[Gunmanpost]

Just browsed the 2017 Marlin firearms catalog. They've eliminated the .444 Marlin from their big bore lever action lineup. From the 1894C line , the .357 lever carbine; NONE LISTED. With the side gate for quick reloading the 1894C was probably the best non-shotgun NY friendly home defense firearm at a reasonable price. Great camp gun, trunk gun, camper gun....... A nice companion gun for revolver fans.

When Marlin was bought out and went south (in more than one way) I know they had quality control issues with their .30-30 line. Other forums reported that the problems had been resolved. I hope the .357 rifle shortage is just a temporary production delay. There were so many cool variants.

 

[spwenger]

Two Comments:

1. Gun-Show Rumor: The initial issue when production was moved to Ilion may have been because the employees at North Haven knew the tricks to holding the proper tolerances on worn machinery and they didn't accompany the machinery when it was was moved.
2. Have you looked at the Taurus/Rossi Model 92 lineup? Years back, the emphasis was on external finish but I've got no complaints about smoothness of function on the one that I bought just a few years back.

 

[GunGeek]

The Rossi's are smoother and more reliable than the Marlin's; but the Marlin's are prettier.

 

[TommyGunn]

Some Rossis are fine. Make sure you can examine the particular Rossi you buy (if you go this route) and not just some store sample.

 

[GunGeek]

As long as you get a Rossi post Taurus buyout you're good to go. I "think" that's all the Rossi's with the safety on top of the bolt. I've never seen a bad Rossi since Taurus bought them out. Rossi was an all manual operation until Taurus. Taurus brought in CNC machines (Taurus also manufactures CNC machines), which standardized Rossi's QC.