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Thread: which .357 lever rifle?
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December 27th, 2018, 03:18 PM #11
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December 27th, 2018, 04:02 PM #12
Re: which .357 lever rifle?
LOL!
I rest my case.
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December 27th, 2018, 04:18 PM #13
Re: which .357 lever rifle?
The original Henry rifles as well as the Spencer rifles were tube fed. Side gate feed came along much later with the 1873 Winchester. The problem with Winchester has always been the top eject.
Corruption is the default behavior of government officials. JPC
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December 27th, 2018, 04:57 PM #14Super Member
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Re: which .357 lever rifle?
I've had the Henry for about five years. It is a well made, smooth, accurate rifle with solid US customer service if you have any issues.
I reload, and have shot everything from mouse fart .38 loads to full power .357 mag, and it cycles all of them well. The action is silky, and gets even better over time.
Reloading from the tube is fast and easy. I added a strip of grip tape on the knurled knob on the tube to make it easier to grip in cold weather.
When I bought it, my main consideration was quality and accuracy. Hickok45 has some YouTube videos on recent Marlins, and he compared the new production with an older rifle, and the new one did not compare favorably.
If you can't find someone with one to shoot, at least handle them all and cycle the lever in the gunshop. That will tell you a lot.
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December 27th, 2018, 05:35 PM #15
Re: which .357 lever rifle?
I like the Rossi 92 because it's a copy of the Winchester 92 and I like the slickness of that action. However, if you get the Rossi, you may need to replace the ejector spring with one that has less force. This is a well-known problem with Rossi 92s in 357; the cartridges "hang up" on the feed ramp because the ejector spring pushes on the case head with too much force and that misaligns the cartridge as well as the lever can't exert the right amount of force in the right place to counter the ejector spring force and the action "locks up" with the cartridge caught with the case tight against the feed ramp and the bullet nose against the top of the ID of the chamber.
There's a regular Hillman spring (hardware store spring assortment) that works like a charm to remedy the issue but I forget the stock number at the moment. I can look it up in my notes and spare parts assortment.
Regarding Marlin, the newest of the new production (less than a year) is MUCH improved from that since the relocation from North Haven to Ilion. I don't own one, but a few shooting buddies have them and they are good to go, even if they have a laser-engraved QR code on the receiver, and I've mounted scopes for other folks on theri new Marlins. Fit and finish consistency is greatly improved. I would not be afraid of a Marlin made in 2018 or later.
I own four Marlin 1894s in 357; one with a 16-1/2" barrel, one with a 20" round barrel, one with a 20" octagonal barrel, and one with a 24" octagonal barrel. The 16-1/2" I made from another 20" 1894 that I bought as a disassembled box of parts that Bubba got tired of. The metal had a thin protective coating of "rust dust" that had not yet started to pit metal, and it carded off very nicely. The wood I worked with using a cabinet scraper to remove the old finish and the abomination of a finish that Bubba tried to apply without success. I had a friend 'smith mill the barrel for a dovetail in which to set back the front sight, then cut and crowned the barrel at 16-1/2" and moved the front band back as well. Several coats of rubbed oil finish on the furniture and then reassembly and it's a sweet-handling little "trapper" that Marllin never made.
Henry makes a great rifle, but I can't get excited about them. I've fired them in 22 LR, 22 Mag, 30-30, 357 Mag, 44 Mag, and 45-70, but I find them heavy and the least "realistic" of the three -- Rossi, Marlin, and Henry. Pretty, with excellent workmanship, but they just don't seem "real" to me.
NoahWisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.
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December 27th, 2018, 06:18 PM #16
Re: which .357 lever rifle?
I gave my daughter a Rossi .357 for her 21st birthday - great all around little rifle. I've looked for one for me since then but to no avail - they seem to be few and far between.
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December 27th, 2018, 06:24 PM #17
Re: which .357 lever rifle?
I have a Henry Big Boy Steel in .357 mag. It's my second one. Works well for just about anything short of cowboy action. I bought it for that purpose and it's just not fast enough, nor is it designed for that kind of abuse. The extractor on mine broke during a SASS match and Henry sent me a new one. Installed that and tried to run it again and broke that extractor too. Sent the whole rifle back to Henry and they sent me a new rifle. Bought a Rossi to hold me over until my Henry came back. I had to do a whole slew of things to get it to run reliably. It doesn't like 38 special. Ejects multiple cartridges each time I work the lever fast. Have to run a longer loaded 38 just for it. But it's a fun gun and faster than my wife's Marlin 1894, though her gun is probably the best 357 lever gun I've used or owned. It's lightweight, accurate, and has been 100% reliable. But it's also a JM. One of the reasons I didn't buy a Marlin 1894 of my own is because it was hard to find a reasonably priced JM. All of them were up around the same price as a new 1873. The Henry was expensive, but it ran great until it broke. Runs great now, but I don't trust it for cowboy competition. Now I just use the Rossi for cowboy action and couldn't be happier. I'd use my Henry, Rossi, or the Marlin for hunting any day of the week, however.
And a note to anyone that bitches about not being able to side load a Henry - learn to use the fucking gun. You can side load rounds into a Henry. No need stick a round into the loading gate and work the action. It's already open and waiting for you. Drop a round in, shoot, repeat. You can do the same with just about any other levergun, but the Henry chamber is bigger and easiest of all the ones I've tried.
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December 27th, 2018, 10:12 PM #18Active Member
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Re: which .357 lever rifle?
I had the Rossi 92 back when I was in the military. I loved that thing. I kick myself everytime I think of buying a new lever action because I traded it off 20 years ago. If I was ever going to buy another 357/38 lever action it would be the Rossi.
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December 27th, 2018, 11:26 PM #19Grand Member
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Re: which .357 lever rifle?
Get the Henry and don't look back. It gets my vote. As an FYI I do have a real Marlin 1895 and I love it. The wood on a Henry is better in my opinion. The action on the Henry is smoother in my opinion. The company is also better in my opinion.
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December 28th, 2018, 12:57 PM #20
Re: which .357 lever rifle?
Ron USAF Ret E-8 FFL01/SOT3 NRA Benefactor Member
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