Join Date: 08-13-08
Posts: 5
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The property description clarifies your situation.
The .357 may be fun to shoot, as was the old .38-40, but the trajectory is almost a diagram of the St. Louis Arch: 9 inches high at 100 yards and almost three feet low at 300. Even with a rangefinder I think it would be hard for most people to hit a small animal very far out.
If you want to stay within the Marlin family, a 24 inch .30-30 with Hornady pointed bullets would probably be a lot better for the distances you mention. With a BLR or Savage, .22-250 or .243 would probably suit you even better. I've been a .22-250 user for decades and that would be my choice. If a single shot would do, the Ruger is great and it does have a lever!
It might be worth relating the experiences of Jules Sandoz, a Swiss immigrant on the great plains in the late nineteenth century, as recorded by his daughter Marie. "Old Jules" had a single shot .41 Vetterli rifle. He could not hit antelope with it because of the rainbow trajectory. He longed for a Winchester, to provide follow-up shot capability, but he ended up getting a 7MM, if memory serves me, and thereby greatly increased his standard of living. By the way, "Old Jules" and "Crazy Horse" by Marie Sandoz are both worth reading.
Having gone through all that, the above post on the .22 Magnum Winchester 9422M is spot on. It's a great little cartridge for short range shooting at small varmints and it's much more effective than the .22LR. I had a Winchester 61A slide action for it that I wish I still had, and I still regret not buying a 9422M new when I had the chance. Henry makes one that looks pretty good on the web but I haven't seen one in the flesh.
Echoing the sentiment of a few others here, maybe you should buy two more rifles! Perhaps a .22 Magnum, and maybe a higher velocity centerfire