I would respectfully disagree with my learned friend from Atlanta on this point.
I think that the 356 is a far more useful cartridge than the 375, unless you want to shoot cast lead bullets. I've successfully shot deer with 375 factory loads fired from both Marlin and Savage rifles, but deer are pretty easy to kill at woods ranges. The 356 works well for both medium and medium/large game, particularly with the 180 grain Speer loaded for deer and the 220 grain Speer loaded for anything that is bigger, tougher, or requires lots of penetration. In contrast, the 375 after-market bullet selection seems kind of weak to me, with the 220 grain Hornady and 200 grain Sierra offerings being the most common. If you look at the bullet specs, the 180 and 220 grain Speers seem to offer the potential for a meaningful performance bump over either of the 375 bullets from Hornady or Sierra.
Yes, the 356 has more recoil, particularly if you load it hot, but it offers a degree of potential reloading flexibility that the 375 just doesn't offer. And, even if it does recoil more, we're talking about a hunting rifle, not a varmint or target rifle.
It is my opinion that the 356 in a rebored or rechambered Marlin 336 is a great value in a lever action hunting rifle. Since it isn't original, it won't ever be collectable, but it offers an inexpensive vehicle with a lot of performance in a knock-about rifle.
Jeff
