Marlin .357

[Thumbcocker]

What is a realistic accuracy expectation for this rifle with pb boolits at 100 yards?

[cwlongshot]

That's too subjective...

No offence, but its capabilities are rooted in YOUR ability to shoot.

Marlins are as good a shooter as is needed for what they are designed for.

I know mine will do 4" offhand/standing leaning. 1/2 that off a rest and better still if I apply myself.

BUT that's after allot of time building a load that the gun likes. Little that is worth while is free.

Good luck,

CW

[NSB]

Realistic? Two and a half -Three inch five shot groups off a rest with cast loads the gun likes. Don't count the rare three shot groups someone's been carrying around in their wallet for the last ten years. I've seen a few that did just a tad over two inches, but at three inches you're not going to get any warranty work or sympathy from Marlin. That's about all you can count on. If you do better, you won the lottery. I think the Rossi's shoot better....on average.

[sghart3578]

I very rarely shoot paper any more. I shoot at a public range so when it is busy it is next to impossible to check groups as often as I would like.

My solution was to hang steel plates at 3 distances, 50, 75 and 100 yards. The targets are painted black with a 5" white circle painted in the center of each. The hits are easy to see at first before the paint gets knocked off.

With my JM Marlin I can hit the 5" circle at 100 yards 3 out of 5 times consistently with iron sights. The 4th and 5th are just outside. This is with properly sized bullets at 1300 and 1500 fps. Good enough for me.

50 and 75 yards are gimmes.

My new 2018 Marlin is just as accurate. I have added a new scope to it to try to get that one even better but I have not had a chance to test it.

These results are with the stock buckhorn sights. And I am not a very good shot.

Best of luck,

Steve in N CA

P.S. I agree that 5 or even 10 shots groups are best for evaluation.

P.P.S. I am also amazed that guys buy new rifles and take them straight to the range for an accuracy assessment then complain when the rifle is not MOA out of the box.

Am I the only guy that still breaks in a new barrel for a couple of hundreds rounds before I get serious about judging accuracy?

[FergusonTO35]

Mine will do around two inches at 65 yards with Lee 358-125-RF over 7.2 grains IMR 4756. My eyesight won't let me shoot at anything beyond that without a scope. I'm sure a real rifleman/woman could do much better than that.

[Thumbcocker]

It is scoped

[JSnover]

Mine would shoot 3" at 100, back when my eyes were younger. I use a peep sight with the aperture removed now and it may never have been a MOA rifle but I can hit anything that insists on getting too close.

[Harter66]

I had one , a late JM . If the Sec 6 6" shot it well the Marlin added 400 fps to it and shot the same groups at 100 as the 6 at 35 . Fooling around one afternoon several of us got hits on an 8" steel plate someplace between 325-350 yd from our shooting point . All we to do was put the forward barrel band crown dead center in the bottom of the "U" on the rear sight and the bead on target about 1 dia off at 10:00 . Bang ............ Sip of sun tea ........plink . Ok a little exaggeration , no time to sip tea but a guy had plenty of time to to get heads up and see the impact .

[woody1]

What is a realistic accuracy expectation for this rifle with pb boolits at 100 yards?

Prob'ly not every day but gives you an idea

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/asset.php?fid=6438&uid=33&d=1403143620

ok why don't I get a picture here?

[robg]

Around 2 inches with the right load and shooter.lobbing them at 200 yards is a hoot with a 3 ft drop at that distance managed to get a 10 inch group .

[T-Bird]

2, 21/2 in at 100 with 8gr AA#5, Lee 158rnfp, New Mod '94 CS, 4x scope, 1400ish fps. Trigger needs work, might be better if I get it done. I've shot it maybe 500 rnds.

[Savvy Jack]

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Pulled the 357's out today and loaded up some 357's for the range in the morning. I think I will give it a whirl.

[Savvy Jack]

Well, just got back from the range...enough said...LOL [smilie=b:

[bmortell]

took me a while to get my 44 one to do good, finally got to a point where I can do 0.7 at 25yds with aperture sights. that's using plain base tumble groves PC'd watercoww, also about 8 tenths over grove and .1 shorter than max it can stabilize at 100yds and around full charge h110 or 4227. from the bit at 100yds I did since it seems like I could hit a coffee cup at 100 now. mainly it got better when I managed the gillion screws around the gun and kept my crown clean of gunk, also bevel base did very bad, and plainbase soft enough for the case to bevel the base anyway didn't do as well cause im just using normal dies.