.357 or .44 Mag

[BlueDog333]

Rifle I'm not sure never shot one..

Handguns I always think 357 for go.. 44 for show..

+1. And there's some really great factory .357 ammo around now with 30-30 energies.

OP Check this hot load Buffalo Bore .357 ammo. Out of the Marlin rifle you may choose it supercedes 30-30 energies.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/926010/buffalo-bore-ammunition-357-magnum-158-grain-semi-jacketed-hollow-point-high-velocity-box-of-20?cm_vc=wishList

And if it's a shtf rifle, if you ever plan on getting a shtf magnum revolver .357mag > .44mag. Like said before 38spl would be more economical to shoot and reload. A .357 revolver would also be a great all around back up/home defense pistol.

[Shoot-it]

45-70 and you will have everyones attention at the range.

[blazeaglory]

Now Im reading that Marlin was sold to Remington and supposedly there is a big difference between the guns made from 2007 and up? If so does anyone know the differences in quality?

[Hardwarejunkie]

Also, could rossi's and henrys, the lever, be switched out for the bigger "loop" type lever? Or is it, some you can, some you cant?

Henry sells a large loop lever for $50: http://www.henryrepeating.com/st-large-loop.cfm

Rossi makes large loop versions of the 92 carbines and all the Ranch Hands are large loop so they are probably available, couldn't find any links though.

I put a large loop on my Winchester 94 (45LC) for looks, but I think it is too big to be practical. I think that Henry lever looks like a good size though.

I'd like to get a lever gun in .44 Mag to go with an "as yet not purchased" .44 Mag revolver and have been considering the Rossi and Henry like you.

I don't want to have all lever actions so I'd like to get a pump action .357 to go with my GP-100 .

[Hardwarejunkie]

45-70 and you will have everyones attention at the range.

Now Im reading that Marlin was sold to Remington and supposedly there is a big difference between the guns made from 2007 and up? If so does anyone know the differences in quality?

I also recently purchased a Marlin 1895GBL in 45/70 Gov't. See post here: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=613029

I can't compare the fit and finish of the old versus new Marlins, but my Winchester is definitely nicer. No buggered screws or anything obvious on the Marlin like some have reported.

[blazeaglory]

Yeah the smaller loop looks like it would work better than the large loop...I remember using the regular small lever at a gun store and my hand would sometime get stuck in a wierd position. The small loop looks to be about right.

[1000stars]

Also, could rossi's and henrys, the lever, be switched out for the bigger "loop" type lever? Or is it, some you can, some you cant?

henry's bigger loop lever

http://www.henryrepeating.com/st-large-loop.cfm

[Renaissance Redneck]

I own handguns chambered for both .44 Mag and .357 Mag, and have shot both cartridges out of various rifles. For "fun factor", a .44 Mag rifle is hard to beat (of the two); and my .44 handguns are also tons of fun. That said, I shoot more .357 routinely, and if I were to buy a rifle chambered for one of the two, it would definitely be .357, for reasons already mentioned here (and others not mentioned).

[robcoe]

Hello. I was wondering what you all thought of this...

In regards to the lever type 1892 rossis and marlins, what do you prefer and what are the differences? Would the .357 be good enough for distance shooting? I am thinking about the .44 but the .357 ammo is cheaper.

Also, are .44 magnums the same as .44 specials?

Thanks

Neither is good for distance, buy one that accepts the magnum of that caliber(44 or 357) then you can also use the lighter rounds.

The correct answer for which to buy is simple, get one of each.

[blazeaglory]

Neither is good for distance, buy one that accepts the magnum of that caliber(44 or 357) then you can also use the lighter rounds.

The correct answer for which to buy is simple, get one of each.

Thats what Im afraid of. I cant even afford the fist one..lol

[BigDogatPlay]

I'm a Marlin guy, I own several, and the 1894C in .357 is one of the handiest rifles there is, particularly if you own .357 revolvers. My get the heck outta Dodge kit includes an 1894C and an S&W Model 28.

That said I am also a huge fan of the Winchester Model 92 pattern, which is what the Rossi (and Puma) guns are based on. Some pluses for the Marlin...

* Solid top receiver, lot harder for mud, gunk, snow or whatever to get into the action.

* A couple less moving parts, and the Winchester pattern is just a bit more fragile.

* Locks up tighter. Both can be smoothed easily, the 92 probably lends itself more to smoothing, but the Marlin is plenty easy to work on.

* Receiver is drilled and tapped for optic or receiver sight, the Model 92 clones being open topped and ejecting vertically limit to a scout type mount or similar.

Minuses to the Marlin pattern....

* Trigger... generally not the greatest out of the box and all have the well known "Marlin flop". The two piece assembly has a somewhat loose tolerance that allows play (flop) and a long unresisted takeup. Lot of shooters aren't fond of it. The issue is solved by installing a Wild West trigger kit, and it also yields an excellent, crisp pull.

* .38 and .44 Specials are not always reliably fed. The action on the Marlins do not always take well to the slightly shorter length rounds. This too can be remedied if it happens on your gun.

* The "Marlin Jam"... there is a snail shaped cam surface that goes around the pivot screw on the lever. Every time the lever is cycled the carrier bounces on the forward edge of the cam. The forward most edge of this cam is left sharp at the factory and over thousands of cycles it can cut into the carrier enough to alter it's shape a bit and throw off the timing. The eventual result is a double feed from the magazine. It takes many thousands of cycles, but it can and does happen. A very quick fix on a brand new gun solves for it.

As others noted above .357 and .44 Magnum are good for not much more than 100 -150 yards through the carbine for the average shooter, but within their envelope either one will take most any game animal short of something really large like a bear or a moose.