357 lever action brands.
- Thread starter calmcat
- Start date
Rossi would be my choice in that group,esp. the Older Rossi's, pretty much all I've had other than Marlin, which are good as well.
I have been asking/trying to get someone-anyone, who has bought a Morrison{.357} to give a report/review for a coule months now {other threads asking this as well}
Still haven't seen one lol even on their .410 lever. Pretty sure Morrison, or any other Turkish made lever, all come from the same Factories, people generally like' the CANUCK branding, seems to be popular.
I have been asking/trying to get someone-anyone, who has bought a Morrison{.357} to give a report/review for a coule months now {other threads asking this as well}
Still haven't seen one lol even on their .410 lever. Pretty sure Morrison, or any other Turkish made lever, all come from the same Factories, people generally like' the CANUCK branding, seems to be popular.
I agree, Rossi would also be my choice. Reliability in levers can mean many things. Sometimes the type of lever (73 vs 92) matters. Sometimes the bullet type (RN vs TC) matters. Sometimes the calibre (.38 vs .357) matters. Unmodified levers can be finicky at times. I own a Henry, and to be honest, I'm not too impressed. Don't think that spending more will solve any/all your issues.
Calmcat: Rossi rifles are very much a basic, no-frills rifle. Still, they are strong, dependable and accurate(I own one, in .357). If you can find a used one for a good price(New Rossi rifles are getting spendy), they make a good investment. Aftermarket parts....ie: spring kits, etc., are available, from several sources., too.
If a Rossi suits your budget, buy one with confidence.
Chiappa seem to be hit and miss. Chiappa QC was problematic, for a while. It does seem to be improving, lately. Have no firsthand experience with either Citadel or Morrison.;
Henry has a well-established reputation for good build quality. The rifles are sturdy, reliable and accurate. Henry's customer support is also excellent. One feature I really like about Henry rifles, is the combination dual loading/unloading feature. Very practical, and a great safety feature.
Marlin are also very good rifles. The new, Ruger-made Model 1894's being of very good build quality.
Though it might come down to flipping a coin...Given a choice between all those rifles mentioned....and your budget will allow it... a Ruger-Marlin 1894, in .357, would be my personal choice. Followed by a Henry Big Boy. Essentially identical internally, to the Marlin. Either rifle is also very easy to strip, clean and maintain.
My Toonie's worth
Al
If a Rossi suits your budget, buy one with confidence.
Chiappa seem to be hit and miss. Chiappa QC was problematic, for a while. It does seem to be improving, lately. Have no firsthand experience with either Citadel or Morrison.;
Henry has a well-established reputation for good build quality. The rifles are sturdy, reliable and accurate. Henry's customer support is also excellent. One feature I really like about Henry rifles, is the combination dual loading/unloading feature. Very practical, and a great safety feature.
Marlin are also very good rifles. The new, Ruger-made Model 1894's being of very good build quality.
Though it might come down to flipping a coin...Given a choice between all those rifles mentioned....and your budget will allow it... a Ruger-Marlin 1894, in .357, would be my personal choice. Followed by a Henry Big Boy. Essentially identical internally, to the Marlin. Either rifle is also very easy to strip, clean and maintain.
My Toonie's worth
Al
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StrelokM38
CGN Regular
I picked up a rossi in .357 with the long octagonal barrel. It's a funny gun as the barrel is a bit crooked and the loading gate is a pain to use. But that thing throws rounds incredibly well, was doing some 400 yard shooting with it with successive hits on target. Diamond in the rough I suppose!
I wanted a bit of a smoother running .357 lever action and picked up a Henry with the side gate on it. Fantastic rifle, but its nowhere near as accurate as my Rossi. Still love to shoot it though.
I wanted a bit of a smoother running .357 lever action and picked up a Henry with the side gate on it. Fantastic rifle, but its nowhere near as accurate as my Rossi. Still love to shoot it though.
Well, it's the little things. Screws constantly backing out. Feeding issues. The fit and finish are ok, but nothing mind-blowing. I know nothing's perfect, and I've addressed most of the issues, but I'm lucky that I reload. That allowed me to customize my .38 specials (my favourite) and .357 rounds to shoot well. I guess what I'm saying is that I should have bought a Rossi. I would have probably had similar issues with a rifle that, at the time, cost a lot less. If you've never shot a lever before, you might find them to be quite picky when it comes to feeding ammo, particularly when you're trying to shoot quickly.
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Thunderhog
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East Kootneys
Feeding issues on a Henry? I've never heard that one before.
Send it in for warranty, Henry guarantees all their firearms, customer service is second to no one!
Feeding issues on a Henry? I've never heard that one before.
Send it in for warranty, Henry guarantees all their firearms, customer service is second to no one!
Yup. It's very common for unmodified levers to have feeding issues with .38 special (or in general when shooting fast). I'm the type of person that can be critical of the things I own. It's not realistic to think that any brand, let alone Henry, would never have ______________ (insert problem). I would never send any of my firearms in for warranty repair. If there's a problem, I fix it myself.
Thunderhog: Most feeding issues I've witnessed with a Henry were operator related.....coming from trying to work the action too fast. Or, came as a result of the plastic cartridge follower failing. Though this was after several thousand rounds through the rifle. By the way....this fault isn't confined to Henry, alone. Any comparable rifle brand with a plastic follower will eventually fail. It's just the nature of the beast.
In all or most cases, the cure is simple: Replace the plastic follower, with a brass or steel one. This includes Rossi.
Note: In the case of the Henry rifle, the owner called Henry customer service and asked how much to purchase a replacement tube. A new tube was on it's way to him, the next day....free of charge. Great customer service.
I have heard of a person on ebay selling brass replacement followers that fit the Big Boy's feeding tube.. Have not seen or handled one firsthand. So, cannot comment further.
Most other feeding issues specifically related to ammo, came as a result of overall cartridge length. Particularly, with .38 Special. Usually too short.
Many similar rifles are picky in the same regard, including: Rossi, Marlin, Winchester and Uberti(1866& 1873). Cartridges under a certain overall length, often stove-pipe, jam, or otherwise failed to chamber. Sometimes to the point of locking up the action completely, until cleared.
Sometimes, bullet shape was the culprit, too. Some rifles, like the Rossi '92 for example, will readily feed just about any bullet shape, including semi-wadcutters. But not full wadcutters, from the magazine tube. None of the others will, either.
The best overall bullet shape... in my experience: Round-nosed flat point. Very reliable feeding. Though overall cartridge length still needs to be addressed. Your rifle will soon tell you what it likes.
In the case of my Rossi....though it likes .38 Special just fine(when loaded long enough), it performs best, with .357 cartridges. Plus, delivers best accuracy. As do the others. So, that's what I now feed it, exclusively. We're both happy.
All the rifles mentioned, will reliably feed round nosed flatpoint-style bullets.
Al
ps: Agree fully. Henry customer service is excellent. I've spoken to Mr. Imperato on several occasions. He really stands behind the product.
In all or most cases, the cure is simple: Replace the plastic follower, with a brass or steel one. This includes Rossi.
Note: In the case of the Henry rifle, the owner called Henry customer service and asked how much to purchase a replacement tube. A new tube was on it's way to him, the next day....free of charge. Great customer service.
I have heard of a person on ebay selling brass replacement followers that fit the Big Boy's feeding tube.. Have not seen or handled one firsthand. So, cannot comment further.
Most other feeding issues specifically related to ammo, came as a result of overall cartridge length. Particularly, with .38 Special. Usually too short.
Many similar rifles are picky in the same regard, including: Rossi, Marlin, Winchester and Uberti(1866& 1873). Cartridges under a certain overall length, often stove-pipe, jam, or otherwise failed to chamber. Sometimes to the point of locking up the action completely, until cleared.
Sometimes, bullet shape was the culprit, too. Some rifles, like the Rossi '92 for example, will readily feed just about any bullet shape, including semi-wadcutters. But not full wadcutters, from the magazine tube. None of the others will, either.
The best overall bullet shape... in my experience: Round-nosed flat point. Very reliable feeding. Though overall cartridge length still needs to be addressed. Your rifle will soon tell you what it likes.
In the case of my Rossi....though it likes .38 Special just fine(when loaded long enough), it performs best, with .357 cartridges. Plus, delivers best accuracy. As do the others. So, that's what I now feed it, exclusively. We're both happy.
All the rifles mentioned, will reliably feed round nosed flatpoint-style bullets.
Al
ps: Agree fully. Henry customer service is excellent. I've spoken to Mr. Imperato on several occasions. He really stands behind the product.
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I own a 16" barrel Rossi M92 in .454 Casull and it has never let me down in the 15 years I have owned it, plus it makes a hell of a handy up to 200 yard hunting rifle that is almost as powerful as a .45-70 in a trim and fast handling light rifle.
I mostly use either hot .45 Colt handloads or modest .454 Casull reloads in it as it gets painful to shoot a full mag with full power or most factory ammo in the warmer months unless I'm wearing a thick jacket. During the fall/winter while wearing a thick warm coat it is fine with full power loads.
A buddy owns a very similar 16" SS Rossi one in .38 Special/.357 mag and he loves his and it is slick and fast handling too, plus more than accurate enough.
I mostly use either hot .45 Colt handloads or modest .454 Casull reloads in it as it gets painful to shoot a full mag with full power or most factory ammo in the warmer months unless I'm wearing a thick jacket. During the fall/winter while wearing a thick warm coat it is fine with full power loads.
A buddy owns a very similar 16" SS Rossi one in .38 Special/.357 mag and he loves his and it is slick and fast handling too, plus more than accurate enough.
I feel like the quality of Rossi's have gone up but most of the price increase is likely inflation and the current popular trend for lever actions.
I've had older models that were very nice and some that were rough.
The Citadel's are a good deal right now if you like the modern parts (mlok handgaurd, synthetic stock, barel mounted peep and rail,threaded barrel) and some of the Heritage Manufacturing models as well, they are all made in Brazil likely at the same facility.
What caliber are you considering calmcat, and what is your intended use?
I've had older models that were very nice and some that were rough.
The Citadel's are a good deal right now if you like the modern parts (mlok handgaurd, synthetic stock, barel mounted peep and rail,threaded barrel) and some of the Heritage Manufacturing models as well, they are all made in Brazil likely at the same facility.
What caliber are you considering calmcat, and what is your intended use?
Over time and years, I had three Rossi Puma, two in .357/.38Spl and one .44. All were fine. The last two I had a couple of known issues that I solved myself and they worked perfectly after. I had a Winchester carbine .38Spl/.357 and it worked perfectly, even after the ejector shaft broke. Still worked perfectly. I had a Winchester trapper in .44 mag that would put the bullets wherever it wanted like they came out sideways...yes, jackets too. All were walnut and blue. I think you would be fine with most of them, you aren't doing anything but target punching anyway.
Henry. Buy once, cry once.
