357 lever action

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As a somewhat general rule, a .357 rifle/ carbine will run about 60-65% of the energy from a 30-30 with about 35-40% of the recoil energy. Per Hodgdon, a 140 gr .357 XTP loaded with H110, and out of a rifle, will have about 1200 FPE, and 4.7 FPE recoil. A 150 gr 30-30 flat point with LVR powder gets about 1900 FPE, and has about 11 FPE recoil. Actual results will vary because of differences in powder and bullet sizes.
 
alfsauve said:
I'd think a lever that could handle, .357 Max through .38 Short Colt would be a gun for all seasons.
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It won’t shoot .357 Max, but I have shot .38 Short Colts through my Henry .357 Mag Big Boy. I had to manually load them, but they shot and ejected fine; kinda like a pop gun.

I would really like to see a .357 Max lever action, but nobody seems to want to make one.
 
I have owned a Henry, Marlin and a Rossi. I didn't the Henry because you could not shoot .38 special in it without feeding problems and later realized it is in the manual or so I was told that you should only shoot .357. I probably should have never sold the Marlin. Had a .357/.38 and a .44 mag and let a buddy beat me out of the pair. Right now I own a Rossi and I'll agree with the above poster that the factory sights do leave a bit to be desired, if you look under the factory rear sight, it is drilled and tapped. I bought a rail for mine and now have a red dot mounted and it makes all the difference. As far as accuracy, I would say the Marlin and the Rossi are about equal and like every rifle, you have to play around with the right load to wring out the best accuracy. I'm working on a 180gr coated Lead Load for mine and will probably use it to Hog Hunt along with my S&W 686. I shot a lot of Jacketed bullets in the Marlin and it did great. Neverf tried any lead. Just the Opposite with the Rossi. I've been shooting only lead and the accuracy up to 75 yards is plenty good for hunting. Again, even with the heaviest loads, recoil is not a problem.
 
Mr_Flintstone said:
It won’t shoot .357 Max, but I have shot .38 Short Colts through my Henry .357 Mag Big Boy. I had to manually load them, but they shot and ejected fine; kinda like a pop gun.

I would really like to see a .357 Max lever action, but nobody seems to want to make one.
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You can make the 357 into a 360 Dan Wesson with no, or minor modifications to the lifter. It gets you a huge increase in velocity. I'm not familiar with the Henry though.
 
Mr_Flintstone said:
.... I have shot .38 Short Colts through my Henry .357 Mag Big Boy. I had to manually load them, but they shot and ejected fine; kinda like a pop gun.
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Actually I was thinking .38SC brass loaded with .357bullets at .38spl+ velocities. Sorry to hear they won't load through the magazine. It would be neat if they would you'd get another round or two capacity.
 
alfsauve said:
Actually I was thinking .38SC brass loaded with .357bullets at .38spl+ velocities. Sorry to hear they won't load through the magazine. It would be neat if they would you'd get another round or two capacity.
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It should get you about 14 Short Colt rounds. I tried loading 125 grain .38 SC flat points in my Henry, but they were a no-go. .38 Long Colts wouldn’t feed either. All were shortened .38 Special brass and .358 cast bullets.
 
The two guns I want the most right now is a Rossi 92 in 357 mag, and a SAA clone with the 7.5 inch cavalry length barrel also in 357 mag.

Can the Rossi 92 in 357 mag reliably feed/cycle 38 special?

I already have other guns in 357/38 and reload for them. Otherwise I'd consider get them in 45 Colt
 
American_Fusilier said:
The two guns I want the most right now is a Rossi 92 in 357 mag, and a SAA clone with the 7.5 inch cavalry length barrel also in 357 mag.

Can the Rossi 92 in 357 mag reliably feed/cycle 38 special?

I already have other guns in 357/38 and reload for them. Otherwise I'd consider get them in 45 Colt
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Yes it can. Mine even runs wide flat nose bullets. It chokes on wadcutters which is expected.
 
I have a Marlin 1894CB in .357.
I has a slight “push” of recoil with .357 but nothing near 30-30 recoil.
My Marlin reliably feeds .38 Special and .357 Magnum RNFP ammo.
I have over 400 rounds through it and it’s a joy to shoot.
 
American_Fusilier said:
That is great! I'd probably run mostly 38 special when I get one. Do you have the 16" or 20" barrel version and why did you pick that one?
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I got the 20" barrel. I was on vacation and saw it for $500 OTD.
I prefer the longer sight radius.
The wood fit and grade is in line with the price. I recommend a softer ejector spring and a better set of sights.
Out of the box it was pop can accurate off hand at 50 yards. The balance is amazing.
 
I want the 20" version too. More capacity, longer sight radius, more velocity. I definitely need to get one soon!

I'd probably mostly run 38s through it, and now that I know it won't have any trouble feeding those...
 
Just my penny worth. I just have to give a Thumbs Up to you guys that get the kid's involved in shooting, hunting, fishing and the outdoors at an early age. It won't long before they hit their teen years and start being pulled in all the wrong directions. An active mind and body can only help during those years. Thumbs Up.
 
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