The .357 is cheaper to feed, either store bought or reloaded. Also you can shoot .38 special in it. My .357 rifle loads run 1900 fps + so I dont think it gives up anything to the 45 Colt. The recoil is less and the rifle is more compact.

But then, I don't have a 45 Colt...

 

My 357 mag marlin is great but my Henry 44 is my go to gun

 

I agree with the cheaper to feed on the 357 mag and very versatile if you reload. Light cast bullet loads for economical target shooting and then use hot jacket bullet loads for hunting or defense. I just view it has the 45-70's little brother. Smaller but still mild to wild depending on how you load it.

 

I love both but my first love is and always well be the 45 colt it has been around longer then the rest and has proven itself over and over. Widow

 

If you are going to cowboy shoot the 45 colt is the way to go. For all round plinking and hunting the 357 is the way to go. Reloads are even cheaper in the 357. Simply because you can reload 38 Special. I like the 357 hands down. But that is just me.

Enjoy the Journey
444GS2

 

When comparing the standard max hand load, cast or jacketed of 158 grain in the 357 magnum to the standard 250 grain hand load in a 45 Colt, the 357 will be running somewhere around 1900 fps where as the 45 Colt will clocking about 1700 fps. However, the 45 Colt will leave the muzzle with about 400 more fpe than the 357 mag. Run the 357 mag up to 200 grain bullets and the 45 Colt up to 300 grain bullets and the results of energy still favors the Colt by 400+ fpe. So for flat out knock down energy the 357 Mag does give up a lot to the 45 Colt.

Now if I had neither and was trying to make a choice I would go for the 357 magnum for all the reasons stated. Easier to find off the shelf ammo for hunting, can shoot the 38 special rounds, and just plain fun to shoot makes the 357 the better choice. Although specialty loads can be bought for the 45 Colt for hunting, it really is a re-loaders cartridge for that application. Fortunately since I own a couple of each, I'm not in that pickle jar.

 

They're both in the "plinker" category, my 336A 35 Remington is my main hunting lever gun.

 

If you wish to have a very versatile rifle that is cheap to shoot and is very accurate the Marlin 1894 .38Sp/.357 Magnum is IT. I have not handled a .44 Magnum or .45 Colt Marlin that had near the accuracy with hunting loads as my old Pre Safety Marlin 1894 .38Sp/.357 Magnum. If you found a reason to jump up in caliber I would still skip those and go straight to a Marlin 1895 in 45-70. And with those two firearms you can handle from Squirrel to BEAR.

 

This a tough call.

I own both and shoot both.

For Cowboy Action Shooting, the .38 is the more favorable due to reloading cost and 'perceived' recoil, or should I say, lack thereof.

For CAS using the .45 Colt, mild loads will give you some blow back, depending upon just how mild your ammo might be. Alot of Cowboy shooters who use the .45 Colt in the 1894 will tell you that the heavier slugs (250 grainers) will stop the blowback, if the velocity is atleast midrange. And anything less than the 200 grainer can give you very noticable blowback.

This blowback doesn't seem to occur with the .38/.357 mild loads.

NOW, if you are hunting and might encounter a large anything in the woods, the .45 Colt using some hot stuff is the way to go.

I have some GOOD .45 Colt reloads using 250-300 grain slugs and LilGun powder. And the performance (velocity and raw power) in an 18-20 inch 1894 is equal to the .454 in a pistol.

Both are excellent choices. The 20" .38/.357 should hold 10 rounds. The 20" .45 Colt will only hold 8 rounds.

Both are great in a rifle and both are great in a pistol, should you decide to carry the same caliber sidearm.


..........Widder

 

For CAS using the .45 Colt, mild loads will give you some blow back, depending upon just how mild your ammo might be. Alot of Cowboy shooters who use the .45 Colt in the 1894 will tell you that the heavier slugs (250 grainers) will stop the blowback, if the velocity is atleast midrange. And anything less than the 200 grainer can give you very noticable blowback.

This blowback doesn't seem to occur with the .38/.357 mild loads.
..........Widder

I'm curious about the "blowback" you mentioned Widder. I have a 1894 in 357 and reload for it. A week or two ago I was testing a few 158 gr. Missouri Bullets I'd just gotten in with light loads of Unique (I think it was) and a couple of rounds of the empties I picked up were black down one side. I don't recall anything different in them when they went off. Just curious, don't mean to hi-jack the thread. I will say that I love my .357 Marlin and it's a blast to use for plinking and it works fine on whitetail (to a limit), but I too have been wanting a lever gun in 45 colt....because I don't have one.

 

I have a .357 1894c and am searching for a .45 Colt, we recently got flooded with .45 Colt Rossi's so .45 Colt availability has gotten slightly better. I have shot both calibers in various rifles and for general use I like the .357 because of the lighter (relatively) bullets available, the 125's fly flat (again relatively) compared to any .45 colt load. I find myself shooting at animals under 70lbs at unknown ranges and for chance encounters the lighter bullets do all I ask. This all being said if I lived somewhere with a longer rifle deer season or where tags were more available I would have a .45 Colt with me not a .357. My purpose for the .45 is as a rifle to carry while working bear baits.

 

No contest, the 45 colt all the way. I have both and honestly since aquiring the 45 colt, the 357 mag has seen little use. If it wasn't worth so much now I would sell it. Nah it's still the cheapest to shoot. I don't hunt with the 357 because the 45 colt is a better option IMHO, loaded with hot 300gr's it get's the job done.
JB

 

Fortunately, I have both. Once I started using my 45 LC for CAS, it became my favorite. Because I cast my own bullets and reload my ammunition, cost is not an issue. So, we're down to what's the rifle to be used for, plinking or hunting. If it's plinking, then 38 special rounds are the most cost effective. If it's hunting then, what you are hunting, will determine what round is best for you. Because both rounds are versatile,(if you reload), you can't really go wrong with either caliber.

 

45 Colt is a wonderful cartridge. We have a Henry Big Boy and a Uberti Cattleman El Patron both in 45 LC. They are fantastic to shoot.

 

Hard to beat a lever action in 357 mag for all around fun plinking/hunting gun. It does it all and it does it well and it does it fairly cheap. My most fun gun is my 1894c. 45 colt might be just about as fun and all round effective but maybe still a bit more expensive. I really want to try out a Marlin in 45 colt, I like heavier projectiles and if I had one maybe I would prefer it over the 1894C?? It's possible...but it would have to blow me away then.
I'm sucker for octagon barrels and those 1894 cowboy limited in 45 colt looks mighty fine....

 

I have a 45 x 24" and 3 357 (C, CP, CBx24"). I have taken a truck load of Axis and Whitetails with the 45. I shoot the 45 more than all three 357s. The 45 is easier to cast and load, light to heavy.. 45 is my choice.

Papalote

 

The 'blow-back' results from light powder charges that do not expand the cases sufficiently to seal the chamber walls. This lack of sealing allows gas to escape along the cartridge case and into your face if you are a left handed shooter. The 45LC 1894 is a sweet combination. Look at the range of bullet selection - all the way from 185gr 45ACP SWC to 300gr hollow points.

 

The 'blow-back' results from light powder charges that do not expand the cases sufficiently to seal the chamber walls. This lack of sealing allows gas to escape along the cartridge case and into your face if you are a left handed shooter. The 45LC 1894 is a sweet combination. Look at the range of bullet selection - all the way from 185gr 45ACP SWC to 300gr hollow points.

That makes sense to me, first time it ever happened to me though and this thread got me to wondering if that is was it was. I'll just crank them up a little and put an end to that nonsense.
I'll get out of the way of this thread now and just watch. Thanks

 

I have both, as well as carbines in .44 Magnum. If you want to knock something over, like bowling pins or steel plates, then .45 Colt is the way to go. For plinking, targets or hunting, the .357 will put out more power and have more bullet choices than .45. You can load .45 pretty hot (into the low 45-70 class), but these bullets cannot be safely fired in a SAA or clone.

.45 Marlins are easier to find than .357s. I suggest if you find a .357, get it, but don't hold your breath. If you want a pistol cartridge rifle, .357, .44 or .45 are all fun to shoot and useful, and if you reload, none are more expensive than the other. These rifles are all the same size and weight, within a couple of ounces anyway. I'm thinking they need to be color coded or something.

 

I went through all of the gut-wrenching iterations of trying to decide the exact same thing some years ago. I went with the 357/38 for all the reasons already stated and because I already had one in 44 Mag which I prefer over 45 Colt.

I cannot imagine shooting a 45 Colt as much as we do the 357/38 CB Ltd around here. Plus, it pairs nicely with a 686, etc., and I find it more utilitarian than my 1894P+Blackhawk combo in 44 Mag ... although I love that combo and used to carry it all the time in the woods, the 357/38 is tough to beat as an all-around combo.

 

I woukd rather habe the .357. Its a lot of gun. A lot kore than people realize.