Best .357 Lever Gun

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I know some on here have .357 lever guns. What is the best? I want to get one, but have no idea which one to go with. I do know I want a long barrel and I prefer one that doesn’t eject out of the top.
 

45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The Henry will be easier to find and has a silky smooth action. The blued round barrel version is lighter than the the brass octagon barrel version. Rifle length barrels really step up the power of the 357. They typically gain 500-600 fps.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Currently, not really finding anything from Winchester or Uberti with side eject. I want the option of a scope. The longer barrel was to gain as much velocity as I could from a .357
 

FishHunt

Old Mossy Horns
Marlin 1894 > Rossi 92 > Henry in my opinion. The Marlin was the most accurate lever .357 I have ever shot but was finicky feeding rounds. The current Rossi 92 Trapper is slick and almost as accurate as the Marlin was. I have not shot a Henry rifle besides an "Evil Roy" .22 that I'd pay money for.

<>< Fish
 

pcbuckhunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Marlin 1894 > Rossi 92 > Henry in my opinion. The Marlin was the most accurate lever .357 I have ever shot but was finicky feeding rounds. The current Rossi 92 Trapper is slick and almost as accurate as the Marlin was. I have not shot a Henry rifle besides an "Evil Roy" .22 that I'd pay money for.

<>< Fish


I agree with this mostly

The 2 or 3 Marlin 1894’s I’ve had dealings with functioned flawlessly with just about any ammo you fed them. And shot most of them into sub 1” groups.

Not a whole lot of experience with the Rossi M92, but the one I’ve had hands on was accurate, not Marlin 1894 accurate, but accurate.

I have yet to see a Henry center fire that would shoot worth a damn. 2-3” 50 yard groups are apparently something to be proud of with a Henry. I know there are exceptions out there, but they’re just that, exceptions.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Looks like Henry and Marlin are the only ones I am finding with side ejection. Please let me know if I am missing something from the other brands.
 

pcbuckhunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Looks like Henry and Marlin are the only ones I am finding with side ejection. Please let me know if I am missing something from the other brands.
I assume that you’re looking for a side eject so you can mount a scope.
Winchester Angle Eject(AE) models are drilled and tapped for a scope, even though they’re top eject. If you’re not opposed to a used gun, a Winchester 94AE Trapper in .357 would fit the bill. I will caution you that they did have some feed issues. But seeing as you’re looking for other options, I thought I would throw this one out there.
 

nchunter78

Six Pointer
If you want to look at something slightly different, check out the Henry Big Boy "X" model. I typically like a nice wood stock on my lever guns so I was not sure how I would feel about the "X" model. After getting this though, I do not have anything bad to say about it. Typical Henry quality, a threaded barrel (for a future suppressor). Traditional tube magazine OR side gate loading.

It has been a pleasure to shoot at the range and I recently added a 1-6x24 scope to it for hunting later this season (I prefer some magnification when hunting).

 
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