r/canadaguns • u/Ferropater • 3d ago

Gun and gear reviews Canuck Wrangler Jurassic .357 first shots, first thoughts

I purchased a Canuck Wrangler Jurassic in .357 Mag. I chose .357 over .44 Mag because I’ve always wanted a firearm in that caliber, I already had a mold for it, it could shoot .38spl which is way more available than .44 special and .357 looked fun and cheap to reload.

I bought a box each of .38 and .357 and the day I got the gun went to a family member’s rural property to try it out.

.38spl American Eagle 158 round nose (all that was available in brass)

Quiet, had virtually no perceived recoil but did not like to cycle in the rifle. The rounds didn’t like to pop back from the mag tube. Had to fiddle around with it and poke the rounds with my knife blade to get them to pop back.

.357 Mag American Eagle 158 semi jacketed flat nose (all that was available in brass)

Love the bang, and the thump. Loaded flawlessly, every time.

I don’t know why the .38s didn’t like to load, it was a pain in the ass to fiddle with them. I’m hoping that some use will break the gun in and they will work in the future.

My 12yo son loves the little carbine, he likes the lever action and if he proves he can hit things with it he’ll take it hunting this fall. From other experiences with cast lead in rifles, powder-coated 158gr hardish cast semi-wadcutters should go the long way through a deer. I will do some penetration testing, and see what they will do vs factory.

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u/iatekane 3d ago

The short overall length of those .38spl rounds often don’t play nice with the 1892 action. The Marlin 1894 action works better for .38’s

You can try other brands of .38 but you might want to just stick to .357 going forward. Can also reach out to O’Dell and see what they have to say.

Does the Canuck documentation mention anything about .38spl usage?

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u/SleazyGreasyCola 3d ago

I have one and its compatible, just not with 38+ loads. The 38s didn't really work well at first but after a couple hundred rounds it works better and rarely has feeding issues. 100% though it prefers .357. I haven't had any issues shooting any .357 I give it. 

Also you need to be kinda rough with the lever. Gotta really hammer it to cycle it well, especially if you're firing fast.