Lever action help in deciding.

[Wombat of Doom]

I want:

.357mag I think, but could be swayed to .45LC (or .454 casull as that out of a carbine always struck me as a super cool idea for a carbine).
Ejection out the top would be ideal. (I shoot lefty, so righty ejection is always a nuisance.)
I prefer stainless for rust resistance

I want it to go with one of my rugers and to be adequate for taking a deer. I do not care about big loops or brass or fanciness.

Now I know Marlin is an option as is Henry, Winchester, and the Italian copies.

Does anybody know what I am describing? I could compromise on ejection if I needed to.

But what thoughts or options do you prefer and why? Budget is variable, but I am not interested in NFA lever actions, or $6400 options if you know what I mean.

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[techiej]

Rossi 92's "can" be nice guns. Some people have had problems so I would only buy one that I could handle - at least cycle the action - in person. The only other problems I have heard of were some that would not reliably cycle either 38 or 357 (they would do one or the other well).

I have a Rossi 92 (24" octagon barrel) and it is incredibly accurate (I've only shot it out to about 120 yards) and easy to shoot even with full power 357 loads. The only thing I have done to it were to clean/lube then cycled the action (just the lever) a few hundred times and then cleaned/lubed again. Mine feeds 38 & 357 equally well.

I now have just shy of 2,000 rounds of 357 through it without a hitch. Very fun gun and eventually will get a peep style ladder sight and leather wrap for it.

A good forum for these is Rossi Rifleman • Index page

 

[GOG]

I had a pre cross-bolt safety Marlin in .357 and it was accurate and great fun to shoot.
I'm pretty sure there's a Henry .357 for sale in the classifieds here.

FWIW, I only have experience with a Henry .22 Mare's Leg, but it was an extremely well made little rifle. I got rid of it because it was just too awkward to shoot accurately.

I'm trying to remember which rifle ejects where and I'm drawing a lot of blanks.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

Its not the end of the world. I'm a lefty shooter. Bolt actions have always been a pain in the arse. I don't think I want a mare's leg either. Those henrys look tempting, but the ones I have tried have had VERY stiff actions. DO they loosen up and smooth out with time?

 

[GOG]

Mine was slick right out of the box. I'm surprised, maybe their QC is slipping as they gain a larger share of the market.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

Or maybe I just grabbed a couple ones with really stiff actions. I mean, they felt like they might break in nice, but might is not what I want to spend that much money on. I am kind of curious. How does their qualit compare to the newer Marlins for example?

 

[Aero Denezol]

I've heard Marlin has cleaned up their quality after a long rough patch. Who knows if it's true.

As of the initial review in Guns&Ammo (2015) of the 1894 in .44 mag, there was supposed to be a .38/.357 in the works. I have yet to see it and would be very interested as it could share ammo with my revolver.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Everyone wants a .357 lever gun. I'd not bother dicking around and just get a Henry. lol
I don't think you'd be disappointed.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

Everyone wants a .357 lever gun. I'd not bother dicking around and just get a Henry. lol
I don't think you'd be disappointed.

Well I wasn't sure about that or Marlin. The big boy steel all weather stainless one does call out to me. While I prefer the look of blued steel, the utility of stainless sways me. Are the Henry's really just the best current choice? (excluding the customs and insanely expensive ones)

 

[Aero Denezol]

FWIW the Henry Big Boy is about $100 more than the Marlin 1894 and is backordered at Cabelas.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Well I wasn't sure about that or Marlin. The big boy steel all weather stainless one does call out to me. While I prefer the look of blued steel, the utility of stainless sways me. Are the Henry's really just the best current choice? (excluding the customs and insanely expensive ones)

For me they are. And that's what I'd get, the steel or stainless 20".
You won't be gambling on if it's a clunker or whatever.
I'd likely put a peep sight on it.
Some guys poo poo the tube mag but growing up with Marlin Glenfield .22's, I think they are awesome.. so easy and fast to load. Some guys re-index the tube so that the tube and barrel form a trough that you can just lay/line up the cartridges on and they'll just fall into the loading port.

 

[Howard1955]

I just saw a Winchester .357 over on gunbroker for $945. Not stainless. Expensive, but I think Winchester does eject out of the top.

Here's the link:

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/700004623

 

[teflon6string]

What are you going to shoot with it? If it's just for plinking and small/med game, it's hard to beat the .357 for versatility.

.38, ,38+P, and .357 mag, factory and reloads, wad-cutters, semi-wads and hollow points (I avoid primered ball ammo in tube fed weps). All cycle smoothly in my Marlin with nothing special on it but a nylon sling.

Got mine cheap brand new, the plainjane Big-5 edition with really unremarkable wood furniture (burl of packing crate I think) and no checking. Works for me. It's just a fun plinker, and I'd be afraid to ding up the pretty finish on a nicer rifle.

Be careful "fanning" the action on any lever gun, especially a clunky new one. My friend bled more than a little when I failed to brief him on fingers getting caught between fast moving metal parts with a factory fresh sharpened trigger. My fault completely but we're still buds.

 

[41mag]

I would urge you to look at an Uberti clone of the 1873 Winchester. Mine is in 45LC. When I first got it (used) was rather disappointed.....took it to get slicked up a bit & made proper into a SASS match gun, which added maybe nearly $200 to the price.

It is the most delightful and sweet 140 year old design you could ever imagine!!! Slick, smooth, great accuracy, able to tolerate any load you want up to SAAMI specs. If you reload might as well use a most satisfying caliber. The last time I figured out the cost per reload, it was something around 14 cents a round for the 250 gr flat RNL version.

A while back here I touched on my own prejudices on the lever-gun choices. Really a matter of what you like & what the mission of the carbine will be.

The second best I had was a slicked up 1895 Marlin 45. Had a Rossi 92 in 45 for better part of a decade. It would eat anything I fed it. At times 3 or 4 would use it at a match. Never had any troubles with it, other than it more resembled an agricultural implement than a fine handling carbine.....

If you want actual rifle-length cartridge even the Win 94 works well. For rapid pistol cartridge there's too much downside for them to be competitive in a speed contest.

 

[osprey]

New Marlins still have a high rate of QC issues despite what you read. If you can't handle it in person and carefully check it out pass on buying a new one. Most all Marlins 2007 and earlier are great but command almost new prices if in good shape. The Henry rifles are great and put new the Marlins to shame. If you can abide by the tube loading they are a great option but they side eject to the right like Marlins. The Henry rifles in 45 have a faster twist 1:16 for heavy bullets which is great, although the action still constrains you to using 260gr bullets or less. Rossi is a wild card I haven't handled or shot and I hear mixed reviews. Find an older Winnie and you probably would be happy although they also command a pretty hefty price. I hear the new ones made in Japan are well made but the really want a mint for them. If it were me I would get a new Henry or look for a used Winny or a 2007 or ealier Marlin. GL.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

So, its been a while, but I decided on a plain Jane Henry big boy 357 rifle. No octagon barrel, no fancy crud. Walnut and blued steel. Got her this evening. Feels light and small and will be a perfect companion to my gp100. The action felt silky on this one.

 

[GOG]

Congratulations. Shoot the heck out of it.

 

[cigars]

If you want to go big, grab something in 45-70govt.
Whatever it hits will go THUD and just fall down. Besides, it's fairly readily available ammo.

 

[aasbra]

So, its been a while, but I decided on a plain Jane Henry big boy 357 rifle. No octagon barrel, no fancy crud. Walnut and blued steel. Got her this evening. Feels light and small and will be a perfect companion to my gp100. The action felt silky on this one.

Enjoy it! My Dad has a Henry like that in 44 mag. I fired it a couple weeks ago and was impressed with the accuracy (for what it is) and smoothness of the action. We were knocking down steel at 100 yards or farther consistently. Definitely smoother and less stiff action than my remlin 1894 45 colt I picked up earlier this year. Nice rifle.

 

[Colts4me]

357 makes sense to me if I was going to buy a pistol caliber lever gun, cheap to shoot and lots of fun. I dont own one but now you put a bug in my ear to buy one.