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Posted: 5/22/2002 5:27:33 PM EST
[#1]
To be honest, I'm not familiar with that Winchester model in .44. I think you will find most people prefer Marlin levers generally over winchester.
Winchester levers are okay and not toys. Some of the old guy lever shooters I know can come real close to a semiautomatic in firing ACCURATELY. Ruger sells a lever action and a semi auto .44 carbine that is very similar to a 10/22 that you might want to look at. The lever version looks to me like the semi version converted to lever, probably for states where semi guns are not allowed for hunting, like PA. I have a real hankering for a Marlin guide gun in 45/70-although that defeats the purpose of your one cartridge set up-but they sure are neat. Here is a Marlin lever in .44 and you can get it in stainless, which would be nice for a back packing or horse riding gun-[url=]http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/1894_centerfireRifles/1894SS.htm[/url] [img]http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/images/firearmImages/1894ss_Th.jpg[/img] |
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Posted: 5/22/2002 5:41:49 PM EST
[#2]
There are polymer stocks available(can give link if you want) and any good gunsmith can refinish the rifle for a moderate price. I personaly would get a lever in 45-70, since you can take everything from deer to bear with it, but the 44 will do quite nice aswell, not to mention a good capacity. Note, these rifles arent meant for long distance shots, so dont expect to shoot much past 200yrds.
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Posted: 5/22/2002 5:49:07 PM EST
[#3]
The Winchester's look good but the Marlin's are a tighter feeling gun. I own one of each,a Winchester 94 in 30-30 with the large loop and a 16" barrel. It is caled the Wrangler model. Looks great, like a John Wayne movie or the Rifleman. The Marlin is a 1894CL in .357 Magnum/ .38 Special. Much tighter, better fit of wood to metal, comes to the shoulder better and the small lever works faster than the large loop. But both are good guns. I would look at the 44 mag Marlin in the mini guide gun with a 16" ported barrel. I think it is the 1894P. Enjoy, MIKE
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Posted: 5/22/2002 5:52:12 PM EST
[#4]
for a lever. go with the marlin.
What aimless said about the 45-70, but the 45-70 cowboy is a keeper. |
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Posted: 5/22/2002 6:09:45 PM EST
[#5]
I lean towards Marlin. I had a 94 Winchester in 45 Colt and when I worked the lever too quick ( I can shoot a levergun like the guys that Aimless referred too, and I'm not old yet!) it would eject both the spent case and the next cartridge out of the magazine tube. Maybe it was just my gun. I replace it with a Marlin and I cannot make it fail. All the Marlins I have shot generally are more accurate to boot. I did have the pleasure of shooting an original Winchester 1892 in 44-40, it was amazing in all aspects. I replaced the rest of my Winchesters with Marlins. I have a 1894P to compliment my 5" 629. I consider the 1894p to be the M4 of leverguns. Check into Ashley sights for it, they are very cool. Expensive, but cool. The Ranger at $279.00 sounds like a good buy, but I'd hold out for a Marlin.
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Posted: 5/22/2002 6:11:31 PM EST
[#6]
I had the same choice 7 years ago. The Marlin fit and finish won me over. The Winchester was a second choice and the Rossi was 3rd. Had the winchester been $100 less I would have taken it.
I load 200 gr Hornandy hollowpoints for a bit more velocity from the Redhawk. It has a very satisfactory effect on hogs and deer. Lebrew |
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Posted: 5/22/2002 6:13:35 PM EST
[#7]
I don't know what happened to y'alls' Winchesters;but MINE(Mod 94 Ranger/thudy-thudy/AE)
is a TACK-DRIVER!!It's tight,well made,wood to metal fit is great and is "THE" orginal "thudy-thudy. Just my opinion though........ |
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Posted: 5/22/2002 9:25:36 PM EST
[#8]
I have been doing CAS (Cowboy Action Shooting) for about 10 yrs. I have shot both the Winchester and Marlin. I would go with the Marlin if you can not find a pre-safty winchester. My Buddy has a .44 Mag Trapper pre safty and it is a fine shooter.
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Posted: 5/22/2002 10:16:53 PM EST
[#9]
DesertRider, a friend of mine, who you met at the last camping trip, has a small, cheap Winchester lever gun in .45LC. Lotsa fun. I managed to decapitate a bowling pin with it at 50 yds on the second shot. Pretty cool gun for the money.
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Posted: 5/23/2002 1:46:32 AM EST
[#10]
Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'll at least take a look at a Marlin before I make a final decision and even check out some pawn shops to see what the going rate is for a used one in either brand.
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Posted: 5/23/2002 2:38:06 AM EST
[#11]
My wife owns the Winchester in .357 and it is a fine rifle. She looked at the Marlins, but she preferred the Win. I am impressed with it myself and am thinking of getting one.
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Posted: 5/23/2002 2:46:40 AM EST
[#12]
Of all the out-of-the-box Marlins and Winchesters I've used, the Marlins always had better triggers than the Winchesters. And you can't hit well if you can't break the shot without disrupting the sight picture.
DrMark |
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Posted: 5/23/2002 3:00:40 AM EST
[#13]
Love those Marlins! I have a 30-30 and a .357 carbine. One of those .44 Magnum or .45 Colt carbines are in my future as well. Sweet looking and functioning firearms.
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Posted: 5/23/2002 4:24:20 AM EST
[#14]
DesertRider,
I have a Winchester, Trapper 94 in .44 Mag, and it's a great shooter. My son killed his first deer with it. It's small, short and makes a great truck gun,packs a big wallup too, which ofcourse makes my pee pee feel good. just my .02 P806 |
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Posted: 5/23/2002 4:37:45 AM EST
[#15]
I had a custom built Marlin 30-30 (Wife's brother worked for the company, had it specially made for me). It was a great rifle. I gave it to the son, and now I reget that. [;)] But, at least it stayed in the family.
You can't go wrong with a Marlin lever gun. |
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Posted: 5/23/2002 4:39:23 AM EST
[#16]
I have a Winchester 30/30 and the Marlin 1894 44 mag, I like them both.
The rate of twist is different in each gun, in the Winchester the rate of twist is 1/26X44 mag, and the Marlin's is 1/38X44mag. |
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Posted: 5/23/2002 7:59:18 AM EST
[#17]
Mine is a Marlin .444 Very accurate for a big caliber and damn fun to shoot!!
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Posted: 5/23/2002 8:09:58 AM EST
[#18]
Skip the lever action and go straight to a Vulcan cannon. Your nieghbors will not want to mess with you when they see that thing go to town from an upstairs bedroom window!
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Posted: 5/23/2002 8:14:11 AM EST
[#19]
Had the Winchester, sold it.
I have a Marlin in 357, the only way I would part with it is if I found one in 41Mag. [:)>] |
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Posted: 5/23/2002 8:39:59 AM EST
[#20]
A couple of years ago I went looking for a lever gun to compliment my S&W Model 19 .357. At a local Big 5 there was a Winchester which I nearly bought. But instead I waited until a local gunshow and went looking for a Marlin for comparision. There I ran across a Marlin 1894CP. The difference in quality was overwhelming and I bought the Marlin:
[img]http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/images/firearmImages/1894CP.jpg[/img] So, obviously, I recommend a Marlin over a Winchester. Also, if you prefer something more compact than the 1894SS above, consider the 1894P: [url]http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/1894_centerfireRifles/1894P.htm[/url]. -kill-9 |
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Posted: 5/23/2002 9:07:50 AM EST
[#21]
I cowboyed for many years and Ramrodded a ranch near Luckenbach, Texas. I rode everyday and my saddle gun is a Winchester 94 trapper in .44mag.
I carried it in a saddle scabbard everyday. I added a large bow lever so I could spin cock it with 1 hand, John Wayne style! I love it! Nothing better than riding at a full gallop reins in your teeth firing a .44mag handgun in one hand and spincocking and firing a .44 Mag rifle in the other! YEEEEHAWWWW!!! |
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Posted: 5/23/2002 9:26:46 AM EST
[#22]
Mine is a Marlin .444 Very accurate for a big caliber and damn fun to shoot!! Can you also shoot 44 Mag and 44 Special in it? I don't know anything about that cartridge, but from looking at a diagram of it, it looks possible.z |
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Posted: 5/23/2002 9:56:36 AM EST
[#23]
I shot my buddy's Winchester Model 94 44mag. He reload standard velocity 44mag, the recoil is quite a bit, so he put on a Pachmyer Decelerator recoil pad which help quite a bit. And he put on a Williams adj. iron rear sight. When he shot SWC bullets, they have a tendency to hand-up in the feeding cycle, so he had to shoot flat-nose/truncated-cone bullets.
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Posted: 5/23/2002 10:58:15 AM EST
[#24]
Damnit DesertRider, now you've got me thinking about buying one of these. [;)]
How is the .357 round out of these rifles? |
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Posted: 5/23/2002 11:58:22 AM EST
[#25]
ZOOM, Nope, you can only shoot .444's.
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Posted: 5/24/2002 1:38:22 AM EST
[#26]
The 45/70 has many diferent loads you can bulk up to,350 grn,415 grn (cast lead)500 grn (cast lead). But the marlin lever action will only handle the first two (class 1 and 2), you would need a rugar#1 drop bolt locking system or a large bolt gun to handle these.
Bob [8D] |
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Posted: 5/24/2002 2:31:45 AM EST
[#27]
Quoted: Damnit DesertRider, now you've got me thinking about buying one of these. [;)] How is the .357 round out of these rifles? I just brought home an 1894C last night. The car wouldn't go past the range so I had to stop in... The .357 in an 18.5 inch model 1894 is sweet. The rifle is very light and comes to the shoulder like it was growing there. The .357 cartridge is very pleasant to shoot and inexpensive as well. The action and trigger on my new rifle were both excellent, it fed both 125 and 158 grain bullets without flaw. Heck, it even had nice figure in the wood. Buy one... you won't be sorry. |
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Posted: 5/24/2002 4:50:01 AM EST
[#28]
Thanks imashooter2. What do these rifles retail for?
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Posted: 5/24/2002 5:12:56 AM EST
[#29]
Beside the 44 Marlin, the 357 Lever Marlin is a great gun, the longer shell case makes the loading action very smooth. The shorter the shell case the greater the angle the shell has to make to move from the tube. The only downside to the 357 is reduced capacity. (usally hold 2-3 less) The biggest advantage is that 357 ammo MUCH cheaper to buy.
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Posted: 5/24/2002 7:00:11 AM EST
[#30]
Quoted: Thanks imashooter2. What do these rifles retail for? Best price I could find in PA was $359... that would be plus tax (6%), plus transfer, plus NICS, plus a substantial drive. I got mine from a shop in Delaware for $409 out the door and they made me a trade on an old M1 Carbine I hadn't shot since I got my AR. |
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Posted: 5/24/2002 7:11:44 AM EST
[#31]
I dearly loved my old Winchester 30-30. Got in a bind and needed some quick cash so I sold it. Fortunately I know where it is at and he is willing to sell it back to me. Cant say anything bad about the Marlin either. Shot my friend's dad's .444 and was well impressed with the way it handled and shot.
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Posted: 5/24/2002 2:07:30 PM EST
[#32]
The Winchesters are open-top, up-ejecting actions that are much weaker than the solid-top, side-ejecting Marlins. The Marlin design allows for a number of iron sight, scope, and other optic choices that the Winchester can't match. And there certainly IS a quality difference (favoring the Marlins) between any two equivalent models.
I originally intended to get a Winchester (the very name means "cowboy", right?), but when comparing the actual guns side by side, the Marlin won in every way. -Troy |
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Posted: 5/24/2002 10:45:50 PM EST
[#33]
... Lever actions aren't really discussed as much as they deserve on this board. A good one performs wonderfully with a high reliability factor. Generally they're not really dead on in the sites of liberal gun-grabbers too.
Way in the back of most of our safes lie a lever action or two. In a "pinch" they can meet your objectives almost as efficiently as your AR ... if you train regularly. ... I prefer them chambered in .44 MAG because of the benefit of the economics of the lightly charged .44 SPECIAL (no gas needed for cycling) for practice shootin'. ... Gramps passed away (RIP) a few years ago and left me his 30-30 appropriated from earlier this century. |
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Posted: 5/24/2002 10:59:16 PM EST
[#34]
I have two (pre-safety) Winchester saddle ring carbines [B]new in box[/B].
I bought them new in December of 1990 and they have been in the back of the safe ever since. (1) 44 mag (1) 45 Long Colt I can not believe how time goes by. |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 12:33:45 AM EST
[#35]
Quoted: The Winchesters are open-top, up-ejecting actions that are much weaker than the solid-top, side-ejecting Marlins. The Marlin design allows for a number of iron sight, scope, and other optic choices that the Winchester can't match. And there certainly IS a quality difference (favoring the Marlins) between any two equivalent models. I originally intended to get a Winchester (the very name means "cowboy", right?), but when comparing the actual guns side by side, the Marlin won in every way. -Troy Wrong....MY(pre safety)Winchester 94 is angle egect and I have a scope mounted directly over the reciever(weaver base)that CAN facilitate different optic choices. |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 2:04:49 AM EST
[#36]
Both Winchester and Marlin suck. Get a Model 99 Savage. The only levergun of the nineteenth century to successfully make the transition to modern cartridges like the .308 WCF without major modifications.
[img]http://communities.msn.com/_Secure/0OgAAAKkTlx3UoK3Py7xQMau9XsQVSudUcG7uKfll4GvOPloFYCrVoJK!JQqR2rS4DJcWsBZ6br1liE!R2wx6rqgraF1uUmxK/DSC00022.jpg[/img] |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 2:23:51 AM EST
[#37]
That is actually a good looking rifle.Is it accurate?
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Posted: 5/25/2002 3:22:05 AM EST
[#38]
I guess you could say it's fairly accurate. It's chambered for the .303 Savage and can print 1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards with cast bullets. That being from the bench and with what I consider to be piss poor sights for that kind of shooting.
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Posted: 5/25/2002 3:23:51 AM EST
[#39]
You can't go wrong with the Marlin in 44 mag. Find a pre-safety model and put either a William's Foolproof or Ashley rear peep sight on it and replace the front sight with one that has a 3/32 bead. The Marlin front sight bead is HUGE and hurts good shooting.
GunsAmerica usually has several of these little guns. I've had good luck with mine using 296 and Speer Gold Dot 240's with mag primers. You have to hold these guns real firm. Don't forget the Browning B92. They are getting pricey, but they are very nice. The 44 delivers about as many foot pounds of energy as a 30-06 at short range. I have an older 357 Marlin that shoots way better than it's supposed to. I popped a coyote at 200 plus with it from sitting one time, but wouldn't want to have to do it twice. If you chose a 94, get a pre-64 in 30-30. The later Winchesters are not as nice and the latest ones are an abomination. |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 3:54:18 AM EST
[#40]
Or you could forget about messing with obsolete designs and get a Model 99 Savage, like maybe a 99A Saddle Gun in .308 or .358 WCF. Mount a receiver sight or low power scope. Five-shot rotary magazine and an internal hammer.
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Posted: 5/25/2002 3:42:30 PM EST
[#41]
Jim Dandy that is a great looking rifle! I wish mine had that curved metal butt plate.
Bob {8D] |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 4:32:41 PM EST
[#42]
I had a Winchester 94/22, it was a beautiful rifle, but the novelty wore off very quick. Is this your first lever gun? Nothing compares to a AR or an HK. [:)]
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Posted: 5/25/2002 4:45:09 PM EST
[#43]
Quoted: Or you could forget about messing with obsolete designs and get a Model 99 Savage, like maybe a 99A Saddle Gun in .308 or .358 WCF. Mount a receiver sight or low power scope. Five-shot rotary magazine and an internal hammer. The obsolete design and pistol cartridge chambering are the whole reason I bought my 1894C. |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 7:00:20 PM EST
[#44]
Quoted: Or you could forget about messing with obsolete designs and get a Model 99 Savage, like maybe a 99A Saddle Gun in .308 or .358 WCF. Mount a receiver sight or low power scope. Five-shot rotary magazine and an internal hammer. Or you could forgo the obsolete 100+ year old design of the Savage and get a Browning in .30-06, instead of just getting by with a ballistically inferior .308 [rolleyes]. If you had read the first post you would see that the guy wants a .44 Magnum rifle to work with his S&W model 29 as a backpacking combo. The Savage wasn't made in .44 to my knowledge. If it had been, it would certainly list up with Marlin in the runnings. |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 7:07:48 PM EST
[#45]
If you had read the first post you would see that the guy wants a .44 Magnum rifle to work with his S&W model 29 as a backpacking combo. The Savage wasn't made in .44 to my knowledge. If it had been, it would certainly list up with Marlin in the runnings. Maybe he's too impulsive to know what he wants. Or you could forgo the obsolete 100+ year old design of the Savage and get a Browning in .30-06, instead of just getting by with a ballistically inferior .308 Not inferior with 150 slugs and no receiver sights for the BLR. Oh yeah, you'll be damned, didn't think about that. Good-bye. |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 7:22:34 PM EST
[#46]
The earlier Winchesters Mod 94 were open top eject but they went to the side eject to fascillitate for scopes
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Posted: 5/25/2002 7:32:12 PM EST
[#47]
Quoted: Maybe he's too impulsive to know what he wants. Maybe you are just incapable of adding anything useful to a discussion about rifles in .44 Magnum. Not inferior with 150 slugs and no receiver sights for the BLR. Oh yeah, you'll be damned, didn't think about that. Good-bye. The .308 is inferior in terms of energy and velocity in all bullet weights dipstick. You prove post after post what a self-centered asshole you truly are. Good-bye. |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 7:44:13 PM EST
[#48]
Quoted: The earlier Winchesters Mod 94 were open top eject but they went to the side eject to fascillitate for scopes true [url]www.winchester-guns.com/prodinfo/catalog/md94/md94.htm[/url] |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 7:46:34 PM EST
[#49]
Quoted: I'm only interested because a local sporting goods store has the Winchester Ranger on sale for 279 bucks. Is this a national chain ?? (eg. Oshman's ???) |
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Posted: 5/25/2002 7:50:25 PM EST
[#50]
Maybe you are just incapable of adding anything useful to a discussion about rifles in .44 Magnum. Maybe I'm more capable of adding something that's just useful. The .308 is inferior in terms of energy and velocity in all bullet weights dipstick. Uh, no, the .308 steps right along with the .30-06 up to 150 grain slugs (HINT: READ A LOAD MANUAL). You prove post after post what a self-centered asshole you truly are. Good-bye. No wonder my folks were so disappointed in me. You are so truly insightful. Thank you. |
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