Posted on 07/08/2018 10:28:58 AM PDT by Simon Green
I think pistol caliber rifles are cool, and I'm leaning towards the Henry Big Boy Carbine. Anyone have experience with it, or other .357 rifles/
Henry is a good choice unless you can find an older Marlin.
Guess it really depends on if you've got any 45’s sitting there gathering dust.
The other factor is if you're one who tends to sell firearms that don't work for you; the 45’s are easier to resell, though the 357, after a far longer time, can get more money used.
All in all, the Big Boy Carbine is a fun gun to shoot that really is about 3 rounds short of being perfect. The open iron sights are good enough for most plinking, getting a red dot sight almost feels like cheating, scopes - well, if you're looking for distance, pick a different gun to put a scope on.
Had a Marlin .357 40 yrs ago while stationed in Alaska. Wish I hadn’t let it go.
Every box of ammunition produced in over 1/2 century by SAAMI and other responsible members worldwide has some form of the warning, "Use this ammunition only in firearms marked and chambered for this specific cartridge."
Don't be mislead about cartridge designations by ill-informed gun writers, layman gun nuts and irresponsible off-shore manufacturers.
To paraphrase James Carville, "Its the headstamp stupid!"
Read them. Good luck in finding ammunition headstamped with your mistaken identity.
Rossi’s are good little rifles sold in various pistol calibers (including .357/.8). I think they are all Model 92’s. They are NOT heirloom pieces but are inexpensive, functional, fun to shoot, and accurate, and can be made to run even smoother than original for about $60.00 from with parts from stevesgunz.com.
I’ve recently been looking for a Winchester Model 92 in .357 but although they still make them they apparently do it in limited batches once or twice a year, hence hard to find and expensive.
I don’t have any Henry’s but I have a friend with a .44mag. and it’s a sweet shooter, but I don’t like the looks/handling of it. Seems a bit clunky. Just my $.02.
>>Had a Marlin .357 40 yrs ago while stationed in Alaska. Wish I hadn’t let it go.
I know the feeling. :-(
Marlin if you can find one in .357.
(including .357/.38)
Fixed it.
Get ready to spend some money. I’ve had that mood for a long time, but I want a side load. Henry is the only other option I would consider. Just waiting for a Winchester to fall from the sky. We’d src
Ruger used to make a wheel gun with the .30 cal M1 Carbine round; maybe still does. That pistol was not permitted on the on the local gun club indoor range: too high velocity. A cheap, easily available straight-case rimless .30 cal that can be easily reloaded.
I have a Marlin 1894c (.357), which I purchased NIB about ten years ago. The rifle has been flawless.
Marlin apparently stopped manufacturing this model in late 2011 allegedly because of quality control issues that occurred after Marlin closed the New Haven facility in 2010 and moved the manufacturing to llion, NY and Mayfield Kentucky. I have heard rumors that the 1894c is back in production, and while it appears on the Marlin website, I have yet to see one for sale in the wild.
Might want to check here-
https://www.sportsmansguide.com/productlist/guns/rifle/lever-action/357-magnum?d=185&c=30&s=708&gauge_chamber=.357+Magnum
(I have no experience with them.)
IIRC Sportsman’s Guide is tied in with Dick’s and their anti-gun debacle. Just sayin’
FYI
You can tell the year of manufacture of Marlin rifles from 1973 to 1999 by subtracting the first two digits of the serial number from 100.
That was their heyday for quality rifles.
After Remington took over quality was not as good.
27-100= 1973
19-100 = 1981
NOTE TO RELOADERS! If you load for an early style rifle like the 1866 brass frame or 1873 Winchester style rifles, case length is very important!Too long and it will jam. too short and you will need to push the next cartridge in line back into the tube.
IF YOU ARE USING A BRASS FRAME RIFLE, keep the loads to the factory specifications. Brass is soft and will stretch easily with a hot load.
I bought a .38 spl that someone had loaded hot loads. The frame had stretched a few thousands of an inch so it would not fire, but only dent the primer, would not eject because the extractor could not grasp the rim.
If you take off the side plates you will see it is a very thin area where the front of the frame and the back of the frame meet. No wonder the rifle was placed for sale with such a low price for a used gun.
My 8 round S&W 627 revolver would be well complimented by a .357 lever gun. Be good for SHTF scenarios.
I’ll watch this thread for info too.
Dude, this is what you want: http://www.taylorsfirearms.com/1892-alaskan-take-down-357-mag-16-barrel-black-soft-touch-padded-stock-end.html
I have Marlin 1894s in both .357 and .44 mag. Great guns. Never fail.
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