seeking help with .357 Mag lever action search

[40-82 hiker]

I am trying to figure out WHICH .357 lever action rifle fits my needs, and this has become one frustrating experience, mostly due to my ignorance on the topic.

Basically I want to get a rifle with 20" bbl, good trigger pull (or can be worked to be good), and a history of being an accurate firearm w/o needing constant repair trips. Will put tang sight or receiver sight (preferred) on it for sure. May scope in the future.

I guess due to having my original '86 Win. I'm kind of partial to a '92 action, but that is not a requirement.

So, sights, trigger, and overall reputation is what will help me decide, and cost flat out. However, I can work on cost given some time.

New Remlins don't excite me, but they seem to be getting better (?).

Please give me some ideas/guidance on which rifles I can look on the lookout for (including WTB). I've read and read, and looked and looked, but live in a very under-served area with only one LGS.

Will consider .44 Mag. or .45 Colt, but really want .357 Mag.

Not Cowboy shooter. Just want accurate lever action that is problem free. Spine injuries getting worse, and wanting to shoot such rifles.

Suggestions from experience please?

Thanks.

[dannyd]

Henry Big Boy shoots great, nice trigger, not a cowboy gun, but fun to shoot at the range.

[frogleg]

I have not had any problems with my three Rossi’s/Puma 92s

[Walks]

Maybe You could find a old Browning '92. I had one long ago, can't remember if it was drilled & tapped for a receiver sight.

henry's have no provision for attaching any type of receiver sight.

[JoeJames]

Had a Henry Big Boy in 44 magnum/44 Special, but finally figured out that at 8.67 pounds it was too hefty for easy toting. Traded it in for a Rossi R92 in 44 Magnum at 5 pounds carry weight. Trigger on the Rossi R92 was up there for me at about 5 /12 pounds, but put in a replacement trigger spring and it is down to below 4 pounds. Fairly easy to change out.

[robg]

Love my 357 win trapper but I'd suggest a marlin in ss threaded for a moderator could be a hoot.

[bikerbeans]

Love my 357 win trapper but I'd suggest a marlin in ss threaded for a moderator could be a hoot.

Which Moderator do you plan to put on the front of that 357?;)

BB

[sghart3578]

I bought a new Marlin 1894C last year. It was built in 2018. I am very happy with it.

I have several old JM Marlins so I have something to compare this one to.

The new one is very accurate with iron sights. I shoot mild to wild. It has impressed me so far. And that is saying a lot as my favorite rifle is my 80's vintage JM Marlin in 357 mag.

I have posted a few threads on this forum about my initial impressions of the new Marlin along with some preliminary range results.

Last summer I was going to do more extensive accuracy testing of the new Marlin but life and the wet winter here got in the way.

I am in the process of mounting a new Leupold scope on it and I hope to have some results on paper soon.

If you look at a new Marlin 1894C take your time and do a thorough inspection before you start your paperwork.

I did and I am very happy with mine.

Best of luck,


Steve in N CA

[dannyd]

They make nice sights for Henry's

http://www.skinnersights.com/henry_rifles_18.html

[beagle]

I'll second the M1894C Marlin. Had one since they first came out. One broken firing pin in all that time and it's digested thousands of .38 Specials and a pretty fair amount of .357s. With the 358429HP seated deep over 2400 it can be depended on for groups under 11/4" at 100 yards with scope. Sits by the back door in case of "varmint" intruders./beagle

[pietro]

Maybe You could find a old Browning '92. I had one long ago, can't remember if it was drilled & tapped for a receiver sight.

henry's have no provision for attaching any type of receiver sight.



The .357 Browning B-92 is very rare/pricey (compared to other .357 leverguns), and was not factory prepped for a receiver or tang peepsight.

www.skinnersights.com makes/sells a top-mounted receiver sight for the Henry - but in order to achieve zero, the front sight will need to be replaced with one about 1/10" taller that the issue front sight, in order to accommodate the higher line-of-sight of the top-mounted receiver sight.

Most .357 leverguns will shoot within a minute of deer ear, but they're hunting rifles, not target grade guns.

I've had Browning B-92's, Rossi Model 92's and Marlin Model 1894's - YMMV, even though the Marlin's & the Henry's are slightly easier to take down for cleaning, I preferred the Rossi M-92 to the others because the actions were fairly smooth, they carry better/easier, and will give you the best value for your dollars than the others.


.

[onelight]

I have a Rossi 92 also put a marbles tang sight on it changed a few springs and slicked it up it shoots great , 2lb trigger but not the best choice for a scope.

[40-82 hiker]

Thanks to all input. I've spent the evening digesting this info with my computer, and have a lot to think about.

The marbles tang sight on a Rossi '92 is intriguing, and the spring mods for it. Like the sound of the results with the trigger. Reviews kind of up and down for quality from what I've read. Still looking...

I'm very glad to hear the Remlins are showing quality advances. Puts one high up on the list...

Browning B-92 and Chiappa very $$.

Henry, more expensive than the Remlins and Rossi, but not over the top. Seems people like 'em or hate 'em due to the tubular feed. Does not matter to me in that respect at all. Heavy? Yes!

As I said, lots to think about. Looking like Rossi, Marlin, or Henry just now.

Thanks again.

[phonejack]

My Rossi .357 is a 24" octogon stainless. I installed a Marbles tang and a Lyman globe. Very pleaded with the results.

[Jeff Michel]

Marlin cowboy, just got another yesterday. That makes four of the "new" Marlins I've picked up. They all work very well and are accurate. Decent triggers and easily scoped or if you like, Skinner makes excellent peep sights. Bad experience with Henry, not a fan.

[Froogal]

I have a Henry Big Boy in .357. It is a good shooter. I like it, but I would like it a whole lot more if it had a loading gate.

[crappie-hunter]

Rossi's are hard to beat after you tinker with them a bit, I have two 357,and 44mag, Light fast handeling, and if you are a reloader and a bullet caster, they can be very accurate, not target grade ,but certainly less that 3" at 100yds. Mine both wear red dot sights, but 77yr old eyes need help.

[onelight]

Here are a few pics of the Marble Arms sight on the Rossi.
I put a folding leaf rear sight on it to and set it for heavy full power loads and set the tang sight for light 130 rnfp loads. Tang sight is great for my old eyes ;)
238457238458

[40-82 hiker]

Here are a few pics of the Marble Arms sight on the Rossi.
I put a folding leaf rear sight on it to and set it for heavy full power loads and set the tang sight for light 130 rnfp loads. Tang sight is great for my old eyes ;)
238457238458

Will put a Marbles tang sight on for sure. No doubt... Thanks

Still somewhat undecided, but had a hard night and day, and have not given much effort to this today.

[40-82 hiker]

Rossi's are hard to beat after you tinker with them a bit, I have two 357,and 44mag, Light fast handeling, and if you are a reloader and a bullet caster, they can be very accurate, not target grade ,but certainly less that 3" at 100yds. Mine both wear red dot sights, but 77yr old eyes need help.

What specifically are the "tinkers", and how or what to use or do? Still thinking about Marlin as well, but I want to nail down what to look forward to if I get a Rossi.

[onelight]

What specifically are the "tinkers", and how or what to use or do? Still thinking about Marlin as well, but I want to nail down what to look forward to if I get a Rossi.
The Rossi 92s have almost a cult following in some circles , prolly cause they are a popular entry level cowboy action gun. The benefit for us is ther are a lot of tutorials on the net to smooth up the action and assorted after market sights springs and parts to help you make the best of them.
On mine the tinkering was smoothing the action and replacing some springs , both sights and drilling and tapping a hole for the tang sight I did nothing to the sear or hammer other than light polishing on sides. You can use it right out of the box I shot a 150-200 jacketed bullets to smooth the bore a bit and also confirm it functions correctly then you can see friction points to help determine what you want to tinker with you don’t reshape you just lightly smooth the rough spots.
In my limited experience it became one of the slicks little lever guns I have used.

[bedbugbilly]

OP - I'm like you - I'm "changing things up" and am also looking for a 38/357 lever gun. To me, the Henry 's look and seem to function and shoot great (on videos) but the one thing I keep hearing is the "weight" of the rifle. My preference is a loading gate but the tubular magazine is not really a deal killer for me. I don't shoot competition - am a plinker - but I personally want something with a "old west flavor" to go with my handguns which are all SA. To me, the Rossi looks like a good value with a lot of potential fun for the buck. I'm also looking at Ubertis - 1866 land 1873. Personally, I want a carbine for the lighter weight and ease of tossing in a case and in the vehicle. That said . . . remember not to "over think" or you'll never decide on what you want. A lot of folks on here "slick up{ their rifles and pistols . . . that's a personal thing and all part of the hobby for them - nothing wrong with it. But as stated above . . . as an example . . . a Rossie will shoot just fine out of the box as will other makes - and any make can have an issue at times.

I'm sure you've been watching oodles of videos as we all do. Take a look at some of them which are tutorials - I've watched a number of them for the Rossi and the various Uberti models and I'm sure there are plenty for the other makes as well. Personally, I've never "slicked" any of my guns up over the last 55 years - just because they worked just fine for me.

I get a kick out of the mention of a "Rossi Cult" . . . mainly because if you read a lot of threads on here you'll see there are also "Marlin Cults", "Winchester Cults", etc. . . . not poking fun at it because I think it's a good thing. Those are the guys who can really answer the question when it comes to a certain make . . . issues, fixes, etc.

I'm older . . . the eyes are not good and all I'm interested in these days is being able to kill cans, clay pigeons on a board and maybe a woodchuck once in a while. Like a "car nut" . . . when I find the rifle I like, I'll put "go fasters" on it (new sights) but I'm sure the rifle will shoot just fine unless there is a major flaw.

Good luck in your search . . . a good thread and I'm sure there are a lot of us who are enjoying reading the thoughts of others. Hope you find the rifle for you and it is one you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of.

[Speedo66]

I bought a new Rossi 92, blued 20" in .357 a few years ago. Gun functioned perfectly out of the box with all manners of .38Spl and .357.

A few hundred lever motions while sitting in front of the TV smoothed the action up considerably.

As received from the factory, the ejector threw the brass quite a distance. A Century C-530 hardware store spring installed in place of the factory ejector spring worked two fold. It now drops the brass at my feet, and also reduced the force necessary to work the action.

I found a Rossi tang sight, no longer made, and had it drilled and tapped. My particular model came with a scope base, bases are also available from the NOE mold people. The round barrel models have factory drilled and tapped holes under the rear sight. It now has a scout scope on it and it's pretty accurate.

The price point of the Rossi compared to other models is such that even if you get the odd one that requires a little work, you're still ahead of the game financially, and can make it just the way you want.

You'll probably have to look to Gunbroker or Armslist to find one, but worth the search. Nothing else is as light or compact.

[Froogal]

For what it's worth, for cowboy action shooting, "the national congress of old west shooters" will not accept a Henry because of the sideways rather than top discharge, and also because the Henry is not historically significant. Possibly the "Single action shooting society" might accept the Henry. Having said that, Henry does make a rifle that is accepted, but very pricey.

[bedbugbilly]

Froogal - I understand what you are saying about the Henrys and the CAS - agree that the Henrys (not original Henry rifle reproduction) are not "historically accurate in design" but that they are are still good rifles - agree wholeheartedly. I have a question though and am just curious because I don't shoot CAS, etc..

I'm searching for a 357 lever gun as well and did a lot of looking at the Marlyn 94 in 357 last night - I thought I watched a video by Hickock (may be mistaken) and I thought he mentioned that he used to shoot one in CAS? The Marlin 94 has a side ejector port as well - do organizations like CAS accept the Marlin 84?

I was glad I took the time to watch some videos on the Marlin 94 in 357 as I was impressed with what I saw of it and for what I'm looking for one for (mainly plinking fun) it certainly provides another good option.

Don't ever plan on shooting CAS - too old and decrepit but got to thinking about the side ejection of the Marlin 94 and just got me to wondering if they approved it or not? Thanks.

[Buzz Krumhunger]

Thinking the Marlin side eject is permissible because it is essentially the same design as the ones Marlin made in the 19th century.

[Froogal]

Froogal - I understand what you are saying about the Henrys and the CAS - agree that the Henrys (not original Henry rifle reproduction) are not "historically accurate in design" but that they are are still good rifles - agree wholeheartedly. I have a question though and am just curious because I don't shoot CAS, etc..

I'm searching for a 357 lever gun as well and did a lot of looking at the Marlyn 94 in 357 last night - I thought I watched a video by Hickock (may be mistaken) and I thought he mentioned that he used to shoot one in CAS? The Marlin 94 has a side ejector port as well - do organizations like CAS accept the Marlin 84?

I was glad I took the time to watch some videos on the Marlin 94 in 357 as I was impressed with what I saw of it and for what I'm looking for one for (mainly plinking fun) it certainly provides another good option.

Don't ever plan on shooting CAS - too old and decrepit but got to thinking about the side ejection of the Marlin 94 and just got me to wondering if they approved it or not? Thanks.

There are two separate groups of cowboy action shooters. NCOWS, which I am a member of, and SASS. SASS has more relaxed rules and does have a category that accepts the Henry, and maybe the Marlin. Hickok45 may have participated in SASS. However, please do not accept what I said as gospel truth. I am relatively new to the whole thing and am still learning.

[cold1]

I will second the remlins. I bought one last year, the carbine version. I have no problems with it. Fit and finish is to be expected for the price. Shoots straight and goes bang when you pull the trigger.