I love my stainless 16" 357 Rossi R92 for fun. 38spl are cheap and the 16" barrel has low recoil. It can definitely be used for SD.
For 44mag I went with a 24" octagonal barrel. And added a leather stock pad. It's a plinker but I'm not owning a 6.5lb 44mag rifle again (I had a 77/44).

 

I used to shoot Marlin 1894 carbines in both 357 and 44 mag. There was quite a difference in recoil. The 357 was pure pleasure to shoot with standard 158 grain factory loads, making you want to reload and keep shooting, whereas factory 44 mag loads in that light carbine were more like a bucking bronco. Got old pretty quick.

I never used the 357 Marlins for hunting deer, but I have friends who use their 357 Henrys for deer and they do quite well when keeping shots under 100 yards.

 

I used to shoot Marlin 1894 carbines in both 357 and 44 mag. There was quite a difference in recoil. The 357 was pure pleasure to shoot with standard 158 grain factory loads, making you want to reload and keep shooting, whereas factory 44 mag loads in that light carbine were more like a bucking bronco. Got old pretty quick.

I never used the 357 Marlins for hunting deer, but I have friends who use their 357 Henrys for deer and they do quite well when keeping shots under 100 yards.

Definitely my experience with the 44 mag. I like heavy rifles-they just set in my hand better. I am no longer walking 10-20 miles a day hunting in the mountains. Heavy rifles get old then quickly. The mod 94 was a great rifle, just too light for the recoil for fun shooting. This won’t be a deer rifle, got that covered.

 

My buddies.357 Mag Marlin was extremely accurate and easy to shoot. I would expect the same from a Henry.

 

Felt recoil is an individual perception. The actual physics show the 357 magnum has lower recoil than the 44 magnum.

 

I have 20” ‘92 Rossi in .357. Full tilt magnum hand loads offer little recoil. I wouldn’t hesitate using it for defense or hunting, within range.
It’s fun and accurate w 38 spl as well

 

I have a 357 mag 1894 Marlin and recoil is negligible with even hot 357s. My wife loves to plink with it using 38 spc reloads, in the Marlin the 38s feel like shooting .22s and is just a blast. I think the 357 would make an excellent home defense gun. I've also owned 357 Rossi's and they've been excellent tools as well. The finishing isn't up to Marlin or Winchester snuff but they've been reliable and decently accurate for a pistol caliber lever gun. My choice I'd get an 1894 Marlin if I could find one, if a cheaper option was needed I'd go not feel undergunned with the Rossi. Comparing recoil, the 1894 with 125 gn Hornady American Gunner blue box is insignificant compared to my 788 in 243.

 

. Get a Winchester 1873 in 38-40 or 44-40 and shoot black powder you will love it😁

 

I would love to shoot bp, but I did one and then spent hours cleaning up. If I am going to sit that long at one time I will need a doze crabs and cold beer. I do have to admit shooting bp is a blast

 

My .357 marlin 94 has ugly wood but it is pre safety and one I'll own till i die.

 

If for fun, have you considered a Henry in .45C? I bought one for Christmas and just finished working up a 250g XTP load. Very pleasant to shoot and the Henry handles it well. I wish I could give feedback on the .357 but I only have a single shot in the Henry.

 

I own the Henry Big Boy Brass in 357 and it is a pleasure to shoot with fullhouse loads. The Big Boy steel in 357magnum is also a pleasure to shoot and it is a pound lighter. You can attach a rifle sling to the steel models.

 

I love my Win Model 94 Trapper, 16" barrel. The recoil with full power 240gn loads is not too bad. I have recently used some reduced load 44 mag and that does seem to be the sweet spot. You only gain one more round by using a 44 Special case. Great HD gun, especially if you live in a non-free state.

 

When my 13 year old godson passed his hunters safety class I gifted him my 357 Rossi 92. He is now 36. Recoil is pretty mild.

 

It sounds like the new Marlin .357 from Ruger would be ideal for what you want. It's starting to pop up for around $1000. occasionally. Shooting 38's is lots of fun with minimal recoil. Cheaper than .357's too.

 

I own and highly recommend the Henry Big Boy Steel rifle in .357 Magnum.
Mine is very well made and lovely to look at, and it adds to its mystique by shooting tight groups.
Mine is light enough to be handy and heavy enough to feel solid.

Recoil is not much of a factor even with full house pistol loads.
And I like having a rifle and a pistol in the same caliber. That's a Ruger NM Blackhawk in the
picture below.

And here's the kicker: The .357 Mag might seem like your grandfather's pistol round in the 21st century when all the
cool people (and plenty of idjits) are shooting 9mm. But if you haven't heard about Hornady's Lever Evolution ammunition,
you owe it to yourself to look it up. Hornady invented rounds for lever rifles using pointed bullets with polymer tips.
So these are safe to load in a tubular magazine, and the pointed bullets give the lever rifle a whole new lease on life
in our modernistic times. Hornady loads 140 grain pointed bullets in their .357 Lever Evolution ammunition, and out of a
rifle barrel the velocity is a lot higher than from a pistol. Plus the pointed bullet gives a flatter trajectory and thus more
reach. They also have done wonders for the venerable 30-30 (and other lever rounds) and with Hornady's ammo
all those millions of Winchester 94 rifles also get a new lease on life too.

Hard to beat IMHO... that's why I bought my Henry. I wouldn't hesitate to hunt deer with this rifle, out to 100 yds or a bit more.
Made in USA, short, handy and hard hitting... .357 Magnum Ammo just disappeared during the ammo panic of2021/2022
and it's only just beginning to be visible again. Prices are still too high, but I found some Hornady Lever Evolution ammo
(finally) and was able to order online and receive it at home. ( I live in Michigan).

This rifle does all of what the OP was thinking he wanted. I haven't tried shooting .38 specials with it, but I have some
and therefore I will.

 

Rossi 92 in 45 colt here. Since the 45 colt is so versatile in its loading ability, you can pick any power level from poofball cowboy action rounds to self defense rounds all the way up to heavy duty hunting rounds.

 

So, there seem to be a lot of votes towards Rossi. I was looking at the R92. There are composite and laminate stocks available with Stainless actions. Are they fully compatible with the lever action? I am assuming so, the laminate works just fine in my No. 1-45-70.

 

I watched my Uncle kill several Deer with a model 92 Winchester in 32-20 .
He taught me to shoot with it and I was only 10-11 years old and it was fun ... it wasn't punishing to shoot .
The lever gun I bought for myself was a Model 94 in 30-30 . I reload for it and can down-load the 30-30 to 32-20 ballistics ... but the 32-20 Model 92 was slicker and handier ... I wish I had one now that I'm older too !
Gary

 

For those of you reloading for a henry or Rossi (I don't know if they are different than a marlin load wise yet) what powder are you using, ( my personal preference is to use 3/4+ case cap types) so I have never used something like bullseye etc. Looks like AAC-5 works, 2400 works, thinking of 125 gr hornady xtp and I assume CCI small pistol primers. Thoughts? I have not bought a gun but i do research probable working loads first to see whether I can readily get components before taking the plunge. Nothing like no ammo for a new gun. bummer

 

If I want full power 357 then W296, Alliant 300MP or Lil Gun. For 38 Loads, Longshot or CFE pistol.

 

I have the 1894 in 357 and an 1873 in 44 mag.
Neither kicks anywhere close to my SxS or 870.

Both hold 10 in the magazine.
For secondary defense I prefer the lethality of the 44. The 870 and extended magazine is the primary defense of choice.

 

I've been looking for a reasonably priced lever gun in 32-20 to go with my Buckeye. I have a Win 94 in 45 colt and I've talked to a few smiths about building a lever in 357 maximum. It can be done, it will be costly.
My Rossi would feed and fire 38 specials making recoil very mild.

 

My 1894s are .45colt. I use them in cas, never shot .45colt factory in them. Also have Uberti 1873s. None are hard or painful to shoot. I like 255 gr boolits. I also run .45 Schofield loads on them.

 

So, I am in a quandary, short listing to a Winny 1892 Short, a Marlin Classic 1894 CST, a Marlin 1894, a rossi 92R laminate, and a Henry Big Boy all weather. I have had Winchesters and like the action. I think the 92 short has the short throw which is appealing. I really would like a laminate with a SS barrel, preferably 20". I also know the basic quality of the winny and marlin are the highest. I prefer stainless steel to the chrome in the all weather. I have a new scope to get used to so maybe i will just wait awhile.

 

Word of caution, I have a newer Win with the cross bolt safety. The trigger is not great. The Rossi trigger was good.

 

I would buy the Ruger version of the Marlin 1894 in 44 mag.
IMO, this is the top of the engineering food chain for this type of action.
Ruger knows how to make guns, and make them well.

I own a Henry Frontier 22 with octagonal barrel.
The internals are very nicely done, and I have zero regrets.

However, the Henry 1894 is shunned by the cowboy action crowd.
It simply does not slick up well enough for that level of fast shooting.
Henry has no interest in working with cowboy gunsmiths for this, so the Henry is shunned.

 

Perhaps you missed it in my initial and following post. I had a mod 94 in 44mag that I purchased new in the late 60s. I ad a revolver to go with it doing the Dirty Harry thing. Just wasn’t fun to shoot as I got older and I sold it. 44mag is not a consideration for me anymore

 

Just another heads-up on the Rossi's, they tend to bulge brass. There may be several different reasons for it, but they tend to more than not. Now I'm not steering you away from the Rossi at all. I love my 24" octagonal barrel 357. Accurate, smooth, and honestly one good looking rifle, but it does bulge 357 magnum brass in more full power loads. There's been a few discussions about this on other threads. Not a huge deal unless you reload, which I do religiously. Just making sure you are aware.

 

How does that happen? Is the chamber out of spec? Seems like if the chamber is to spec it can't expand more than the walls allow. What am I missing?

 

Nothing beats a 22wrfm loaded with 22wrf. But centerfire-speaking, a 44levergun feeding 44special reliably sends a real bullet with soft recoil, and partnered with a Ruger SA holding magnum potential, is a winner.