357 Lever Guns help me choose

[koger]

The new Marlins are running $620-650 hereabouts in KY. I shot one the other day with some hot 170gr sierras, love them and worked slick as snot. He had just bought the rifle new. The wood and fit and finish was first class. He also had a new Rossi he had traded into at the LGS, and it ran like a champ, was smoother than the marlin, and shot the same loads very well, shot some 158 JSP's thru it benched and it wadded them all together at 50 yds.

[Groo]

Groo here
I got away from the henry and don't care for the Winchester 94[got one in 45 colt] type or the marlin [Remmy version][all mine are old Marlins].
You said you wanted a smaller lighter gun than your 41mag [I love them.]
Go with a M-92 action clone like a Rossi[got one in 44], or if your check book can stand it something like a Taylor Alaskin take down [got one in 357].
Those who say a 357 is not good for deer have A not used one, B used the wrong ammo,C hit them in the wrong place[ aim for bone] or D not taken one with a handgun..
Been there ,done that, the 357 is fine with heaver [180] flat nose boolets.
My dad[RIP] took an Ohio deer in his 80th year ,with a 357 Leverevolution out of a S&W TRR8 5 inch [with red dot] at over 60 yds.
Bang,Down..One Round......

[bedbugbilly]

I love my Henry BB steel rifle in 357 - butter smooth, shoots cast reloads very well - but different strokes for different folks, Only you can decide what you like best - then get it and have no remorse over your choice. Good luck!

[boatbum101]

Just want to say Thanks . Y'all have given me some sage advice & food for thought . I really have no brand preference . Seems that the 2 practical choices are Marlin or Henry . Gonna make up some dummy rounds & see if they'll feed . Ought to be able to check locally , if not some here have offered to check for me .

[Mark McWillis]

I just bought a 1894 CST. Stainless steel, black furniture, good ghost ring sights, 16.1" barrel with 1/2-28 threads for use with a suppressor. Several on GB.

[gumbo333]

I've switched my Marlins for Henry's. They just function and usually look much better but a tad heavier. 22, 30/30, 45/70. My son has a brass 44 mag. No more danged pinched fingers.

[Ramjet-SS]

Henry

[gundownunder]

A 180gr, .357 bullet launched at 1700fps is not something that any medium sized game animal is going to walk away from at 100 yds.
My Marlin 1894 cowboy with a 20" brl will get 1700 fps with Alliant 2400, and a 175gr bullet
With 14gr of 296, behind an Accurate 36-175-B, which casts at 180gr, I get 1650fps with my20", a 16" Marlin carbine will get 1600, and a 24" Rossi will get 1700. There is room for more powder behind that bullet, but you would need to work up very slowly.

My bullets cast at .358, and my cowboy with standard rifling will shoot to about 1&1/4" at 50yds, same bullet, and same load from a friends microgroove carbine went about 1", so don't get too worked up about microgrooving.

Rossi's tend to be a law unto themselves. I've read reports on here about folks doing well with 180gr bullets but also a lot report otherwise. My brothers 24" Rossi does not shoot better than about 4" at 50yds with 180gr bullets, much better with 158gr or less.

Winchester 94s have a reputation for being somewhat cranky in 357, but OK in 44 and 45.

Several blokes at my local club use the 20" Winchester 92s made by Miroku in Japan and with the Accurate 36-175-B at anything over about 1350fps have no problem consistently toppling the 200 yd steel silhouette rams.

Nobody over here uses the Henry, so no idea how that would work for you.

If you want to mount a scope I'd go Marlin.

[siamese4570]

Henry. I had a Rossi, it was a little rough and had to go thru some gyrations to get it to feed 180 gr rf boolets from a group but here. It also jammed the first time I took it hunting. The steel Henry action is slick and feeds anything I feed it. Just killed my first deer a couple weeks back. I'm sold.
Siamese4570

[sghart3578]

I have no problems loading and chambering a NOE 360-180 WFN GC in my Marlin 1894CS. Cycles slicker than you know what.

My normal load is 12 gr of 2400 for 1500 fps. I routinely shoot 2-3 inch groups at 50 yards with the stock buckhorn sights.

The same 180 gr bullet with 15.2 gr of 296 and a small pistol magnum primer goes well over 1700 fps. The point of impact changes and the groups open up a little but I can tighten them up with a scope. This extends the range to 80 yards for me, maybe 100.

As a side note I also load a plain based version of the 180 gr GC. I use 8.5 gr of A #7 for 1300 fps. This load stacks them in a 2" stick on dot at 50 yards. I have to think that a 180 gr bullet with that wide of a meplat going 1300 fps would do just about any job I need doing.

[If1Hitu]

I like my Rossi 92 .357.

[Goldstar225]

Boatbum, I have a Marlin 1894cs that I am shooting the Cast Performance (LBT) 180 WFNGC and crimped in the groove, it feeds like butter. I'm loading with a stout load of H110 and getting 1550 fps. Killed a fat doe very well last week. Glen is right, the 358429 crimped in the groove won't feed. Has to be crimped over the front driving band.

I ran into the same problem in my Marlin with the RCBS 150 SWC loaded in magnum cases. Seated to the crimp groove it measured 1.613 and would not quite clear the magazine tube. I filed the shoulder of the shell stop on the carrier back allowing a longer cartridge to clear the magazine tube. I've ran many rounds through it since then and the modification has had no adverse effect with any round.

[boatbum101]

sghart3578 I'm a tad confused as you mentioned the NOE 160 WFNGC & further on you mention a 180gr bullet . Did you mean the NOE 180 WFNGC ? If so that's pretty close to the version of LBT 180 WFNGC I have . What oal are you loading to ?
Goldstar225 I've heard the carrier could be modified so that helps in that I might be able to shoot my preferred bullet . Thanks

[popper]

Microgroove is not a problem, just PC to get them larger. Wanted a Marlin 357 but got into BO which is MUCH more capable for 150 & 180 gr cast.

[sghart3578]

sghart3578 I'm a tad confused as you mentioned the NOE 160 WFNGC & further on you mention a 180gr bullet . Did you mean the NOE 180 WFNGC ? If so that's pretty close to the version of LBT 180 WFNGC I have . What oal are you loading to ?
Goldstar225 I've heard the carrier could be modified so that helps in that I might be able to shoot my preferred bullet . Thanks

Thanks for the catch! My mistake, I have corrected my post.

I load the NOE 360-180 WFN GC and WFN PB both to an OAL of 1.60" (1.595" actually).
They cycle great!

This is the PB bullet but the GC bullet is identical.

Also, I size mine to .360" as my 1894CS is a microgroove model from 1984.

If you buy a new Marlin you may want to order this mold to drop at .358".

Best of luck.

[boatbum101]

Thanks sghart3578 . I think that's one hell of a bullet & should be just fine for my purpose . I've been asking all over to see what everyone's been using in that weight class , oal used & what rifle / carbine shot in . So far the Saeco 354 , 180 WFNGC NOE , & RD bullets are what I've found that others use . As I stated earlier my best 2 choices seemed to be a 1894 with Ballard rifling or a BBS . Few have been willing to share their findings for some reason .

[sghart3578]

I had a Henry BBS for a short time but returned it. The few times that I shot it it seemed to do fine with .358" sized bullets in 158 gr.

I have a new 2018 Marlin in 357 mag and it too takes .358" cast bullets. It does equally well with 125 gr and 158 gr bullets. I haven't tried it in 180 gr because my molds in that weight drop too large in diameter.

There are differences of course between the two rifles. Side gate vs tube loading, slight weight difference, etc. But if it is between the Henry BBS or the Marlin 1894C I don't think that you will go wrong with either choice.


Steve in N CA