357mag/38spl single shot carbine for woodswalking

[besk]

I put an 18" 357 Mag adapter/insert in a Stevens 94 20ga. Not a tack driver but probably accurate enough for bunnies at woods ranges.

I have a 14" 357 Mag. adapter/insert in my Stevens 94 16ga barrel. Plenty accurate for my use with 2x Leopold scope mounted.
I hand load 357 down to a little above 38 sp +P pressures though.

[Buckdane]

Yep, my grandson has shot my 22rf Contender carbine and opening it is a bit of a challenge. My main idea was so he could learn more on a regular rifle. The grip on a Contender is just different enough, and big enough, to make it a chore for little hands. After all, he is the oldest and there are 4 more behind him. A straight grip or even a shallow pistol grip accommodates more hand sizes. The Contender carbine is perfect for an older person. I love mine with the 21" 25/20 barrel and just picked up a SSK 18" 41mag barrel with the T/C factory taper.

[uscra112]

The Contender really isn't strong enough for the .357 Max. I did one and I regret spoiling what had been a perfectly good .38 Spl. barrel. The weakness is why the Encore was created.

I only use the .22 K-Hornet barrel on mine now.

I could load the Max barrel to .38 pressures, I suppose.

[Baltimoreed]

Had the perfect rifle for your boy a while back, a Martini Cadet in .357. A good shooter but I found a more correct Cadet so it got sold.

[Jim22]

ruger makes a m77 in 38/357

Yes and I have one. Like all Ruger rifles it is tough and workmanlike. Down side like all Rugers, it needs trigger work. There is also a shim kit available to tighten up the two-piece bolt joint. It shares one feature with their 10-22. The rotary magazine is a PITA. Someone makes a kit to make both magazines easier to install/remove. Another $50. The rifle,s accuracy is about on a par with my Marlin 94C. Another thing I have discovered is that the Ruger's chamber is a little more generous than the Marlin chamber. I had a box of cast boolit loads for te Marlin. I installed a Lee factory crimp into the crimp groove. That caused the brass to expand so it would not chamber in the Marlin but it works fine in the Ruger. YMMMV of course.

Jim

[Rapier]

A suggestion: With the Marlin 94C you would need to pick the bullets and brass, develop cartridges just for the 94, so the loaded rounds then fit a Smith or Colt revolver cylinder, length and diameter. A double duty cartridge gauge. I used my Python to gauge my loads, with the 200g RCBS bullets in Winchester brass, brass,, 205m primers and a good bit of H-110. You can do the same thing with the Remington 200 RN, using either of the 200s for hunting.
I have had a 94C for a few decades, it has a low variable power scope on it. It is a bit heavy for a 9 year old, down side, not to carry but to hold and aim, up side is it does offer a lifetime gun. I put the package together for my grandson, when the 94Cs were cheap.

[gunther]

Some 9 year olds are more responsible than others, which goes for adults, too. Considering the trouble and expense of all these conversions. It looks to me like a 357 revolver in a shoulder holster is a lot cheaper and easier to go through the woods with. Especially is there are hills to climb.

[Texas by God]

If you can find one, a Rossi Matched Pair is a great gun for a 9 year old. Interchangeable. 22LR and .410 gauge barrels. I added a foam recoil pad to keep recoil from 3" shells from being a distraction. My grown son still has it and it has never malfunctioned with either barrel.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[2152hq]

Savage 219 top lever opening hammerless break open single shot.
I like the early edition that are striker fired.
The later have an internal hammer and yet later use a side lever to open the action.

30-30 and 22 hornet are the most common calibers they are found in.
But some were made in 32-20 and I believe 25-20.

The Savage Model 220 break open shotgun 16ga & 20ga shotgun bbl will fit the action as well.

You have to use the bbl from the same action design era as the 219 action .

Some people have had the 22hornet guns rebored or sleeved to 38special and other such cartridges.
They make a nice walkin' around rifle.

[Jim22]

A good action to build on?

This whole thread has inspired me to look into a small, light weight single shot rifle for casual woods walking. Looking at the Italian manufacturers has been frustrating because they no longer make what I'd like to find. Does anyone know of someone who makes a miniature rolling block or falling block action for such a project?

Jim

[uscra112]

The only really small actions I know of, Stevens 1915 Favorite, Model 101, Hopkins & Allen Junior, Remington #4 rolling block, et.al. aren't strong enough for .38 Special, never mind .357. If you decide to drop back to the .32 S&W, those little 4-pound actions I mentioned will do nicely. They all were made in .32 RF.

Much as I dislike them (and I do - they're ugly) the T/C Encore is one I can think of the would be safe.

A Martini Cadet, (another truly ugly action) would also do, I suppose.

Much as I like my Savage 219 (first model), it's a bit heavy for all-day carry in the woods.

There are some small break-opens "youth" shotguns chambered .410 that would look good if I knew anything about them.

[Jim22]

T

There are some small break-opens "youth" shotguns chambered .410 that would look good if I knew anything about them.

Hmm, I have a Snake Charmer single shot in .410 that I never use. Barrel is short and so is the buttstock. I don't think the barrel would be a problem but what about the buttstock? I suspect I could make up a stock or an extension. Has anyone tried this?

Should I start a new thread?

Jim

[blackbahart]

here are 2 martini's in 357 max
short and handy

[uscra112]

Here's a possibility. Stub a .357 barrel onto it. Chamber .38 Spl and chamber with a reamer that cuts a proper throat.

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/927424102

[Milsurp Junkie]

Also keep in mind that the above Savage 94 was also used in other store brands like Sears.

[Milsurp Junkie]

The 45 LC to 20 gauge 11" adapter i got from Chazell is accurate enough that i want to see what it will do with real iron sights. I found a 20 gauge Rossi barrel that locks up tight with the 243 rifle (rebored by JES to 358 win), the only problem is the forearm stud is in the wrong place for this barrel! Trying to find a new forearm, or move the stud! The idea is that i will order an 18" 357 to 20 gauge adapter for a woods loafer rifle/shotgun combination.

[Milsurp Junkie]

So another option would be to get JES to rebore a 223 single shot to 357 max. Rossis can be found pretty cheap. I know a couple of folks were so frustrated with their 243s that they would have almost given them away. Reboring fixes the accuracy issue.

[Daekar]

The 45 LC to 20 gauge 11" adapter i got from Chazell is accurate enough that i want to see what it will do with real iron sights. I found a 20 gauge Rossi barrel that locks up tight with the 243 rifle (rebored by JES to 358 win), the only problem is the forearm stud is in the wrong place for this barrel! Trying to find a new forearm, or move the stud! The idea is that i will order an 18" 357 to 20 gauge adapter for a woods loafer rifle/shotgun combination.

This makes me wonder if it would be possible to make an adapter insert for the Rossi Tuffy. They're light, small, and cheap!

Admittedly, I have no idea what goes into making a good adapter. I assume a nice tight fit with the hosting chamber, but beyond that...

EDIT: So apparently this is a thing, I had no idea. Here's a .410 > 38spl adapter available in 3 different lengths depending on how much weight you're willing to add to the gun: https://chaszel.com/product/38-shotgun-adapters/ That makes the Tuffy a whole lot more desirable. I need one like a hole in my head, but now I want one, dammit.

[nhithaca]

I want one of Chaszel's chamber adapters in 410 (bore @ 0.415")x32 H&R with a length of 16-18". Should be easily doable w/ a 0.312-0.313" bore. Would allow for about a 0.050" +/- wall thickness. E-mailed them through the e-bay site; no answer.

[Milsurp Junkie]

Yeah, i thought about the 410, but i didnt have one and did have a 20 and 12 gauge single shot. The Rossi 358 win was a loner in a sea of H&Rs. I have debated selling it and using the proceeds to get JES to do one of the extra 243 Win H&R barrels that I have...but it is already set up. The guy sold it to me at a loss, because he had a hard time finding ammo. Easy peasy if you reload!