Best .357 lever gun for the money?

[pennstater]

The best? Browning B92. Better than original Winchester and current Winchester, far better than all the rest.

Absolutely agree with this. However, the trick is locating one, especially at a reasonable price. Mighty slick lever gun tho.

MLC

[golfish]

Absolutely agree with this. However, the trick is locating one, especially at a reasonable price. Mighty slick lever gun tho.

MLC

They made such a nice model 92 but it's been 35 years since they made one.

[JWHuey]

The Big Boy X is actually the one I am looking at now. I definitely want one with both loading options.

[JWHuey]

Love my Henry Big Boy steel side gate. Under 7 lbs, beautifully figured walnut, smooth as silk action.

It's everything I ever wanted in a 357 lever rifle. Turners now stocks those in carbine 16" and 20".

Gonna hit my local Turners this week for some tire kicking then! Thanks!

[M76]

The best? Browning B92. Better than original Winchester and current Winchester, far better than all the rest.

good luck finding one in CA at a "value" price...

[allright]

I've only got one 357 lever, and it's a Henry All Weather. I bought it from another calgunner. It looked like new, but I found it to be really difficult to unchamber/rechamber a round. I sent it back to Henry (Free shipping and service) and it's been a really wonderful carbine for the last >1k rounds. I love this gun!

[iMigraine]

OP, if you can wait, the new Marlin by Ruger is just starting up their lever action rifle productions. Might be a year or two till they produce their .357 levers.

[WWDHD?]

I'm no expert in lever actions- but this is what I did and why:

First I bought a Rossi 92. I never warmed up to that rifle. I didn't like the flimsy top mounted safety or the buck horn sights. I thought I could tinker with it but it turned out to be harder to work on than my abilities and lost interest. On top of that mine was very ammo picky with .357 mag. .38 special feed fine. Sold it.
Then the Henry X came out and I saw it had 3 dot sights. It took a while but I finally tracked one down and bought it. Very nice gun. Before Henry's could only be loaded from the tube but now they also have a loading gate as well. Yeah a wood stock would have been nice but the black plastic is durable and maintenance free. So far it loads/feeds any ammo I've tried in it- unlike the R92.
The new Marlins look interesting but so far I have not seen one in person.
My vote is with US made Henry.
Good luck.

[pennstater]

They made such a nice model 92 but it's been 35 years since they made one.

LOL! There is that minor issue. I still like the Henry's. They work fine for me.

MLC

[kendog4570]

Absolutely agree with this. However, the trick is locating one, especially at a reasonable price. Mighty slick lever gun tho.

MLC

Forget the "reasonable price" jazz. Find one and get it. The money is worthless anyways. Getting more so every damn day.

[pennstater]

Forget the "reasonable price" jazz. Find one and get it. The money is worthless anyways. Getting more so every damn day.

Yeah, there's a lot of truth to that. Myself. I THINK I'm ok with levers for now.

MLC

[OCEquestrian]

The best for the money is going to be a Japanese made Winchester model 92..IMO, of course.

The best? Browning B92. Better than original Winchester and current Winchester, far better than all the rest.

good luck finding one in CA at a "value" price...

Forget the "reasonable price" jazz. Find one and get it. The money is worthless anyways. Getting more so every damn day.

Yup...the best magnum pistol caliber lever action rifles out there are the Browning B92 levers in .44 mag and .357mag. They were made under contract with the Morucu company in Japan for Browning from 1978-1987. A close copy of the Winchester Model 1892 Lever Action rifle, the B-92 was introduced in 1978 as a limited edition B-92 Centennial in .44 Mag. caliber only. The standard B-92 was introduced in 1979 in .44 Magnum. The 357 Mag. was introduced in 1982. The B-92 was discontinued in 1987. They are better than the original Winchesters IMHO. As stated above.. try to find one...they are rare as hens teeth in .44 mag and the .357 version is a true unicorn in the gun world. If you find one...don't quibble over price.. BUY IT!

[200Apples]

"Miroku"/Browning B-92 in .44 Magnum:




Best .357 *for the money* imho is the Rossi from about 7 years ago. I bought one, a 16" blued round-barrel carbine, went to Steve's Guns webpages, read between the lines, stoned the bolt, filed some of the rough edges from inside the receiver. The trigger was awesome out of the box. $535.00 or whatever. Best value-for-dollar for a .357. I am fortunate, too, to own a 1989-built Marlin 1894CS357 that's had some lovin'.

[golfish]

The Big Boy X is actually the one I am looking at now. I definitely want one with both loading options.

It would have been nice if you included this in the OP...it kind of narrows it down

[hermosabeach]

A used Marlin made in the 1990s

Add a Skinner Peep sight and you have a very fun gun