.357 in a lever gun?

[spiff]

Hey folks, anyone have a lever action in 357? Keep thinking I should pick one of these up because my pistol is this caliber. Is the rifle version a hunting gun or more of a plinker? What range and what size game is this gun accurate and lethal at? would it be a good scabbard gun to haul around in the woods? Would it deter or take down a bear? Mountain lion? If yes to a self defense gun, would the .38 loads be effective too? What manufacturer do you like for this?

[bronko22000]

The 357 in rifle will have a bit more punch than in a revolver simply because of less gas escaping as it would from the cylinder gap. But it would still be on the light side for bear. It would be fine for mtn lion though. Many guys just use the 357 revolver for lions.

[spiff]

How about deer out to say 100 yards???

[MdDave]

killed my first deer with one... open sights .... never shot it much but i think it could be effective at 100 yards... its a good gun for kids.. its small, light, little recoil.

[Pawildman]

A good friend of mine bought one recently in a Puma. Sweet little gun. Functioned fine, but was a little erratic with the handloads he was shooting at the time. Need to see what it likes to eat............

[oldsmellhound]

I wouldn't use it for bear, (I don't know anything about lions) but a lot of people use a .357 in a rifle for deer. Should be good out to about 100 yards. I'd use a good quality bullet, 158 grains minimum, 180 grain would be better. Also, it should be good for small game when loaded with lighter bullets or .38 special ammo.

[the outsider]

Go to marlinowners.com and you will find lots of info regarding Marlinlever action 357's.

I wouldn't use one for bear hunting, but lots of people use it for close-range deer hunting. It all gets back to the same basic thing - shot placement.

[Doe Dumper]

The very first gun I ever went deer hunting with was a lever action .357. I didnt get a deer with it but I still have it. Its still a fun gun to shoot.

[700xcr]

I have the Marlin 1894C 357mag. I installed the ghost ring sights and scout scope base with qwick detach rings from Warne. Have a 2xier scope from Leupold. I shoot Federal American Eagle 158gr. soft point at a chronographed 1835fps. Very acurrate and a pleasure to shoot. Only thing so far shooting at animals is ground squirrel and it does a number on them. Would not be hesitate to shoot a deer within 100yds.

[ths78]

when fired from a rifle, a 357 has more energy/velocity at 100 yards than it does at the muzzle when fired from a pistol

i would stay away from lead HPs, due to the increase in velocity b/c they may blow up on heavy bone, and use soft points or hard casts instead

double tap ammo's 180gr and 200gr cast bullets will shoot through a deer's shoulders, or lengthwise at 100 yards and leave a big hole. i would not hesitate to use these loads on elk or moose out to 100 yards. they would kill those critters as quickly as an arrow does at 40 yards if you hit the heart/lungs

inside of 150 yards, a 357 kills deer as well as a 30-30. it doesn't have quite the energy/velocity, but punches a bigger hole

A solid copper 125gr JHP at 30 yards, traveling at about 2100 fps on impact, will kill a deer as fast as a 7mag on a broadside shot behind the shoulder and will put down a home intruder as quickly as buckshot

38 specials can be loaded for plinking and small game

357 carbines are excellent home defense & truck games