1894CB Limited- finally got one

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ColdSpring

ColdSpring

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Something of a grail gun for me, been wanting one in this configuration for a few years. 24" barrel, 357 Magnum. This one's in really good shape, bluing is pretty well perfect & only a few small handling marks on the wood. And the wood is spectacular! Looks good inside as well, carrier is in good shape & the "snail" cam on the lever has already been radiused.
Bought it from a local fellow, helping the widow of a recently passed friend to sell some of his guns. Best I can tell from looking into these for the past couple years, the price was fair to both me and to his friend's wife. We chatted for quite a while, swapping stories about his buddy & general gun guy stuff. Really nice fellow, was a great time meeting him.
Hoping to get out for a bit tomorrow before the weather moves in, & get some shooting in. Won't have time for a real load test to see what it likes best, but I'm itching to fire it. Will just take a box of the lightish load that shoots well in my other 357 rifles.

rQyBxSy.jpg
 
ColdSpring said:
Something of a grail gun for me, been wanting one in this configuration for a few years. 24" barrel, 357 Magnum. This one's in really good shape, bluing is pretty well perfect & only a few small handling marks on the wood. And the wood is spectacular! Looks good inside as well, carrier is in good shape & the "snail" cam on the lever has already been radiused.
Bought it from a local fellow, helping the widow of a recently passed friend to sell some of his guns. Best I can tell from looking into these for the past couple years, the price was fair to both me and to his friend's wife. We chatted for quite a while, swapping stories about his buddy & general gun guy stuff. Really nice fellow, was a great time meeting him.
Hoping to get out for a bit tomorrow before the weather moves in, & get some shooting in. Won't have time for a real load test to see what it likes best, but I'm itching to fire it. Will just take a box of the lightish load that shoots well in my other 357 rifles.

View attachment 1052452
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MAN! That is a gorgeous rifle there, congratulations. :thumbup:

I can't wait to hear about how it shoots. :)

Stay safe.
 
ECVMatt said:
WOW! I sure hope Marlin reintroduces something like that.
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Same here! I'm sure they'll release some variant(s) of the 1894, but who knows which ones. Doubt the "cowboy" models will be regular production, but Ruger does a lot of distributor exclusive type stuff, so wouldn't be surprised to see some of them eventually. If nothing else it'd be nice to have a spare parts pipeline again- assuming things aren't changed enough to cause compatibility issues.
 
Made it out for a quick range visit. Me & this rifle are going to get along real well. Didn't try for an exact zero, just raised the rear sight a couple notches to get close. Shot 50 rounds of a load known to do well in my other 357 long guns. No feeding, extraction, or firing issues, and empties ejected to the same small area consistently- a nice bonus when you reload.
Trigger is 4.5 lbs, might like a bit lighter but it's not unmanageable, and it's extremely crisp.
Weight and balance are what attracted me to this particular configuration, and it did not disappoint. Experience has taught me that my best offhand shooting is done with a rifle 7-7.5 lbs overall weight, & slightly nose heavy. This one is 7 lbs 2 oz on my scale. Wondered if the long octagon barrel would make it too nose heavy, but it's just about right. Would love to give her a go at lever action silhouette, if it existed anywhere near me.

Best offhand group of the day from 25 yards (no, I can't duplicate this on demand ;)):

BchcHJl.jpg
 
I have the 1894CB .357mag with the octagon 20" barrel. Awesome little gun. Pretty wood, slick action. I hope yours shoots as good as mine does. Mine groups well with all weights but is consistently a hair tighter with the 158 and 180's.
 
Pretty sure it'll end up with a peep on the receiver. Further out, even just 50, a peep helps keep the target from disappearing when I focus on the post. A fuzzy target is ok (even necessary), but it's a problem when you're not even sure it's still there!
I'm a fan of RPP's aperture sights, but may go Skinner with this one- think the one without the "wings" will look more appropriate.
 
ColdSpring said:
Pretty sure it'll end up with a peep on the receiver. Further out, even just 50, a peep helps keep the target from disappearing when I focus on the post. A fuzzy target is ok (even necessary), but it's a problem when you're not even sure it's still there!
I'm a fan of RPP's aperture sights, but may go Skinner with this one- think the one without the "wings" will look more appropriate.
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I have studied and considered both. Odds are 50/50 with the Skinner that you will have to replace the front blade sight. With the RPP much less so. With the Skinner you may not have to move the semi-buckhorn from the gun. The Skinner Express, recommended for the Cowboy goes for $90 the RPP $110. Size 95 was suggested for both.....
 
Robbed a RPP from a Henry (same screw pattern) & put it on to see how things lined up. Left the buckhorn on, and the post centers up well in both the aperture & the buckhorn (old school co-witness ;)), so it'll work fine with the stock front.

First decision is what I want to do with the front... like the Patridge shape, but it's mighty thin. Know a lot of folks like it that way, but I've never found a thinner post to be more precise, only harder to see. Will have to try in a variety of lighting conditions to make an informed decision. If I stay with the stock front, will use RPP (actually looks just fine now that it's on). If I decide to replace the front sight, will go Skinner. Keeping the stock rear sight handy though, ain't no flies on it & that style did the job for cowboys.

Action is pretty nice except it took a little more force to start the lever open than I liked. Cleaning & dressing the finger lever plunger hole with fine grit, then removing one coil from the plunger spring got it right. Stays solidly in place while in battery, but made the force needed to open more reasonable.
 
That's real real nice. I love the marlin 1894, and the cowboy is just icing on the cake. I lost a 1894c when my house burnt and haven't been able to replace it yet. Pretty nice shootin too I might add.
 
That stinks a bunch Bazoo, hope you're able to get one soon. More importantly, glad you're still here!
 
Thanks. We escaped unharmed and saved the dogs and cat. The wife's purse and three pistols. Bersa thunder 380, smith 686, and my Springfield milspec. The first two are hers. I had my dad's zippo and an old timer 34ot and a leatherman original on me as well as the 1911. Lost everything else, including the 1894c. It was an apartment above a small business and we didn't have renters insurance. So, we are still recovering 6 years later. We lost the pet snake. Miss him still too.
 
I have the same configuration in 44 mag. It has nice wood on it, checkered. My other is a 44-40 20" with much plainer wood stock, no checkering. Love both of them. And also a 26" barrel 45-70. All cowboy models with octagon barrels. The 44 mag has the nicest wood.
 
Bazoo

Very sorry to hear about the fire and your losses (along with your pet snake), but great to see that you and your wife and your other pets escaped unharmed.

Things can eventually be replaced; lives cannot.
 
Bazoo said:
We lost the pet snake. Miss him still too.
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Seems we have more in common than just our taste in firearms. Look closely at my avatar & you'll see my lil reptilian buddy. Would miss him if something took him away.
Technically he belongs to my stepdaughter. Don't tell her, but he likes me more- think he knows who buys the frozen mice :).
 
ColdSpring said:
Seems we have more in common than just our taste in firearms. Look closely at my avatar & you'll see my lil reptilian buddy. Would miss him if something took him away.
Technically he belongs to my stepdaughter. Don't tell her, but he likes me more- think he knows who buys the frozen mice :).
Click to expand...
Mine was a ball python. He was a rescue. He used to ride around my neck and stick his head out of my beard. He was pretty cool. I fed him live rats and mice. Never could get him to take a pre killed.
 
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