New 357 Lever Action

ThomasT

ThomasT

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Joined
Sep 27, 2007
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Location
Burleson,Texas
I haven't seen this posted before so I hope I'm not stepping on anyones toes. I saw this on another forum and thought I would post it here. Yes, made in Turkey and has an aluminum receiver. Its based on the Winchester model 92 action. It has my attention. And with the Rise Of The Lever Action these days I bet it sells.

gforcearms.com

GFLVR357 Rifle - GForce Arms

Introducing the GForce GFLVR357 Rifle – where classic meets cutting-edge in a symphony of power and precision. Only from GForce Arms.
gforcearms.com gforcearms.com

www.youtube.com

The Lightest .357 Lever Action in the World (and It's Cheap!)

In this video, @JamesReeves is at Huğtek Arms' booth during IWA 2024 to see what is allegedly the lightest .357 Magnum lever action rifle in the world. Not o...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
 
700 bucks on Gunbroker. They have multiple variants including a tactical with skeleton stock and AR type handguard. Also available in .410.

For what it’s worth I think I would go Rossi as a known decent gun for similar money. This is interesting though. The stainless looks nice. The faux case hardening looks nice, but I have guns that had that finish when new and it has worn off leaving patches of coloring and patches which are bare which sounds interesting but in reality just looks like a cow with brindle patches.
 
I agree with you. They were supposed to sell for around $500 but at GB prices I would buy the steel Rossi or spend a little more for the Henry. Oh well, it was a nice thought. Here are the listings from GB.

Lever Action Rifles for Sale - Buy Lever Action Rifles at GunBroker.com

Find lever action rifles for sale at GunBroker.com, the world's largest gun auction site. You can buy lever action rifles with confidence from thousands of sellers who list every day at GunBroker.com. Get the lever action rifle you want today.
www.gunbroker.com

Looks like they are running around $600 at Bud's Gunshop. As for the "Tactical" version. :barf:
 
ThomasT said:
I agree with you. They were supposed to sell for around $500 but at GB prices I would buy the steel Rossi or spend a little more for the Henry. Oh well, it was a nice thought. Here are the listings from GB.

Lever Action Rifles for Sale - Buy Lever Action Rifles at GunBroker.com

Find lever action rifles for sale at GunBroker.com, the world's largest gun auction site. You can buy lever action rifles with confidence from thousands of sellers who list every day at GunBroker.com. Get the lever action rifle you want today.
www.gunbroker.com
Click to expand...
I jumped back to GB to verify Rossi pricing is still about the same as I last looked. Of course the laminate and stainless r92 was front and center. The stock photos don’t have great looking wood, but the examples I have seen in person are very pretty for a person who likes laminate stocks. At any rate, Rossi guns and Gforce guns are direct comparison and at least for now most folks will take a known decent/good over an unknown for the same money. Let Gforce build a reputation or drop considerably in pricing and they may take off.
 
I'm very interested in handling these. I can see multiple new leverguns entering my stable this year. I made peace with Japanese Browning and Winchester rifles years ago, so I really don't care where it's made.

As a side note, I just handled a new Rossi 92 .357 20" carbine in the local shop over the weekend. I was very pleased to see that Rossi uses a slimmer barrel profile, so the rifle is still very light and handy. Most of them use the same profile whether it's a .32-20 or a .45, so the small bores are unusually heavy. I think I'm gonna go back and trade my Henry for it.
 
^^^ While at my mothers a couple of weeks back in eastern Washington I visited a pawn shop that by default is more of a new gun dealer based on the sheer number of firearms in the place. They had about 8-10 Rossi’s in the rack to include a .454. I cycled a couple of them and looked them over VERY closely and really liked what I saw.

The only gripe I had was how abruptly the forend was cut. Like a 90 degree setting on a miter saw. No attempt to round the edges. However, that’s something I could fix in about 5 minutes on my bench top belt sander.

I’m of the opinion that right now, considering build quality, Rossi is the value leader in off-the-rack new lever guns.
 
Rule3 said:
It's a new production. Give it a while and the prices will come down. Newly introduced firearms are over priced on GB!
Click to expand...
Yeah indeed, but this seems WAYYYYYY overpriced. Most people don't buy these Turkish-made guns for their world-renowned quality - they buy them because they're cheap.

I'd be interested in this for $300 (even that is stretching a bit). More than that I'll save a little more for something else.
 
I like all my Turkish delights.
All 12 gauge, but I’ve been interested in this since I saw it on the tube.

I’m in for the light weight plastic one!
Remove the stock and paint it brown, tie it on my pack, and head off down the trail!

I don’t know why, and I don’t agree, but other humans find lever guns less intimidating. Even compared to scoped stick shifts! Confusing to me, when I know all of them are the same, more or less.

Gosh, but I want to take a stab at one of the penny starter auctions! One of these for four or less would be neat. I have an VR-80 that is very well machined, but came together assembling incorrectly. For half the price of a Rossi, I could tolerate something exactly like that. (Really, it’s half the fun for me. ‘Cause I’m cheap!😁)
 
And here comes the politics. All while slyly suggesting I support terrorism.

Too bad too, started out a good lever gun thread, but I guess let’s talk about all the things that are NOT levers action rifles…

Because that’s what we came here for.
(Laborious Sigh)
 
I have nothing really against the aluminum receiver, I would need to look one over. I am not sure the weight savings really justifies an aluminum forging over a steel forging. If it were a .22 I would find it more appealing. Regarding Turkish products, I find the quality here or there but I just bought a Rossi stainless R92 where the quality is often there or here ;). Rossi is actually pretty consistent quality of late as long as you can live with stocks that fit about like what folks had a conniption fit over when Remington first got Marlin.
 
3Crows said:
I have nothing really against the aluminum receiver, I would need to look one over. I am not sure the weight savings really justifies an aluminum forging over a steel forging. If it were a .22 I would find it more appealing. Regarding Turkish products, I find the quality here or there but I just bought a Rossi stainless R92 where the quality is often there or here ;). Rossi is actually pretty consistent quality of late as long as you can live with stocks that fit about like what folks had a conniption fit over when Remington first got Marlin.
Click to expand...

Any gun should be looked over closely before buying if you can. No matter where its made. There are enough complaints about American made guns that buying sight unseen is a risk. My Academy has one of the Rossi R95 30-30s on the rack. I have looked it over and the wood to metal fit is very good. I could buy one from Buds cheaper but you get what they send and you don't know what it is until you have it in hand.

I think most manufacturers try to send out a well fitted gun. They know a poorly made product will be posted on the net and will hurt sales. So I think they at least try.
 
Never ever buy a newly produced firearm regardless of where it is from.!
Especially on GB, limited supply and high demand for those that just have to have the newest.
Then when production amps up, all the dealers will have them and the prices go in reverse!
 
Rule3 said:
Never ever buy a newly produced firearm regardless of where it is from.!
Especially on GB, limited supply and high demand for those that just have to have the newest.
Then when production amps up, all the dealers will have them and the prices go in reverse!
Click to expand...
Unless they fall absolutely flat on their face, in which case you either have a paperweight or a highly sought after collectors item. Just think what the Hudson H9 did. Also the USFA zip.
 
I would have liked to see an 18.x" barrel instead. I'd rather lose 1 shot capacity and have it slightly handier. Also depending on your load, you've already maxed out the speed before 20 inches.
 
valnar said:
I would have liked to see an 18.x" barrel instead. I'd rather lose 1 shot capacity and have it slightly handier. Also depending on your load, you've already maxed out the speed before 20 inches.
Click to expand...
Everything I've seen, they gain right up to 20". Especially the .357.
 
No knock on these Turkish rifles but about the feature they don't have.
About 10 years ago, I was looking for a lever action to go with my GP-100 in .357. I tried the Uberti, Rossi, & Winchester at a LGS but all three had curved, unpadded heels on the stock which made for an uncomfortable fit (for me). They were also top eject with no side-loading gate. The Henry rifles used a tubular magazine like a .22 rifle, making for slow reloads. At that time, their receivers were also that bright brass-like finish.
Only the Marlin 1894 had the padded stock, side-eject, and side loading gate that I desired. I got a used one from the mid-90s (according to the serial number) for ~$800 through GunBroker 7-8 years ago.
 
chicharrones said:
Unless that aluminum receiver is a substantial redesign of the steel version, I’d be wary.

Makes me think of the polymer AR receivers that used the standard screw in buffer tube. Crack city.
Click to expand...

Me, too. It must pass CIP proof test... once; but the '92 locking bolts run in the receiver so you have aluminum carrying the load.
 
chicharrones said:
Unless that aluminum receiver is a substantial redesign of the steel version, I’d be wary.

Makes me think of the polymer AR receivers that used the standard screw in buffer tube. Crack city.
Click to expand...

Not an argumnet but I wonder about that? The 1892 action was, well, designed in 1892. There are aluminum alloy forgings today that are probably stronger than some of the steels of that era. The design had to account for the strength of then available materials. I do not discount aluminum as a suitable material for firearms. Some awfully expensive shotguns have aluminum receivers (but the lugs usually lock in the steel barrel). Henry uses ordinance grade brass for some of their centerfire rifles, of course, then they go and use Zamak pot metal for their rimfire rifles :fire:. Yes, I would rather steel generally.
 
3Crows said:
Not an argumnet but I wonder about that? The 1892 action was, well, designed in 1892. There are aluminum alloy forgings today that are probably stronger than some of the steels of that era. The design had to account for the strength of then available materials. I do not discount aluminum as a suitable material for firearms. Some awfully expensive shotguns have aluminum receivers (but the lugs usually lock in the steel barrel). Henry uses ordinance grade brass for some of their centerfire rifles, of course, then they go and use Zamak pot metal for their rimfire rifles :fire:. Yes, I would rather steel generally.
Click to expand...

Were Winchesters and now Rossis made with forged steel receivers? Just wondering.

Speaking of steel framed guns that got changed to aluminum, that makes me think of the CZ75 pistols. The aluminum frames models got thickened up at the part where the slide rails are. You can see it as a horizontal ridge down the length of the frame. The steel frame models don't have that horizontal ridge because the frames are at the original width there.

So, it would make me think that GForce lever gun with an aluminum receiver would need a thicker walled receiver and maybe thicker locking blocks (whatever those vertical pieces are called) to engage deeper into the aluminum receiver?

My other thought is, would the aluminum frame "stretch" over time like is reported with certain brass frame cap and ball revolvers with heavy loads?

Or if stretch would not be a problem, would the aluminum frame slots be susceptible to peening by the locking blocks with each round being fired?

Not to mention the thought of the receiver requiring to be thicker where the barrel screws in as well.
 
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The Rossi rifles are a forging (per Paco Kelly website), the Marlin rifles are absolutely a forging. I really cannot answer this question for olden Winchester rifles as this area is outside my knowledge realm. I would like to know and I bet somebody here does know :).

Cast steels can have comparable strength to forgings, depends upon the class of steels and the heat treat and again other things that are outside my knowledge base. Ruger (excluding their Marlin line) has investment cast receivers on some products and I do not know of any of their bolt guns blowing up routinely.

Aluminum does have a cyclic fatigue life but these properties are well known and can be accounted for.
 
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