Lever rifle advice ?

[mcgiiver]

I presently am shooting a Rossi 1892 clone  in .357 mag (using .38’s). It does OK but it can be a bit finicky about feeding, if I don’t shuck hard enough. I want to get another .357 rifle for a second choice of rifle. I am looking for opinions as to whether I should get a 1873, 1866 or 1860 clone? My main considerations are reliability, strength and trouble free operation. I am looking for particular brand recommendations also, please. I want a factory rifle as I can’t afford a race ready set up.

[Pettifogger]

The 66 and 1860 don't come in .357.  So, that leaves the 73 which is the best of the three for general shooting.  As far as brands there is currently only one - Uberti.  There are lots of distributors, Cimarron, Taylor's, EMF, etc.  But only one manufacturer.  You might see some Chapparrals at what appear to be very good prices.  They are cheap for a reason, very spotty quality control. 

[OKDEE]

I agree with Pettifogger.  But I will also say, that I started out with the Marlin, took it as far as it would go, then used a Marlin competition, which maybe only 38 special, ( I am not certain ), and then when I finally got my first Uberti 1873.....Well....It is the best available for my style.  There are those that love their Marlins and Rossi's, but I feel that the 73 is the best design, function, and overall best lookin! 

But, the most fun is the journey to finding what works for you...
Happy trails!
OkD

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[Camille Eonich]

The '66 does come in .38 Spl.  The '66 and the '73 have identical actions and both are good shooters.  The '66 is a bit heavier that the '73 and the side plates don't come off for cleaning as they do on the '73.  The '66 is usually a less expensive rifle.  '77s come with an added safety feature which prevents the gun from being fired out of battery by requiring that the level be fully closed to release the safety.

If you can afford it I would go with the '77 for ease of cleaning and because of the lighter weight.  If you must consider price then go with the '66.

[Tuolumne Lawman]

MARLIN 1894!  Just my opinion!

[Bugscuffle]

mcgiiver - You probably don't needanother rifle at all. IMHO you have the right rifle now. It's just in the wrong caliber. But apparently it is remedyable. There have been several threads on this and other forums that deal with the feeding problems of the Rossi Mod 92 in .357/.38 Spec. If memory serves me they dealt mainly with the carrier/lifter, but beyond that I don'tknow. Just from memory, there weren't any problems feding the longer .357 mags, but the .38 Specials wouldn't always feed correctly. To me, the obvious soultion is to shoot only .357 mags in the gun. If you don't like the recoil or noise or whateverjustload some up or have them loaded up real light. It's the caretridge length that you are looking for. My gun is a Rossi 92 in .45 Colt and I have just today finished up the slick job on it using this URL:  http://marauder.homestead.com/files/Rossitune.htm and the Lee'sGunslinger spring set and the video from Steve's Gunz: http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=1 Trust me, it's a lot cheaper than a new gun.
I cannot vouch for the fixes talked about in this forum, remember mine is .45 Colt, but between the two sources above you can figure it out. If you use the Lee's Gunslinger spring kit you'll have to cut the ejector spring. They don't tell you that in the spring kit package, but the information is burried in the video. The other sort of nebulous thing applies only to the .45 Colt guns (Lucky me!) it is in the reshaping of the left side cartridge guide, but with enough though and watching the video several times you can figure it out.

If all else fails give Steve a call at Steve's Gunz 409-984-5473. He's a really nice fellow and is extermely helpful. He is regarded as THE GURU on the Rossi mod 92.

[Camille Eonich]

The '92 can be outrun very quickly no matter the amount of work done on it.  It's the complexity of the action.

[rickk]

My main considerations are reliability, strength and trouble free operation. I am looking for particular brand recommendations also, please. I want a factory rifle as I can’t afford a race ready set up.

Looking at your main considerations, I would suggest looking at the Henry Big Boy. It is made in the USA with a no BS guarantee. That means that if it isn't perfect, you call or email them, they send a prepaid UPS label, it goes back for a couple weeks and when it returns they have fixed it  It doesn't cost you a penny to make it work. You don't have to buy a rifle and then pay someone to make it work right.

I have one... it had an occasional  feeding problem when I got it. I felt I paid for perfection. I emailed them, it went back, and less than two weeks later it returned with the offending shell carrier replaced.

The action is simple... not much to break. Some people don't like the way they load. Personally, I have several lever guns and truely hate forcing rounds thru the loading gate and up into the tube. Simply sliding them in through the front on the Big Boy without having to fight with a magazine spring and a loading gate spring sure is nice.

I have a Marlin in .357. Fortunately, it is a real Marlin and non a "Cajun Win-Lin". It works well too. The Henry Big Boy is noticeably heavier than the Marlin. If weight is an issue, the Big Boy may not be the rifle for you.  

When I went shopping for a .45 rifle I considered the Marlin until I heard about quality issues after they left Connecticut and then also discovered that Marlin no longer made a .45 Colt rifle at all. They still make it in .357 and .44 I really wanted American made by a company that backs the gun with a good warranty.  The Henry is that. In fact, they will not even release info on how to take it apart past typical field stripping (removal of the lever and bolt) because they feel that anything requiring taking it that far apart is probably their problem and not the customer's problem.  I have hear that they come apart pretty easy if one really wants to out of shear boredom , but haven't felt any need to attempt to do so.

And, before some else points it out, it isn't a replica of any real 100 year old rifle. It is more like a Marlin 1895 or 336 but without a loading gate than anything else. However, it is SASS legal, American made, and has a No BS warranty.

I hope that helps,

Rick


I forgot to mention that the Big Boy list price is only about 2/3 of the list price of the Uberti 1873.

[Pancho Peacemaker]

I presently am shooting a Rossi 1892 clone  in .357 mag (using .38’s). It does OK but it can be a bit finicky about feeding, if I don’t shuck hard enough. I want to get another .357 rifle for a second choice of rifle. I am looking for opinions as to whether I should get a 1873, 1866 or 1860 clone? My main considerations are reliability, strength and trouble free operation. I am looking for particular brand recommendations also, please. I want a factory rifle as I can’t afford a race ready set up.

Get the Uberti replica of the Colt Burgess.

I own 2 '73s, a '66, a '60 (all Uberti) and an original '92.

I'd much rather shoot my Burgess than any of them.  It is just as smooth as my '73's and the loading gate is much easier to operate. 


My second favorite CAS rifle is my Pedersoli Lightning.

[Red Cent]

Check out what the top 20 shooters use in SASS.

[Jefro]

Check out what the top 20 shooters use in SASS.

Uh Let's see
1) Uberti  73
2) Uberti  73
3) Uberti  73
4) Uberti  73
5) Uberti  73
6) Uberti  73
7) Uberti  73
Uberti  73
9) Uberti  73
10) Uberti  73
11) Uberti  73
12) Uberti  73
13) Uberti  73
14) Uberti  73
15) Uberti  73
16) Marlin 94
17) Uberti  73
18) Uberti  66
19) Uberti  73
20) Henry Big Boy   ......just kidding


Jefro Relax-Enjoy

[rickk]

Can't argue with that Jefro, but how many of them are shooting what Mcgiiver is looking for, which is an out of box gun?

Yes, you can by a tuned 73 right from Taylor's... not exactly a factory gun but a tuned in the USA gun. The price is about twice what the Big Boy costs. I assume that means that it is going to work flawlessly out of the box.  If the Big Boy doesn't work flawlessly out of the box they will make it that way at no additional charge.

The toggle-link design of the 73 is certainly can be smooth and feed well. Heck, it won the west, right? On the flip side, use of hot loads will take it's toll on the toggle link action.

I'm not arguing which one has the most potential in CAS, just giving another option given Mcgiiver's requirements.

[Camille Eonich]

The smoothest and most reliable that I have found right out of the box is the Marlin Cowboy Comp.