Ok, talk me into or out of a Marlin lever gun in 44 magnum

[cbourbeau32]

I'm going to purchase a lever gun in 44 mag soon. Here are my priorities for the gun:

1) Reliability (function of gun and ability to shoot various bullet profiles)
2) Ability to shoot cast accurately. I'll be using Lee 6 cavity molds and don't want to size. Just water drop and shoot.
3) Longevity, I'd like this to be my all around gun for many, many years.

Thanks for the replies. Charlie 

[saddlebum]

Buy a Marlin 1894 .44mag in your choice of barrel length and style or I'll tweek your nipples!

If that doesn't do it for you, then go online and just try to find a legitiment reason not to!

[Richard P]

Longevity in a Marlin is a given.  If your need is a short range (roughly 125yd) rifle that has some authority, a 44m is a candidate. It isnt a 444 or 45-70. But, it makes for fun plinking and will serve some hunting or for home defense if there is no more suitable option.
  Marlin 44s with microgroove rifling will prefer a ''fat'' cast bullet. Marlins are not known to be ''tack drivers''. They are field guns. Some will shoot better than expected.
  If you havent reviewed MarlinOwners.com I urge you to do so. Shop carefully, you never know where your next Marlin is hiding. 

[saddlebum]

Don't be scared. Marlin 1894s in .44mags have "deep cut Ballard rifling" with 6 grooves, and work great with cast or jacketed bullets.
They are not a .45/70, but many elk have been taken cleanly with .44mags with both handguns and leverguns.
The .44mag is useful for anything from plinking to elk. I prefer the 1894 in .45LC because it will do all that and creep up pretty darn close to hot .45/70 loads. But that's just me.............................
There are also many aftermarket parts such as sights, scope mounts, triggers, levers, stocks............................
You are more limited in that department with a Win. '92 type.

[flintlock]

I'd like to have one as well, to go with my Blackhawk in .44 mag...

[jcn59]

I've had mine for several years & it always goes bang.  Haven't shot it alot. Got 1 deer.  I had to put that knobby thing on the scout rail because my gun ain't got no sites.  At least none that I can see.

[cbourbeau32]

Thanks for the replies. What bullet weight cast does the best in those who shoot cast? Charlie

[Ranger J]

Run some cartridges through it before you take it home.  Mine came out of the box with the dreaded 'Marlin jam.'  Once that was fixed and a decent recoil pad was on it it became a great little gun.  Only problem is it is #3 on my list of .44 rifles when I go out to shoot.  Th bore is a little large and it likes bullets of at lest .431 size.  Can't help you on the cast as I shoot only clad in it.

RJ

[JesterGrin]

It all depends on what one calls accurate. The Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag will only give you about a 2 1/4 to 3 in group  at best at 100 yards. This is the main reason I sold my Marlin 1894SS in .44 Mag as for myself I could never get the accuracy I would be confident in.

But the Marlin 1895 in .444 or 45-70 are very accurate. I shoot 3/4 in groups from my Marlin 1895 GS in 45-70 at 100 yards with both jacket and cast. With a Scope by the way.

If you shoot other .44 Calibers the .444 would be handy since you can use the same bullets you cast now. And load it accordingly.

If you are going to shoot cast from the Marlin you need to size them at .432. My favorite bullet for my Marlin 1894SS in .44 Mag was the Lee 310Gr RNFP/GC behind a stout charge of W-296.

As far as function they work great and are easy to take down and clean or even maintain.

One further note. With the Junk coming out of the Marlin plant now I would look for an older one instead of a brand new one. As since Marlin was bought out Remington has there hand in there and it is not good.

[JesterGrin]

I've had mine for several years & it always goes bang.  Haven't shot it alot. Got 1 deer.  I had to put that knobby thing on the scout rail because my gun ain't got no sites.  At least none that I can see.

I just have to say you have some BEAUTIFUL  wood on that rifle.

[saddlebum]

Thanks for the replies. What bullet weight cast does the best in those who shoot cast? Charlie

Veral Smith and I suggest a LBT 280gr LFN loaded to 1500-1600fps. Loading up 300 grainers to the velocity needed for hunting are brutal on the shooter and gain nothing in killing power compared to the 280gr at higher velocity. This bullet and load has all you need to drop anything you will find on this continent.
If you cast, get with Mr. Smith on this site and get an LBT mold. If not check out Montana Bullet Works online for REAL LBT bullets. Veral will NOT vouch for any of the other forgers of his designs. If done right according to "Veral's laws of cast bullet accuracy", you will experience excellent accuracy and killing performance. Believe me when I say, it's a whole different world from what cast bullet performance is generally thought of. And BTW, LBT Blue lube is magic! To make all this happen, use the lube.

Go through Veral's forum and find answers to your questions on this subject.
Quote from Veral,
 I personally prefer the 44 because it delivers all any north american animal needs for a quick kill.  300 gr bullets have to be driven at about 1800 fps plus for good long range accuracy, which puts recoil up there with the hard kickers from such a light gun.  I prefer a 280 gr LFN, loaded to 1500-1600 fps.  For smooth feeding in both the 44 and 45, nose length has to be held a bit shorter than my standard .45, which is actually a nominal designation relating to space from end of ctg to end of cylinder.  Nose length is a bit short of .45 for revolver bullets, and shortened from that a bit for these two lever lockers.  An actual .4 nose will probably feed in any of them.
  Bullet diameter must be large as will chamber smoothly for top accuracy, this to keep the bullet aligned while being fired into the rifling.

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/board,114.0.html

[jcn59]

Evil-bay wood, machined by that place in Iowa.

[coyotejoe]

I'm going to purchase a lever gun in 44 mag soon. Here are my priorities for the gun:

1) Reliability (function of gun and ability to shoot various bullet profiles)
2) Ability to shoot cast accurately. I'll be using Lee 6 cavity molds and don't want to size. Just water drop and shoot.
3) Longevity, I'd like this to be my all around gun for many, many years.

Thanks for the replies. Charlie

 Well you did say talk you out of it so I'll try.  I have tried the Marlin '94 in .44 mag three times, two standard carbines and one cowboy. i tried a vast array of loads wit jacketed and cast bullets in each of them and never was able to get 100 yard groups better than 5-6" out of any of them. That's with peeps and scopes. Oh an occasional OK group but not repeatable.
  I had a '94C in .357 which did inch and a half right out of the box with Federal American Eagle factory loads. I had a first model .444 which went under an inch with 265 grain Hornady's, and a .45/70 which was good for 2" and a couple of 30/30's about the same but I just never have seen a .44 mag, Marlin or Winchester which met my accuracy standards and after three failures with Marlins and one Winchester I'm just not going to spend money chasing a lost cause.  I don't expect moa but I won't accept worse than 3 moa.

[JesterGrin]

I'm going to purchase a lever gun in 44 mag soon. Here are my priorities for the gun:

1) Reliability (function of gun and ability to shoot various bullet profiles)
2) Ability to shoot cast accurately. I'll be using Lee 6 cavity molds and don't want to size. Just water drop and shoot.
3) Longevity, I'd like this to be my all around gun for many, many years.

Thanks for the replies. Charlie

 Well you did say talk you out of it so I'll try.  I have tried the Marlin '94 in .44 mag three times, two standard carbines and one cowboy. i tried a vast array of loads wit jacketed and cast bullets in each of them and never was able to get 100 yard groups better than 5-6" out of any of them. That's with peeps and scopes. Oh an occasional OK group but not repeatable.
  I had a '94C in .357 which did inch and a half right out of the box with Federal American Eagle factory loads. I had a first model .444 which went under an inch with 265 grain Hornady's, and a .45/70 which was good for 2" and a couple of 30/30's about the same but I just never have seen a .44 mag, Marlin or Winchester which met my accuracy standards and after three failures with Marlins and one Winchester I'm just not going to spend money chasing a lost cause.  I don't expect moa but I won't accept worse than 3 moa.

I have to agree with Coyotejoe about the Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag. Yes they are easy to carry and move around in brush but they are not accurate. But as I said before it all depends on how one views accuracy.

If you must have a .44 Mag Lever Gun I would look into a Winchester in .44 Mag as they have a much better twist rate than the Marlin.

I will also agree with Coyotejoe that the Marlin 1894 Pre safety in .357 is darn accurate as well as my Marlin 1895GS in 45-70. Both of them will shoot under 1 1/2 inches at 100 yards with ease. If you do your part.

Coyotejoe  If you load your own I have found the Hornady 180Gr HP/XTP with 13.OGr of W-296 and a CCI- Small Pistol Mag primer to shoot at 1/2 Groups at 100 yards with a scope of course lol.

[dks7895]

I was in the same boat late last year.  I opted for the Marlin 1894C in .357 and love it.  I am shooting jagged holes at 60 yards.

[Flynmoose]

I am very happy with my Marlin 1894 44 Mag. The Winchesters I bought new both 44 Mag and 357 Mag were
not acceptable in fit, finish or accuracy. I have an 1894C and it is a keeper as well. I shoot jacketed bullets
in both with good results.
FM

[wild willy]

I have five levers my marlin 44 is the least accurate of all them 3 to 4 inch groups at 100yds. I sent it back to Marlin. They rebarreled it 3 to 4 is what it does now before it was 5 to 6 plus

[skinman]

Get yourself one. I have one that was made at the old plant. I love it. I shoot leverevolution in 225 grain FTX and have never lost a deer with it. It shoots same hole groups on the bull at 100 yards using a 3-9x40 Redfield scope. I hunt in wooded areas and have to cover lots of ground at times. The rifle is very light and quick to the eye.

And just to see what kind of penetration it had at 100 yards, that Hornady ammo went through two 2x4's, so 3" solid wood getting spit through at 100 yards made me a believer in this little rifle.

Mine is the model 1894 carbine

[bilmac]

JCN  Did you mean to write there weren't any sights on your 44, or did I misread. Isn't that a receiver sight just in front of the hammer?

[jcn59]

They were too little for me to see but I think they might have been there because I could feel them with my hands.

So I put on that funny looking ghost sight and a fiber optic in front.  I can sort of see those...

Another thing I like about the Marlin 1894P is that it's sized for a pistol cartridge unlike the Winchester 94 which seems sized for a 30-30.  I see the .44 as a hundred yard deer gun and it's plenty accurate enough for that job.  It will do what it's made to do, and it will do it dependably and with class.  If you want a target rifle, get a Savage.  I did.

[Cabin4]

I've had mine for several years & it always goes bang.  Haven't shot it alot. Got 1 deer.  I had to put that knobby thing on the scout rail because my gun ain't got no sites.  At least none that I can see.

I want that gun you got there. That is some great lookin wood! I thought my old Win 94 Packer gun in 44mag had some great wood but I guess not.