Marlin 1894 357= Great Fun!

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 7:16 pm

KAZ, have not seen any thig from you or the Hakamn is some time, is everyting all right? Took TAZ to the range today and after doing som ammo testing with Sport we did get 10 rounds froom the rest at 25 yard and this is what it looke like. Not bad for a lever gun, eh?

Thr gun and ammo worked well, I believe we did have some operator induced error, or a wind shift. It was faiely windy today.

KAZ · Post by **KAZ** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 7:52 pm

Nice shooting!!Spring is just around the corner and was lucky enough to acquire another Remington 40X in the last CMP go around so, I've been working on that. These came from a youth program and someone had cut the stock off to accommodate shooters of smaller stature. The stock was in otherwise excellent condition, and it refinished well so I bought the adjustable butt plate assembly from a Remington 540 in order to get the proper length back. I wished many times that I lived close to you as fitting the adjustable butt plate would have been so easy for you, not to mention looking more professional.

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 8:31 pm

TAZ likes my handloads and sends them down range well, looks like we did a 4 and a 6 group, operator or wind error but still not bad. Did you see the groups I shot with Sport in the other post? Not as good as a 40X but a lot cheaper. How many of them you got now, four or five? Did not get much farther on my rest than making the front post, been doing some room refurbishing and just taking it easy after that. When wood working is not fun, I take breaks because it is one of my fun occupations.

scratchmark · Post by **scratchmark** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:03 pm

i killed my first deer with the very same gun back in '83. my dad bought it at a confiscated weapons auction for $175 bucks, scope and all.

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:25 am

Had mine out for a
Spring outing yesterday and ran about 35 or so rounds through it. Just got through a scope swap and it shot this well without any adjustments to the scope at all. Did not like the S&B 158 grain RN factory loads but it sure ran the 148 grain full wad cutters with 3.5 grains of Green Dot well as you can see Photo is smirked as to the load after some thought I remembered those old loads with the full WC bullets were only 3.5 grains of Green Dot..

Jack D · Post by **Jack D** » Fri May 27, 2011 3:06 pm

My son in WA just bought a Marlin in .357 and has been singing its praises. He thinks I should have one to go along with my S&W 36 and Ruger SP101. It's an intriguing thought. Except for fun....does it have any real practical uses? Deer hunting out to 200 yards possible??? Small game? Personal protection? Nothing wrong with just plain fun, but I'd like it to do other things, too.

I've sold or passed down, all of my rifles except the Ruger 10/22 and feel naked without a good rifle in the safe. I've been thinking about building a good all purpose rifle....bolt action, short bbl in 7mm-08 or .308 to fill that need, but now I'm wondering if a lever or other action) in .357 would fill my needs for an all purpose rifle. I already have a Lee Turret and .357 dies...so that's a ++.

What are your thoughts of the .357 rifle as an all purpose rifle?

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Fri May 27, 2011 4:23 pm

Jack, what other reason do you need for buying one other than you want one.
That is the reasoning I used when I got mine, now my shooting bud needs one also. We have been working on some poof loads, very light for 25 yard paper punching and general shooting. We have worked up a 148 grain LHBWC load with 2.3 grains of Trail boss that shoots super accurate, like one raggedy hole 10 shot groups with very little recoil. Just had my LGS, lighten the rigger and in stall a cowboy action spring kit and does It smooth out the action fantastic.

Jack D · Post by **Jack D** » Fri May 27, 2011 5:37 pm

bearandoldman wrote:Jack, what other reason do you need for buying one other than you want one.

It is piqueing my interest. And I'm thinking it would fill that void. I was just looking at the Rossi single shot with interchangeable barrels. It can be had with many calibers (barrels), including the .357. I'm wondering about a Rossi with 20 ga., .357 and .308. Hmmmm.

bgreenea3 · Post by **bgreenea3** » Fri May 27, 2011 6:12 pm

... or a TC Encore...

Jack D · Post by **Jack D** » Sat May 28, 2011 2:10 pm

bgreenea3 wrote:... or a TC Encore...

Yeah! If only!!! Don't see it in .357 mag.???

The Rossi Wizard concept is great for an all around useful weapon. But I can't find any reviews. The American Rifleman had a short article last year and I have that issue. It didn't have anything negative to say about the Wizard. My internet search only brings up a few forum comments...some positive and some negative. The negatives are loose stock and broken transfer bar. They didn't elaborate on the loose stock...loose fit or loose screw(s). The broken transfer bar is serious...if it is common. I tend to take forum negative reviews with a grain of salt. I believe unhappy folks are more prone to rant than happy ones are to rave.

The idea of a .357 mag cartridge in a rifle is growing on me. I have a good place to shoot in my yard (rural on small acreage) but neighbors would complain if I made too much noise. That's the reason I shoot revolver inside my shop with doors closed. But, if what I'm hearing, a .357 rifle hand-loaded with .38 spl. makes little more than a "pop". Now that would be "fun".

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Sat May 28, 2011 4:26 pm

Jack that load mentioned in my previous post is very quiet and damn accurate. Watched a friend shoot it yesterday and you can barely see the rifle move in recoil. I* will from a rest at 25 yards put them all inside a 1-1/2 inch circle or less.

Jack D · Post by **Jack D** » Sat May 28, 2011 5:33 pm

bearandoldman wrote:Jack that load mentioned in my previous post is very quiet and damn accurate. Watched a friend shoot it yesterday and you can barely see the rifle move in recoil. I* will from a rest at 25 yards put them all inside a 1-1/2 inch circle or less.

Exactly what I'm looking for. Perfect for my back yard. And I have a nice dirt hillside backstop with nothing but woods behind. Can you use cast bullets?

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Sat May 28, 2011 5:43 pm

Jack D wrote:
bearandoldman wrote:Jack that load mentioned in my previous post is very quiet and damn accurate. Watched a friend shoot it yesterday and you can barely see the rifle move in recoil. I* will from a rest at 25 yards put them all inside a 1-1/2 inch circle or less.
Exactly what I'm looking for. Perfect for my back yard. And I have a nice dirt hillside backstop with nothing but woods behind. Can you use cast bullets?

Jack, the best shooting load we have found yet is a Speer, cast lead hollow base wadcutter and 2.3 grains of Trail Boss powder.

charlesb · Post by **charlesb** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 12:35 am

I once had a Marlin in 32-20 that was a sweet shooter. I would think that a .357 with .38 spl or Trail Boss loads would be very similar.

Gotta really watch out for ricochets though, with the low velocity stuff.

The 32-20 may have been a creampuff to shoot, but it did dispatch two large dogs that menaced my family, in short order. I had cycled two rounds apiece into each of them in just a few seconds. They both dropped like stones.

The .357 would be more effective at low velocity than the 32, throwing a significantly heavier slug.

My next Marlin will almost certainly be a .357.

Jack D · Post by **Jack D** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:58 pm

I'm getting closer and closer to that .357 rifle. If all goes well, it won't be either a Rossi or an H&R Handi Rifle. Something completely different. My Mom always told me not to count my chickens before they hatch, so all I can do now is wait and hope.