44 mag lever guns

I had a stainless 16" Rossi M92. It was light, compact and handy and thumped you hard with 300hr handloads.

marlin,made in america,parts in america

Marlin, well worth the extra money even if you get one of the sub-par versions.

Don't forget about the Browning B-92. I have one in .44 Mag and it's a very nice rifle.

Marlin, well worth the extra money even if you get one of the sub-par versions.

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I take it by "sub-par" you mean a new one? I have a new 1894 in 44 mag and it's a great gun. Don't be afraid to get a new Marlin.

I have a Marlin 1894P .44 Mag Guide-Gun made in 2000.

It is a most excellent little rifle.

You couldn't go wrong with a Marlin back then.
I don't know about today.

rc

Look for the JM stamp on the barrel of Marlon lever guns/

RainDodger said:

Don't forget about the Browning B-92. I have one in .44 Mag and it's a very nice rifle.

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I own one too, and second this vote!

I bought the Rossi for my pops a couple years ago. It's been a very good gun so far. It may be the cheapest option dollar wise but it's not lacking in quality.

get the marlin. the rossi is a good second choice.

Love my Marlin 1894 JM stamp. Peep sight and away we go!

Greg

One thing to consider is whether you are going to put a scope on it or not. I own a Rossie 92 in .357 and absolutely love it. Not only was it extremely inexpensive (I think less than $500), it is accurate, 100% reliable and just a blast to shoot. It is a top-eject, however, which makes it problematic at best to scope. I don't believe Rossie makes any side ejectors but with the .357, I don't see the need to use a scope.

Now that I am also looking for a .44 mag, a side eject model is a must. I will be putting a scope on this one. I have pretty much narrowed it down to the marlin myself. Henry makes some great guns but I just can't get past the clunky looking design.

Mine is a Winchester 44 mag in the Trapper model. Sweet shooter and mighty handy in the woods.

The Rossi may be the least expensive but consider that they are somewhat rough feeling out of the box. If you can do a little de-burring and stoning of your own to the action and swap out the spring kit they can be turned into a very slick handling rifle for not much effort. But if you don't trust yourself to do this work then figure on around $150 in gunsmith cost to have it done. Or live with the roughness until it breaks in after a few hundred rounds shot. But get and install the spring kit anyways.

The other options should be good to go right out of the box. But of course THOSE boxes cost a lot more.

The recent Marlins from reports seem to be getting better. But if you search for "marlin 1894 jam" you'll find lots of reports of how this action has a risk of jamming and tricks to fix it. So they aren't immune to issues either.

So if you want a basic working rifle then I'd say Rossi with the action slicking job and spring kit. Just add the $150 needed to get the extra work done onto the basic cost.

If you want to scope it instead of regular or tang peeps then Marlin.

If you want to pay once and have, by all accounts I've read, a fantastic looking gun that handles well then buy one of the Winchester modern versions made by Miroku. But the cost will be up there.

Chiappa out of Italy makes one too. But while they look great on the outside the insides are prone to problems. They need to get their priorities re-organized before I'll buy anything else from them. I'd avoid them until they smarten up.

I have the rossi model 92 in 44 mag and its great I bought mine new last year and I enjoy it. it has 16in barrel and shoots great! I love mine and its not going anywhere!!

I currently own a Marlin in 357 and used to own the 44 version. I sold the 44 after deciding that the S&W 629 was just too beastly to shoot regularly. I am a little anal in that I like to carry one caliber when hunting. So I have a Marlin 357 & Ruger GP100 or I could carry my Henry 45 Colt & Ruger SBH.

Marlin 1894 here. Made in 1979. Paid less then $250 for it. Gun was like new. Goes great with my Redhawk when I take to the forest. Wouldn't buy a new Marlin today . NO WAY!!!!!!

Winchester Wrangler here...

Gun Geezer said:

Mine is a Winchester 44 mag in the Trapper model. Sweet shooter and mighty handy in the woods.

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The Winchester would be my choice as well but isn't it a top-eject as well? Doesn't matter to me but if someone wants a scope on it, of if aging eyes demand a scope on it, it would be a challenge.
B

What's wrong with the Henry? It's American made also. I have one, it's accurate and I like it.

Old 1894 marlin from 1977 , great rifle but trying to find a extractor !
Rossi , puma , are good .

What's wrong with the Henry? It's American made also. I have one, it's accurate and I like it.

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The only downside to the Henry Big Boys that I've seen posted is that they are a bit larger and heavier than the Marlin 1894 and the Winchester 1892 rifles. And that they use the forward tube port loading instead of the side gate. For some folks these two things are a deal breaker.

I've yet to read of anyone that found them poorly put together or that said they didn't shoot well.

The Henry company uses false advertising to make people think that they are somehow related to the original Henry company that made the rifle you could "load on Sunday and shoot all week". Somehow, it just ticks me to the point where I wouldn't consider buying one. Plus I think they're ugly as sin.

I have a Rossi 357 that works like a champ with every type of load I feed it.

I've got a Rossi 24" in 357 that only needed to be cycled a bit and then cleaned. It was dead-on right out of the box.

Out of all of my guns, definitely in the top 3 in terms of enjoyment and ease of shooting.

Even my better half loves to shoot it.