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I think I need a lever gun and I already shoot .357 revolvers, so why not? I'm looking for opinions on different .357 lever action rifles. Not for hunting or cowboy competitions or anything. Just to plink and target shoot.

I love my Marlin.

Marlin 1894c is a nice compact little gun. Puma makes some very short barreled rifles that look good.

IMO, the Marlin design captures the long case of the round better. I have an old Rossi rifle that sometimes lets the round to be loaded point straight up and not line up with the chamber. This happens more with 38 special. I'm not sure if the newer rifles work better on that. Marlin also gives you better scope/sight mounting options.

If you go the Marlin route, IMO, the stainless Marlin models are worth the wait and additional money.

I just got a .357 revolver.....quit tempting me to buy a lever!

Nice to have a short range (150yds or less) deer rifle that eats the same ammo my revolver does.

If everything goes to hell the 5k of .357 ammo I have will feed both and they can also eat .38spl. Not trying to be an apocolytic nutjob.....just believe in being prepared to provide for my family.

We got a problem with a guy on this forum stockpiling pork & beans.

glbedd53 wrote:We got a problem with a guy on this forum stockpiling pork & beans.

YUCK.....but I do have 2 weeks MRE's for each person in the family........LOL

Another vote for the Marlin. I love mine!

Good luck on finding one.When I bought my Marlin,I had to buy a used one,because new ones were in short supply.It is a cool gun,and you won't regret it.

Glad to hear all the thumbs up on the Marlins. I was looking for a stainless Marlin in .357. There are cheaper ones out there but Marlins get great reviews from all it seems. And stainless is my preference too. Thanks for all the info guys.

I'm also tempted to get a Marlin. Would be my first rifle. Love the look of the lever actions and they seem a very handy size (down to 37" o/a length, slim and lightweight?).

Having not shot a rifle ever, never done any kind of hunting to this date, not sure what caliber to go for. Kind of attracted by the 45-70 in case I ever meet an aggressive brown bear in downtown Houston. Maybe a pistol caliber would be better then I can more convincingly rationalize it as a SD weapon against human predators/terrorists? In which case, wouldn't .44 be better than .357? Pros and cons welcomed.

45-70 recoil is not insignificant. It is a serious caliber for large game like elk.

44 magnum is probably the ideal caliber in a pistol-caliber carbine - bullet mass, added velocity as a consequence of the longer barrel, and decreased noise for the same reason.

However one of the attractions of the pistol-caliber carbine is ammunition sharing, so if you intend to add a revolver later, you might want to consider whether you would shoot a .44 mag revolver as much as a .357 mag revolver.

Quite a bit depends on your prospective target. The .357 mag is ok for hunting most animals up to small deer, but the .44 mag is better. If your targets are primarily paper, with the possibility of the weapon being pressed into self-defense service, the .357 mag might be better. OTOH you can shoot .38 special / .44 special and minimize recoil, noise, and powder cost.

Whichever caliber you choose, I think you will have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

I've already got a Model 29, so make my lever rifle/carbine a .44 magnum.

The Annoyed Man wrote:I've already got a Model 29, so make my lever rifle/carbine a .44 magnum.

Of course, on second thought, I've already got a Ruger 22/45 MkIII Stainless Hunter, so I'll also have a .22 lever rifle, please. Thank you.

Another vote for Marlin! I own three Marlin firearms and love all of them! The Lever is one of my favs.