Wayward_Son
New member
I picked up my new Marlin Cowboy .357 two weeks ago, but today was my first opportunity to fire it. It initially shot high and left at fifty yards. I Lowered the rear sight to the second-lowest setting and it started shooting around the horizontal centerline of my target. Still shoots to the left, but the manual suggests tapping the sight with a small hammer to drift the windage one way or the other. I'll try it next time I go to the range.
I fired 50 rounds of el Cheapo Monarch .357 158grn SJHP. No failures to feed or fire. There were a couple times it was difficult to feed, but it could have been the way I was holding it at an angle, could have been the ammo, could have just been my own inexperience with the gun. The kick is just about right for me in a rifle. (I like a pretty good snap in handguns, but for some reason I just don't care for big recoil in rifles.) The gun is far more accuracte than I am. I was using the factory sights, and my eyes just aren't good enough (nor my hand steady enough) to keep the bead right where I want it. However, I felt I was getting good groups for my first day at the range. Experience will bring better results. I'm far from a marksman, but as far as the gun is concerned I am extremely pleased with it's accuracy. With practice and some sight adjustment I foresee consistent 2-3" groups on and around the bullseye at 50 yards (not world-class shooting by any means, but for me that would be very good shooting). Further practice and adjustment should yield consistent 3" groups at 75 yards, which is probably the realistic limit of my sight and well within the accuracy limitations of the gun itself. I feel that a good marksmen would see very tight groups at 75 yards, probably even at 100 yards. With a scope, I think the accuracy (especially for me) would be much improved at range, but there's something that just seems wrong about putting a scope on this long gun. I'm undecided at this point.
The action is cool.
When I first received the gun, I was dissapointed with the action. I was led to believe that the action on the "Cowboy" version of the Marlins had been slicked up a notch or two, but it seemed very rough to me. Possibly due to my inexperience with leverguns, of course. I dry-cycled the action several hundred times over the past two weeks, and I also took out the lever and breech bolt and oiled everything up, then dry-cycled it even more. That seemed to help, but it still didn't seem smoothe. But when I got to the range and loaded her up, I was positively impressed with the action. I mean, it could still be slicked up, but I was very happy with the way the gun cycled rounds. Between recoil, the accuracy, and the action this gun is a real pleasure to shoot. I feel I've made a very good decision in my first long gun, and I will keep this gun for a very long time. Here's a proud father.
Now I just need a manual on the caring and feeding of my new Marlin. Caring for my 686P is easy with the stainless steel, but I'll have to be careful with the blue finish on this Marlin.
I fired 50 rounds of el Cheapo Monarch .357 158grn SJHP. No failures to feed or fire. There were a couple times it was difficult to feed, but it could have been the way I was holding it at an angle, could have been the ammo, could have just been my own inexperience with the gun. The kick is just about right for me in a rifle. (I like a pretty good snap in handguns, but for some reason I just don't care for big recoil in rifles.) The gun is far more accuracte than I am. I was using the factory sights, and my eyes just aren't good enough (nor my hand steady enough) to keep the bead right where I want it. However, I felt I was getting good groups for my first day at the range. Experience will bring better results. I'm far from a marksman, but as far as the gun is concerned I am extremely pleased with it's accuracy. With practice and some sight adjustment I foresee consistent 2-3" groups on and around the bullseye at 50 yards (not world-class shooting by any means, but for me that would be very good shooting). Further practice and adjustment should yield consistent 3" groups at 75 yards, which is probably the realistic limit of my sight and well within the accuracy limitations of the gun itself. I feel that a good marksmen would see very tight groups at 75 yards, probably even at 100 yards. With a scope, I think the accuracy (especially for me) would be much improved at range, but there's something that just seems wrong about putting a scope on this long gun. I'm undecided at this point.
The action is cool.
When I first received the gun, I was dissapointed with the action. I was led to believe that the action on the "Cowboy" version of the Marlins had been slicked up a notch or two, but it seemed very rough to me. Possibly due to my inexperience with leverguns, of course. I dry-cycled the action several hundred times over the past two weeks, and I also took out the lever and breech bolt and oiled everything up, then dry-cycled it even more. That seemed to help, but it still didn't seem smoothe. But when I got to the range and loaded her up, I was positively impressed with the action. I mean, it could still be slicked up, but I was very happy with the way the gun cycled rounds. Between recoil, the accuracy, and the action this gun is a real pleasure to shoot. I feel I've made a very good decision in my first long gun, and I will keep this gun for a very long time. Here's a proud father. Now I just need a manual on the caring and feeding of my new Marlin. Caring for my 686P is easy with the stainless steel, but I'll have to be careful with the blue finish on this Marlin.