357 Lever Action Suggestions

Kcur

Kcur

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Well, I’ve finally gotten my PAL. Wanting to get a lever action in 357 and was wondering if anyone has recommendations or suggestions.

I’ve been looking at the Henry protector, Chiappa 1892, and S&W 1854.

Which of these do you think offers the best bang for buck, or should I consider something else?

I am not too concerned about the price as I want something that’ll last a generation or more (or at least until the government bans it)

Thank you!!
 
Kcur said:
Well, I’ve finally gotten my PAL. Wanting to get a lever action in 357 and was wondering if anyone has recommendations or suggestions.

I’ve been looking at the Henry protector, Chiappa 1892, and S&W 1854.

Which of these do you think offers the best bang for buck, or should I consider something else?

I am not too concerned about the price as I want something that’ll last a generation or more (or at least until the government bans it)

Thank you!!
Click to expand...

It's not that they have to use a 1873. They could use other guns like marlins if They wanted to.
 
Kcur said:
Well, I’ve finally gotten my PAL. Wanting to get a lever action in 357 and was wondering if anyone has recommendations or suggestions.

I’ve been looking at the Henry protector, Chiappa 1892, and S&W 1854.

Which of these do you think offers the best bang for buck, or should I consider something else?

I am not too concerned about the price as I want something that’ll last a generation or more (or at least until the government bans it)

Thank you!!
Click to expand...
Henry's are real nice, however so are the new Ruger/Marlins....:)

I would stay away from Chiappa unless you get real lucky and find one that doesn't require a lot of warranty repair or replacement.

The S&W 1854's are nice, but the magazine tube is only for un-loading. Loading is by side gate only. The screws on the S&W 1854 will all need to have loc-tite on them as they readily rattle loose from shooting.....:(

Uberti's are very nice, but pricey!

It will come down to personal preference in the end.....:)
 
As Thunderhog said, avoid Chiappa. They're works of art to look at as is typical of Italian guns, but the one I had ( 16" Trapper) was a 3 dressed up as a 9..dinner plate size groups at 20 yards and the ladder rear sight fell off in the gun shop. It was the only gun I've ever purchased off the rack impulsively...wrong! Yes, I was sober.
 
Okay, I own a few .357 lever guns and can chime in this thread.

The nicest and smoothest are the Winchesters and Uberti's. The Smith and Wesson 1854 is nice and functional but not the smoothest in terms of function.

The Marlin 1894 was a POS from day one. Purchased it new from Canadian Tire and would have a hard stoppage / jam every 3-5 rounds where the cartridge was being jammed under the lifter and magtube. Only way to remove it was to pry it out or loosen the receiver screws to allow it to slip out. 6 Months later and Gravel agency sent me an entirely new replacement rifle. And lo and behold that one jammed as well with various .357 and .38 rounds. So that one got sent back as well.... in the meantime I had given up on the Ruger Marlin and bought the Winchester 1892 takedown and later the Smith and Wesson 1854. Got the same Ruger Marlin rifle returned to me this time with a "clean bill of health" and it still jammed. I ended up replacing the loading gate and mag tube follower with ranger point precision and it's been reliable about 200 rounds in to this point.

Anyways I feel the Uberti's are better bang for the buck, the Winchester have nicer finishes (but are more expensive), the Smith and Wesson 1854 has been nothing but reliable and worked, and the Marlin... well I save that for the rainy / bad weather days at the range and bring a screwdriver should it jam up again. Many Ruger marlins are out there with their owners reporting no problems whatsoever, so I'm chalking this up to getting a lemon.... twice in a row....

Top to bottom First photo (All .357 mag):
Winchester 1873 deluxe with half octagonal barrel
Winchester 1892 Deluxe trapper
Marlin 1894 SBL
Smith and Wesson 1854 Stealth hunter (With ranger point precision stock and quiver, Aimpoint comp M5, and Malkoff MDC HTL 30,000 candela light head on an arisaka 18650 body with a unity tactical button)

Second photo:
Uberti 1873
Uberti 1873 Special with nicer pistol grip stock and checkering


IMG_5879.JPG
IMG_20260225_193032494.jpg
 
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Canada1812 said:
Okay, I own a few .357 lever guns and can chime in this thread.

The nicest and smoothest are the Winchesters and Uberti's. The Smith and Wesson 1854 is nice and functional but not the smoothest in terms of function.

The Marlin 1894 was a POS from day one. Purchased it new from Canadian Tire and would have a hard stoppage / jam every 3-5 rounds where the cartridge was being jammed under the lifter and magtube. Only way to remove it was to pry it out or loosen the receiver screws to allow it to slip out. 6 Months later and Gravel agency sent me an entirely new replacement rifle. And lo and behold that one jammed as well with various .357 and .38 rounds. So that one got sent back as well.... in the meantime I had given up on the Ruger Marlin and bought the Winchester 1892 takedown and later the Smith and Wesson 1854. Got the same Ruger Marlin rifle returned to me this time with a "clean bill of health" and it still jammed. I ended up replacing the loading gate and mag tube follower with ranger point precision and it's been reliable about 200 rounds in to this point.

Anyways I feel the Uberti's are better bang for the buck, the Winchester have nicer finishes (but are more expensive), the Smith and Wesson 1854 has been nothing but reliable and worked, and the Marlin... well I save that for the rainy / bad weather days at the range and bring a screwdriver should it jam up again. Many Ruger marlins are out there with their owners reporting no problems whatsoever, so I'm chalking this up to getting a lemon.... twice in a row....

Top to bottom First photo (All .357 mag):
Winchester 1873 deluxe with half octagonal barrel
Winchester 1892 Deluxe trapper
Marlin 1894 SBL
Smith and Wesson 1854 Stealth hunter (With ranger point precision stock and quiver, Aimpoint comp M5, and Malkoff MDC HTL 30,000 candela light head on an arisaka 18650 body with a unity tactical button)

Second photo:
Uberti 1873
Uberti 1873 Special with nicer pistol grip stock and checkering

View attachment 1115152

View attachment 1115151
View attachment 1115149
Click to expand...
Great collection... love those Uberti '73s..👍
 
Canada1812 said:
Okay, I own a few .357 lever guns and can chime in this thread.

The nicest and smoothest are the Winchesters and Uberti's. The Smith and Wesson 1854 is nice and functional but not the smoothest in terms of function.

The Marlin 1894 was a POS from day one. Purchased it new from Canadian Tire and would have a hard stoppage / jam every 3-5 rounds where the cartridge was being jammed under the lifter and magtube. Only way to remove it was to pry it out or loosen the receiver screws to allow it to slip out. 6 Months later and Gravel agency sent me an entirely new replacement rifle. And lo and behold that one jammed as well with various .357 and .38 rounds. So that one got sent back as well.... in the meantime I had given up on the Ruger Marlin and bought the Winchester 1892 takedown and later the Smith and Wesson 1854. Got the same Ruger Marlin rifle returned to me this time with a "clean bill of health" and it still jammed. I ended up replacing the loading gate and mag tube follower with ranger point precision and it's been reliable about 200 rounds in to this point.

Anyways I feel the Uberti's are better bang for the buck, the Winchester have nicer finishes (but are more expensive), the Smith and Wesson 1854 has been nothing but reliable and worked, and the Marlin... well I save that for the rainy / bad weather days at the range and bring a screwdriver should it jam up again. Many Ruger marlins are out there with their owners reporting no problems whatsoever, so I'm chalking this up to getting a lemon.... twice in a row....

Top to bottom First photo (All .357 mag):
Winchester 1873 deluxe with half octagonal barrel
Winchester 1892 Deluxe trapper
Marlin 1894 SBL
Smith and Wesson 1854 Stealth hunter (With ranger point precision stock and quiver, Aimpoint comp M5, and Malkoff MDC HTL 30,000 candela light head on an arisaka 18650 body with a unity tactical button)

Second photo:
Uberti 1873
Uberti 1873 Special with nicer pistol grip stock and checkering

View attachment 1115152

View attachment 1115151
View attachment 1115149
Click to expand...
Hello Canada1812,

Sorry to hear about your Ruger/Marlin issues!....:(

All your guns are beautiful by the way....:)

Ruger/Marlins unfortunately can be hit and miss, I have worked on several of them now. The old school JM Marlins, The Remington/Marlins, and now the Ruger/Marlins.

I used to have a 1894 357 JM blued/wood Marlin that would not cycle worth a crap, even after my 4-5 hour cowboy action de-burr and honing routine. I finally sold it at a loss....:(

I have worked on Remington/Marlins that worked extremely well after my internal action slicking job. Some Marlins just will not work properly, most new Ruger/Marlins are pretty good. However I just bought two Ruger/Marlin Trapper rifles in 10mm auto. One was good, the other needed the 4-5 hour polishing job. A pain in the @ss for a $2500.00 rifle......:(

I have since sold both 10mm Trapper Marlins.....:)

Gravel Agency was and is a pain in the @ss to deal with....:( I'm not sure what happened there? But after dealing with Gravel for over twenty years, I have found their customer service, and their ability to work on Marlins has gone way down the toilet.....:(

For the record, the more you shoot your new 1894 SBL, it will become more smooth over time. You can take it all apart yourself and hone, deburr, and polish all the contact points. It makes a world of difference!....:)

A Wolf hammer spring for the 1894 makes cycling easier and lightens the trigger pull substantially.....:)

Sorry to hear your issues with your SBL, it's very frustrating for an expensive rifle....:(
 
Thunderhog said:
Hello Canada1812,

Sorry to hear about your Ruger/Marlin issues!....:(

All your guns are beautiful by the way....:)

Ruger/Marlins unfortunately can be hit and miss, I have worked on several of them now. The old school JM Marlins, The Remington/Marlins, and now the Ruger/Marlins.

I used to have a 1894 357 JM blued/wood Marlin that would not cycle worth a crap, even after my 4-5 hour cowboy action de-burr and honing routine. I finally sold it at a loss....:(

I have worked on Remington/Marlins that worked extremely well after my internal action slicking job. Some Marlins just will not work properly, most new Ruger/Marlins are pretty good. However I just bought two Ruger/Marlin Trapper rifles in 10mm auto. One was good, the other needed the 4-5 hour polishing job. A pain in the @ss for a $2500.00 rifle......:(

I have since sold both 10mm Trapper Marlins.....:)

Gravel Agency was and is a pain in the @ss to deal with....:( I'm not sure what happened there? But after dealing with Gravel for over twenty years, I have found their customer service, and their ability to work on Marlins has gone way down the toilet.....:(

For the record, the more you shoot your new 1894 SBL, it will become more smooth over time. You can take it all apart yourself and hone, deburr, and polish all the contact points. It makes a world of difference!....:)

A Wolf hammer spring for the 1894 makes cycling easier and lightens the trigger pull substantially.....:)

Sorry to hear your issues with your SBL, it's very frustrating for an expensive rifle....:(
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Funny enough, I actually had a very positive experience with Gravel Agency, it was the rifle that kept letting me down. Every box of ammo through it does seem to smooth it out and I haven't experienced a hard jam like that since replacing the parts. And I really tried to get it to jam by not working the lever properly or canting it to funny angles. Another 300-400 rounds through it with no issues and I'll call it reliable again!

It really is a nice rifle with the stainless and laminate.
 
Canada1812 said:
Funny enough, I actually had a very positive experience with Gravel Agency, it was the rifle that kept letting me down. Every box of ammo through it does seem to smooth it out and I haven't experienced a hard jam like that since replacing the parts. And I really tried to get it to jam by not working the lever properly or canting it to funny angles. Another 300-400 rounds through it with no issues and I'll call it reliable again!

It really is a nice rifle with the stainless and laminate.
Click to expand...
I'm glad to hear Gravel has worked for you so far. I have lost faith in them......:(

Your rifle will only get better moving forward.

And yes, they are absolutely gorgeous looking little rifles!.....:)
 
The Chiappas are pretty, closest to a 1892 design, I just grabbed one in 357, only got it a couple days ago, definitely nice looking.
I like the 16" Octagon barrel and no barrel band look, and that narrowed it down alot.
I'm going to tear it apart, clean and lube everything up, and likely get it out shooting in a week or 2.
If it's a pile of ####, I will let everyone know lol.
I was initially after the 16" stainless Rossi 92, even with the barrel bands they looked real nice. The bolt mounted safety just turned me off, and the Brazilian beech is apparently pretty soft and easily dented, not fitted very well either, but they do look pretty sweet.
 

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Hitzy said:
The Chiappas are pretty, closest to a 1892 design, I just grabbed one in 357, only got it a couple days ago, definitely nice looking.
I like the 16" Octagon barrel and no barrel band look, and that narrowed it down alot.
I'm going to tear it apart, clean and lube everything up, and likely get it out shooting in a week or 2.
If it's a pile of ####, I will let everyone know lol.
I was initially after the 16" stainless Rossi 92, even with the barrel bands they looked real nice. The bolt mounted safety just turned me off, and the Brazilian beech is apparently pretty soft and easily dented, not fitted very well either, but they do look pretty sweet.
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I hope you are fortunate enough to get a good one Hitzy....:):)

I have seen some good ones as a former Chiappa Dealer, however, I've seen a lot more bad ones......:(:(

Your rifle certainly looks real nice, let's hope it functions and shoots as good as it looks!..(y)
 
Kcur said:
Well, I’ve finally gotten my PAL. Wanting to get a lever action in 357 and was wondering if anyone has recommendations or suggestions.

I’ve been looking at the Henry protector, Chiappa 1892, and S&W 1854.

Which of these do you think offers the best bang for buck, or should I consider something else?

I am not too concerned about the price as I want something that’ll last a generation or more (or at least until the government bans it)

Thank you!!
Click to expand...
Is there a reason you're going specifically for .357 first?

If there isn't a need for that specific caliber and you just want to start off with a nice lever gun I would consider a Henry Supreme in 5.56.

I have a .357 Henry X also, but when it's time to hit the range the Supreme is the one I reach for 95% of the time between the two.

The Supreme is just so smooth to operate! Takes detachable mags (MRX 20 round mags fit with a little massaging 😎). I also prefer .223/5.56 to .357 because it's more versatile, can reach out much farther, is more accurate and is cheaper to stockpile.

Just something to think about.

20250620_155010.jpg
 
Thunderhog said:
I hope you are fortunate enough to get a good one Hitzy....:):)

I have seen some good ones as a former Chiappa Dealer, however, I've seen a lot more bad ones......:(:(

Your rifle certainly looks real nice, let's hope it functions and shoots as good as it looks!..(y)
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I'm pretty handy, been playing with guns a long time, as long as the lock up is in spec, I can sort out any feeding issues.
I already have a single shot Traditions G2 in 357, they do come with good barrels thou...Lothar, it actually shoots pretty impressive at 100m.
So I have something at least to compare it to for accuracy. Hoping the barrel is decent on this chiappa. Looks nice with the bore scope but that doesn't mean much I know.
Trigger is heavy for sure, I can fix that easy.
If it shoots decent I'll be happy, but it definitely needs a full tear down, every single screw is loose on it out of the box lol. Never seen anything like that.
 
If money is not a concern, a Miroku Winchester - 1892 if you want a do-everything gun, or an 1873 if you want a classic.

I have both, and I have Marlins, a Henry, Uberti's, and a Chiappa.

I'd sell each and every one of them before I'd part with my Winchesters
 
Hitzy said:
I'm pretty handy, been playing with guns a long time, as long as the lock up is in spec, I can sort out any feeding issues.
I already have a single shot Traditions G2 in 357, they do come with good barrels thou...Lothar, it actually shoots pretty impressive at 100m.
So I have something at least to compare it to for accuracy. Hoping the barrel is decent on this chiappa. Looks nice with the bore scope but that doesn't mean much I know.
Trigger is heavy for sure, I can fix that easy.
If it shoots decent I'll be happy, but it definitely needs a full tear down, every single screw is loose on it out of the box lol. Never seen anything like that.
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I'm glad to hear you like it so much Hitzy:, she sure looks good!....:)

And yes, the every screw is loose thing is just another quality control issue that Chiappa has. No shocker for me at all.....:(

I sold a lot of Traditions G3 Outfitter single shot rifles, they are awesome little guns!.....:)

Let us know how you make out! Good luck!....:)
 
I’ve had great luck with Chiappa lever actions. Had a rose box 1887, a 45-70 and a .357, both worked fantastic and got lead where I wanted them to. The 357 model 92 was extremely smooth to cycle, never once gave me a problem! I had one with the bigger lever loop and found spincocking to be a breeze. (Not practical, but it was fun!) As an added bonus it doesn’t have any tacked on safety like some of the other manufacturers. I find those really break up the lines on older designs like these.
 
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