I've been thinking about getting involved in lever action silhouette matches. At one time, I was pretty active in smallbore standard and hunter's silhouette matches (about 10 years ago). My kids are grown and out of the house, and now I'm finding myself in the mood to get back into shooting silhouette matches. In the St Louis area, lever action silhouette matches (smallbore and pistol cartridge) have gained a lot of popularity since I "paused" my involvement in silhouette matches.

Anyway, I'm kicking myself for ever selling the Marlin 39A I had years ago, and find myself craving another one. As I've been thinking about lever action silhouette matches, I think to myself that it would be nice to shoot the same model rifle for both disciplines. Marlin never made a model 39 in .22WMR, so my hopes to have a matched set of Marlin 39's in .22lr and .22WMR will never come true.

I see that Henry makes lever rifles in both .22lr and .22WMR, but I've always liked the Marlin brand much more than the Henry brand. Perhaps I should change my thinking about Henry rifles, but there's something in my soul that prefers Marlin.

So..... That line of thinking took me a full loop back to the possibility of using a Marlin model 57 for smallbore lever action (in .22lr), and a Marlin 57M in .22WMR for pistol cartridge matches.

Fully realizing that the model 57's were never especially popular (I guess a lot of people don't like the looks), are there other good reasons why a "matched set" of Marlin 57 and 57M wouldn't make a suitable pair of rifles for the lever action game?

Thanks for your input.

Steve.

I see a Marlin 57 on the racks at Atglen Pennsylvania during Lever Action Silhouette matches. I have not seen who is shooting it. If you wind up using a matched pair I can only see two downsides. One being that you may loose an occasional pig or ram with the 22mag . The other would be folks asking what kind of rifle is THAT?

David

What ever brings you to the firing line and makes you smile...........

I believe Jim Luke uses a 57 mag to good results, always near the top due to his good shooting skills. I like the idea of same rifle as well, but went with the Winchester versions. I have heard the 57 trigger mechanics are a bit complicated but never opened one up, do some more research on that

I've always had a fondness for the slightly weird / wacky lever action rifles like the Marlin 57, Savage 99, and Ruger 96 models. I've never shot a Marlin 57, but look forward to doing so.

I'm going to keep my eyes out for a Marlin model 57 now. Might have to stop by the local sporting goods store to check the used rifle rack on my way home.

Steve.

thauglor wrote: ↑Thu Mar 03, 2022 4:04 pm I believe Jim Luke uses a 57 mag to good results, always near the top due to his good shooting skills. I like the idea of same rifle as well, but went with the Winchester versions. I have heard the 57 trigger mechanics are a bit complicated but never opened one up, do some more research on that

Yes - I've read the same thing about the model 57 triggers. There's a local shop near me (Midwest Gun Works) that does a large amount of gunsmithing - maybe I should ask if they have any experience tuning up the trigger on a Marlin 57.

Steve.

Had a 57M that I never should have sold.

Those are really nice shooting rifles BUT they are complex.

The triggers need love (and a large trigger shoe) and the firing pins are fragile.

Other then that the fact they are full size rifles and high quality. Every year I always see a couple at the nationals.

Hey, Jetmugg, I have a Marlin 57 in .22 rimfire that I will sell. It is in great shape and has had a trigger job.

Jim Luke

PM Sent.

Steve.

To me the 57 stock does not have nearly enough drop to get my eye low enough to properly mount the stock. Shoot one before buying....

Good point about the cheek weld / sight line.

There’s no reason why the sights could not be moved (spaced) upwards on riser blocks to tune in the fit, is there?

Steve

The 57 stock fit me perfectly. I can’t get any of the crescent steel butt plate rifles to fit me. The 57 works. The traditional shaped rifle stock is a joy to hold. And fitting a scope is easy work to confirm ammo accuracy.

Yes about raising the sights. Get a tall Lyman 17 and your rear sight will naturally follow and keep your head up.

Thank you for the tip on the tall Lyman 17 front sight.

I’m on the verge of completing the purchase of a Model 57, so getting pretty excited about it. Curious about whether the Lyman dovetail is a direct fit to the Marlin.

I’m also headed to the STL benchrest rifle club to check out a pistol cartridge lever match tomorrow. The match director has volunteered to let me try out his rifle. Sounds like Christmas morning to me.

Steve

Steve, PM me I have some info on the 57 and 57M if interested.

I sat and figured out the trigger and it isn't that bad.

plenty of extra parts out there, if you need to re-do the sear/hammer work.

With care, you can get a sub 1.5# trigger, but I like a 2.5# trigger myself took me about 30 min.

Out of the box they have a horrid 6 to 7# trigger, but back in the late 90's /early 2000's I took my bad trigger 57M and put a scope on it, tried it at 100 yards with the 50 gr Federals and was surprised by 1 to 1.5 inch groups.

Now if I can figure out the difference between the two bolts, I'll be glad.

I might have an extra 57M for sale soon. Just had the stock refinished.

Dennis O.

Dennis:

Thank you for sharing the information. That's an interesting question about the bolts - will be great to have some confirmation about whether or not they are same between .22lr and .22WMR. I'd want to make a lot of careful measurements before trying a "swap" between the two.

I may have another line on a 57M, but will certainly keep you in mind. These rifles certainly are not common on local pawn shop racks, that's for sure.

You are right about the trigger pull #'s. To me, what's most important is a clean break, as opposed to having the minimum weight. A slightly heavier pull with a clean break is better than a light pull with creep.

Steve.