Marlin 1894cs JM in .357/.38

[JAH 3rd]

Frankly the Rossi 92 44 mag I picked up a couple of weeks ago had more recoil than I wanted for the role I wanted this type of rifle to fill, even medium velocity .44 mag ammo. That is one of the reasons I picked up the Marlin in .357

I have a Marlin in 44 magnum and that thing kicks too. I want a stainless .357 lever action rifle. Would like a Marlin, but I have been looking at a Rossi stainless in .357. Just haven't hit the buy button yet. In all this mayhem none may be available. Haven't looked in a while.

[4given]

I have a Marlin in 44 magnum and that thing kicks too. I want a stainless .357 lever action rifle. Would like a Marlin, but I have been looking at a Rossi stainless in .357. Just haven't hit the buy button yet. In all this mayhem none may be available. Haven't looked in a while.

The marlins are out there. Keep looking. I found mine local.

Yeah I sold the Rossi 44 a few days ago. It helped me buy the Marlin. I like the Marlin a lot better so far. It just seems to be a higher quality rig all around.

[4given]

While these carbines are capable of firing .38sp, I have found them to be finicky about ammo, particularly OAL and bullet shape. One of the old cowboy action guys has told me that he can set one up to run .357 or to run .38 but that getting one to run both is challenging.

Good to know. Are you talking about Marlin 1894's or .357 carbines in general? I'll be loading my own (except for self defense ammo) so it wont matter too much.

[4given]

I have a stainless one, mine is very finicky with 38spl ammo. 357 magnums run great in it.

As long as mine will run the .357's I'll be good. I hope it runs both as I have tons of 38 Special brass.

[OlongJohnson]

Since you reload, it may be worth playing with bullet nose shape and OAL if you find there are issues with .38 SPL.

[jlw]

Good to know. Are you talking about Marlin 1894's or .357 carbines in general? I'll be loading my own (except for self defense ammo) so it wont matter too much.

While my experience is mainly with the Marlins, the data appears to be universal.

[LtDave]

Since my Marlin 1894cs was made in 1995 it has the two tapped holes on the side of the receiver to mount a sight. So I ordered a Williams - Marlin 1894 Foolproof Fire Sight set from Brownell's this morning. I decided I wanted the micrometer adjustments so I can easily adjust for different loads and bullet weights. I also want the fiber optic front sight for my tired old eyes. Also it meets my goal of keeping the rifle looking traditional and less threatening for travel in hoplophobic areas of the country like California.

Anyway I am excited to get it even though it might take a week or two to receive it. Most of the firearms related businesses are swamped right now due to panic buyers.

All my Marlins have receiver sights. Most are the Williams, but I've also got Lyman and Redfield ones. Personally I use only one load in each gun and once zero'd, I never adjust the sights. Shot a lot of lever gun silhouette matches that way, using hold off to get hits at ranges from 40 to 200 yards. Never lost points by forgetting to adjust the sight for each distance. My favorite receiver sight is the Redfield, long since discontinued of course. My favorite front sight for shooting targets/silhouettes is a flat topped post. Much easier to get precise elevation vs a round bead. For hunting use, I do like an ivory/white bead.

[spinmove_]

While my experience is mainly with the Marlins, the data appears to be universal.

How are the modern Marlins looking these days, Lee? An 1894 SBL/CSBL look to be the bee's knees.

[jlw]

How are the modern Marlins looking these days, Lee? An 1894 SBL/CSBL look to be the bee's knees.

I don't have a lot of data, but the recent stuff seems to be an improvement over the immediate take over era. I recently traded into a new production 336 youth model, but I have yet to work it any.

[4given]

Since you reload, it may be worth playing with bullet nose shape and OAL if you find there are issues with .38 SPL.

That's what I was thinking too. I'm going to start out with 125gr RNFP plated and 158gr SWC hard cast Hi-Tech coated and see if it likes either in 38 Special. I have a couple hundred or so .357 mag brass I can play with as well.