.357 lever action

**greyhound** · 05-05-2009, 08:59

Hey guys. I know someone who is not keen on going through the license renewal process and has said I could take over his .357 lever action. I know they are supposedly have a weak design being with the two piece stock. also the ballistics are not that impressive. however, is there any application for them in south africa. in hunting terms. has anyone used something similar to hunt and what were the results like? I have a 30-06 that i do all my hunting with, but just think that the .357 would be a fun gun to have? or would it not be worth all the trouble? any advice is welcome. thanks...

**wrm** · 05-05-2009, 09:11

Originally Posted by greyhound

but just think that the .357 would be a fun gun to have?

OK, I have a thing for lever actions, take that into account.

A 357 levergun is definitely a fun gun to have. Great to shoot, you can play at Cowboy Action shooting and all.

In general leverguns are not tack drivers -- I can get 2" 100m groups from my 30-30 Marlin -- but remember that people who brag about theyr "sub-MOA" (which is about an inch at 100m) rifles very often show 3 shot groups for their efforts and also often need to shoot quite a few groups to get one sub-MOA. My 2" groups are 5 shot.

Having said that, if you want accuracy, get a bolt.

And yea, you can hunt with a 357. There's been a few articles in Magnum about it. It's a short-range rifle, so think bush, not Kalahari.

If you don't want it, let me know whether it's a Rossi (most likely) or a Marlin and who I need to bribe to get hold of it.

**camouflage762** · 05-05-2009, 12:40

What make/model is it?

**greyhound** · 05-05-2009, 13:23

As I haven't seen it, I'm not sure about make or model. however the guy said that he has probably shot less than 50 rounds with it. ya, it is more than likely a rossi, but seeing as it is for free, I'll take it anyway. Most of the hunting i do is bushveld, provided I get close enough, is it suitable for impala, warthog etc? and how close is close enough?

**wrm** · 05-05-2009, 13:33

Originally Posted by greyhound

As I haven't seen it, I'm not sure about make or model. however the guy said that he has probably shot less than 50 rounds with it. ya, it is more than likely a rossi, but seeing as it is for free, I'll take it anyway. Most of the hunting i do is bushveld, provided I get close enough, is it suitable for impala, warthog etc? and how close is close enough?

Go look at the levergun forum at http://www.levergunscommunity.com/ They shoot whitetail and hogs out to 100m no problems. I won't push it on a warthog but an impala at 150 will be dead if you can hit it :-)

**greyhound** · 05-05-2009, 13:40

will do thanks man. 150m, open sight .357, impala.... hmmm, might be a tad tricky.... fighting0035

**wrm** · 05-05-2009, 14:46

Yea, that was my point, mostly... you won't be limited by the cartridge :-)

**camouflage762** · 05-05-2009, 15:01

I would choose a 357 lever gun for the following reasons
1. Fun shooting/practice
2. Cheap to reload in comparison to full rifle cartridge's
3. As a SD firearm its going to give you an edge without the expesnse/hassle of a semiauto
4. Hunting impala etc out to max 75 metre.
5.Its free
I helped cull porcupine last year. It was at night & we were using hand held spotlights.The one shooter had a Rossi 357 lever gun. He struggled to hit with open sight out to 100m-150m in the dark. He eventually got one at about 20metres. The iron sights are awful (as on the Marlin). I was using a Marlin 336 with a red dot scope.
;D