self defense rifle?

[sjones]

If you were going to buy a lever action strictly for a a problem arises gun,something you could throw in the trunk or closet which caliber would you get? .357,.44,30-30 also would a shorter barrel be better tan a full length?Say a 16"Thanks

[speedsix]

...Henry .357 would be my choice...standard barrel length...

[lou]

Lever guns in 30-30 are tried and true but if you don't expect to shoot very far then maybe get whatever caliber your revolver is so you can share ammo.

[AEA]

I have the Henry H006M .357 and although I agree it is a wonderful gun, it is not something you can handle easily.

It's 20" heavy octagonal barrel makes the rifle very front heavy. Like having a 4ft crowbar stuck out there. This drawback (in weight/length) is also an asset (in accuracy).

If you don't mind lugging it around and the lack of quick swing ability, it is superbly accurate and a pleasure to shoot. Not to mention it's WONDERFUL good looks!

I believe a better fit for your purpose would be a Winchester trapper (16" round barrel, quick to swing and not too heavy to carry all day). Unfortunately not available in .357 but possibly 45 Long Colt (not sure). Should also be available in 44 mag.

[texanron]

I'd choose a 30-30.

[stroo]

If you are going to carry a rifle, carry one in a rifle caliber - 30-30.

[speedsix]

...several makers offer the .357 in 16"...Marlin did...heard they're discontinuing all pistol caliber rifles, Puma and Rossi do...Winchester did, if you can find one...since the Old West, fighters have seen the value of having a rifle and pistol in same caliber...I think Marlin's making a mistake...

...surprised to find out that Henry's .357 Big Boy is 1.68 pounds heavier than the Marlin 336 .30-30...Henry don't skimp on the steel!!!

[AEA]

Also, Marlin (Remington) has stopped production of the .357 and others as the quality has gone downhill and they received too many complaints/returns.

They are supposedly retooling to make quality more like it used to be with the original Marlins. But most doubt they will ever get to that point.

Bottom line is.......DO NOT BUY a Marlin (Remlin) with a REP proof mark on the right side of the barrel. Better to find an older REAL Marlin with the JM proof mark on the left side of the barrel. Believe me........I speak from personal experience.

[CC Italian]

.30 .30! I wanted a lever gun for brush hunting and as a just in case rifle. I have seen 20 round boxes as cheap as 12 bucks at Wally World. It really isn't much more expensive then .44 target ammo and is more versatile then either of the other two calibers. It is a great round that will drop anything in Texas, more then adequate for self defense and cheap as far as .30 caliber rounds go.

If you are going to carry a rifle, carry one in a rifle caliber - 30-30.

Best advice yet!

[speedsix]

...if their quality hadn't taken a nosedive, they wouldn't have HAD the complaints...the older ones are MUCH better made...thanks for telling us how to tell the difference...

[CC Italian]

AEA, I didn't realize that it was so recent that they changed the Marlin over. Mine is about 3 years old and has the JM mark, I thought I had the newer

Remlin

. Must have been very recently because I have also heard rumors about quality control. Never had a problem with mine though, must have got one of the last old models. Lucky me

[CC Italian]

The newer .336s are expensive also. I think I got mine at the Wal mart in Huntsville for under 300 out the door at the time. Now they are all at least 400 bucks! Crazy!

Edit: Just checked receipt $362 out the door in Feb. of 09. I was off but still they have gone up a lot!

[AEA]

Well, since you were concerned enough to check yours, I will give you a bit more information........

When Remington took over they bought the rights to continue using New Haven CT on the barrels (even though they are now made in New York).

Additionally, they acquired barrels already complete (with JM proof marks) that they assembled in New York. They took over Marlin in Dec 2007. It is difficult to determine a "Transitional" rifle since they got unknown number of parts from Marlin ready for assembly.

My 1895GS (Stainless 45-70 Guide Gun, Serial Number: 918149XX, Mfg. late 2010 by Remington) has the REP (Remington proof). I did not research any quality issues before purchase online (and didn't even know anything about the Remington buyout). My rifle came with many screw heads buggered up (used wrong screwdriver to install screws).

That wasn't the worst........
The front sight was seriously clocked to the right. Unusable.
I decided (after doing much research) that I would do without iron sights and installed a red dot sight on the top of the receiver and will go with a scope later on. I removed both the front and rear iron sights.

Now, why didn't I send it back to Marlin (Remington) for repair?
Because of all the horror stories I had read of those that did and ended up getting worse back! Many sent guns in more than once with no improvements and got them back with more damage. Some finally after 3 or so trips managed to get a refund from them. I decided I was not going to go thru that hassle and just use optical sights. I may later have the barrel cut down from 18.5" to 16.5" and re-crowned to eliminate the unsightly screw holes of the non existent front sight.

So, If you want a Marlin (a Real one) and want to be sure you get a REAL one, look for guns with the JM proof mark made before 2007 (just to be sure). Actually, the older the better. You will find they are quality guns and actually cost less used (in great shape) than what you can buy from Remington (in worse shape new). According to the below link, Remington took over in Dec 2007.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin_Firearms" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The problem with the REAL Marlin 1894 .357 mag is they were hard to find when they were being made. Now they are even harder to find used as they were great rifles. Hardly anyone that owns one sells it. Except for me who sold one with a gold plated trigger that was only made for 2-3 years. I've been kicking myself for that for quite awhile........

Be very careful buying online. Many sellers show pictures but often purposely omit proof mark pictures (hoping they can still sell to people who don't know the difference)(and fool those that do). If you are considering one online, do not be afraid to ask them about the proof mark and provide you a picture and serial number before you commit to buying. You can check real Marlin serial numbers online and get dates of manufacture.

So, CC Italian, since you bought yours in 2009, I would say that it is a "Transitional" rifle. Meaning they put real Marlin barrels and other Marlin made parts together for as long as they had the parts. As long as yours looks good and functions fine, you should be OK. There were some good guns that came out of Remlin, but they were few and far between, I hope yours is one of them. If you have any problems, PLEASE DO NOT send it back to Remington. Do yourself a favor and find a quality gunsmith to fix it for you.

[The Annoyed Man]

.30-30 if we're talking about "cowboy" lever actions. If I have my choice of lever actions, then I'd pick a Browning BLR in .308 Winchester. While I understand the attraction of having your rifle/carbine chambered in the same caliber as your pistol, I think it is too limiting. The whole point of having a rifle is to gain power, range, and accuracy over a handgun. When you shoot a lever rifle chambered in a pistol caliber, you gain an incremental amount of velocity....but it's not like twice as fast or three times as fast....so the power gain is not dramatic, and neither is the increased range. The main advantage is a longer sight radius.

OTH, the .30-30 cartridge from a carbine length lever rifle roughly duplicates the ballistics of the 7.62x39 cartridge—which is certainly potent enough to be an effective "something arises" caliber. But a BLR in .308 gives additional power yet, and it uses a removable box magazine, so reloads can be pretty fast. That woud be a significant advantage in a "something arises" rifle (which is one reason why ARs and AKs are such good choices for this role).

[AEA]

...surprised to find out that Henry's .357 Big Boy is 1.68 pounds heavier than the Marlin 336 .30-30...Henry don't skimp on the steel!!!

Yep but it's BEAUTIFUL steel/brass/bluing/walnut.......
Almost too pretty to shoot!