What's the attraction in shooting handgun calibers from a rifle?

I've noticed that Henry offers several rifle models that shoot traditional handgun caliber bullets.

So what's the attraction in shooting a rifle with such poor distance-shooting performance? For example, a .357 would need to be zeroed almost 8 inches high at 100 yards for a 150 yard zero. A typical rifle caliber would require only an inch or so of height at 100 yards for that same zero distance.

Perhaps owners are shooting their own hand loads to get better performance.

Lots of ammo, low recoil, higher performance of the cartridge. But in my opinion it's for 100 yards and less.

Look up what a .44 mag can do coming out of a 16" barrel.

Plus, lever actions are fun!

What JG said.

Mostly carbines for saddle carry and short range work. In 44 magnum it makes a perfect rifle side arm combo with ammunition for both. One of my favorite thick cover rifles is the Win 94AE trapper with the Taurus Tracker on my hip.

Use the rifle to fight off Injuns, the Colt is to hammer wire staples into the fence. You can use a rock, but people used to look funny when they walked into the saloon carrying a rock. Same caliber just made it simpler to keep up with ammo.

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, having separate tools for close up and distance work makes a lot of sense for the guy living on the range, as does both taking the same bullets

Don't forget whacking a surley bartender.

ruger 44 carbine is a "hoot to shoot" comes in handy for that 2 and 3 pig. makes a good house gun, would work for camp gun

Your assuming these calibers will be used in traditional type hunting and distances. Get into the thick stuff with an open sight 44 or 45 after hogs or javalina's and you'll be glad you left the scoped bolt rifle in the truck.

Yessir. I've got lots of creek bottoms around me with big timber. If I'm planning on going on walk about in that, there's nothing better than my lever action with irons. Though it's a 30-30, the point is the same. And a brass front post is mo betta than a blued steel front post.

Got a buddy that loves western style wheel guns. Several years ago he started buying lever guns in the Same cal. As his revolvers so the ammo was shared between the two. He has several antique colts in Verying calibers and the lever guns to match.

I just enjoy shooting.
Pistol cal lets you shoot more for less.

Had a 22 cal AR and while it felt like an AR weight wise, it felt like a bb gun when you shot it.

I have a 16" 9MM AR fun gun now and really like it.
I carry it on my 4wheeler most of the time putting around the ranch.
With it sighted for 50 yards, I can still reliably ring steel gongs at 100 yards.
It feels more like a standard AR when you shoot is as it has more recoil than the .22.
It's pretty accurate at 50 yards shooting less than 2" groups reliably.
It takes Glock mags so they are readily available and it has only malfunctioned 1 time in 600 rounds.
With standard load 147gr FMJs it is subsonic out of the 16" barrel so it's really quiet.

It's a favorite at range day because the kids and ladies can shoot it and since it's AR based, everything is located in the same place and functions the same so it breeds familiarity when they transfer to a regular AR.

I have a beretta cx4 storm in 9mm. It is a short carbine semi auto. I got it in a trade and I like you didn't understand what it could be good for. Now I won't ever get rid of it and like most say it is just fun to shoot. It is also a favorite of the Grand Kids. It has now become one of my home protection guns. It now has a tlr-1 lite with a red dot scope on it. It is short and easy to maneuver in the house and it is something the wife is comfortable in using.
But most of all it is fun.
Have someone let you shoot theirs and you will understand.

Cuz its America!? End of times? Bug out?

Yes, once all the wars with the natives and outlaws were over, gun manufacturers turned their attention to new calibers and cartridges designed solely for distance work. Gun owners today, including many of you, have rediscovered the practicality of having a rifle and hand shooter that fire the same bullets.

Firearm history really is fascinating when you think about it.

I've killed several deer with my Marlin 1894. It's also the only rifle that I keep loaded for home defense. 11 rounds of 44 mag would totally ruin a bad guy's day.

Mine holds 13 rounds of 45 LC's. With Corbon, Buffalo Bore or good hand-loads it's serious medicine.

Winchester claims to have created the first hybrid cartridge that eventually led to the creation of modern cartridges designed specifically for rifle use.

Do you agree?

"Winchester® Supreme® Centerfire Rifle Ammunition stands as the most technologically advanced line of centerfire rifle ammunition in history - a history 127 years in the making. In 1873, less than a decade after the Civil War and when Westward expansion was in full gallop, Winchester introduced the first successful centerfire cartridge: the .44 WCF (.44-40). Designed for double duty in both rifles and handguns, this is the cartridge that won the west. And to hunters and sportsmen wanting the ultimate ammunition for any big-game need, Winchester has been delivering ever since."

To be honest I see no practicality in it all. If I'm hunting with a rifle and carry a pistol it's going to be a pretty safe bet I'm carrying a 22 if I'm carrying one at all.

To be exact the first metallic cartridge was in 1845.

well, when you are surrounded by Indians you don't have to figure out what cartridge to load

Lefauchaeaux (who developed the pinfire cartridge/mechanism) in 1828 would dispute that. Though popular in France, it was never widely adopted in English speaking countries. Most credit Winchester's .44-40 developed for the Model 1873 as the first centerfire (as opposed to rimfire - as in the .44 rimfire Henry) cartridge.

There's where the pistol cartridge shines, in the carbine. Can't get that many 30-30 in the tube. I had my fire chief make me a leather stock pack to hold 7 spares. He said, JG I need a leather project. Have I got a deal for you, Chief! Tell me what I owe you when you're done.

Chris Kyle's book on the matter "American Gun" was quite good.

The development of the centerfire cartridge played only a small role in the defeat of the indians - as they were largely extirpated by the time it came along. (Though Colt SAAs in .45 Colt were used in such later battles as Little Bighorn in 1876.)

Production of the Colt "Frontier Six Shooter" (which was designed to shoot the .44-40 centerfire compatible with the Winchester 1873 rifle) began in 1877. It was immediately successful on the frontier - but mainly because the Cowboys and other frontier denizens found having to carry/load only one type of ammunition handy for more utilitarian range work such as providing food,dispatching varmints, self defense, and the like.

I don't get it either...

The 45 Colt loaded in a M92 action will flatten most critters within 100 yards or so. It is one heck of a hunting cartridge and lots of fun to reload.

However, no lever guns were produced in .45 Colt. I have always found that odd.

actually, the .357 or .44 mag either one out of
a rifle as opposed to a 6" barreled handgun is a
great shorter range deer round. i've taken deer
with both rounds in marlin rifles and H&R handi
rifles. i've only used .357 and .44 mag and either
one had plenty of soup to kill the deer i shot with
them. one shot each. i'm sure .45 colt or the others
would be adequate as well.

Well, the 45 Colt properly handloaded makes an excellent pig and deer rifle. I'm not talking about the anemic factory loads that are designed to be fired in older guns.

The 44 special can be loaded up close to the 44 magnum. The 45 Colt is the same way. After I was given a Winchester 94 in the 45 Colt I bought a Ruger Blackhawk with the changeable cylinder and also bought a Magnum Research BFR in 45 Colt. Both revolvers are capable of stout loads.

I am a fan of the revolver cartridges in a handy carbine such as the 1894 Marlin or Winchester, Rossi makes some good 92s or Henry makes some real slick ones as well.

I have tried several over the years and my favorite one is a Marlin Stainless 1894 trapper in 357 Mag. I am not sure how many hogs and deer it has accounted for and is my #1 favorite truck gun. Inside 120 yards it is as effective as any other rifle I have owned on deer and hogs with recoil only slightly more than a 223.

In lots of places I hunt you cannot see 100 yards so that handy little rifle works well in those places. I also have several different 44 Mags 1 lever, 2 bolts, one semi-auto and one single shot. Like the 357 mag let me within 125 yards and the 44s will put the hurt on deer and hogs with authority.

When carrying the revolver caliber carbines I sometimes carry a handgun but most of the time not, as the carbines are handy enough as they are. If I am handgun hunting I just have the handgun most of the time, them most often it is a 357 Max, 44Mag or 7-30 Waters.

I have a .480 Ruger Redhawk with a 7 1/2" barrel. I have only shot 2 deer with it and they both just lurched and fell.

I'm told Rossi made a lever carbine 92 in .480 Ruger for a short time. This thread may cost me.

NP, I think Ranch Dog might have one of the .480 Ruger Rossi 92s. Of course he will be able to shed lots of light on this subject if he joins in as he probably has more experience with revolver cartridge chambered carbines than most of us combined.

I say go for it the 480 in a carbine would be a thumper for sure.

A 480 would be awesome in a 92, which is a strong action as far as levers go. NP, your collection won't be complete without it.

What little reading I just did tells me they are hard to come by and pricey.

That won't stop ol' NP. Just sell some others.

What, everyone doesn't have one? Anyone that asks the question of what's the attraction, has never shot one. They are amoung the funnest if not THE funnest class of firearm to shoot - and as is the case with my Ruger 44 Mag quite capable and practicle. The others (IMI Uzi A, HK94, Zenith MP5k, CZ Evo "mini K" well they are just fun as hell...and if I was a bad guy I wouldn't want to be within 100 yards of one loaded with 30 or more modern 9mm hollowpoints.

Because it's fun. My .357/.38 marlin cowboy is my favorite rifle. It's just a ton of fun to shoot and works pretty well.

Sorry this one is a little bloody but a 180gr partition through a pig quartering away made for a bit of a mess. Rifle is a Marlin 1894LTDSS one of 250 made, stainless with a 16 inch barrel. Handy little gun.

^^^^^ That's one fine looking little rifle. The one above it too.

Love me some .45 Colt in a handy lever action.


Besides, it's commonality of caliber with my revolver.

Got a bit behind here as I've been busy running a waterline across my place.

Yeap, I got a thing for pistol cartridge leverguns and have a bunch of them, one of them being the Rossi R92 chambered in 480 Ruger. If you see one, buy it. There was only 100 made by special order.

I live on a ranch at the top end of South Texas and I find a levergun in 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 Colt, or 480 Ruger well suited to the typically ranges we shoot here. You could throw the Ruger 77 in both 357 and 44 Mag into this or any other rifles chambered in these cartridges, I have a 77/44. Over a decade and a half, I've recorded all kinds of stats concerning the hunting done here. The average distance that deer are killed at is exactly 70 yards. What is funny is the 300 Win Mag holds the closest distance, 30', and the 444 Marlin the farthest, only 168 yards. My place is typical South Texas brush country that I've kept thick and the deer stick to the cover.

I have a 454 Casull levergun as well, but it is a bit of overkill on short range whitetails and I consider it more of a short range nilgai rifle. I have used it on mule deer hunts.

I feel the levergun shines in these cartridges with a heavy, hard cast bullets that have at least a 72% meplat. Considered it a cookie cutter, they cut a huge hole through a critter.

My Rossi 92 357 Mag uses a 190-grain bullet. I have a Marlin 1894P (Guide Gun), R92, and Winchester M94 Timber Scout in 44 Mag, I use a mix of 250, 275, and 300. My 45 Colt is an R92 and shoot a 290-grain bullet. My 480 Ruger uses a 375-grain bullet.

Thanks for the info RD.

Wow. 100 only? No wonder I didn't find any on the usual websites. This may take awhile.

Pistol cartridges are low recoil, cheap (well standard pistol round), tolerate a short barrel, and many can be run subsonic without significant drop in performance.

I'm assembling a 9 mm AR and plan on a 7" barrel. A .223 would lose most of the velocity, be loud and very bright.

I like the .357 options.. low recoil lots of rounds to run through.. and fun with irons

Ever since the .500 S & W came out, I've wanted one in a 16" carbine. They are prosuced, but they are way out of my price range.

I love my Marlin 1894C in 357. It's quickly become my favorite rifle. I can punch paper with 38s and load 180 grain 357s to hunt. I recently shot a sow with my 357 and ended up chasing her through the brush. It was a blast running and gunning with the lever gun.

One of my favorites is my 1894P. It was part of the Guide Gun series but on the 1894 frame and chambered in 44 Mag.



I have the XS Scout system on the rifle and is a heck of a South Texas hunting rifle. I use a 300-grain hard cast bullet with it.

Another one I did not mention is the 41 Mag. Love my little Marlin 1894FG and shoot a 265-grain hard cast with it. For years I used it as the "guest" rifle here on the ranch as I never had a deer or hog run away for from being shot with it. All DRT. When the value went over $1500, I stopped letting others use it.

I would like to get into the Henry short cartridge rifles on the Big Boy Steel frames but I already have too many others and shooting them is a full-time job!

They have never held any appeal for me. I have never shot one either. Maybe if I did shoot one my opinion would change.

Maybe so, the people who do a little shooting or hunting with mine fall in love with them. As a reloader, there is nothing not to like about them. Here are the cartridges I'm shooting.



I started keeping detailed records on my hunting 13 years ago, and these cartridges have accounted for just shy 900 feral hogs. Not shooting them in traps, spot & stalk, still, and standing hunting, day and at night. The longest shot I've made on a hog was with the 45 Colt, my R92, and the 290-grain bullet at 197 yards. That is pushing the visibility on my place, corner to corner on a food plot. There is a lot of drop on a large, relatively slow bullet but their trajectory is very predictable. I use the Weaver K4 Classic Scout on all these cartridges, and the math works out where you can use the horizontal crosshair and/or the tip of the lower post for any distant shooting. In the case of the food plot hog, the horizontal crosshair was on her back and the tip of the post on her heart, I knew that I would cut a 1" hole through her immediately above her heart. I was shooting uphill; the hole is the exit. The bullet picked her up and dumped her.



My load with for the 45 Colt produces 1775 FPS with the 290-grain bullet. That ought to make the 6.5 guys laugh but the predictability of trajectory and killing authority of a heavy cast bullet was well demonstrated on the plains of our country while the buffalo was exterminated.

Because it is so much fun!

Our lever actions are the go to brush guns on a hog hunt with matching caliber sidearms.
Rossi makes a 454 levergun that is awesome out to 150 yds and much more fun to shoot than the Freedom Arms revolver.
We always have either a 44 mag , 41 mag or 454 casull lever action when we head down for the hog hunt. Keeping ammo separate is no issue when both your rifle and pistol are chambered for the same caliber.

Good info there.

45 LC is my favorite. The Rossi handles the stout loads as does the Ruger Convertible, heck of a match! If it gets real serious I'll break out the Marlin 35 Rem. As for trajectory I was making hit's on the Rams at 500 yards with the 7 1/2 Ruger in 45 LC. Trajectory's no problem when your an old 13-B.

I'm trying to imagine shooting a barn at 500 yds with a pistol.