Thread: Lever action

I'm thinking about getting a lever action in 357 - for fun and goat hunting

Open sights - would like to have appiture sights (ghost or similar)

I tried a Rossi 92 and a Marlin (in 30-30) today - the Rossi was smoother and much better trigger

What should I be looking at?

Also what's the noise like out of a 16 or 20 inch barrel?
Compared to suppressed 223

I guess suppressing isn't a option?!

the triggers and actions on Rossi's can be easily improved. i have a 44 mag stainless version with 20" barrel. unfired as yet but maybe soon.............

Older marlins have smoother actions, But the more you cycle them, the smoother it'll be. I prefer the marlin 336, but if you want iron sights, you can never go wrong with the winchester 1894...

You can suppress if you are prepared to lose some mag capacity [for over barrel suppressor]. I spoke to Gunworks about 12 months ago about doing a .44 mag and he reckoned that it could easily be done an still have a 8-10 round mag capacity. Otherwise, go for a can.

Just in case you need some added motivation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDx6SIJ7N5I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2bHKh2eDis

I ended up buying a marlin camp 9, but am still itching for a lever gun again. In the past 3 years I have seen 2 marlin .410 lever guns come up and procrastinated too long on both. Would make an ideal orchard gun.

Have a look at th Chiappa series as they do make very short pistol calibre lever actions. I didn't like the Rossi's personally but nothing wrong with them.

Maybe a dumb question but how do you clean the bore on a lever gun?

I know some guys that shoot the cowboy stuff and apparently the Rossi 92 in 38 Special / 357 Mag can have feeding issues when worked fast, but the 44/40 & 44 Mag series are ok. Food for thought.

Originally Posted by bully

Maybe a dumb question but how do you clean the bore on a lever gun?

good question . . . if its a Marlin takes 2 seconds to take out the lever screw, pull out the bolt and clean as per any rifle from the chamber - if its a Rossi ( 92 Winchester copy ) its a real bastard to dissassemble and probably cleaned from the muzzle by most owners.

i own both . . . the Marlin is a better design and 30/30 is a better cartridge loaded from subsonic to factory spec . . others may see it differently of course

there have been a couple of suppressed Marlins on TM recently . . . mine was done by Status Guns in Invers

both will do what you want so probably cost of ammo will be more important than anything else.

Originally Posted by rossi.45

good question . . . if its a Marlin takes 2 seconds to take out the lever screw, pull out the bolt and clean as per any rifle from the chamber - if its a Rossi ( 92 Winchester copy ) its a real bastard to dissassemble and probably cleaned from the muzzle by most owners.

i own both . . . the Marlin is a better design and 30/30 is a better cartridge loaded from subsonic to factory spec . . others may see it differently of course

there have been a couple of suppressed Marlins on TM recently . . . mine was done by Status Guns in Invers

both will do what you want so probably cost of ammo will be more important than anything else.

Do you have a photo?
I would be after a 357

I'm guessing the Marlin can be cleaned up - just felt very tight

I have a Marlin model 1894 CS in .357 mag and like it very much. It has the 18" barrel and is compact and handy for using in scrubby country or stalking up tight creek beds. Plenty of firepower with the tube mag.
IMO quieter to shoot than my .223 using same length barrel (both unsuppressed), more of a soft 'boom' than the harsh 'crack' of a .223.

Have done a lot of goat hunting with it and found it reliable to about 100 yds. using 158 gr. jacketed hollow points. Tried 125 gr. hollow points but far too explosive for all except the smallest goats, best save them for small game like possums (turns em inside out!).

I have a compact scope on the Marlin but would be quite happy with a good aperture sight. If you suppress it you'll have to mount the front sight very high, kind of defeats the purpose of a short fast-handling carbine.

Originally Posted by faregame

I'm thinking about getting a lever action in 357 - for fun and goat hunting

Open sights - would like to have appiture sights (ghost or similar)

I tried a Rossi 92 and a Marlin (in 30-30) today - the Rossi was smoother and much better trigger

What should I be looking at?

Also what's the noise like out of a 16 or 20 inch barrel?
Compared to suppressed 223

I guess suppressing isn't a option?!

Had a 44mag rossi and a 30-30 rossi suppressed, liked them both but found the 30-30 more useful for my kind of hunting. The 44 needed a bit of work to get it nice and slick.
Am loading cast gas check 150gr HP made by a forum member ($15 for 50) and 17 grains of AR2207 it costs only a few cents a round.
Cutting the mag was easy, did it myself. Its only 4+1 now but its nice and quiet.
Shot sick 2 year old bull with it and a truckload of goats, longest 162 yards.

You would get more range with the 30-30 and putting a scope on it is easier if you change your mind.

If you decide to go 94 here is something that would suit you @faregame

Lyman model 66 A reciever sight | Trade Me

here ya go faregame . . . pic taken a couple of days ago



a real positive ( to me ) i should mention about the Rossi is they come in HARD hitters like the .44mag & .45Colt - with 300grn bullets at close range they will blow the clockwork out of animals and knock them flat - i've never used a .357 so couldnt say about their performance.

If your thinking big bullets why not go for a old hard hitter-45-70? Could be looked upon as slightly overkill sub 150y lol

As mentioned, the Rossi in 38 caliber can have feeding issues, usually relating to projectile choice and round overall length, but then again, so can the Marlin and the dreaded " Marlin Jam " is not just an internet myth.
The main advantage of the Rossi is that you can pick one up for half the price of a Marlin. They're light, and with a little work, very fast handling little guns.
Here's a pic of a Rossi in 44 magnum I played around with. MAE can, aperture rear sight and fibre optic front sight.