Marlin 1894 or Ruger 96/44 ??

[dcewolf]

Looking to get a rifle in 44mag, off the top of my head these seem to be my first two options.  Any thoughts or opinions??  I know the Marlin has a slightly longer barrel and greater capacity with the tubular magazine (10 shot) as opposed to the Ruger rotary magazine (4 shot) but reloads would be quicker with the Ruger if you have multiple mags.  Anyway, lemme know what you think and if you have experience with either shooter!!  Thanky!

[HEAD0001]

The magazine on the Ruger is very convenient.  I really liked the magazine.  Unfortunately that is where the comparison ended.  The trigger on the Marlin is not the greatest, but it is much better than the Ruger.  And as far as accuracy is concerned, well let us say that I could not wait to get rid of the Ruger.  The accuracy on the Ruger was awful.  There are alot of good choices out there for a lever action 44.  Take a look at the Puma, it is nice for the money.  However that 1894 Cowboy sure is nice.  Tom.

[myronman3]

i have a 1894ss.  trigger is great,  the gun works great,  and it is very accurate.  if the 10 round capacity of the marlin doesnt get it done for you,  you need to spend more time working on your marksmanship.    a great gun for the money.

[Redhawk1]

With out a doubt, the Marlin.

[Cottonwood]

Marlin for sure.... never did like the Savage 99 and the Ruger 96/44 is a spin off from the Savage.


JMHO

[Keith L]

I also recommend the Marlin.  I do like the Savage 99 but not so much the Ruger.

[Skunk]

I'd take the Marlin over the Ruger.

I'd also take a 50s-60s vintage Savage 99 in good condition over both.

Skunk

[scrooge]

I have never owned a lever action gun until a couple months ago..I bought a HENRY 44mag .....Great looking gun & shots really well....

[Ranger J]

     I have a Marlin 1894 in .44mag and while I don’t have a Ruger 96/44 I do have a Deerfield 99/44 which appears to have the same barrel.  The Marlin barrel has a 1 in 38 twist and the Ruger has a 1 in 20.  I don’t know what kind of accuracy the Ruger barrels gets in the 96 but it is excellent in the Deerfield.  The barrel of the Deerfield (and also probably the 96) is correctly bored and will shoot factory ammo (usually at .429) well.  The Marlin on the other hand, is slightly oversize and at least mine doesn’t like factory ammo at all.  If you reload the Marlin can be made to shoot well.  Mine likes .431 240 gr.  cast bullets with light loads (great for killing paper and cans and more importantly cheap to shoot) and most Hornady bullets, .size 430, with a full load of mag powder behind them.  The heavier bullets would be great for shooting deer out to about 100 yards or so.  I really like my 99/44 Deerfield for hunting but it will not shoot cast (cheap) bullets and requires a full power load to cycle it.  It is very accurate and if needed you have five really quick shots.  It is somewhat more expensive than the 96.  My Marlin is growing on me now that I have experimented with it and found paper and hunting loads that are accurate.  I really considered getting a 96 Ruger because of my experience with the barrel on my Deerfield but in the end decided that it was just too ugly.  If you don’t reload consider the Ruger: if you do reload get the Marlin.
RJ

[deerhunter]

I dont own either.  But I do own a Marlin 336 in 35 Rem.

I believe one trait that the 1894 shares with the 336 is that by taking out one screw on the lever, the lever can be pulled out, then the bolt pulled right out, and the barrel can be cleaned from the back end.  Thats one thing that I love about the Marlin, and why i didnt consider a Winchester.  The marlin, has like 4 moving parts, and you can take the bolt out, and more importantly, put it back in easily. 

I think a rifle that you want to keep forever, you really want one that cleans from the back end.

I dont think you can clean the Ruger bolt easily, but I may be wrong.

[SM Bob]

In my opinion the Marlin would be the best choice. I owned a Deerfield years ago. I never hunted anything bigger than jackrabbits
with it. It was very accurate. Very light and a great pointer. I had a Lyman peep sight on it. I sold it because I didn't like the fact that it launched the expensive brass into oblivion. Sometimes I wish I still had it, but a 1894 Marlin is a fantastic rifle.

                                                      Robert

[jcn59]

My 96-44 was the poorest shooting rifle I ever had,  even after working on it.  I sold it & bought a 1894P, which I love.  It's about 33" overall.

[Jerry Lester]

My uncle had the Ruger , and although his actually shot pretty good with the right load, I hated the looks, feel, and just about everything else about the gun. I'm a huge Ruger fan, and I pretty much love every gun they've ever made except for their very poor attempts at a lever action design. All their lever actions are take offs of their semi-auto designs, and that makes for an awkward handling, and all around oddball rifle in my opinion.

Get the Marlin, and I guarantee you won't be sorry.

[Ranger J]

Right now I am sorry I got the 1894.  I spent a lot of time and trouble getting loads that would shoot well.  I loaded these one at a time and finally got good results.  Then I loaded a full mag and guess what?  The gun has the dreaded Marlin Jam, that is it tries to load two bullets at a time.  I like the looks of the Marlin but the 1894 in .44 mag is getting to be more trouble than it is worth.   I know I can send it back to Marlin but that is a real pain in the…Shouldn’t have to do that.
RJ