Ok, so I'm looking into a lever action. I love my friends and my boys have been wanting one for a while. I was looking at a henry 22, price is good, can use it indoors... but if I get one I kinda want a bigger round. Pistol caliber to shoot indoors. But Henry's get very pricey as the caliber increases...

(indoors because I shoot bolt and semi's outside and only really have 22s for indoors.)

SO... I was looking at the Rossi 357mag version. it can also shoot .38, lighter for my youngest. looking at stainless also..

What do you think? is there any other viable options in the $400 range with a similar round size....

thanks

I would recommend the Henry. Have one and will be getting another in the near future. I would also consider a 44 mag over a 357. Love a 357, but I find the 44 more flexible and ammo is everywhere. Plus you get 44 specials.

I have a Legacy 92 in .357 magnum and love it. .38 special round nose work great for kids and the longer barrel with .357 magnums will work for close range deer.

I just bought the little Henry, and it is fun to shoot. You won't believe how smooth the action is..better than my 94/22 Legacy. Henry has excellent customer service. I needed a higher front sight, and I had one in 3 days! I have a Marlin 44 and now want to add a 357. My FFL says "Rossi is junk" Well, that is his opinion. Seems to me there are many satisfied Rossi owners. If you are a little handy, there are many excellent videos on how to tune and polish these rifles. It's hard to find anything these days that doesn't need something. The 10/22 has turned into a Ruger receiver with literally all after market parts!

How far out can a lever chambering 357 go? can I be accurate at 100 yards?

All day long if you can do it.

Unles you reload your oun ammo you had better stick with the 22LR because those 357 are hungry rifles.Your kids will love shooting it and so will you.You can go through a lot of ammo in just a little while.

The 357 mag definitely can handle 100 yard shots. Unless the 22rf ammo situation is better in your neck of the woods, I'd go 357 and reload both 357 mag and 38 special.

Another vote for a Henry. I now own three and hope to buy one or two more in the coming year.

Let me be the one who's's different. The Henry is all kinds of cool, no doubt about that. And the .357 is an outstanding lever action carbine round. The Rossi is a bit cheaper than the Henry, and the Rossi�s are VERY good little rifles. The early one�s had a spotty reputation for quality, but Taurus bought out Rossi in the early 2000�s and revamped their manufacturing. The one�s made after around 2001 are just excellent lever rifles. The actions are actually smoother than original Winchesters.

I like the Henry Company. I didn't like the one Henry .22 that I had, a standard lever action, whatever they call that one. It was a jammer. You'll get mixed reviews on here. I will probably try one again sometime, simply because I like American made stuff. To me, as cheaply built as they are, they are not inexpensive. I would personally want a Marlin model 39A or a Winchester 94-22 if this were my first. I've owned both and currently have two Winchesters for each of my kids. I can't detect that they hold any advantage over the Marlin though. Both are significantly better than the Henry, but pricier.

I would not get a .22 right now if my boys were pretty big. I'd get a Marlin 336 or a Winchester 1894 in 30-30. The Rossi you ask about is a good gun but they tend towards grittiness. I've got one in 44 Mag. and it's a good gun but not smooth. If you want a pistol cartridge lever for your first, I'd stay with Marlin or Winchester. If you want to scope it, go with the Marlin. Get a used one.

Classic 30-30, as long as your kids can handle it. 22 ammo is scarce and expensive. Might as well blast stuff if you're going to spend that kind of dinero.

Another vote for he .357 Rossi.