I've got this Cimarron 1866 in .38 special. Absolutely love it.
If there's any downside, its that I tend to baby it. Gorgeous charcoal blue. Probably Turkish walnut or something.
My wife really likes it, so it's pretty much hers.
Big-5 has an 18.5" .357, 20" .44 or 20" .30-30 (not really interested in that one right now) for $334 - your choice.
I'm set-up to load .38 special, .41 Magnum and .44 Magnum (among other cartridges).
I've got a Ruger Blackhawk .357 / 9mm convertible, S&W Model 67 .38 spl +P, S&W 357PD (.41 Mag) and S&W 629 Mountain Gun (.44 Mag).
We frequently camp (and shoot) with a good friend (probably soon-to-be brother-in-law) who shoots a lot of .44 mag in his Ruger Super Blackhawk. The hotter the load, the better.
So my question is, how do I decide WHICH, if any additional lever-action rifle to purchase?
I was leaning toward the .41 Magnum, since that's what I carry in the field. And I just think its a really neat cartridge.
But the .357's and .44's are a lot more common and a lot less-expensive. Lots of options with each.
The .357 has some appeal, as long as I stick with the same .38 Special loads that I use in the 1866. It might even be "more compatible" with the Model 67, since I can shoot +P's as well, but then I wind up managing the logistics of multiple .38 loads. Don't know how well .38's would cycle through the action either. I do like the 18.5" barrel though.
.44 -- kind of what I'm leaning toward right now. I can just share a single "plinking" load with the 629 Mountain Gun and lever-gun. Again, the main downside here is the logistics of managing another caliber. I'm not sure which is more hassle -- a .38 and .38 +P load, or a .38 and .44 load.
At least with the .38 and .44 loads, there's no danger of accidentally shooting a +P in a firearm not rated for it.
Thoughts?
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/images/zoom_1894.jpg
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/images/zoom_1894C.jpg
