Lever Action Advice

[bigrich]

i'm really liking my pistol round lever carbine, 357 will probably do well for me on pig and goat , i think deer are smarter to me at this point and i would be lucky to get close enough to use the 357 but i still have a lust for getting a 44 mag. i don't really want to get another marlin, and i want something i can scope mount . i really like old winchesters, but even with angle eject i feel the scope mounting is a bit awkward. anyone got any opinions on this ? BUT, i'm really liking the idea of the henry leavers, can anyone give any opinions on these ? i don't see any for sale second hand, and have heard build qaulity is excellent . opinions ?

[bigrich]

I run a pre Remington Marlin 1894C 357. It’s absolutely scary accurate, and has won medals at national level, despite me shooting it competition on average less than once a year!! The action seems rougher than what I’d like, and it has an annoying habit of flopping half open while being reloaded unless you consciously hold the lever shut ... but I’d never part with it purely from the accuracy perspective. Taken more than its share of porkers without any fuss too. Have recently started experimenting with subsonic loads using trail boss ... fun. Whatever you settle on I’d recommend you outlay a little on reloading stuff and experiment to hell ... as others have said, that pistol caliber is as easy as pie to reload ... and pretty cheap too!!

sounds like you got a good one . micro groove barrel ? have you had the opportunity to field test the 357 against 44 mag and 30-30 at all ?

[in2anity]

Might be of interest to some of you blokes:

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[Wm.Traynor]

That's interesting about how to fit the the long projections that straddle the tang.
Thanks in2anity

[in2anity]

That's interesting about how to fit the the long projections that straddle the tang.
Thanks in2anity

Yw wm! - my understanding is you should not bed the entire length of the tang, more buttstock/receiver contact - the tang should be left alone at least behind and around the tang screw as there is normally a slight amount of clearance here to allow for a bit of give under recoil - otherwise energy will be transferred directly into the timber here and can cause splitting

[bigrich]

Thanks for the tips in2anity, I might have a crack at this. Ya never stop learning do ya ?

[in2anity]

Thanks for the tips in2anity, I might have a crack at this. Ya never stop learning do ya ?

That’s for sure br! And especially lever guns - they are complex little boogers. One tip I have - make sure you only use a gel-style bedding compound, the runny ones are rather problematic on vertical areas. You can get the acraglas gel kits on Brownells.

[bigrich]

I get my acraglass from rebel gun works in Brisbane. 15 minutes from where I work. I still got some left from when I bedded my 222 model 70. Wonder what the shelf life is after it’s been opened

[in2anity]

I get my acraglass from rebel gun works in Brisbane. 15 minutes from where I work. I still got some left from when I bedded my 222 model 70. Wonder what the shelf life is after it’s been opened

Is it there green gel kit? Or just the normal red 2-gun one?

[meawls]

sounds like you got a good one . micro groove barrel ? have you had the opportunity to field test the 357 against 44 mag and 30-30 at all?

Yep ... microgrooved. Prefers jacketed by a long shot ... and it feels a bit weird being the only bloke on the line shooting that against everyone else’s pet cast recipes!! Having said that though early results using trail boss sub loads and cast 140 grainers is showing some promise!!

Nah no field results regards vs 44 vs 30/30. A mate got a new Rossi in 44 mag, but didn’t like the crunchy action, so he sold it before we could compare out bush. Shame too ... that rifle was a real keeper accuracy wise- whoever bought it would have been thrilled !!

[bigrich]

I had a Rossi 92 in 357 , no complaints about the accuracy, but it’s much quicker to get on target with a scope on my marlin. The Rossi I had was slick and nice to use but the hardwood they use for stocks is prone to cracking and I got rid of mine cause it had those issues