Good 357 Lever Action?

[Smoothie]

I just picked up my Cimarron model 1873 short rifle with 20" oct barrel in 357mag/38sp (model CA271). I had inspected it before but didn't really have a chance to try out the cycling. To this end I got a set of snap caps in 357mag and another in 38sp. The cycling feels nice and solid, there's no play in the lever or elsewhere, it's a bit heavy, but never gritty or uneven. The 357 snap caps cycle perfectly. The 38sp don't cycle at all, they're simply too short and the lifter snags on the end flange of the next round in the tube. So I took out a box of PMC 38SPL Bronze I bought to try it with, and those rounds are significantly longer than the snap caps, in fact they're within 1mm of the 357mag I have also. They're the same length as the 357mag snap caps actually. So I feel confident they won't get stuck in the lifter in actual use like the snap caps did. (Didn't test it with live ammo.)

Overall I'm very happy with it - this is my first lever rifle. It's a beauty. I do see why people sometimes wrap the lever eye though... Or wear gloves. I might get a pair of elkskin ropers to go with this rifle.

Checking with a cleaning patch it picked up carbon around the chamber area, so seems like it was test fired at the factory.

The woodwork on it is gorgeous. Love it. Can't wait for the rains to end so I can go shoot it!

Uberti does a really nice job on these...

[montesf1030]

The Henry Big Boy Steel in the 357 !!! Very nice shooter and smooth action


FM
Las Vegas NV
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[200Apples]

Smoothie

I just picked up my Cimarron...

If'n you don't mind, where did you have this transferred? and were you able to choose from in-store stock or did you have to order this fine piece...

Thanks in advance. Congrats!

:-)

[smle-man]

My Rossi 92 .357 carbine has trouble with truncated cone soft nose 158 gr bullets. SWC and round nose do fine but the OAL on the truncated cone bullets is just a tad wrong. They hang up as the round is chambering. Otherwise it feeds other .357 and .38s just fine.

I recommend the Rossi product. I have both the .357 and .44 versions. One caution: the firing pin broke in my .357 after decades of use. Probably dry firing contributed to the problem. I don't dry fire it any more.

[Hoop]

The Uberti 1873 is the one I like, not sure I wanna blow 1000+ bucks just to have one for the sake of having it though.

[Den60]

I just DROSed a Henry H006M. It is a tube loader rather than a side gate loader. I did look at Marlin which has had some QC problems in the past. I have been told they have improved in quality in recent years.

[Smoothie]

If'n you don't mind, where did you have this transferred? and were you able to choose from in-store stock or did you have to order this fine piece...

I couldn't find any Cimarron dealers anywhere near so bought it online from Buds. They have a set of FFLs pre-registered and setup to accept orders; I had it shipped to South City Pawn (Cash And Loan Inc I think is the name) in South San Francisco. It's a very smooth and easy process, and obviously Buds has a lot more inventory than any LGS. Still, I prefer to use my LGS where possible and prefer not to buy the pig in the sack so to speak. Price wise it comes out to about the same - Buds is cheaper but the transfer fees eat up some of it, and you get to wait a few more days. Still, the entire transaction was super easy - pick an FFL from their list at checkout, pay, get order status updates by email, check tracking, wait for the call, go do DROS, go pickup.

[Smoothie]

The Uberti 1873 is the one I like, not sure I wanna blow 1000+ bucks just to have one for the sake of having it though.

It only hurts once...

[packnrat]

any Henry made lever will keep you happy and your grand kids happy for there live also.

https://www.henryrifles.com/

.

[Smoothie]

I wrote re: Cimarron Model 1873 short rifle:

Can't wait for the rains to end so I can go shoot it!

Just to follow up... I can report it shoots beautifully. .38sp feels like .22 and if I didn't pull the trigger I'd have a hard time telling if it went click or actually fired at the busy range. When my wife tried it out I had a hard time telling when she shot. .357mag has a tiny bit of kick, and I think this is by far my favorite, so this is probably what I'll be using. Once I figured out how far in the last round should be loaded to prevent overlapping rounds I had zero cycling problems with either .38sp or .357mag. Both PMC (if memory serves). Sights good out of the box. Easy and super fun shoot off hand, easily every shot within the black of a 100yd NRA rifle target at 50yds, maybe a 4-5" group spread and that's probably my off hand technique - or lack thereof - more than the rifle. Smooth and easy to operate. I like it - a lot!

I now have a Cimarron 1872 Navy 7.5" in 38sp on order to go with it...

[ianS]

For just fun on the range: Henry

Range and potentially Home Defense: Rossi 92 or other 1892 clone with loading gate on the frame.

[sling works]

A Marlin 94 is the best choice. Henry is more of a cheap gun.

You should buy a pre-Rem Marlin. Luckily that's about 99% of the 1894s out there.

[champu]

A lever gun in .357 / .38 will be my first long gun purchase of 2017.

Yeah, I'm probably going to buy one of these in 2017:
https://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/all-weather-big-boy/

Okay. My Money -> Where my Mouth Is. Here she is with her .357 traveling companion, the S&W 686+.



Trigger is very consistent at just under 4 lbf; action cycled smoothly all day; shot 150 rounds through it; loads of fun to shoot at a dueling tree.

My only problem is that my wife says it's her new favorite gun to shoot, so I don't know how much I'm going to be able to use it.

[Sputnik]

I just cant get into the new Henry designs.

I want something closer to an original 1800s design. For me that means something based on the '66, '73, or '92 albeit with the modern chambering in .357 and other contemporary differences.

Then there's Henry's newest...a recreation of the original 1860 Henry rifle that Henry Repeating Arms took their name from:

https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/the-original-henry-rifle/

Honestly it looks sweet but its not in my budget right now.

[Sputnik]

In two pages of threads, the name Uberti only came up 5 times, some of it in quoted text.

I'm sure they are fine guns, maybe not as popular? I've had my eye on a Trapper Carbine, but just haven't bit the bullet and pulled the trigger.

Uberti is very popular with cowboy shooters. I think that here on CGN there just isn't as much interest in "historically correct" lever guns as you see at CAS matches.