Just dropped the hammer on a new Marlin 1894

S

Smaug

New member
Another interesting thing is how I got clearance from The Purchasing Department. In our condo, we have a guest bedroom with a mix of old and new furniture.

I had just finished putting in the laminate floors, and it looked pretty sharp. But now, apparently, the floor looks too sharp for the furniture and my wife wants me to throw out my old solid pine furniture for something more trendy. I was fighting like hell. It’s a shame to replace old American-made, solid wood furniture with crappy particle boar stuff from China that’s finished with a cheap spray-on finish and cheap hardware.

Finally, we came to an agreement. I get rid of the furniture and let her replace it with new stuff of her choice, and I can get a Marlin.

Although it pains me to downgrade the quality of the furniture for looks alone, I gave it to my mom. It matches her 80 year old oak floors perfectly. I put casters on the bottom of one of the cabinets yesterday, and it is a pretty good-looking TV stand now.

Right, onto the gun:

Just dropped the hammer on a Marlin 1894, .44 Magnum, at Bud’s.

I’m going to pick it up on the way down to Georgia to visit my grandpa in a couple weeks.

After that, I plan to use it in 3-gun shooting at my local club.

I’m sure a few of you folks have them. What do you think? I’m thinking it’ll be fun to have a rifle in the same cartridge as my Redhawk, shooting the same hand-loads. I almost want to get a chronograph, just to know how much faster a given rounds shoots out of a rifle. (I’m guessing 300 fps out of the 20” barrel vs. the 7.5” barrel of my Redhawk)

I’ve read one opinion that I should consider it a 125 yd. gun. Another guy said it is good out to 200 yds. “if you know your gun”. (I’m guessing that means if you’re good with rainbow trajectories and it isn't too windy) What do you guys have to say on the matter?

Aside from the "Marlin Jam" (I've read up on it) is there anything I should be aware of in this gun?
 
1894 .44mag

You will love that gun. I had one and sorry to say it is now one of the saddest mistakes I have ever made. I bought one back in the late 70"s earlyh 80"s for just over a $100.00 brand new from K Mart. I regretably sold it along with an old .303 Enfield. It makes me sick to my stomach every time I see one now priced at $400+. It is fun an cheap to shoot and extremely accurate to boot. I hope you enjoy it.
 
i dont have the marlin version but i regularly shoot the 200 yrd gong at the local range with my rossi 92 44mag but i doubt i would shoot at a deer that far with it. ive also killed a couple of deer with it (dropped one doe right in her tracks with a shot dead center between the eyes). A 44 lever action is an awesome all around gun i shoot every thing from powder puff cowboy loads to hot 280 gr deer and shoulder whoppers.
 
1894 .44 mag

Also with regards to ammo the new Hornady Leverloution shoots very will in .44mag rifles if your planning to hunt any. They didn't have that around when I owned mine, but I have a buddy who has a ruger semi auto in .44mag and he has killed several deer with his (as well as his kids) out to 100yrds. It is a great gun to start kids on as well. Low recoil, and accurate to 100yrds if you are limiting thier shot distance.
 
I have been having what I thought was the Marlin Jam. I have a Marlin 1894 from the 1970's (I think). Bought it used. I was getting the let two in Jam. The Carrier may be a bit warn and contributing to the problem. However, the OAL of the round is very important. I was shooting rounds from a good ammo producer. The .44 mag 240 grain half jacket HPs had and OAL of 1.535. They jammed every time. I reload my own rounds now and the manual I use calls for OAL of 1.610. I never have a jam with the 1.610 OAL rounds.
 
Thanks for the loading tip, torquewrench.

I'm a handloader too, so I appreciate it. I'll be sure to load rounds to 1.610" for this then. I think those would easily fit in my Redhawk too.

The purchase turned out to be more of an adventure than I'd anticipated.

When I originally posted this thread, I had ordered it from Bud's for $540. I was going to pick it up on my way down to Georgia next weekend.

I got a few email updates, all seemed well. Then, I got an email that said "Whoops, we double sold the same gun. Yours. The last one we had in stock. The other guy ordered it first. So sorry. They are back-ordered now, and Remington/Marlin doesn't know when they'll have more to us."

So I kept it on back order for a few days.

Then, for the heck of it, I called a local shop of mine, and they had the same gun for $20 less. 1% more tax than Kentucky though.

So I just bought it today, and can pick it up tomorrow.

The first order of business is going to be to take it apart and do some polishing, so that I don't get the Marlin Jam.
 
.44 mag carbines

I don't have a Marlin .44 Mag, but my Dad had a Win 94 in same caliber and I have a pair of older, tube feed Ruger auto carbines (one scoped, another with XS sights). I can say with plenty of certainty that its a dandy woods deer rifle.

A .44 mag carbine is plenty of whitetail rifle within its range,which I'm inclined to believe is about 125. Shooting at 200 would be fun, on paper or random odd targets of opportunity, but akin to mortar fire with a 100 yd zero, about an 18 inch drop, more than the width of a deer's body. And a high zero at 100 would make mid range pretty arcing and increase the likelihood of shooting over at the distances most of us take deer in the woods.

So you don't just think its me, I just bought the book, "Ruger and his Guns" and there's a letter within that Ruger wrote to a customer concerning the power of a .44 Mag from the carbine. Pretty convincing as old man Ruger describes the .44 Mag in a carbine on African plains game, and a Leopard.

I'd stay with 240 gr slugs and up if the rifle will group them.
 
Don't get discouraged working up a load for this rifle. Mine hated my first four of five strings iin my work up batch, then cloverleafed at 20 grains of 2400 (240 grain Gold Dot hp). Hated everything over that charge weight too. Just be patient and put your time in on the front end of load development. You're going to love that rifle.
 
Thanks zombie steve and bamaranger for the load references

Got any accurate loads with H110?

I'm about to place a bullet order for 44 Mag, and I'm thinking about 240 gr., so that tip on the Gold Dots was useful. But I still have 1/2 a bottle of H110 left I need to use up before I go back to 2400 or something else.

bamaranger: I have that book, and I certainly need to crack it open again and look for that story. Ruger was quite the hunter back in the 50s and 60s, it seems.
 
I had just finished putting in the laminate floors, and it looked pretty sharp. But now, apparently, the floor looks too sharp for the furniture and my wife wants me to throw out my old solid pine furniture for something more trendy. I was fighting like hell. It’s a shame to replace old American-made, solid wood furniture with crappy particle boar stuff from China that’s finished with a cheap spray-on finish and cheap hardware.
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sorry to be pedantic but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of laminate flooring was made in China. also, pine is pretty cheap by wood standards (softwood) and doesn't come close in quality when compared to hardwoods like oak or maple. just sayin' ;)
 
A Williams receiver sight is a real plus on the Marlin lever guns if you like a peep sight. I thought it was the best $30 upgrade I have ever made to a rifle. Not pricey and extends your sight radius a lot also. Plus, I just couldn't shoot it very well with the traditaional buckhorn. Something to think about if you like a peep.
 
gaseousclay said:
sorry to be pedantic but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of laminate flooring was made in China.
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It is, but mine's German. Supposedly good for 30 years. I'm sure there'll be something even better out in 30 years.


gaseousclay said:
also, pine is pretty cheap by wood standards (softwood) and doesn't come close in quality when compared to hardwoods like oak or maple. just sayin'
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Yes, but that is not what I was comparing. I was comparing solid pine furniture made in the 50s to Chinese particleboard furniture made now.

As a side note, I'm a woodworker too, and have built some furniture out of hardwood. It was about all I can do to move the Ash nightstands by myself.

The pine cabinets were easy by comparison. Like everything, there are pros & cons.

To tie this into guns: one of the things that sold me on the Marlin instead of a the S&W 625 I was considering was the beautiful walnut stock. Mine is an entry level gun; just basic blueing (sp?) and basic grade of walnut, but it sure is nice to look at. At least to me. :D
 
The .44 Magnum cartridge is very accurate. I've never used one much in a rifle, but was able to make 6" groups prone with a 10"-barrelled Ruger Super Blackhawk at 200 meters, shooting at clamped-down metal ram targets, using factory sights.

Trajectory required something like 22 clicks elevation from the 25 meter zero, as I remember.

The problem using the inherent accuracy with a rainbow-trajectory cartridge is with distance estimation in the field as well as using a sighting system that can take advantage of the accuracy potential.

Or, you can do what most hunters, do. Keep shots well under 150 yards!

JP
 
The one time I shot my 1894 at 200 yards, I was using a wooden pallet for my target backer. The bullets were stuck in the wood sideways, and I could pry them out with a knife. They looked good enough to reload. The Marlin has a very slow twist rate and the bullets are marginally stable. Mine shot great at 50 yards, but somewhere between that distance and 200 yards, they started to tumble. Also, it got 'the jam' a couple of times. I sold it and haven't looked back. It should be good for 100 yards and under though.
 
love my .357 lever action, but it is a Henry and I paid 800 for it about a year ago:mad:Shoots great though with factory ammo; mostly .38 special 130 grain round nose.
 
First Impressions:

  • It is hard to appreciate the term "handy" until you've handled a perfectly balanced lever action. It isn't too heavy, too long or too anything else.
  • The action is pretty tight. I'm sure that'll loosen up.
  • The fit of the wood to the metal is not in the same league as it was for older Marlins. My brother's 39M is loads better in this area. I'm sure the older 1894s that folks are bragging about here are the same. (pix later)
  • The manual is great. Lots of common sense junk, but they were kind enough to color code it, so I can skip right over. The last straw is repeating the same warning several places in the manual. It is really cool that they still tell us how to take the gun down for cleaning. I was disappointed to see that they didn't do that in my wife's Buck Mark manual. The result is that there are now youtube videos detailing how to do it, which may or may not be correct. Good call, Browning. :p
  • The warning stamped into the right side of the barrel is pretty funny: "WARNING - Misuse can cause injury or death. Follow warnings and instructions in owner's manual" The funny part is that using it correctly can also cause injury or death. [although not to me!] Is there anyone out there yet these days who has not given into the lawyers?
  • What's the story of the bullseye in the stock right above the lower sling swivel stud?
  • I deliberated for a good hour and a half in the store about scopes. I think any rifle deserves a scope, so that it is not limited by the resolution of my vision. But I can also admit to myself that most scopes ruin the clean lines of the gun. Peep sights also do, but to a much lesser extent. I finally decided to buy a scope, and went with a Pentax 4x32. I wish someone made a small 4X scope, like a 4x20, that wasn't total crap. I almost bought a Leupold 4x28 Rimfire Special, but the clerk told me putting it on a .44 Magnum would void the warranty. Damn, it is the perfect size, too. The Pentax is kind of big, for this gun, but I think I will thank myself every time I look through it and am able to see where on the target I'm holding. Pentax was thoughtful enough to put hold-over marks on it. But I bet they're for a 30-06. Ah well, instead of them being for hundreds of yards, I'll just use them for dozens of yards. :D The scope seems really well made, and was only $86. I guess the thing that put me over the edge was that the Marlin is side-ejecting and drilled & tapped for scope mounting. I feel like this is what makes it a better rifle than the Winchester.
  • I also bought a BSA Sweet 22 scope in 2-7. Really nice little scope. Solid build and good features. Nice clean picture. Going to put this monster on my 77/22 and throw out the Tasco that is currently on it. (or at least retire it to the bottom of some drawer, hehehe)

Yikes, it's after midnight. Time to hit the hay.

Pix tomorrow.
 
The bullseye is a marketing tool. It makes the rifle more visible in the store rack. We used to think it was where to install the rear swivel...it's not.
 
I went to mount the scope last night, and found that I'd been sold 30 mm rings for my 1" scope. Damn.

Then, I went to see how my ammo cycles, and it doesn't. It won't chamber. My roll crimps are either not tight enough, or the OAL is too long. I need to check tonight.

Then, I went to mount the BSA Sweet 22 scope on my Ruger 77/22 and the bolt handle doesn't clear the scope eyepiece bell. Ordered high rings from Optics Planet.

All in all, not a good night for home gunsmithing. :(
 
I am just glad I am not married and have to ask or bargain for permission to buy something I want. Been there done that!!!! I remember being at a store and a guy in his late 40's wanted to buy a new pair of jeans, I do not remember the brand, but his wife told him he had to buy a different brand then he wanted. The guy could not even buy a freaking pair of jeans he wanted!!!!!!!
 
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