.38 special rifle or .45 long colt rifle?

[John Allen]

I think either would be fine. I personally like the 45 for the big holes it makes

[hornady308]

I have a 45LC rifle and used to have a 357 Marlin. The 357 was a joy to shoot with any load, no matter how hot and recoil was just not an issue. The 45 can have some recoil when loaded with heavy boolits at top velocity. The 357 was also more accurate and cheaper to shoot. I sold my 357 since I use the 45 for plinking and hunting. The 357 would probably have worked fine for both, but I simply trust a 255 gr bullet more than a 158 when hunting.

[10x]

I've got a Rossi Ranch Hand in 44 magnum that I am turning into a truck rifle by putting a full length stock on it.
I have a Lyman tang sight. I also have the Ranch hand in 38/357 that I will put a stock and tang sight on as well.
Years ago I got a 38/357 Rossi Puma and I really like that one...A gentle shooting gun that works well with a 158 grain gas check bullet.
I want to load up some 200 grain RCBS bullets in the near future.

[hickstick_10]

I got the itch to buy another rifle. I'm struggling between the .38 and .45. Most likely they will be in the Rossi version but that is not etched in stone. I presently have both calibers in pistols but neither in rifles and thought this would be a fun toy to have. I would not hunt with the one I choose but just shoot paper and stumps on my land. I would however cast for it. Any thought or comments on which one I should choose or the rifle make? I guess it would be fair to say that I'm slightly leaning towards the .38 special/.357 magnum in the 26" blued Rossi but only slightly. I can be swayed if someone has other idea.

Easily the 357, I've owned 45s and 44 mag rifles, sold them all but kept my first and only marlin 357 mag rifle. Absolutely stingy on lead, powder and the brass refuses to die, all case losses are from me loosing track of them in tall grass.

I dont care for Rossi's long octagon barrel, its to heavy and untapered. Henry repeating arms suffers from this same defect. You're going to shoot this gun ALOT and you want it to feel nice, the rossi trappers are nice, but a step up is a used marlin 1894 or a new miroku winchester.

[HDS]

I'm never selling my .44mag '92 Rossi either, it's a great plinker too with the right load, but it's a 20" carbine, and in 44 caliber there is not a lot of steel in the barrel making for a wonderfully light and handy gun. I can't imagine a 357 with an octagonal 26" barrel being any fun, if you must have a long barrel I would look for a larger caliber because the combo of small bore and long barrel is not a nice one. My 20" octagonal 1873 in 357 really couldn't be an inch longer or it would be too heavy.

Anyway I have it so the 38/357 guns are used with black powder, the 44s are smokeless. Black powder costs a lot and a lot of it is used in contrast to smokeless so that's a big reason for the 38spl case for me. With smokeless I don't have to fill up that huge 44 case and I can just use a fast pistol powder. Haven't worn out the 500 cases I got several years ago yet, they been reloaded multiple times.

[Lead Fred]

38 for zipity dodah, 45 for slow and dumb

Marlin for the win

Rossi for the fail

[koehlerrk]

About ten years ago, I plunked down some hard-earned cash for a Marlin 1894C that eats 38 Special / 357 Magnum. Best little all-around rifle I've ever owned.

Used it as a stepping stone for all my kids to move them up from a 22 to something bigger. Loaded with 38s, it's a joy to shoot at paper all day long. Loaded with 357s, it can be potent deer medicine as the loads can rival a 30-30 in terms of energy.

It really is hard to beat.

But for me, I'm currently saving my pennies for a Rossi in 454 Casull. Load it 45 Colt and it's a happy paper puncher. Load it with 454s and it's a pocket 45-70.

Any questions?

[Idaho Mule]

Marlin 1894 in 38/357 is a great choice. I have one and love it. That being said, if it was me I would buy the 45 because I don't have one. I have to tell the truth here tho, and the little Marlin 1894 in 38/357 will NEVER be pried from my hands until I am dead. It is that good. JW

[grumman581]

Marlin 1894 in 38/357 is a great choice. I have one and love it. That being said, if it was me I would buy the 45 because I don't have one. I have to tell the truth here tho, and the little Marlin 1894 in 38/357 will NEVER be pried from my hands until I am dead. It is that good. JW

I thought about getting one of the Marlins in .45 or .44mag, but I decided on one in .45-70 instead. I can load it down to powder puff loads if I so desire or I can punish my shoulder if I am so inclined. Plus, there's something about throwing 400+ gr of lead at a hog that is just satisfying.

[Capt. Methane]

38 for zipity dodah, 45 for slow and dumb

Marlin for the win

Rossi for the fail

I'd lean towards the 38/357 but instead of the cheaper Rossi I'd go with the slightly more expensive Henry

http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-big-boy.cfm

There are mixed operational reviews on the Marlins since they got bought out...

[Jeff82]

I recommend the Marlin 1894c in 357. I had one in the '70s. Sold it and really regretted that. I eventually purchased a new one. It's the only carbine that I shoot now, and you have a wide variety of pistols to choose from that also shoot the same cartridge. Cheaper to shoot, many many loading options, flatter trajectory. It is now the only cartridge that

[old beekeeper]

Years ago, I had the same problem. I found a Marlin 1894 .357 magnum for $350 and a Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum for $375, found it almost impossible to make up my mind, so I gave the guy $725 and bought both of them, told the wife that I got drunk and didn't know what I was doing, she didn't buy my story, but I looked so sad when she said I had to get rid of one of them, she let me keep both. I've never looked back. Couple years later, I came across a 336 in .35 Remington, gave her the same story, she said I was hopeless, now I have 3 Marlins and am a happy man. However, I must tell you, the .357 is the most fun gun I have ever owned and if I had to give up all but one, I would hold on the the .357. It is accurate and just plain fun to shoot, the little carbine handles great, with a sling on it, you can carry it thru Virginia woods and not even know it is there. It will take deer and black bear, at least the one's here in Virginia, and that is about all I can ask for. With the Ranchdog 175 gr bullet, it is truly a gem. Add a peep sight and you are good to go.

Beekeeper

[starmac]

At least I now know I am not the only one called hopeless. lol

[Lonegun1894]

Lol, we're not hopeless, we're just addicts! Yep, that's it. It's NOT our fault. I mean, we got a taste, and just can't say no. It's a medical condition? Someone help me out here. I mean, it works as an excuse for some people, a lousy excuse, but if it works for them, why not us?

And I have .357s, .45s, and an looking for a .44 next, so I'm not qualified to help you make up your mind, other than saying that my .357s get the most use, if that helps.

[grumman581]

I figure that as long as I'm not buying the same exact firearm twice because I forgot that I already owned it, I'm doing fine. I've definitely bought the same CD or DVD twice because I forgot that I owned that particular album or video. So far I haven't had that happen on any of the firearms that I have bought.

[Lonegun1894]

I wish I could say that. I have also bought multiples when I was in the service because I could, at that time, buy a Winchester 94 .30-30 or an Enfield .303 cheaper locally than I could have my parents ship me the one I already had at home. Kinda sad the way that has changed, but I'm glad to have had the chance to do it, and glad to still have them. I also bought a Ruger Single Six because I couldn't find my old one for over a year. Well, A month after I bought the new one, I was cleaning out my truck, and you'll never guess what I found... Yep, I'm getting old and senile, or at least senile.

[gmsharps]

I have a Browning 357 that is a fun gun to shoot. I like the Lyman 173gr SWC but is a bit long in a 357 case so I stick it in a 38spl case and it feeds fine. I also have a couple of 45 Colt carbines. One in a Win 94 that is a blast to shoot. Some folks don't like them but mine has worked just fine for me. I had the oportunity to get a Euberti yellow boy in 45 colt and they put a special serial number on it for me, my initials and birth year. It has the original type of blue which is the bright blue that was very thin and did not wear very well hence the as we know it blue which is the darker almost black in color but wears much better.

gmsharps

[snaketail]

I have a Rossi .45 and wish I'd bought the .357. The .45 is fun to shoot and easy to reload, but it is not as accurate as I'd like. I shoot Cowboy Silhouette and the .45 is pretty much a 100 yard, and not much more, rifle. However the .357 seems to work well for the 200 yard matches.

If I were hunting with the rifle I'd stick to the .45. A hot load will do-the-trick on anything under 100 yards.

But, if I were starting over I think I'd go with the .357...if you can find one - kinda hard to find these days.

[Lonegun1894]

Snaketail,
I'm surprised you're having trouble with accuracy in your .45. Both my Rossi's are 20", one .357 and one .45, and both are equally accurate. Now my .45 seemed less accurate and leaded when I was sizing to .452", but that all went away when I started sizing to .454". No problems since then, and both calibers do great out to 300yds on paper, but the area I hunt is a lot of scrub brush so the vast majority of my hunting shots are under 100yds. I would not shoot to 300yds hunting with these though and have no idea what the performance on meat would be at that range. I have taken hog at 185yds with the .357 and 230yds with the .45 though, but those weren't planned shots, just targets of opportunity and my longest shots so far on varmints with these two guns.

[snaketail]

I'll try .454, but will have to mail order - nothing local in that size.