Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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Eris wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 12:35 am
YankeeTarheel wrote: Wed Aug 01, 2018 11:40 pm What kind of synthesizer? Moog?

Yeah,I'm watching several others and I'll try to "snipe" the right one1. when it's about to close.
My beloved signif other has given me her blessing....
Got a Roland JP8000. Not analog, but uses digital tech to simulate analog, so I can still make my own custom sounds.
Nice! The tricks they used in synthesizers in the late 60's and 70's were incredibly clever, like the Melotron with is endless loop tapes you could record custom sounds on. With the digital age, they all became obsolete as the cost came down, and flexibility went up. Even our Yamaha electric piano is capable of all kinds of myriad sounds.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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Bisbee wrote: Fri Aug 03, 2018 2:27 am Cool. Any pics you can pull from the auction to show us?
Haven't figured out how to do it. But it's simple, no fancy etching, and, despite being 40 years old, looks new, like it's been taken care of. No marks I can see. Even the stock and fore-end look clean and unhandled.

I found some of the older manuals on-line and one says not to use Blazer ammo. It also warns about .357 FMJ ammo being able to impact each other in the mag tube, but it's not clear if flat-nose or round-nose as opposed to pointed is OK. It can take .38 Special as long as the rounds are at least 1.4" long.

It's not clear to me if this, as a pre-cross-link safety and ones with the safety have are different other than the safety, esp re: the rounds you use. This is where those of you with far longer knowledge than me can be a big help. I'll need to post what brands and type of .357 and .38 I have for the GP100 and if it's all safe the Marlin.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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The concern folks on the web may have written about ammo choice is not about what is safe or unsafe to fire in the older model Marlin -so far as I know. If an older Marlin is not safe to fire with "modern pressures" of any factory load there would be a much bigger stink about it. If I'm wrong, others here will correct me.

What I do know for certain about ammo choice in all lever-guns relate to the tube-fed magazine design and centerfire primers. A round nose bullet has the potential to set off the primer it touches if it hits it hard enough (if you drop the rifle hard on its butt stock for example) So in theory, a flat nosed bullet is safer to load in a tube-mag. That is the theory anyway. I have never, ever read an actual account of a chain explosion going off in a tube mag before in any of the Southwest lore and on the internet so do choose to load round nosed bullets in my levergun. YMMV.

As for overall length of the bullets, it is possible that shorter rounds may not load correctly for the Marlin design and is subject to trial and error. Certain guns may not cycle smoothly with anything but full-length 357's and it all depends on how hard/fast you rack the lever for which gun. You'll know when you receive your rifle what the peculiarities of your particular rifle will be. In truth, the loading cycle is the weakest chain in the levergun design because a new round released from the tube mag is flopping around loose on a raising arm before the bolt tries to push it into the chamber. If the round isn't centered enough and the nose gets caught on the edge of the chamber as the bolt pushes... crunch, you get a jam but can try again. (The reason I prefer round-nose bullets over flat-nose cartridges.) A longer cartridge lays and stays straighter as it's being raised while a shorter one has more potential to get crooked as the bolt closes in on it. This is true for all levergun designs and not just about Marlins.
Last edited by Bisbee on Fri Aug 03, 2018 1:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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Thanks! I doubt there's a pressure issue...what I saw in the manuals was a minimum length to feed into the breech, and the possibility of setting off a round in the magazine.

I plan on using snap caps to see how the action cycles. I have them in .357 and .38 (and 9mm). I like the feature of the side ejection port so a scope or rail can be mounted on the rifle.

Meanwhile I've asked the seller, who claims to have an FFL, to contact my nearest FFL dealer, so everyone is safe. I've only purchased once from GunBroker and had no problem with it.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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Bisbee wrote: Fri Aug 03, 2018 1:04 pm On Gunbroker deals where I'm the buyer, I'm the one that usually chooses my FFL since (in AZ) the fees each dealer charges for transfers vary greatly.
That's true in NJ, too. I selected the receiving FFL, but they will only deal with a seller who is an FFL, or going through an FFL.

I have several choices I can use, but I'm trying out these guys because I liked what I saw when I walked through their store--and they are really close and have great pricing.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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In terms of ammo, the likely reason for precluding FMJ is because in the 1970s, about the only .357 in FMJ was "ball" (round nose), which risks primer strikes in the tube magazine (as posted above). Using wad cutter or some other jacketed bullet should be fine. As for Blazer, there are lots of manufacturers that have recommended staying away from that ammo. Because of that, I've never bought a box of the stuff.

Yes, check the cycling with 357 and 38 snaps. My Timberwolf would not cycle 38's AT ALL (they would not eject and just tumbled around the receiver like dying fish), but 357s get flung across the room.
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"Person, woman, man, camera, TV."

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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Funny, I've yet to have ANY problems with Blazer in the 9mm handguns or PCCs or the .357 / .38 revolver. It's generally been as reliable and clean as any. The old manual I found says
The 1894C is designed to handle 357 Magnum factory-loaded ammunition (except wad cutters and shot shells). It will also function with 38 Special cartridges having an overall length of more than 1.400".
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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Quick info about Blazer Aluminum cased ammo found online:
ursavus.elemensis May 26, 2010, 07:06 PM So, what I was told a while back is that the extractor on the lever rifles is strong and can pull the aluminum rim right off the case, leaving a stuck, unextracted case. And, I was told that the extractor can be dmaged. And, when I had a Henry Repeating Arms 44 Magnum Big Boy lever rifle, I did use some 44 Special in Blazer aluminum cases and I did have some jams during levering. So, I stopped using the Blazer aluminum cased stuff, but I eventually sold that rifle to go "all Winchester" and never looked back. I've still got 100 rounds of Blazer 44 Special aluminum cased stuff in the ammo locker and I am probably going to fire it from a revolver instead of using it in one of my Winchester model 94's in 44 Mag. Just don't need any aggravation or damaged rifles.
Considering I have ripped the base off brass cases before in my lever-gun, I tend to believe the info above is correct with regard to aluminum casing being more brittle.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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The self defensive shooting class I went through a few years ago required bringing 500 rounds of ammo. At the time the Great Ammo Scare was still going. Blazer aluminum case was all I could find, and I was darned happy to get it. I didn't have any troubles, the only malfs were induced for the sake of learning how to clear them.

"In every generation there are those who want to rule well - but they mean to rule. They promise to be good masters - but they mean to be masters." — Daniel Webster

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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rascally wrote: Fri Aug 03, 2018 8:01 pm The self defensive shooting class I went through a few years ago required bringing 500 rounds of ammo. At the time the Great Ammo Scare was still going. Blazer aluminum case was all I could find, and I was darned happy to get it. I didn't have any troubles, the only malfs were induced for the sake of learning how to clear them.
I'm just trying to make sure I don't make a dangerous mistake. I like inexpensive ammo but I don't like cheap ammo :o :shock:
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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YankeeTarheel wrote: Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:25 pm Aluminum is great stuff. My dad worked in structural aluminum for many years and I love it....but I never buy aluminum-cased ammo. I don't trust it.
It’s okay just remeber it is shoot it once and recycle the aluminum. Don’t try any reloading with it.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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YankeeTarheel wrote: Sat Aug 04, 2018 7:33 pm Got a picture off Gun Broker of the 1978-made 1894 Marlin .357 JM model:
Image
Oh Yankee, I feel so sorry for you. You have bought a terrible gun. Just Awful. But honey, I like you, so I will buy it off you. I'll even give you what you paid for it. I'm just that kind of nice person!!!!!
All religions united with government are more or less inimical to liberty. All, separated from government, are compatible with liberty.-Henry Clay
Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.—Aristotle

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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Hiker wrote: Sun Aug 05, 2018 9:53 am
YankeeTarheel wrote: Sat Aug 04, 2018 7:33 pm Got a picture off Gun Broker of the 1978-made 1894 Marlin .357 JM model:
Image
Oh Yankee, I feel so sorry for you. You have bought a terrible gun. Just Awful. But honey, I like you, so I will buy it off you. I'll even give you what you paid for it. I'm just that kind of nice person!!!!!
Everything's available for the RIGHT price! :D :D :rolleyes: :clap2: :beer2:

YT
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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Bisbee wrote: Fri Aug 03, 2018 12:43 pm In truth, the loading cycle is the weakest chain in the levergun design because a new round released from the tube mag is flopping around loose on a raising arm before the bolt tries to push it into the chamber. If the round isn't centered enough and the nose gets caught on the edge of the chamber as the bolt pushes... crunch, you get a jam but can try again.
Yep, I've had this experience many times with my Rossi 92 .357.
Bisbee wrote: A longer cartridge lays and stays straighter as it's being raised while a shorter one has more potential to get crooked as the bolt closes in on it. This is true for all levergun designs and not just about Marlins.
Well this is a case of YMMV. In my case, the .38s fly in smooth and easy. With 357s, I have to jiggle the handle to get them to go in.
All religions united with government are more or less inimical to liberty. All, separated from government, are compatible with liberty.-Henry Clay
Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.—Aristotle

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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Whaaat?!? (Mind-blown.)

There's something to be adjusted on your '92, Hiker. Seems like all Rossi '92's need some filing, grinding, polishing, or adjustments of some sort.

That is one sweet lookin' carbine, YT.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Why is it SO hard to find a good, lever action .357 Magnum Rifle?

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Bisbee wrote: Sun Aug 05, 2018 6:06 pm Whaaat?!? (Mind-blown.)

There's something to be adjusted on your '92, Hiker. Seems like all Rossi '92's need some filing, grinding, polishing, or adjustments of some sort.

That is one sweet lookin' carbine, YT.
Thanks, Bisbee. I hope it looks as sweet when I get it! And I hope its action is smooth, and it shoots straight!
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

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