Thread: Hunting Rifles / Handguns - New, Old, Restored

There was a time when we first moved up here I had two sets

Marlin 357 rifle and a S&W pistol
Marlin 45LC Rifle and a Ruger Vaquero

One for Shan one for me.. eventually I sold the rifles and the Vaquero to friends that begged me for them

I have one Lever gun left that I doubt I will ever sell

Marlin Guide Gun 1st or 2nd year production with the Magna-ports in 45-70, that is the grab and go gun I have mentioned in the past
405 grains of Hardcast Lead at 1450 fps, out to 75 yards it is dead nuts on and handles so well I can put 3 rounds inside of 3 inches offhand without trying too hard..
It is light to carry, and rides on the UTV easily, almost unbreakable, it tends to go everywhere in the woods with us

The 357 rifle I had was actually even nicer to shoot, super accurate and near zero kick, I could see it as a great Camp/Hiking rifle

After researchig lever guns in the 357 caliber, I am now leaning more toward the Rossi than I am the Henry. I have scoured all the gun stores and the only two manufacturers I can find in stock are Rossi and Henry. Marlins and others that I would consider are more scarce than brains on Capitol Hill.

I do think that Henry is of slightly higher quality, but I'll be a very light user of the firearm, so that won't come much into play. What I do like better about the Rossi is that the magazine load is from the side, like the classic Winchester. The Henry has a spring magazine tube that is removed and then you load the magazine directly and re-insert the tube. I am not a fan of this, again, because I'm traditional in my vision of a lever gun. I'm a huge fan of Westerns and have been since I was a kid sitting on my grandfather's lap watching Gunsmoke and Bonanza.

Rossi levers are also a bit smaller and lighter, especially their Carbine. And they are less expenisve to purchase. I may end up with a Rossi this weekend. I'll keep ya'll informed, as my southern friends would say.

Got the Rossi, and even though it was not even on my radar, I got the Stainless version. I had a Taurus 9mm Stainless for years with no issues and easy lube/cleaning. The gun store was crazy busy. Waited 90 minutes for my number to be called for a salesperson to help me.

Bought a bunch of ammo while I was there. Had a bit of sticker shock on the ammo, but the Rossi itself was very reasonable. I tried the Henry. It weighed at least twice what the Rossi weighs, and had the open magazine load with spring tube instead of side load. And it was expensive.

So I finally got my Lever Action 357. Over 10 years of waiting, but it's mine now;

I think that is a great choice, anytime it is available now I go for SS, I really considered selling my Guide Gun to upgrade to the SS version, maybe someday

Especially for what you are after as a Camp/Hiking rifle, that is perfect for you

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I think that is a great choice, anytime it is available now I go for SS, I really considered selling my Guide Gun to upgrade to the SS version, maybe someday

Especially for what you are after as a Camp/Hiking rifle, that is perfect for you

Thank you. I agree with you. Stainless has advantages over blue. I am a real fan of vintage Westerns from my childhood. My earliest memories are sitting on my grandfathers lap watching Bonanza prime time. It's one of the reasons why I have always liked lever action guns. I thought I'd get a blued finish because that's my personal vision of a lever gun, but I saw the stainless and jumped on it, especially at the price it was offered. Heck, if the cowboys on the range in the late 1800s had the option of Stainless, I'm sure they'd go that way too.

It's going to be a really great camp/hiking rifle. And a fun target rifle. I got 100 rounds of Winchester target rounds (standard 38 special) for the range. That's on the agenda tomorrow. It is a 357, so it would made a good medium game hunting rifle. I know some would hunt deer with a 357, but I'd personally go for 44 magnum with deer. I no longer hunt deer, and I had a 44 magnum lever Marlin in my past. Too much kick for me personally. And I've got the shoulder hematoma (now turned fat pocket) to prove it!

Thanks again. I enjoyed the day. First firearm I have purchased in over 10 years.