The son and I used shoot Cowbow Action and his rifle is.was a Marlin .357/.38 lever action. It has performed wonderfully as do all Marlins and fired reloads mostly. He is in the Army now and the rifle is stored here at home. I once had a Marlin .44 Nagnum lever action and it was fantastic.
What do you all think about the Marlin lever action chambered for 357/ 38?
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SwordRapier
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I just checked the utah big game proclamation. I has been a while since I looked. I don't hunt much anymore. When I did it was with a .30 .40 Krag. Any way they are a lot less strict than I remember. About all it says is centerfire with expanding ammunition and no lights.
That leads me to another question. Will a .357 knock down a mule deer?
That leads me to another question. Will a .357 knock down a mule deer?
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I have two lever carbines in .357, and within their limitations they are great little rifles. But a mule deer is a bit beyond their limits. If the range were not too great, and your shot were perfect, then maybe.
I'd use a serious rifle on mule deer.
I'd use a serious rifle on mule deer.
76shuvlinoff
Member
I have a 1894 carbine version. Great gun for my situation and a ton of fun. Works for my my wife as she just can't seem to warm up to a pistol or shotgun. Lots more pop in a more manageable size for HD than my 39A for her . Not a considered a "hunting" round by most but if it really had to it could certainly put food on the table. Makes me feel like a 10 yr old cowboy every time I pick it up.
SwordRapier
Member
"If the range were not too great, and your shot were perfect, then maybe.
I'd use a serious rifle on mule deer" (sorry, I know there is a quote button around here somewhere, I just can't find the idiot thing.)
That's more or less what I thought. When I did go hunting it was with the 30-40 Krag. I think that rifle is a bit more serious than the 357.
Like I stated in the OP. If I do get the rifle it would be just to kill cans or poke holes in paper. At this point in my life, I just don't have much use for a rifle except as a paper punch or can killer. If that changes, I guess that would be a good excuse to get another rifle.
I'd use a serious rifle on mule deer" (sorry, I know there is a quote button around here somewhere, I just can't find the idiot thing.)
That's more or less what I thought. When I did go hunting it was with the 30-40 Krag. I think that rifle is a bit more serious than the 357.
Like I stated in the OP. If I do get the rifle it would be just to kill cans or poke holes in paper. At this point in my life, I just don't have much use for a rifle except as a paper punch or can killer. If that changes, I guess that would be a good excuse to get another rifle.
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Sure! Here are some specs from Buffalo Bore...
Make special note of the Marlin 1894, 18.5 inch barrel velocities. Item 19C/20, supercedes 30-30 energies!!!
18.5 inch Marlin 1894
a. Item 19A/20-180gr. Hard Cast = 1851 fps
b. Item 19B/20-170gr. JHC = 1860 fps
c. Item 19C/20-158gr. Speer Uni Core = 2153 fps---- Can you believe this?!!!
d. Item 19D/20-125gr. Speer Uni Core = 2298 fps---- Or this?!!!
http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#357
Kymasabe
Member
A friend of mine here in south Florida hog hunts with his all the time, uses the nastiest .357 round he can for quick takedown and routinely makes shots in the 70-100 yard range. It's ALOT cheaper to shoot than the .30-30 Marlin 336.
alaskanativeson
Member
I think a Marlin lever in .357 would be nice, but I'd much rather see them make a level in .454 Casull or .460 S&W. I know that's a lot of pressure for the action, but I'm sure they could do it. That'd be a great rifle. I guess I'll have to be satisfied with the Puma 92 I got last week.
Marlin makes rifles that shoot big-bore rifle rounds.
I'm not sure there's any real reason for them to make a .454 or .460.
In Alaska, things are different, of course, due to your friendly wildlife, but from what I've seen, the new .500 and .460 S&W revolvers are mostly sold to guys with a bunch of money they don't know what to do with.
That means there's little demand for a lever gun with a common cartridge.
I'm not sure there's any real reason for them to make a .454 or .460.
In Alaska, things are different, of course, due to your friendly wildlife, but from what I've seen, the new .500 and .460 S&W revolvers are mostly sold to guys with a bunch of money they don't know what to do with.
That means there's little demand for a lever gun with a common cartridge.
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average_shooter
Member
For what it's worth I was able to find a used Marlin 1894CS (.357/.38) about a year ago for around $300. Maybe it was cheaper because there's a problem with it.
I've never been able to get it to cycle .38 SPC at all. It always locks up, requiring taking the lever off to clear the jam. Recently it has started jamming with .357 too and won't cycle A-Zoom .357 snap-caps.
Apparently I'm not the only one with this problem. I've done a couple google searches and run across a few other posts scattered around the internet of people having the exact same problem.
Bottom line, look for used for cheaper, but be really sure it's in good shape before you drop the money on it. As it is now, being that I'm not the original owner, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to pay to have it shipped to Marlin and pay for them to fix it, which basically defeats the purpose of saving money by buying used.
As always Your Mileage May Vary.
I've never been able to get it to cycle .38 SPC at all. It always locks up, requiring taking the lever off to clear the jam. Recently it has started jamming with .357 too and won't cycle A-Zoom .357 snap-caps.
Apparently I'm not the only one with this problem. I've done a couple google searches and run across a few other posts scattered around the internet of people having the exact same problem.
Bottom line, look for used for cheaper, but be really sure it's in good shape before you drop the money on it. As it is now, being that I'm not the original owner, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to pay to have it shipped to Marlin and pay for them to fix it, which basically defeats the purpose of saving money by buying used.
As always Your Mileage May Vary.
So has mine.
I think that it will feed everything if there's nothing wrong with it.
Still, I understand that some of those 'smiths will turn the gun into something really slick. I think I'd rather do that, if it really needed 'smithing.
I sent a 39A back to Marlin twice with an ejection problem. It came back with the same problem.
I then took the bolt out, compared it with a bolt from my other 39, and fixed the problem with a pair of needle-nose pliers in about 15 seconds. Guess I should have tried that first, but when you have a near-new gun, it's too tempting to use the warranty at that point if there's a problem.
Now Marlin's people were really nice, and I believe they tried to fix the gun. But a 3rd-party smith paid to slick it up will REALLY fix the gun.
I think that it will feed everything if there's nothing wrong with it.
Still, I understand that some of those 'smiths will turn the gun into something really slick. I think I'd rather do that, if it really needed 'smithing.
I sent a 39A back to Marlin twice with an ejection problem. It came back with the same problem.
I then took the bolt out, compared it with a bolt from my other 39, and fixed the problem with a pair of needle-nose pliers in about 15 seconds. Guess I should have tried that first, but when you have a near-new gun, it's too tempting to use the warranty at that point if there's a problem.
Now Marlin's people were really nice, and I believe they tried to fix the gun. But a 3rd-party smith paid to slick it up will REALLY fix the gun.
Puma is making lever guns in both .454 and .480.
M-92 Carbines
In addition to the standard calibers, Puma takes a 19th Century tradition into the 21st Century with super-magnum chamberings! For brush hunting and wilderness packing, Puma 92 carbines in .454 and .480 calibers feature optional magazine-tube loading and a recoil absorbing rubber butt pad.
Round barrel 16 and 20 inch barrel carbines have crescent buttplates, except .454 and .480 calibers which come with cushioned, shotgun-style recoil pads.
http://www.legacysports.com/products/puma/puma_carbines.html
M-92 Carbines
In addition to the standard calibers, Puma takes a 19th Century tradition into the 21st Century with super-magnum chamberings! For brush hunting and wilderness packing, Puma 92 carbines in .454 and .480 calibers feature optional magazine-tube loading and a recoil absorbing rubber butt pad.
Round barrel 16 and 20 inch barrel carbines have crescent buttplates, except .454 and .480 calibers which come with cushioned, shotgun-style recoil pads.
http://www.legacysports.com/products/puma/puma_carbines.html
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