I've been shooting a 357 in the lever rifle matches, but as expected it rings some animals.

I was looking at Henry Side Gate Lever Action Rifle in .360 or 35-50. Any suggestions of other calibers and manufacturers? I do want to buy new, don't want to cast my own bullets, and don't care for 30-30.

Dirty 30 is the perineal favorite. 38-55 a close second. 357 is the easy button if you don’t mind loosing rams at times. There is no such thing as a free lunch and anything else is one offs/experimental territory.

Not trying to dissuade you but you get more shooting in not trying to re-invent the wheel, but that can be half the fun as well. Good luck in your endeavor.

Walter Johnson wrote: Sat Oct 11, 2025 4:07 pm I've been shooting a 357 in the lever rifle matches, but as expected it rings some animals.

I was looking at Henry Side Gate Lever Action Rifle in .360 or 35-50. Any suggestions of other calibers and manufacturers? I do want to buy new, don't want to cast my own bullets, and don't care for 30-30.

.32 Special

Walter, before getting rid of your 357 mag, try the Sierra 180gr FPJ bullets, made specifically for the Handgun version of our sport.

Lever action rifle roots are in Handgun Silhouette.

I'm currently going back to my 357 mag with a 205gr gas checked bullet going subsonic, I'm not fond of recoil anymore.

You can also look for a 44mag rifle, 240gr to 300gr bullets a Ram just can't resist.

If you do get rid of your rifle, let me know what model and I might be a buyer

Dennis

The cartridges you listed are all good choices. I think it’s sound to go with the one you want to shoot. They are all versatile enough to load them how you see fit and be successful. It is always a good idea to confirm brass and projectiles are in supply to feed your choice before buying the rifle. The .357 is cheap to shoot, easy to load and makes a practical choice as your PC rifle or a backup. There are other pistol cartridge choices that also offer that versatility but no rifle cartridge can do that. In the end the best choice is likely the one cartridge you like for whatever reason you like it.

A buddy of mine recently put together a 44 magnum Winchester 1892 and shoots 235g coated cast bullets at a reasonable speed with recoil slightly heavier than 357. He shot a 38 his first match with it. Like the 357, reloading components are plentiful.

A vote for .44mag if you intend to use it as PC and/or CLA. Using a .44mag strictly as a PC is a bit like driving a thumbtack with a framing hammer. It is fun, however. Recoil can be tamed with proper load development. As noted previously, few animals stay upright when struck by a 240gr. projectile, even when quite slow.

Edgehit,
Do you have load data for your buddy's .44 ammo?

Walter, you shot at Atglen on the 11th?

My preference, and more than a few others is the 38-55.

I started rifle caliber silhouette using a 44-40. Using 20-1 alloy 220gr bullets I would ding rams too often for my liking. With Swiss 2f my load had a muzzle velocity of 1350fps. With Reloder 7 I got 1380fps. Both of those loads failed to knock over an occasional ram at three ranges.
I have seen rams fail to fall with "hot" 30-30 loads also.

I have a Winchester 1886 in 45-70. This can be loaded to guarantee a ram will fall if hit with 1/2 a bullet. My problem is shooting that heavy rifle offhand.

I got a Uberti 1894 in 38-55. This cartridge can be downloaded for chickens to turkeys. Folks are using TrailBoss, Unique, Blue Dot, 2400, 231 and other pistol powders. Rifle powders from 4227 to Varget can also be used. Personally, I wanted to make sure a ram would fall if I hit it anywhere. For four years now, it has not failed to perform. A 290gr wheel weight alloy bullet. I used H4895 until I ran out and now I use Varget. This is a rifle load but I can shoot it all day long.

38-55, load light and watch the animal fall through your sights. Load heavy for those full size rams.

I decided on the 30-30 caliber and tried a few 24" barreled Marlin 336a rifles. That is my favorite combination for competition guns, even though those rifles are getting pretty old.
I have also had a lot of fun shooting 200m cla event with a 20" Henry .357 and cast bullets. That turned into a challenging (fun for me) reloading project. Ringing a ram now and then goes with the territory.