Share your current/past experiences with lever action .357's?

[Kaos]

Since I have a .38 revolver now my interest has kind of piqued in getting a lever action rifle in .357 so I could also shoot .38's out of it. With Leverevolution ammo I guess it could also be a hunting rifle.

Does anyone have any experience with these? I know frenchy had some experience with them (may have even sold one to empty mag I think) but I know there are others. I can look up technical specs all over the place, looking for thoughts and opinions.

Thanks!

[mojo]

Hopefully EM will chime in. He can help.

[knight0334]

Marlin's will occasionally jam up with the shorter .38's in a .357mag. rifle, and will occasionally do the same with .44spl's in the .44mag rifle. ...usually though with a more worn gun than a newer.

[justashooter]

i had a 94c marlin that fed everything. the microgroove does not like soft castings, but spins hard castings up to 200 grains quite well. this is a case for handloading.

[Plain Old Bill]

I had a Marlin 1894 CS. It was pretty and nice to look at, but I will NEVER hunt with a .357 again. I chased well-hit deer for 2 years because it wasn't enough gun. Went back to 30-30s, 30-06s, 25-06s, 7.62 x 54s, and 7 x 57s. Never chased a hit deer again. Your mileage may vary.

[RoyJackson]

Originally Posted by knight0334

Marlin's will occasionally jam up with the shorter .38's in a .357mag. rifle, and will occasionally do the same with .44spl's in the .44mag rifle. ...usually though with a more worn gun than a newer.

Mine never has (yet) but I've heard some Marlin 1894Cs don't do well with .38 Spl.

[knight0334]

Originally Posted by RoyJackson

Mine never has (yet) but I've heard some Marlin 1894Cs don't do well with .38 Spl.

I've heard it called "Marlin Syndrome" and "Marlin Disease" before.

The '94s aren't the only one's known to develop it after awhile. My 4 digit SN model 1893 32Win Special has it, and I've seen it in more than a few 36's and 336's.



For the record, I am a serious hardcore Marlin and H&R/NEF fan before anyone calls me a hater.. lol

[Guns4Fun]

I have a marlin 1894cp. It's a great light handling gun. I don't shoot .38 out of it - just .357 mag. So, i can' help you there. There is no recoil out of it at all and like i said, it is light to handle and fun to shoot.

Here's a pic of her.

[Emptymag]

Originally Posted by knight0334

Marlin's will occasionally jam up with the shorter .38's in a .357mag. rifle, and will occasionally do the same with .44spl's in the .44mag rifle. ...usually though with a more worn gun than a newer.

Yes, that's what I've found to be the case with mine(.357mag. Marlin 1894). Depends on the bullet nose/shape too.

It's used(made in '72 I think), but hard to say how used, so I don't know if that has any bearing on it liking/not liking .38s.

I had done some online searches and it sounds like it's a crap shoot. Some feed 38s flawlessly, others are picky about the ammo used.

I was sort of hoping to be able to shoot .38 spcl. through mine too, but that hasn't worked out so far. Perhaps if you were to load your own, you could get a round with an overall length that works well. I don't reload, so I'll just stick to the magnums.

I bought four boxes of that Leverevolution ammo last year just to have on hand and it feeds beautifully, btw.

Overall, my only regret is not having owned one of these things YEARS ago. It's a natural pointer, and depending on what type of shit hit the fan, it would be a toss up between the lever gun and my AR.
The lever gun is a no-nonsense, no gadgets, handy-dandy, bundle of ass-kickin', magnum-spewing, righteousness straight from the wild west.

It's like the 1911 design. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If I haven't made it clear that I like my Marlin, let me just say that with my current lack of income, I may be forced to sell my guns. The AR, the AK, perhaps even my beloved Colt Pony(weeping), but I'm keeping the Marlin.


As for the ammo sharing dilemma, buy a .357 revolver. Problem solved.


From the Oct 2008 group shoot right after I got it.
(Wasn't sure how many rounds I had loaded. Holds 9, but I just loaded what I had left on me)

[Kiski Cowboy]

I use a Marlin 1894CB for my Cowboy Action Shooting rifle. I've put several thousand rounds through it, with no problems encountered. I shoot a 158 grain LTC bullet, using .38 Special cases, loaded to an OAL of 1.5", feeds very well for me.

If you like to shoot jacketed bullets, look for one with Micro-Groove rifling. If you like to shoot cast bullets, look for the CB model, as it has Ballard rifling.