[blackhawk44]

I have had three Marlins in .357 and .44 and got rid of all of them. To me, all three had a finicky feed cycle and would leave deep gouges in the brass (a no-no for a handloader). I understand that the late model Marlins have even more problems. I have two Marlin CL's in .25-20 and .32-20 from the 1980's that have never given a problem, but those are not straight cases.

I currently have an orginal Winchester and an EMF Hartford Rossi and neither are for sale. The Chiappas are overpriced and still have a few design adjustments ahead. Go for the Rossi. If you have trouble finding one check with Steves Guns on the web.

[TimKS]

I have a Rossi 357. It's a nice gun...shoots 357 & 38 very well. I'm not a big fan of their sights, but hey, they're cheap. Buy it.

[B5Dan]

Originally Posted by hiwall

I was not trying to talk you out of buying one. I just said what happened to me.

No no! I really appreciate the input! My problem is while I shoot pretty well (if I do say so myself lol) and always clean my firearms after any shooting, any "gunsmithing" past field stripping is beyond me. If I get one and it needs to be taken apart, I'm hosed haha. I like Marlins, I love those Cimmarons, Henrys are amazing... But the Rossis are affordable with my budget. But right now there are some sales on Marlins, but those are the 30-30s and I'd rather have a rifle I could match with a revolver

[hiwall]

Ruger makes that little compact bolt action 357.

[tomingreeneco]

Uberti makes some very nice lever reproductions, but they are pricey.

[BRAD313]

Rossi quality has gone up since Taurus started making them I know Taurus backs there guns with a lifetime warranty not sure if that includes the Rossi brand tho should check on that

[B5Dan]

Sounds good! I'm sorry to hear that Marlin quality control has suffered. IMHO, the Marlins are by far the most beautiful of the <$650 lever guns. The Rossis just seem to be missing something from the Marlins (and the rest), but I'm not sure what. There is more detail in the stock, and the "pistol grip" is more pronounced in the others. But if it won't cycle reliably than a stock made of 24k gold with angels etched into the barrel is still about worthless. The place I usually buy my firearms has plenty of Rossis in stock. I wonder if he would let me work the action a bit to see how it feels...