Marlin 1894P versus standard 1894?

J

jtduncan

New member
I'm looking for a 44 mag carbine primarily for target shooting at 80-120 yards.

BUT I will be taking it out for deer hunting, hog hunting, and perhaps elk hunting here in Wahsington State.

I shoot a lot of 44 mag in a Ruger Redhawk so this would be for longer shots outside the revolver's reach.

I am also an avid reloader. So I can light load for target shooting all of the way up to hunting velocities.

I understand that the 1894P is a real sweet shooter with a great recoil pad beefed up and the porting helps with the muzzle flip.

But I don't really want to lose the 150 fps from the shorter barrel and the porting in the 1894P.

Go with the 20" standard 1894 or the shorter barreled 16.25" ported 1984P?
 
Ports not necessary with .44 mag

Your choice boils down to 1) a light-recoiling rifle, or 2) a loud, light-recoiling rifle with less muzzle velocity.

IMO, YMMV, etc.
 
I don't really see the need for the ports either, at least not on a .44 rifle.
For what you're going to use it for I think the longer barrel would be the way to go.
Not sure, but you may also gain a round in the tube with the longer barrel.
 
JT to jt...

You already know my opinion... NO PORTING!

Especially with hunting rounds which tend to be a bit hotter. You can get powder blow-back, and if you happen to shoot in a dark blind or under lots of trees you will get a nice flash through the ports.

Also, the higher velocity of the 44mag will let you get better use out of he longer barrel. A 20" barrel is not all that long, and the longer sight picture (if shooting w/o scope) plus the higher barrel weight will give you better accuracy and recoil recovery anyhow.

A 20" marlin is still a very handy gun.

JT
 
The 1894 is my weapon of choice when I want to be polite. The 44 out of an unported 20" barrel doesn't rattle the farmer's windows or scare the milk out of his cows. If you need a "polite" rifle in your arsenal the standard 1894 is the way to go.

Tom
 
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