

Do you recall what bullet?

[ReloaderFred]

Marlin .357 Magnum rifles and carbines require an overall loaded length of at least 1.480" to feed reliably, and won't generally feed a cartridge that has an OAL in excess of 1.590".

If you do get the mold, and like the bullet, you can always seat to the OAL that feeds well and then just crimp into the side of the bullet and ignore the crimping groove, if it's not in the right location. I've loaded well over 80,000 rounds for my wife's and my .357 Marlins and revolvers over the years for SASS, and none of those rounds were crimped into a lube groove.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Michael J. Spangler]

I have the lee version of this bullet and it’s pretty close to the Lyman. You might want to give that a try for an inexpensive trial.

I haven’t tried 357 brass but with 38 brass it seemed to feed fine in my marlin and my 1873.
I can’t recall trying the 357 though.

I’ll try to load a dummy this week and cycle it through. I’ll let you know.

[Paper Shredder]

I have the lee version of this bullet and it’s pretty close to the Lyman. You might want to give that a try for an inexpensive trial.

I haven’t tried 357 brass but with 38 brass it seemed to feed fine in my marlin and my 1873.
I can’t recall trying the 357 though.

I’ll try to load a dummy this week and cycle it through. I’ll let you know.

Mr. Spangler, thank you. If you get a chance to do this I would be grateful.

[mattw]

I have an early 90' or late 80's microgroove Marlin 1894 and it loves this bullet so much that it is all I feed it. It likes it fast, slow and everywhere in between.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...ette-gas-check

[Michael J. Spangler]

Mr. Spangler, thank you. If you get a chance to do this I would be grateful.

OK so I loaded one this morning to check.
I slid it into the loading gate and worked the lever at a moderate speed. It slide through the action like it was greased. Not a hitch at all. No bump spots along the way that would damage the nose.
That being said I do have one of the magic Marlins that feed wadcutters too so who knows.
I think you will be fine. I have not compared the Lee bullet to the Lyman side by side but they appear to be very very close to each other. As soon as my local shop sells off his last 3 old style lee 6 cavity moulds I plan on buying a new style 6 cavity in this configuration.
It might be my new go to bullet instead of the 356156 depending on accuracy.

[Paper Shredder]

I have an early 90' or late 80's microgroove Marlin 1894 and it loves this bullet so much that it is all I feed it. It likes it fast, slow and everywhere in between.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...ette-gas-check

Thanks, Mattw. I'll make a note of this and if the 358665 doesn't work out I'll have a sure thing.

[Paper Shredder]

OK so I loaded one this morning to check.
I slid it into the loading gate and worked the lever at a moderate speed. It slide through the action like it was greased. Not a hitch at all. No bump spots along the way that would damage the nose.
That being said I do have one of the magic Marlins that feed wadcutters too so who knows.
I think you will be fine. I have not compared the Lee bullet to the Lyman side by side but they appear to be very very close to each other. As soon as my local shop sells off his last 3 old style lee 6 cavity moulds I plan on buying a new style 6 cavity in this configuration.
It might be my new go to bullet instead of the 356156 depending on accuracy.

Thanks, my friend. I'd prefer the Marlin. I think it's worth the chance.

[shortlegs]

Lee 158 gr swc and magnus 158 gr swc. The magnus boolits are from the 80's and the original maguns if that makes any difference. Both boolits look similar and shoot/function well. My marlin is an 80's model.

[Walks]

Sorry, I should have offered to make up some dummies to try. You REALLY SHOULD BUY THE MARLIN OVER the so called "henry". Had a COWBOY SHOOTING BUDDY that bought one. He couldn't get shut of that piece of junk fast enough. With the MARLIN, you are getting a rifle made of STEEL, not pot metal.
And GEEZ, they are fun. The Best Gun for woods walking. With a good AMERICAN REVOLVER holstered, and a belt full of cartridges. Makes a great day for walking, thinking and watching. Have always preferred it to .44MAG for that.

[jmort]

There is no pot metal in the Henry .357
The .22 LR and .22 mag have Zamak 5 receivers which last for a couple hundred thousand rounds or more.
We should be careful to post accurate information. Most know the Henry is well made, but the people winning matches are using 73s, Italian clones. Henry is not the first choice for SASS, but that does not mean it is not a fine lever action.

[MyFlatline]

Sold my Marlin 357's and prefer the chitty Henry. I'm Marlin for the most part but the Henry BBS is a keeper.