Parker

Good looking GSP. Which WMA? Love the cover down south.

The .22's were abysmal hitting clay birds when I was a seven-year-old. Not the choice to breed confidence. The smaller #12 shot is for anything below the ankle and distance is limited. 22 Rat/Snake Shot Shells - Would they really protect you from a snake? - YouTube

Training with .22 shotshells was a "thing" back in the 40's:

#12 shot for rats/bats/mice/moles. Ammo loaded with #9 shot ups the game, .44 Mag. shotshells with #4 shot ups the game past pest control but with distance limitations. Buy Pest Control Big 4™ Shotshell for USD 26.99 | CCI (cci-ammunition.com) Reloaders can still find shot cups to roll their own in .357 Mag. & .44 Mag. Handgun Shot Loads (hensleygibbs.com) We grew up learning to wing shoot using hand-thrown Mo-Skeet-O clays and a smoothbore Mossberg .22

My preferences would be in the following order after the Marlin; Winchester (if I could find a reasonably priced 9422M), Browning, then Henry.

You left out Browning's BL-22. Winchester 9422's, if you can find them, are selling for more than $1,000 these days. You might find a ratty one for $750-$800 if you're lucky. Winchester Rifles - Model 9422 for sale (gunsinternational.com)

You probably would consider filing the front sight only if you were stuck on using a specific bullet weight. You can alter your impact by testing with different bullet weights. Ammunition availability is your enemy right now. Ruger Single Six 3-screw and 2-screw are fun guns that will last a lifetime. I don't know anything about the Wrangler but it is popular.

When I shot in a bullseye league decades ago the argument in the club of which was the most accurate load that would reliably function a S&W M52 came down to 2.7 grs. of Bullseye vs. 2.8 grs. of Bullseye with a 148 gr. DEWC or HBWC. Both produced stellar accuracy. I've heard good things about HP38 & WST but never tried them in a .38 Spcl.

I had heard the same about BLR's stringing their shots as the barrel heated up, erratic groups, etc. But when I found one years ago in the cartridge I had on my bucket list, I picked one up in used but excellent condition and took a chance. I've been surprised by the groups I've gotten with the right bullets in handloads. It seems to digest well anything above 115 gr's. using 4895, 4064, 4350 & 4831 powders. It's also pleasing to look at.

Not to worry. Plenty of lever's out there and plenty of time.

Agree. But there is really nothing to crow about anymore in this state.

I prefer the older steel-receiver BLR's (original Belgium & BLR-81) over the new aluminum receiver BLR. The Long Ranger is nice, but it's not a BLR. If you want real old school pick the discontinued Savage 99. All steel construction, chambered in more cartridges than other lever guns, with an internal rotary magazine, and able to handle high pressure bottleneck cartridges in a striker-fired design developed more than a century ago. They came in many configurations from carbine to rifle. They are fast becoming collector items and command high prices. But I'm getting off the main topic here. I think the OP was inquiring about a cowboy lever action in .357. There are plenty of lever-actions out there that will always be popular.

Gun For Hire has a Henry and Marlin for rent if you're interested.

I said the same for a while. Took me five decades before I came full circle and came into an '84 336 Texan TS that was customized by a friend. At only 36", it fits the bill of a handy rifle.

Always a general rule of thumb to not dry fire .22RF.

Just my opinion, but the Marlin has the least amount of parts, offers durability in a time-tested design. Winchester is a classic Browning design; more parts, yet sturdy construction. Throw in the mix of how they were made a century ago to today, is what has made some more desirable than others, etc. New Winchester's are made in Japan by Miroku; the same folks who have been making the Citori since 1973, which is a close copy of the Browning Superposed crafted in Belgium. Great quality, but it comes at a price. Henry is a more modern design, American-made, but I am not a fan of MIM parts in its construction, or need for a transfer bar that wears, etc. But I know many folks who love their Henry's.

Over a century Winchester made 7.5 million lever actions, Marlin made 5 million. I would search used models from either maker over a Henry, only .357 mag. & .44 Mag chamberings will be fetching premium prices. I don't think lever actions have ever gone out of favor, they are still found in every deer camp in America come the Fall deer season. PS - Have you priced a new Winchester 94 lately?

This was equally disturbing: The Weirdness of Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s Reluctant Leader | Vanity Fair They paint the guy out to be the Casper Milquetoast of 2A. The buildup to a conclusion is inevitable, and it may not be good.

It's not a shotgun you will see profiled in Shooting Sportsman magazine.

My "newest" Microgroove-barreled Marlin is dated 1986, the oldest is from 1963. I've never experienced inaccuracy, fouling or leading in any of them. All seem to be made in a time when Marlin put together a decent gun. I have no Marlin's with Ballard style rifling, so can't compare.

True. It needs a better bullet selection. Maybe my .444 Mircogroove is an anomaly, but it will consistently group 265 gr. FP handloads into 1.5" for a 5-shot group @ 100 yds. 240 gr. lead swaged bullets would group into 1/2" @ 50 yds. with a reduced load of Blue Dot were also common. (And Microgroove barrels aren't supposed to shoot soft lead bullets well.) PS - I had to do a bit of load development to find these recipes.

Correct, you can't swap barrels on the older Ithaca's. Each Roto-Forged barrel prior to S/N 855,000 was individually fit to the receiver. You have options to get your receiver to fit the newer replaceable barrels but there's an expense. Ithaca can do this and I think Diamond Gunsmithing in NY may still do it.

Economy grade of the Marlin 120. (And has a similar look to a Winchester Model 12, which was not by accident.) Would be a fun project and you've got nothing to lose. Guns like this are worth working on. You should definitely do this and post BEFORE & AFTER pics.

.444 Marlin is a cool but sometimes misunderstood round. It doesn't get the attention the .45-70 does.

A sign of our times. Almost every gunmaker from the 1800's situated in the New England or Hudson Valley region of NY has gone out of business or pulled stakes and went elsewhere.