Somethings go together. Cake and Ice Cream, Beer and Pretzels, Love and Marriage. How about a true Pistol Caliber Carbine…with muscle?
Perhaps it is a wee bit early for a Ruger Marlin Review but since I spent the day at the range with them, I thought it appropriate to have something to compare this duo to hopefully next fall. With the news of Ruger buying the Marlin assets, it will be intersting to see how Ruger does this. But until then, here is a review of my Vaquero and it’s companion, my Marlin 1894CB in 357.
To be clear I have not been a .357 Magnum fan in handguns ever since I had my first Model 27. For me, the law of diminished returns apply to this round in lighter weight handguns. The kick, muzzleblast, recovery time, percussion and fireball outweigh the advantage of all the power this round can have. Wrap a 20 inch barrel 6lb steel and wood gun around this cartridge and it is sweet.
My first .357 Marlin was a JM gun. It handled this round very easy. However, I had to send it in a few times for things like the rear sight fell off (dovetail cut to sloppy) and the lever would pop open and not stay closed when at rest ( lever cams needed fitting). The factory repaired the lever and put on a new barrel so all was good. One thing that bothered me on most all of my JM Marlins was the ill fitted bolt protruding from the receiver. The sharp edges would snag my rag when cleaning and it looked and felt misfit. I could never get warranty to step up to finishing it like they should have. The Marlins I have now all are post 2018 made in New York by Remington. This review includes this .357. Chocking it full with 10 rounds in the tube and one in the chamber, it is truly a blast to run. The checkering on the wood, fit and finish, and machining is perfect on this gun. The sights are right on as well. I will not put up with a gun that shoots off center and elevation for the cartridge it is designed for. All my iron sights are exactly in the center and down on the lowest notch for 75 yard impacts. The octagon barrel gives me a great sighting plane as well. And the balance (something some lever companies overlook) is perfect for carrying, mounting and shooting. The load today was 11 Grains of 2400 under a Hornady XTP 158 38 Cal .357 158 gr FP XTP® - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc . I rang the steel 8 inch plate offhand 11 for 11 from the shoulder at 75 yards. In cleaning the rifle, as all my other Remlins, the patches came out light gray within four using Butchs Bore Shine. By far the cleanest, sharpest, brightest bores I have ever seen on production rifles. But it needs a companion.
Enter my 2015 Vaquero in .357 Mag. When you buy Ruger, you usually get Rugged Reliable Firearms. This one is all that. Of course, I fit a Wide spur hammer to it, tuned the action, sent it back to have the sights regulated, and had some Maple grips hand fit to it. Most Ruger factory grips are fit like they are trying to pin a tail on a donkey. Incidentally, most gun manufacturers will regulate the sights for you under warranty but they are hoping you don’t complain, which many don’t. This Vaquero sits in a floral carved leather rig from Texas Jacks. Competition Butt Tamer (texasjacks.com) . When you get this Ruger Vaquero Ruger Vaquero® Blued Single-Action Revolver Model 5107 you will find that the .357 charge holes have a massive amount of steel around the cartridge making this a nice balanced heavy piece to absorb the recoil. Yes, one can shoot .38 specials as well and not trade off accuracy like a dual cylinder convertible. This gun come up quick and solid and is sighted in for 25 yards dead on.
Yes, running these two companions at the range is truly a delight. Not many shooters at the ranges in colder weather easier so it makes it very nice as well. Celebrating our 50[SUP]th[/SUP] Anniversary this year, home alone on Thanksgiving for the first time ever, made me glad that I had these .357 companions. Oh yeah…the wife too!
Perhaps it is a wee bit early for a Ruger Marlin Review but since I spent the day at the range with them, I thought it appropriate to have something to compare this duo to hopefully next fall. With the news of Ruger buying the Marlin assets, it will be intersting to see how Ruger does this. But until then, here is a review of my Vaquero and it’s companion, my Marlin 1894CB in 357.
To be clear I have not been a .357 Magnum fan in handguns ever since I had my first Model 27. For me, the law of diminished returns apply to this round in lighter weight handguns. The kick, muzzleblast, recovery time, percussion and fireball outweigh the advantage of all the power this round can have. Wrap a 20 inch barrel 6lb steel and wood gun around this cartridge and it is sweet.
My first .357 Marlin was a JM gun. It handled this round very easy. However, I had to send it in a few times for things like the rear sight fell off (dovetail cut to sloppy) and the lever would pop open and not stay closed when at rest ( lever cams needed fitting). The factory repaired the lever and put on a new barrel so all was good. One thing that bothered me on most all of my JM Marlins was the ill fitted bolt protruding from the receiver. The sharp edges would snag my rag when cleaning and it looked and felt misfit. I could never get warranty to step up to finishing it like they should have. The Marlins I have now all are post 2018 made in New York by Remington. This review includes this .357. Chocking it full with 10 rounds in the tube and one in the chamber, it is truly a blast to run. The checkering on the wood, fit and finish, and machining is perfect on this gun. The sights are right on as well. I will not put up with a gun that shoots off center and elevation for the cartridge it is designed for. All my iron sights are exactly in the center and down on the lowest notch for 75 yard impacts. The octagon barrel gives me a great sighting plane as well. And the balance (something some lever companies overlook) is perfect for carrying, mounting and shooting. The load today was 11 Grains of 2400 under a Hornady XTP 158 38 Cal .357 158 gr FP XTP® - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc . I rang the steel 8 inch plate offhand 11 for 11 from the shoulder at 75 yards. In cleaning the rifle, as all my other Remlins, the patches came out light gray within four using Butchs Bore Shine. By far the cleanest, sharpest, brightest bores I have ever seen on production rifles. But it needs a companion.
Enter my 2015 Vaquero in .357 Mag. When you buy Ruger, you usually get Rugged Reliable Firearms. This one is all that. Of course, I fit a Wide spur hammer to it, tuned the action, sent it back to have the sights regulated, and had some Maple grips hand fit to it. Most Ruger factory grips are fit like they are trying to pin a tail on a donkey. Incidentally, most gun manufacturers will regulate the sights for you under warranty but they are hoping you don’t complain, which many don’t. This Vaquero sits in a floral carved leather rig from Texas Jacks. Competition Butt Tamer (texasjacks.com) . When you get this Ruger Vaquero Ruger Vaquero® Blued Single-Action Revolver Model 5107 you will find that the .357 charge holes have a massive amount of steel around the cartridge making this a nice balanced heavy piece to absorb the recoil. Yes, one can shoot .38 specials as well and not trade off accuracy like a dual cylinder convertible. This gun come up quick and solid and is sighted in for 25 yards dead on.
Yes, running these two companions at the range is truly a delight. Not many shooters at the ranges in colder weather easier so it makes it very nice as well. Celebrating our 50[SUP]th[/SUP] Anniversary this year, home alone on Thanksgiving for the first time ever, made me glad that I had these .357 companions. Oh yeah…the wife too!
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