Considering a Uberti lever action in .38/357

Thoughts...good, bad, ugly? 

I've got an Uberti dueling pistol in .357. I've also handled a few other Ubertis... they're pretty commonplace in the hands of fledgling Cowboy Action shooters. My experience is that they are fine guns: well made, nice fit and finish, accurate and reliable, and far more affordable than the original items.

Ubertis Screws and springs are soft and not well fit, outside they look great, inside they all are rough.Both rifles and pistols benefit from an action job. For a lever 38/357 id get a new Winchester 1873, they are made out of better metal, fit better out of the box and are just damn fine rifles, I own both Winchester and uberti rifles. The new Winchesters can be had off of gunbroker for under 1200 shipped.

I've heard good things about Uberti, but haven't handled or shot one myself.  The feedback from Cpt/Englehorn isn't comforting considering Uberti's are quite pricey.

I've been looking for a .357 Mag lever action for a while.  Probably between Marlin and maybe a Henrys.  I would love to have a Winchester, but from what I've seen on availability and price, not looking good.  I have a good amount of 38 SPL ammo and a decent revolver.  It was always my goal from when I bought my first handgun to get a lever action and revolver in the same caliber, but that was when I lived in WA state and camped and fished a lot in the Cascades. 

Uberti is still a decent gun, the work that would benefit them the most is probably in the 150-300 extra range. The winchester by far is the best out of the box, theres alot of standard models on gunbroker. If it comes down to the henry or marlin id go for the marlin, QC has gotten alot better recently as opposed to when remington first took over.

Also looking into a lever action, any thoughts on the Henry Big Boy series in 357?

Also looking into a lever action, any thoughts on the Henry Big Boy series in 357?

I don't know about the specific Henry models but some of them tend to be quite heavy.

Yeah I keep hearing about the weight, but I also hear good things about how smooth the action is.  Thanks

Also looking into a lever action, any thoughts on the Henry Big Boy series in 357?

I like the Henry's but want a side loading gate instead of the tube loading.

Any thoughts on a Cimarron lever action?

Try calling SEC if they still have the Rossi's in .357 mag.  Lots of Rossi owners.  I have a 1894C but whatever brand you get, they are soft shooting and easy to handle.  If I had the $$$$ before, I would have got an Uberti, just make sure you get extra parts/springs.

Cimarron, Taylors, EMF , Navy Arms, are all Importers, the guns all originate in the Uberti Factory, some importers have configurations that the others dont.

Thanks everyone

no experience with the uberti lever guns. 

i do have a uberti 1858 rem pistolo with added .45 colt cylinder - i like it lots, a fine revolver that i find has better quality than the pieta version.

i just had a rossi (braztech) m92 - winchester 1892 lever gun in .45 colt - that i liked lots, good overall quality and relatively easy for a '92 to take apart, clean and even mod.

Ubertis Screws and springs are soft and not well fit, outside they look great, inside they all are rough.Both rifles and pistols benefit from an action job. For a lever 38/357 id get a new Winchester 1873, they are made out of better metal, fit better out of the box and are just damn fine rifles, I own both Winchester and uberti rifles. The new Winchesters can be had off of gunbroker for under 1200 shipped.

i found marlin screws to be pretty soft also. some screws are nearly stripped from repeated disassembly and one of the longer screws that goes through the barrel band snapped during recoil from firing. replacement parts for lever guns are expensive too 
marlin also has quite a bit of tool marks on the inside. seems like they try to smooth out the more important contact points a bit though.
i like them for the price after a mild tuning. seems to be in between a winchester and a rossi in price and quality.

i found marlin screws to be pretty soft also. some screws are nearly stripped from repeated disassembly and one of the longer screws that goes through the barrel band snapped during recoil from firing. replacement parts for lever guns are expensive too 
marlin also has quite a bit of tool marks on the inside. seems like they try to smooth out the more important contact points a bit though.
i like them for the price after a mild tuning. seems to be in between a winchester and a rossi in price and quality.

When remington bought marlin they screwed them up bad, which is why now the JM marked Marlins command a premium. The newer ones that ive seen, this year and the tail end of last are much better, but the ones prior are bad, sharp internals. bad screws, ive seen and heard of some that came New in Box with the screws broke, feeding issues, bad headspace, the list goes on. I recommend tuning for all cowbow action guns even if not being used as such, Marlins, Ubertis, Winchesters, they all benefit from it, and run alot more user friendly.