Cabela's is having a sale on new Marling 1895's, $100 off after rebate.  I was wondering of the hive thought they were decent rifles and if so how is thee 1895GBL, big loop blued, 18 1/2 inch barrel.  ALos any thoughts on the 1895 GS, stainless with a small loop and 18 1/2 inch barrel.  I'm also liking the plain 1895 with the 22 inch barrel.  So confused and wondering if these are solid rifles for the 45-70.  Any down sides to the newly manufactured ones.

Thanks.

One of the best 45/70 rifles made. Only down side is the finishing on them isn't as high polished as when they were made in Connecticut.

No issues w my year old 1895 (big loop green stock model).  It gobbled up my reloads with no issues.  Just wish it wasn't so darned expensive.

Thanks for the replies.  

I've never looked seriously at these until recently.  The comment about the finish explains why the one in the Gun Library had so much more shine than the new ones.  Thank you for that tidbit of information.  

As long as the sights line up properly(a common problem with the Remington takeover) the roughness can be easily fixed. I bought a new SBL a few years ago and it shoots great. There is lots of info online about doing a tear down and smoothing. They are intimidating at first but a quick study shows how easy they are to make nice. You will need to start reloading if you want to get serious about accuracy, too damn expensive to try out all the factory stuff.

I've been eyeballing the new ones. They are alot nicer than when Remington first took over. Although the walnut stocked rifles still use ugly wood, unlike the real Marlin rifles had, but the laminate look nice.

Remington had teething pains with the Marlin line.  That is to be expected.  The quality is now vastly improved.

Things like large lever loops and laminated stocks are personal choices.  You need to handle one and see if the lever works for you.

Personally I prefer stainless, a straight grip, real wood, and an aftermarket loop that is just a bit larger to accommodate gloves.  For some, the excessively large loops slow down manipulation.  But if that doesn't bother you and you like the look, go for it, it's your rifle.

There is one area that I really don't like about most leverguns regardless of brand or maker.  The semi buckhorn sights, for me, suck.  But there are several types of aftermarket sights, such as ghost rings, tang or aperture available.

I bought an 1895 GBL last year, (18.5" barrel with the big loop blued) and the trigger is heavier than my JM staped marlins but other than that the gun has been great. I immediately changed the sights to the XS peep and rail. I have a Leopold 2x7 setting here for it trying to figure out what rings for it.

I bought one o the CB 26" versions. They had an older one when I went to pick this one up. It was more polished and the wood was nicer. Still pretty nice.