Handi rifle, if you can find one.

 

apparently can't be found easily, as they're no longer made. didn't really want to spend $600 for one.

 

You'll have to shop used, but handi rifles still turn up. They probably are the cheapest option you'll find. $600 is lunacy though - I wouldn't pay that either.

 

lets say i'm moving the goalposts here, and a 44 Mag would be ok. what are your thoughts about CVA? I'm not familiar with them..

http://www.cva.com/CVA-Store-View.php?id=759

 

If .44 Mag is an option, D!CK's has been clearing out .44 Mag Handi-Rifles and seem to be getting them in every few months. A friend of mine picked up two, two weeks ago for $150 each.

 

Good luck with that .

I don't think there was ever a lot of 357 rifles out there . I also don't think there are many who would part with what they have .

Awhile back I was looking for a 357 rifle .
First looked for a handi rifle but the only one I saw had no iron sights and as was mentioned they are no longer made .
Looked at Rossi but they had a lot of mixed reviews about fit , finish and reliability . Not that inexpensive either .
Thought about a Marlin 357 lever but couldn't find one anywhere . Not sure if they are made anymore

I ended up buying a Ruger 77/357 . Paid about $600 new . I don't think they are making them anymore .

I think if you want a 357 rifle , Rossi and Henry levers are the only options and Henry's are pretty expensive .

 

Good luck with that .

I don't think there was ever a lot of 357 rifles out there . I also don't think there are many who would part with what they have .

Awhile back I was looking for a 357 rifle .
First looked for a handi rifle but the only one I saw had no iron sights and as was mentioned they are no longer made .
Looked at Rossi but they had a lot of mixed reviews about fit , finish and reliability . Not that inexpensive either .
Thought about a Marlin 357 lever but couldn't find one anywhere . Not sure if they are made anymore

I ended up buying a Ruger 77/357 . Paid about $600 new . I don't think they are making them anymore .

I think if you want a 357 rifle , Rossi and Henry are the only options and Henry's are pretty expensive .

your post reflects my research as well. hence my desperate plea for help, haha.

however this CVA line of break-action rifles, which includes 44 Magnum that I'll go for instead, looks to be the ticket. Basically, it's the only Handi-rifle-ish type still being made as far as I could see. they don't make a 357 though.

 

You'll be lucky to find a 357 carbine let alone one in bolt action. It's about the same situation with the 44. Ruger discontinued their bolt action 77/357 earlier this year and I don't see the 77/44 listed on their website. Neither would be considered an inexpensive rifle yet they were available from time to time.

It seems the people who buy .357 or .44 carbines don't turn loose of them, I'm sure you could find them on one of the gun auction sites, though I wouldn't expect them to be going cheap.

 

.357 Magnum can be made up on the Mannlicher-Carcano action. Bolt face is right, and it's a simple rebarrel job. The original feed clips will work just fine with the new round, though you might want to block the front of the feed area. Last two I did, the owners just use 'em as single shots.

M.1 Carbine variant in .357 and .256 WinMag was made by Universal for a while. Both worked pretty well.

 

Rossi, and then spend half a Saturday making it run the way you want. Assuming you are handy and have decent tools.

In case this sounds sarcastic, it isn't. My Rossi .45C rifle is as smooth as my pre-64 Winchester .30-30, after I spent a few hours mostly grinding and filing leaf springs and cutting coils off other springs, and polishing internal parts ... look up how to do it, don't make it up as you go.

 

There is a guy in Port Arthur, Tx that specializes in Rossi rifles and does amazing work. Here is a link to his website: https://stevesgunz.com/

Just be aware that he has a waiting list, so be sure to ask for a time line. Also, the stock sights are hideous. However, they do have fire sights for the rifle and that makes a HUGE difference. I have the Rossi 357 lever and have had "work" done to it. It's very accurate and for the cost (even after slight modifications), it was still a cheaper solution than all the alternatives. The only better deal would be a lucky find.

 

I love my .357 Rossi Ranch Hand.

 

I love my .357 Rossi 92.

 

The Marlin 1894's aren't cheap or easy to find - never have been. I owned a 1894 Cowboy 24" octagon barrel for awhile, and it was a lot of fun to shoot. I do kind of miss it.

I'd also say hit the local shops, classifieds, gun shows, etc. a few .357 and .44 handi-rifles do turn up, but they're not that common and the guys who have them tend to keep them.

Point of fact though, even the NEF and H&R shotguns are less common now. I never pass up one that catches my eye if the price is right and it's 12 or 20 gauge (practical) or .410 (I'm one of those nuts who just like it). Watching for a nice 26" modified 20 gauge Pardner or two now. They're just such light, functional, graceful guns. But I digress.

 

The Marlin 1894's aren't cheap or easy to find - never have been. I owned a 1894 Cowboy 24" octagon barrel for awhile, and it was a lot of fun to shoot. I do kind of miss it.

I'd also say hit the local shops, classifieds, gun shows, etc. a few .357 and .44 handi-rifles do turn up, but they're not that common and the guys who have them tend to keep them.

Point of fact though, even the NEF and H&R shotguns are less common now. I never pass up one that catches my eye if the price is right and it's 12 or 20 gauge (practical) or .410 (I'm one of those nuts who just like it). Watching for a nice 26" modified 20 gauge Pardner or two now. They're just such light, functional, graceful guns. But I digress.

I have an 1894 Marlin (JM) with the tapered octagon barrel in .357, it's a keeper. I also have the Ruger 77/357. I can't see where adding a single shot rifle in .357 would benefit me.

 

what exactly are your goals?.. just a dirt cheap, brutally simple means to take game with readily available ammo?.. for that role ive been considering a cobray/leinad type single barrel derringer.. id imagine one could make a 16" barrel for something like that for better range and ballistic, could thread the muzzle as well.. wouldnt really need a stock and you could keep it weighing just a couple pounds

 

there's a particular role of gun that i've had on my list for a while that i haven't yet filled. Part of it you rightly guessed: a simply means to take game. Other requirements:

-fires a cartridge that is easy to reload
-can reliably take deer (and is legal in my state pre-SHTF!)
-can be down-loaded for small game

the 357 and 44 mag both fit this criteria in Ohio. since they are not necked i shouldn't have to worry overmuch about resizing and trimming, especially in a bolt or single-shot. they're also economical on powder. and plenty potent for those needs within 150 yards. something i can beat around with, doesn't require (or even attract) a lot of accessories and extra expenditure except a scope and a bunch of ammo+reloading components. something separate from my primary defensive arms.

 

Plenty of 44 cva's for sale. If you weren't stuck on a pistol cartridge there are a few .243 -12ga switch barrel rifles on gb cheap.

 

I gave north of five for the 77/357. I'd have to go looking for an exact figure of what I paid for it.

Marlin use to spend extra time on fitting and finishing their 1894 CB's. My was NIB and came with the action smoothed up from the factory. Reliable and accurate right out of the box.

I don't know if that's still the case with Marlin under Remington. After the buyout and move they were turning out junk but maybe with time that's changed.

The reason I'm talking lever action is because you'll probably have better luck finding a .357 in lever action than a single shot or bolt action. Marlin may still have the 1894 in production which means they will become available from time to time. Henry or Rossi are also an option.

You could contact NEF and see if they would fit a 357 barrel to an existing action. You send them your receiver and they fit a new barrel/caliber for you. It's economical however they may not be fitting .357 barrels and if by chance they do the receiver you send them has to be a rifle receiver and not a shot gun receiver.

 

You could contact NEF and see if they would fit a 357 barrel to an existing action. You send them your receiver and they fit a new barrel/caliber for you. It's economical however they may not be fitting .357 barrels and if by chance they do the receiver you send them has to be a rifle receiver and not a shot gun receiver.

I don't think they do that anymore since the Remigton buyout.

 

Years ago, I helped a friend box up a receiver from a NEF 45-70 to ship back and have a 38-55 barrel fitted. NEF has a phone number to call, but I couldn't find a list of barrel options on their site. I imagine they'd send a list of barrel offerings and shop prices if one asked.

 

lever action

 

I have a Ruger 77/357. It is fantastic! Also have a winchester 94 trapper. Plan "B" Pick up a 357 max barrel for a contender carbine. I picked one up from Fox River a few years ago. The contender is accurate and very light. 357 max gives you the ability to shoot, 38 spec, 357 mag and 357 max. I hunted with the contender carbine until I picked up the Ruger. Of the three, I like the Ruger. The Winchester spends most of its time in the corner.

 

I did not find my Winchester 94 to be very accurate and sold it to a Win freak but realized the .357 carbine was needed as a niche gun and kept looking for a good one. I found a Rossi for $500 and it was light and easy to carry, shot very good, but I found it was poorly made and got rid of it for $500. Then I got a beautiful Henry Big Boy. This is a heavy rifle with the bull barrel but it can shoot. There is a problem with the ejection or lack of ejection. Henry had to replace my rifle with one that actually pushes the case out. For $750 I am happy. It will shoot to 150 yds with a 158 grn. I plan to develop some high velocity rounds and see if the accuracy is still there.

 

You can get adapters to shoot 357 out of break action or double berrel shotguns.

 

I bought two Rossi stainless 357 Levers a few years ago. One is flawless the other would only cycle 38 special reliably. Rossi handled the problem swiftly and paid for the shipping for me on this issue. Had my repaired rifle back within two weeks. These litttle Carbines are super fun to shoot. 38 special, I don't even need hearing protection. 38 special, 38 special+p and 357 mag different makes and weights work fine. They don't like wadcutters though.

 

I certainly like my Marlin CB and the 77/357. I've owned lever actions in 45 colt and 44 mag. They were great rifles, no doubt. I can't really say why I gravitated to the 357 but I did. Maybe it was the caliber.

Components for reloading the 357 were/are relatively inexpensive and easy to come by. My experience is that I shoot the 357 carbines a bit more accurately than the 44 or 45 carbines, of course I shot a lot more 357 than 44 or 45 which may be the reason for that. YMMV.

 

The JM stamped Marlin 1894C is the ideal .357 magnum carbine. Save up about $900 and cry only once. I bought mine for $500 about 10 years ago and it would probably be about the last gun I would let go. A .357 magnum in a carbine kills like a 30-30, but with less recoil. A Marlin is easily scoped and can be cleaned from the breech.The new steel Henrys look very nice to for about $650 on the street.
Another great way to go would be a Thompson Contender Carbine in .357. Then you can start collecting Contender barrels in all calibers.

 

My Rossi 92 is also a pre-safety model imported by Interarms. At the time I bought it used, I was actually looking for a pre-Taurus ownership Rossi.

With such resources available like: https://stevesgunz.com/
plus all the videos on youtube for slicking them up, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a new Taurus owned Rossi 92.

 

I ended up buying a Rossi 92 in .357 from a guy for $420 in like-new condition.

Took it to the local range and I gotta say the stock sights are not good for my eyes. I need to replace them. Suggestions? Skinner sights has a peep that replaces the rear, what do you think of that?

 

I ended up buying a Rossi 92 in .357 from a guy for $420 in like-new condition.

Took it to the local range and I gotta say the stock sights are not good for my eyes. I need to replace them. Suggestions? Skinner sights has a peep that replaces the rear, what do you think of that?

I like Skinner sights, they are a basic low profile affair, more of a hunting sight. I have several Skinners that were actually made by doc Skinner, who retired from making sights a long time ago. While I don't know who is making the Skinner sights now, they seem to be doing well. I like mine, though they are original Skinners. I assume the newer Skinners are being made to the same standard, but can't speak to that with certainty. YMMV

I have both the brass and steel Skinners on My Marlins. At one time doc put a piece of lead shot under the set screw that held the peep in the body of the rear sight. I don't know if they still do that, they might, it was a nice touch that kept the end of the set screw from buggering the threads on the height adjustment.

 

Some Years back, a buddy gave me an AK. I traded the AK, plus a spam can of 900+ rounds of Czech Steelcase ammo straight across for an Unfired Rossi 92. Happy me!

 

The IMI Timberwolfs are awesome .357 carbines. But they are unicorns. I have a Leupold Hog 1-4x scope mounted on one of mine and shoot 180gr RNFP over 15 gr of Lil Gun for a spectacular kinetic splash. Dittos on the Marlins, have one of those too. Have heard nothing but good things about the Rossis and would be inclined to get one of those given the availability of Marlins and IMIs. I own and reload more .357s than any other caliber gun...what a great round! Glad to see there's still fans of this old workhorse...

...now if I can only find a reasonably priced Timberwolf in 44 MAG...

 

You think you got a bad case of unicorn chasing syndrome, I'm after one in .41 Mag....
My feller at IMI told me they made one run of 'em....

 

I would look through pawn stores and find a good quality used one.why not just get a 30/30 lever action.