Question on the Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum

[Logos]

Say you load ten rounds and shoot six.......can you load rounds using the loading port at that point?

Or do you have to wait until it's empty and then reload?

Also, are these new ones tapped for the Williams receiver sight? And do they require a new higher front sight if you add the Williams?

 

[LTR shooter]

Say you load ten rounds and shoot six.......can you load rounds using the loading port at that point?

Yep , sort of like a pump shotgun tube. As long as there is room for ammo you can load.

 

[rcmodel]

Lever-guns were the assault rifles of the 19th. century.

Instead of box magazines, the side loading port made it hard to run one dry in the first place.

You just keep stuffing more in the side while shooting them out the front.

rc

 

[eye5600]

Not a silly question, though. I believe there have been lever action rifles on which it was not possible.

 

[rcmodel]

Not that I can think of.

At least not Winchesters or Marlins anyway.

Even the Winny 95 with the box magazine could be topped off at any point with the bolt open.

rc

 

[ArmedBear]

The original Henry didn't have a side loading port, but then again, it was used by soldiers against other soldiers armed with muzzleloaders.

It was added when the gun was improved after the war, and centerfires from the 1866 Henry on have the side loading port.

Rimfires, e.g. the Marlin 39, Browning BL 22, and Henry Golden Boy, load from the tube. If there are exceptions, and there may be, I can't think of them.

Modern rifles made by Henry Repeating in New York don't have a side loading port. Even their .30-30 loads from the tube like a Marlin 60 does.

 

[rcmodel]

But even any of that does not prevent you from topping off the magazine before you shoot them empty.

Even more modern design lever-guns like the box magazine Browning BLR, Winchester 88, SAKO Finnwolf, and others can be topped off with a round in the chamber and a partial magazine.

rc

 

[ArmedBear]

But even any of that does not prevent you from topping off the magazine before you shoot them empty.

True.

It's certainly no easier than topping off an AR-15, though.

I kinda like the side loading port, myself, though I make an exception for the Marlin 39. 19 or 15 rounds is enough.

 

[Asherdan]

As far as the Williams sights, the current receiver is tapped on top for scope mounts so yes, the Williams FP or 5D -336 models will mount using those screw holes. On the 1894, using the rear two will cause the WGRS, FP and 5D models to overhang the hammer. Models produced prior to 200(1-2? Going on memory here) do not have the mount holes tapped on top of the receiver, there is a different Williams model for mounting via screw holes on the left side of the receiver which, depending on the age of the 1894, may or may not come from the factory pre-tapped.

This overhang may or may not bother you. It didn't bother me but it has bothered others enough to either mount the sight in the forward two screw holes (costing you a few inches of sight separation) or to tap a third mount hole in front of the rear two to eliminate the overhang issue. All ways work fine and it's up to whatever your preference is.

I had no need to change the factory front sight, with factory 180 and 240's and my 240g handloads I had plenty of adjustment range. I did add a front post because I preferred it over the bead for use with an aperture sight.

Them other guys have the loading question pretty well surrounded.

 

[rcmodel]

Correct me if Lyman has changed the 336 model FP & 5D sights.

But they have always mounted with two screws in the holes on the left rear side of the receiver.
Not the scope base holes on top.

Nothing on the FP/5D sight base the win/ele slide fits in even comes close to the top of the receiver.

ADDED: I see I am wrong! I wasn't aware they had redesigned them until now.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=774488

rc

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Well it seems Marlin is putting the receiver sight holes back - a good thing. I can't understand why they did away with them anyway. From my own personal experience when adding a receiver sight I needed to install a higher front sight.

 

[Logos]

Thanks for all the answers.

From one answer, it sounds like the new ones may possibly be again tapped on the side (which is the best way). I was hoping that in this day and age I might not have to replace the front sight.....and it sounds like one person did and one didn't, so maybe there's hope.

I asked about loading because I recently saw a guy at the range with a lever-action and he was feeding rounds into the port and it seemed he had to keep a round in the port to keep it from snapping closed and when it did he couldn't load any more even though the magazine wasn't full.

I think that was an old Winchester lever action Model 94 and maybe that was a malfunction.

So......I understand that the answer given is that you CAN top these off while firing and that's what I wanted to verify. In some situations that might actually work better than a detachable magazine.

Thanks again, I'm thinking about picking one of these up. Seems like there are a few around, although several stores I checked didn't have one in stock.

 

[Logos]

There seemed to be some conflicting ideas in the answers here, so......

I've been doing a little Googling on this question of topping off the tubular magazine.

What I've gotten so far is that a Marlin 1894 can be topped off, but a Winchester 94 can't be topped off......and that is not a malfunction, just the way they work.

Any comments?

 

[oregonhunter]

A 94 can be topped off. Think about how you load one, it is common sense that they could be topped off. If they could not be topped off how would you load more than one round?

 

[Logos]

This may be a case where common sense fails.

In the Winchester Model 94, you must leave the previously loaded round partway out of the loading gate or you will be unable to load another round.

You then press the nose of the next round to be loaded against the base of the preceding round and so forth.....being careful not to push it all the way in because it must hold the loading gate open for the next round.

At least, that's the impression I get from the internet information I have gathered thus far.....which is why I'd like to hear from some people who have a WINCHESTER 94 on hand and can actually speak to this with gun and ammo in hand.

The Marlin apparently has a better system that allows topping off.

 

[Logos]

Just got the correct info via PM and the Winchester 94 can be topped off.

The problem I saw at the range was apparently a malfunction, because the rim of the round loaded was blocking the loading gate from swinging in so another round could be inserted.

Normally, it would not do that.

Thanks again to all.

 

[rcmodel]

What I've gotten so far is that a Marlin 1894 can be topped off, but a Winchester 94 can't be topped off......and that is not a malfunction, just the way they work.

You are right that you were wrong.

You can leave the last cartridge inserted to hold the spring cover down if you want too, but you certainly don't have too.

You use the tip of the bullet to push the spring cover down each time you insert a cartridge. Then push the last one all the way in.

Sounds like the guy at the range didn't know what he was doing.

rc

 

[eye5600]

The following was in the answer to a question on The Firearm Blog. I can't answer for the accuracy myself.

You are right on all points, the levergun is great for a hunter and is also dandy for home protection for all the reasons you mention. I own a Marlin 1894 (357 magnum), Marlin 1895 (45-70 Gov’t), and Winchester 94 (30-30 ) and love ‘em. There is one key difference between the 94 and the Marlins I think I should mention. You can top off the magazine of the Marlins any time you like, but the magazine of the Winchester 94 will not accept more shells after the last one has been pushed completely into the magazine. This is because once a shell is pushed completely through the loading gate on the 94, pressure from the magazine spring pushes it behind the gate onto the cartridge lifter, blocking more shells from being inserted until there are no more in the magazine. The Marlins have a small metal “finger” in front of the loading gate which keeps the shells all the way inside the magazine tube until the action is cycled. I wonder how the new Mossberg deals with this, if it can accept more shells in a partially filled magazine?

Edit: rcmodel disagrees, and I have no reason to doubt him. I don't know if the quote above is due to a flaw in the rifle, or a flaw in the rifleman. It IS the sort of think you ought to be able to check out before you but.

 

[rcmodel]

That simply isn't true.

The Winchester 94 spring cover has an angled cam surface on the front that pushes the last round in the magazine forward out of the way when you push it down with the bullet of the next round you are loading.

And if that were true, you could never load more then one round, because it would also slip back behind the spring cover and prevent loading the second one.

Can anyone imagine the Winchester rifle would have become the most widely used lever-action over a 100 year period if you couldn't reload it without completely emptying the magazine first?

rc

 

[oregonhunter]

Thank you RC, my point exactly.

Logos, I shoot my 94 very often

 

[Logos]

I understand the opposing answers.

I've been told that old Winchester 94s with worn parts will allow the fully loaded rounds to push back far enough so loading another round can be difficult or even impossible because the loading gate will be blocked from opening.

This is not normal, but indicative of a gun that needs repair.

But apparently quite a few people have had this problem over the years, thus leading to a fair number of people holding the opinion that you can't top off the Winchester 94.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

I suppose with over 8 million 92's and 94's floating around out there, a few of them might be worn out to the point they might not work as designed.

rc

 

[OregonJohnny]

I have a Winchester 94 .30-30 manufactured in 1960. I picked it up a few years back with no idea how many rounds were through it, although it had 2 or 3 notches in the wood behind the lever, which I assume are deer kills. Anyway, when I load it up, I push the rounds all the way into the receiver (or magazine tube). 75% of the time, the next round goes in smooth with no catch or problems. The other 25% of the time, the loading gate has to be fiddled with a little by the tip of the next round to get it to slip behind the previously loaded round and fully depress. So it may just be slightly worn parts after almost 50 years of shooting, but it's never bothered me.

 

[J&J]

I have no problem doing "tactical reloads" with my 94 winchester in 357...

That sounds kinda funny.. tactical reload... but really that is what you mean.. you are in ahot situation and need to top off the magazine as you can.

I bought my 94 new in 2004 (?) and have never had a problem alhough it is definitely easier when it got a little broken in.

John

 

[Logos]

Yes, like I said earlier....

In some situations, that makes it superior to a weapon with several box magazines.....because with box magazines, when your mag goes dry, you suddenly have a weapon that is deadly slow to reload and basically, a liability.

Meanwhile, the guy who's been topping off his .44 still has ten quick rounds ready.



We probably should keep this quiet lest the lever-actions get lumped in with the evil black assault rifles.