Today stopped by a LGS and checked out the two of the three .357 lever guns I've been considering. They are...
1) S&W 1854 Stealth Hunter
2) Marlin 1894 Trapper
3) Marlin 1894 SBL
The S&W 1854 has some great attributes (ss action & barrel with black cerakote finish over the ss) but I just can't handle the M-Lok handguard.
The Marlin 1894 Trapper is real nice. Nice Skinner (local co.) rear sight & satin SS finish. Didn't care for the stock.
But I'm settling on the Marlin 1894 SBL since it has the integrated XS rear sight/picatinny rail, and the tritium fiber-optic front sight, and a much nicer stock that the Trapper.
View attachment 92125
All three have real nice smooth actions, especially since the old Marlins typically had a rougher action that had to work in with use.
And the SBL is the cheaper of the two. Saving up some rewards to knock the price down significantly.
My .02