.357 lever questions

Mr. Buttons

Mr. Buttons

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Hi gents, I am looking to buy a used .357 lever-gun for CAS. I am going to buy either a Marlin or Puma (please let me know if anyone knows of one of these used for sale).

My question - I am looking for a bit of advice on which model will feed .38 Specials more reliably? Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

thanks and regards :)
 
My Puma feeds .38 Special very reliably and the barrel is marked .38spl/.357 mag. My Browning B92 feeds .38 Special horribly, .357 wonderfully and the barrel is marked .357 mag. Please note the hint!
 
I've had nothing but unadulterated sweetness from my Puma .357 with either cartridge. Go for the SS version if you can find it. I've had Marlins jam up on me from time to time in pistol calibres.

Mike
 
I had a marlin 1895 (i think that was the model) and it worked good for me. I put 5000 rounds through it one summer without any jams or cleaning. It did jam when I tried wadcutters, they wouldn't feed at all.
 
My 1894C feeds both .357 and .38 reliably, but wadcutters or semi-wads are finicky. They will feed with a jiggle of the lever, but not smoothly.
 
My Marlin 94CB will shoot both SWC or RNFP in .38 and .357, my Marlin 94C will fire .357 but will hiccup occasionally with .38. My Rossi 92 will fire .357 SWC flawlessly but will stove pipe .38's under 1.5 OAL in either SWC or RNFP. With lever guns in pistol calibers you have to experiment with OAL. Once you find the correct OAL Bob's your uncle. It appears that OAL of 1.5 + is the most common length. Your mileage may vary.
 
Mr. Buttons said:
Hi gents, I am looking to buy a used .357 lever-gun for CAS. I am going to buy either a Marlin or Puma (please let me know if anyone knows of one of these used for sale).

My question - I am looking for a bit of advice on which model will feed .38 Specials more reliably? Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

thanks and regards :)
Click to expand...

:D

If you own a rifle in .35 Remington or .358 Winchester caliber you can load .357/.38 caliber handgun bullets ahead of a little Alliant Hercules Red Dot or SR 4759 (IMR) in .35 Remington cases which is about the same thing as a .357 mag. & saves you buying a separate rifle.

I hand loaded 158 grain .38 caliber SWCs ahead of a little Alliant/Hercules Red Dot or SR 4759 (IMR) when I owned my Remington Model 336C in .35 Remington caliber.

Use .357/.38 caliber JSP or JHP bullets if you are having feeding/jamming problems or trouble with lead fouling which you shouldn't with low pressure utility down loads.

I did this all the time for 25 yard target practice & popping partridge (colloquial name for ruffed or spruce grouse) for the camp stew pot or frying pan on deer hunting trips.........worked great.

If Mr. 12-pointer walks out of the bush you pop in a full power .35 Remington cartridge...........an option you don't have with a "dedicated" .357 Magnum camp rifle.
 
Last edited:
pricedo said:
:D

If you own a rifle in .35 Remington or .358 Winchester caliber you can load .357/.38 caliber handgun bullets ahead of a little Alliant Hercules Red Dot or SR 4759 (IMR) in .35 Remington cases which is about the same thing as a .357 mag. & saves you buying a separate rifle.

I hand loaded 158 grain .38 caliber SWCs ahead of a little Alliant/Hercules Red Dot or SR 4759 (IMR) when I owned my Remington Model 336C in .35 Remington caliber.

Use .357/.38 caliber JSP or JHP bullets if you are having feeding/jamming problems or trouble with lead fouling which you shouldn't with low pressure utility down loads.

I did this all the time for 25 yard target practice & popping partridge (colloquial name for ruffed or spruce grouse) for the camp stew pot or frying pan on deer hunting trips.........worked great.

If Mr. 12-pointer walks out of the bush you pop in a full power .35 Remington cartridge...........an option you don't have with a "dedicated" .357 Magnum camp rifle.
Click to expand...

I have done this with a 358 as well, but i believe the OP is looking for something that will work with cowboy action shooting. Pistol and rifle are generally preferred to have interchangeable ammo.
 
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