Rossi 357 lever vs new marlin 1894

[curdog]

I have been wanting a levergun in 357 and I was wondering which of these two rifles would be the best choice. I value y"alls opinion and thank you in advance...…………………...Curdog

[Der Gebirgsjager]

The Remlins seem to have their problems worked out, and that would be my choice. On the other hand, Rossi seems to be inconsistent in quality control. Some very good, some not so good without some TLC.

[phonejack]

The Marlin will be the best "off the shelf" buy, and more expensive. However, I took my Rossi apart and smoothed the inner surfaces with whetstones and jewelers files. While I was doing that I refinished the wood. I eventually put a tang rear and globe front sight on it. It feeds flawlessly swc's and hp's in 38 and 357. The model I have is a stainless 24" octogon barrel.

[Nobade]

Depends on which action type you like, and how heavy bullets you want to shoot. Rossi is 1:20 twist so won't handle big bullets.

[Texas by God]

I agree with DG. I've had three Rossi .357s and they all needed tuning to function. Marlin all the way.

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[quail4jake]

I don't know if Remlins have microgroove rifling but if it does it will likely need a larger diameter boolit, mine uses a .360 sized 180 gr NOE rnfp. As a result I've wound up with different ammo for my 1894 which I label ".357 Marlin".

[Froogal]

Rossi is the best bargain. IF you can find one.

[dverna]

I have two Marlins and an 1873 clone. Sold the Rossi I had.

You will find the Rossi a bit more challenging to disassemble. The Marlins are very easy to slick up.

[Gray Fox]

I shoot the RD 175 grain RNFP in my Rossi carbines with no problem at near max loads of 2400 and good accuracy. It does produce some recoil in the 16" vs the 20" carbines, although the 16" is about the perfect size for form and function. I've read that 16" gets about all that can be gotten from a .357, even with slow powders. I have the BSA 2 power pistol scopes on all of them and so far they have worked just fine. GF

[Speedo66]

I don't have a Marlin, so no direct comparison. What I can say is if you are going to use it for a field gun, from the specs, the Marlin is about 30% heavier. Plus it costs quite a bit more.

I've had good luck with my Rossi, worked great right out of the box, and find it to be very accurate.

[trapper9260]

My Rossi it is a 16" and take what ever I put in it . heavy boolits also

[beechbum444]

Follow thread with interest ....I’m a marlin fan

[trapper9260]

I got the Rossi because the price was right. Other wise I would of got a Marlin. I like the Marlin's I have in 44 mag and 30-30 .

[kaiser]

I have two Puma's (Rossi) in that caliber with one in SS and one blued. They both function well with .38Spl or .357 loaded interchangeably, although I did smooth up the SS model a tad. Both of mine are 16" BBL, which I agree is almost the perfect length for the cartridge, rifle weight (under 6 pounds), and recoil. The 180gr XTP and lead of the same weight work well in either. Paco Kelly claims the '92 action will tolerate more pressure than the Marlins; I'm happy with the standard .357 magnum loads of "old". I have some Marlins and certainly like them in 30/30, 444, and .35Rem for their weight, size, and portability. The Marlin in a .357, to me, is heavier than it needs to be. The 1894 in a .44Mag and .45Colt match up perfectly; however I sent both down the road long ago and opted for a 1873 Uberti in the Colt. My .02.

[AnthonyB]

I don’t have a Marlin so can’t compare the two. I have three Rossis and love them. They all need the Steve’sGunz modifications; watching his video and doing the work yourself will teach you a lot about the rifle. Takedown is not an issue once you learn it, although the Marlin is faster to remove the bolt for a quick cleaning. I prefer the feel of the Rossi over the Marlins I have handled.
Tony

[robg]

Are you going to scope it? If so marlin is the one

[Texas by God]

Save a little more money and get a Uberti Winchester 73 copy. Those are nice.

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[curdog]

I looked at both today and the jury is still out. I like the 92 and how it feels handy. I like the marlin as I have a 30 30 and a 35 rem. I want a woods rifle for bumming around and will not scope it. Thanks for the suggestions...……………………..Curdog

[LUBEDUDE]

I’ll preface by saying all the rifles need work for Cowboy Action if optimum performance is desired. However, speaking of box stock rifles, a Marlin or an Uberti usually do ok. But I don’t recall ever seeing a 92 or New Henry survive a match without issues.

My point is, even though you may not use it for Competition, a Marlin or Uberti has a better chance of being more reliable than a 92- box stock wise.

(I’m not bashing 92s, I have a handful of them, just not a 357)

[Walks]

Just about every Cowboy Shooter I met when I started SASS in 1987 Shot a Rossi to start.
And they ALL needed work. 2-3 Gunsmiths would come out to END of TRAIL & WINTER RANGE, to fix Broken Rossi's. And when they came out in .45Colt, the problems multiplied. I Won a Rossi in 1994 at EOT. Cost me $100 bucks to get it to work right.
They haven't improved much.

Marlins; the JM's are Great guns.
The new Remlins seem to be back up to Snuff.
My Nephew got a .44Mag in March for His ( from His Wife No Less ) Birthday.

Worked well mechanically, shot well when he put scope on it for accuracy testing. It apparently LOVES the N.O.E. TL432-240-RF PC'd Bullets I sent him, He actually wants to start casting his own bullets.

Buy American, it's worth the money.

That's why a Rossi will cost as much as a Marlin in the end.

[jmort]

I have two Rossi 92s
Both have been tuned by the top gun smiths for 92s
Jim Bowie of the Cowboys and Indians Store and
Nate Kiowa Jones of Steve's Gunzs
Strongest action and slick actions if they are tuned
Since you did not mention playing cowboy games
A Marlin makes sense. Faster than the 92, but weaker action.
Not a fast action, but respectable.
I wanted strength.
Steve's Gunz's sells parts and DVD for tuning the Rosdi 92s
It will take many months to get one tuned by him
I just waited
If you want speed a tuned Urberti1873 with a short stroke kit is the way to go and will cost you $1,500 plus. Those are crazy smooth/fast
The Winchesters are good to go out of the box but are pricey

[Hogokansatsukan]

Owned a Rossi in .357 and sold it. Have had a few Remlins in .44 mag. Sold those.
Was looking for another .357 lever gun recently to go with my Smith 686 plus and the darn jerk at the gun store showed me a Marlin 1894 CSBL... It went home with me.
246036

Smooooooth out of the box. Very accurate and as I discovered today... will even feed .38 full wadcutters (Lee 358-148) as if they were round nose. I'm a fan of short barrels, so this at 16.5 was perfect. You get what you pay for, and sometimes you get less. In this case, it was worth every penny.

My NOE 360-172 is too long in .357 brass (won't get out of the tube all the way and onto the carrier because of the length), but perfect in 38.

Was going to put a scope or red dot on it but found I could still easily hit "stuff" with my old eyes and the peep sights on it.

[sandog]

Nice looking pair, hogokansatsukan.
I'd like to find a stainless Marlin (or Rossi) to go with my Smith 686.

[rockrat]

Have an older pre-safety Rossi 24" bbl gun and a recent Marlin. The Marlin is lighter and the durn thing even feeds full wadcutters. I like the Rossi, but it can be problematic on feeding. Sometimes a little "juggle" on the lever is needed to feed. I like the longer barrel on the Rossi (wish Marlin had put a 20" tube on the 357) and was hesitant on getting the Marlin because of the shorter barrel (18.5"). MIght end up selling the Rossi and getting a '73 as I like the pistol grip and can get a 24" tube.

[PerpetualStudent]

For me the fit and heft matters a lot. The henry's (not mentioned in the thread title but a relevant option) feel too heavy for as short as they are. The short rossi's feel like toys to me. But the Rossi 92 with a 24" barrel? Man that just FITS me. It's not light but it feels right. Points naturally. And since Rossi is the only one that makes a 24" barrel for less than a grand that kind of makes my choice for me.

I'll probably wind up getting the steve gunz dvd, and a set of jeweler's files to do the work. Play around with loads and add a strap. But it feels right. YMMV.

[jt1]

What type of rifling does the CBSL have? I've looked all over Marlin's site and can't find any info.

Thnaks, John

[cwlongshot]

All the “Cowboy” rifles had Ballard (conventional) rifling.

CW

[curdog]

I went into the gunshop today and bought the marlin. It looks pretty nice and is not as nice as the old ones but it is what it is.
I will shoot it next week and give a report. I like to buy American when I can...…………….Curdog

[sghart3578]

I'm looking forward to your review.


Steve in N CA

[T-Bird]

I've got a Marlin 94 cs that I bought last year, it has conventional rifling and I love it. I shoot Lee 358-158 in it mostly, but I've got an LBT 180 gr load it loves too.

[curdog]

I took the marlin to the range today. I shot 50 rounds of 357 mag 360640 lubed with bac and a healthy dose of 2400 powder. I also shot some 38 specials 158 gr swc with some bullseye.
The rifle shot everything well and at 50 yards I had about a coffee cup size group with the 357 mags. I had no malfunctions at all everything fed and cycled as they should. I think it will serve the purpose of a walking around the woods rifle and shoots as good as my 64 year old eyes can see with the factory irons. I am happy with it and would buy it again. Life is good...…………………..Curdog

[curioushooter]

To me there is no question here. The Marlin wins simply because you CAN mount a good sight, scope, or dot on it. That open top of the 92 means a weird side mounted sight or a forward mount.
Add to this the fact that I've never found a Rossi that didn't have at least one problem that couldn't be solved by some kitchen table gunsmith. All the BS workarounds I see guys go through. Some don't like 357 mag brass. Some don't like 38. Some need an OAL to be in a narrow range. Barrel quality all over the place. And never any pride in owning it. After you've spent as much money making it shoot as well as a Marlin or Henry would off the shelf you'll still have a knock off Winchester made in Brazil...it's street price will be the same or lower.

As to all of the strength nonsense. The Marlins and Henry's have long demonstrated they are strong enough for the cartridges they are chambered for. You won't wear them out, especially a 357. So any supposed strength advantage to the 92 is MOOT. Unless you go off book or are some wildcatter it's of no consequence. If you want a lever gun with real power go buy a Browning BLR. That's not what the pistol caliber guns are all about IMO.

I purchased a Remlin 1894c 357 about six months ago and put it through its paces. It outclasses every pistol caliber lever gun I've had contact with in my opinion. Better than my old Marlins (supposed pre safety golden years models) better than any Brazilian piece which my friend has about a dozen of not one of which works any better, and even better than my father in law's Henry cowboy edition with the heavy barrel. It's more accurate, just as smooth, feeds everything well so far (haven't tried any wadcutters), and I can actually hit what I am aiming for with the little 2.5x Leopold on it. I did almost as well with my in law's Skinner sight on the Henry until the aperture started to back out (so much for irons being more "durable").
I am not into pretending I'm a fake cowboy where aesthetics matter more than function. I hunt with my 1894 and demand that it works well.

[Hogokansatsukan]

I decided my old eyes needed help... and why let that rail go to waste?

246556

246557

NOE 360-182 WFN, CP, and HP after being powder coated. Gas checked and pushed with 16.9 grains of 300MP.
They weigh in at 180, 176, and 167 grains respectively, and chronoed at an average of 1805, 1822, and 1829, again respectively.

246559

50 yard group with the HP. Impact doesn't seem to change between the 3. Shot leaning against the Jeep with a lot of coffee and nicotine in my system. I'll take it.

246560

I'm so impressed with this new Remlin, I just ordered an 1895 GBL in 45-70... because I hate my shoulder.

I think you made the right choice curdog.

[onelight]

Nice gun and boolits ! I like um all.

[Jeff Michel]

save a little more money and get a uberti winchester 73 copy. Those are nice.

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this^^^^^^^

[robg]

Got a 45-70 slb at a show last year put a Nikon shotgun scope on it ,deburred reciver at loading gate as it bit me .shoots great feeds great feels nice .almost like it more than my win 94 ,almost.

[curdog]

I was out shooting sharps rifles with some friends yesterday evening and I took the little marlin 357 mag with me. I was ringing the gong at 100 yards with the marlin using 360640 and 2400 powder and having a ball. The little rifle is working out just fine...…………………..curdog

[pietro]

.

I've had both a Marlin 1894 & a Rossi Model 92, and the differences I've found are:

* The Marlin is waaay more easily scoped and/or have a peepsight added than the Rossi.

* The Marlin is also waaay more expensive to buy than the Rossi.

* The Marlin is usually smooth operation right out of the box; most Rossi are likewise smooth - but any that are not smooth operating are fairly easy to correct.


For me, there are only two things I would consider: price and the ability to easily mount a scope.

YMMV, of course...…. :D



.

[curioushooter]

Rossis are hardly any cheaper if you compare similar trim levels. If you can find a Rossi wearing walnut it costs about the same. If you go buy one with trashy wood and go buy good furniture for it you will have spent the same money AND had to through the hastle of fitting it.

[curioushooter]

Rossis are hardly any cheaper if you compare similar trim levels. If you can find a Rossi wearing walnut it costs about the same. If you go buy one with trashy wood and go buy good furniture for it you will have spent the same money AND had to through the hastle of fitting it. I bought a Remlim new with warranty for $632. Street prices for used Rossis are in that vicinity. I never bough a used Marlin for more than $450. But those lousy center fire microgroove barrels...I sold every one after years of proving to myself that paper patching was the only way to go. Do yourself a favor and get a new marlin or Henry (I am anticipating a steel side gate one in my future).

[jstanfield103]

I have a New Marlin 1894CSBL in .357 Mag. I use to have a Rossi 92 in .357 Mag. I like my 16" Stainless Marlin better and Marlin has all the kinks worked out of their rifles. I would not hesitate to buy another Marlin as long as it was not one of their earlier models. Being a 357 it should not be. I also loved my Rossi but needed funds at the time and had to sell it. It was also a great rifle and muchly missed. But not as nice as my Marlin.

https://i.postimg.cc/8PZ3XNHZ/2018-1894-SCBL-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/dLT4LMgC)