.357 Magnum rifles

W92fan

 I know .357 Mag.  began as a pistol cartridge, but now there are many rifles chambered for it, with many different barrel lengths.      Is there any particular rifle barrel length that could be considered "optimal"  for .357 Mag. ?

Perhaps the question is too general, and barrel length would depend upon too many variables to give a specific number.

truthful

I have a Marlin model 94 in .357 with a 16-inch barrel, 8 round tubular magazine. Very accurate, handy to use, mild recoil even with the hottest loads. Mine isn't fussy about ammo, but heavy bullets (180 gr) do better in it than they do in my revolvers.

nononsense

Is there any particular rifle barrel length that could be considered "optimal"  for .357 Mag. ?

There might be but as you point out, the variables with the potential of reloading, can show significantly different effects on what is considered 'optimal'. This is a very valid point. However...

The primary concern when discussing rifles of any type or style, is the legal length of the barrel no matter what cartridge is being chambered and fired. ATF considers 16" to be the shortest legal length here in the U.S. so some manufacturers make the barrels 16-1/4" or 16-1/2" to assure us that the barrel length is legal. But this length might not be optimal depending on the powder/bullet combination because it could be shorter if legal.

The exception to this rule is when you choose to pay a tax to get a Short Barrel Rifle waiver from the ATF. I don't find this occurring with lever action rifles frequently but mostly with bolt actions and semi-autos for use with suppressors.

I use a Marlin Model 1894 CST with the 16-1/2" barrel which is threaded at the muzzle. I also carry a Ruger SA Blackhawk in .357 Magnum at the same time with this rifle. We hunt javelina on horseback so this combination works well from moderate distances to up close and personal. I load soft point flat nose bullets for these adventures.

Sunday 'Goin' to Meeting' carry is usually a 1911 but I have a Korth Mongoose revolver in .357 Magnum for the BBQ afterwards.

Read the laws, select the one you feel comfortable carrying and shorten it legally if you have to.

Best.

pip5255

16 - 20 inch range for rifles depending on bullets

Riomouse911

I personally prefer the looks and balance of a 16" barrel on a smaller action (Win 1892-sized) in .357, .44 or .45 Colt. The 20" perfectly fits the 1894/336 .35 Rem/.30-30.. and 24" or longer for a Win 71/1886 etc. 

I get plenty of velocity with the 16" out of these pistol cartridges without losing handiness. 

Stay safe. 

bpost

IMHO you are fine with a 16" barrel when shooting pistol rounds like the .357 mag. or 45 Colt.  The rule of thumb is 25 FPS gain per inch of barrel length.  If you have a 1,100 FPS load in a 6" pistol you will gain about 250 FPS in a rifle.  Not many pistol bullets will perform well above those speeds.  The powders used like 2400 will be well consumed by the time the bullet gets out of the end.  Faster powders even more so.

nononsense

IMHO you are fine with a 16" barrel when shooting pistol rounds like the .357 mag. or 45 Colt. 

We aren't given much choice since the ATF declares that 16" is the legal minimum. You can choose to pay for the tax stamp and wait then cut your barrel shorter but then you are at the mercy of the ATF for rest of the life of the firearm.

The rule of thumb is 25 FPS gain per inch of barrel length.  If you have a 1,100 FPS load in a 6" pistol you will gain about 250 FPS in a rifle.

It doesn't work that way with pistol powders in longer barrels. It's not a linear progression in burn rate.

Not many pistol bullets will perform well above those speeds.

That's why you need to review and test the bullets for use in the longer barrels using powders suited to that use. There are bullets constructed to be stouter for use in situations like this and those are the ones to concentrate on. When in doubt, call the manufacturers to get their input first.

The powders used like 2400 will be well consumed by the time the bullet gets out of the end.  Faster powders even more so.

Even 2400 is not completely consumed within the length of a 16" barrel no matter the weight of the bullet and length of seating depth of any bullet in particular. Just because a powder is recommended by a manufacturer is not justification that it is an efficient choice. Remember that powder manufacturers thrive on our consumption of their products. Using standard reloading suggestions for the 158 gr. bullets and 2400, a 6" barrel will only burn about 88% of the load while the 16" barrel will add only about 7% more or 95% consumption while staying with the allowable pressure curve. That's why many of us choose to reload to gain the optimum performance from this cartridge.

Best.

45calmuzzleloader

I have a Henry break open single shot rifle in .357 mag. The barrel is 21.75" long. It will shoot sub 1" 3 shot groups at 100 yards with a heavy charge of 2400 and Hornady 140 grain xtp. Barrel is visually spotless after firing. So I'm guessing most of the powder is being consumed.

Hawk Carse

Unfortunately, Ballistics By the Inch only goes to 18".  There is a lot of variation by brand and load, but in many cases a 14" barrel is getting the most velocity, so a legal minimum of 16" would be the "optimum."

nononsense

45calmuzzleloader said:

I have a Henry break open single shot rifle in .357 mag. The barrel is 21.75" long. It will shoot sub 1" 3 shot groups at 100 yards with a heavy charge of 2400 and Hornady 140 grain xtp. Barrel is visually spotless after firing. So I'm guessing most of the powder is being consumed.

Powder consumption takes place in the barrel when the powder burns creating plasma or super hot gases. The powder which is NOT burned is not retained in the barrel since it is riding the front of the plasma force behind the bullet. The unburned powder is forced out of the barrel and falls to ground. Proof of this is to take a couple of old white sheets and spread them on the ground in front of the barrel. Unburned powder is collected on the sheets. I cannot stress enough to use OLD white sheets as using your wife's newly laundered sheets can result in legal problems or sleeping on the sofa, at least...

Best.

smartoldguy

I have a ~40-year-old Rossi Model 92 in .357 Magnum.  It's essentially the same rifle they later sold as the "Puma."  I've fired thousands of rounds through its 20" barrel, most of which were my own reloads.  Factory .357 and .38 Spl rounds are always meant for pistols, but they invariably work just fine in that rifle.  I can't make any claims for exact performance but my impromptu tests showed beyond all doubt that the rifle consistently fired the exact same factory rounds as my 6" Ruger Blackhawk at a significantly higher velocity.  Hot loads tailored for the rifle using light bullets and a slower powder such as H110 can exceed 2200fps, and I built a few variants on that theme; but finally concluded there wasn't much benefit in it.  It's much more pleasant to fire with lighter recoil, more effective with a heavier projectile and I came to believe it was usually more accurate as well.

It is certainly a wonderfully built gun with a strong action and it has been utterly reliable.  Its sole malfunction has happened twice: a broken firing pin, which was readily replaced.

Rossi's current offering of this rifle is here:

https://rossiusa.com/firearms/lever-action-rifles/53-r92-357-mag-20-10-rounds-gold-black-brazilian-hardwood
Mine is quite nearly the same but the furniture looks like walnut and with blued steel wherever you see the gold trim.