Marlin 1894, home defense?

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DO not buy a .44 mag for a female, they will hate the recoil. My Rossi 92 .44mag thwacks me pretty good, enough to bruise my shoulder. I would not get anything larger than a .357 lever gun for HD use. Ease of recoil means more practice. More practice means more hits on target. More hits on target = a badguy removed from the future prison rosters ;) .
 
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Is it really that bad from a rifle? I know handgun is pretty harsh.
Is it like a 30/06 with an average load? Or is it a muzzle jump issue?

In God and Glock we Trust
 
My leave out home defense rifle is a Rossi 92 in .45 Colt. I feel safe. .45 Colt is pretty much A hand loading deal. Low power cowboy loads up to bear stoppers. The Marlin 1894s have gotten pricy lately.
 
If its going to be used for short range shots why put a scope on it? It really kills the easy handling of those rifles. Some others mentioned a 357 rifle and I'd heartily endorse their recommendations. It's very versatile and will do for close range hunting and home defense.
 
Marlin 1894s aren't cheap. And .44s are going to cost a lot to shoot. You can probably get an 870 and a bolt action hunting rifle(since having a scoped hunting rifle seems to be of overriding interest and scoped hunting rifles don't make the best home defense guns) for the price of the Marlin.
 
mavracer said:
made to expand at .44 Special velocities- would be a dynamite defensive bullet loaded to about 1500 fps.
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I wouldn't want to drive it that fast, that bullet's liable to disintagrate and under penatrate. I don't understand the concern with overpenatration, if there's something behind the BG that you're not willing to destroy don't shoot.
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How about walls? Do the walls need to be stopped? If by "disintagrate", you mean "violently fragment in a deadly threat" that sounds like about perfect performance to me. Most. .44 bullets were designed to be fairly robust. Shooting a .44 Special JHP at much higher velocity should be MORE effective than shooting through them and 6 more walls with a standard .44 Magnum load, while also giving less recoil. Defending your house will be stressful enough without risking needlessly shooting through your attacker and endangering innocents.

John
 
mavracer said:
I wouldn't want to drive it that fast, that bullet's liable to disintagrate and under penatrate. I don't understand the concern with overpenatration, if there's something behind the BG that you're not willing to destroy don't shoot.
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You don't always have that luxury in a home defense situation. And seriously, you think a .44 caliber projectile is just going to disintegrate and not penetrate enough to severely damage or end a threat because it is driven at 1500 fps?.... That's a bit farfetched.
 
Yes, with full power loads it is about the same as a 12ga 2 3/4 slug.
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Yep, I can attest to that. My "rifle only" loads are 240-grain XTPs over 24.0 grains of Win 296 (published maximum). Those bad boys leave a shoulder bruise after 15 or 20 rounds. But they are very accurate. I believe they average about 1,750 f/s from my rifle. Ten .429" bullets with 1,600 lb./ft. of energy each, from a light and fast-handling little lever gun will dominate the brush!

I installed a nylon butt stock sleeve that holds 9 extra rounds (had to cut the loops down as they were meant for rifle cartridges). I cut a piece of 1/2" thick camping mat foam that slips under the sleeve on the top of the stock and raises the comb slightly, and protects your cheekbone from harsh recoil.

What about a sling option for in the home?
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I use this one and like it very much:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/68...express-2-sling-with-swivels-nylon-olive-drab

But, I'm not sure I'm sold on slings for home defense long guns. Too much to get that sling caught on. Maybe a single-point is better for indoor use?
 
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'Women' can handle the recoil of .44 mag just fine...The current 1894S here is 'technically' The Wife's, and she shoots it well from 240gr .44spcl plinkers with a few grains of Red Dot, to our hunting load of 22gr H110 under a Hornady 265gr FP at 1,650fps...

As for 'felt recoil' of the load above in an 1894S with no scope, to me it is about like a .30-30 with 170's in it...

This site seems to agree:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Why anyone is worried about recoil is beyond me...Buy .44spcl loads for the house, and stop worrying about .44 mag...
 
Most. .44 bullets were designed to be fairly robust. Shooting a .44 Special JHP at much higher velocity should be MORE effective than shooting through them and 6 more walls with a standard .44 Magnum load, while also giving less recoil.
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And seriously, you think a .44 caliber projectile is just going to disintegrate and not penetrate enough to severely damage or end a threat because it is driven at 1500 fps?.... That's a bit farfetched.
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I'm not talking about most bullets, I'm talking about the speer 4427 that was in JShirley's post and yes it will come apart at magnum velocities.
If your bullet will reach the vitals of a 300# man it'll go through sheet rock and kill a child. Follow rule #4 always!!!
 
Do you realize that 1894's are going for ~$700+ right now? I honestly think if you can find a good one it would cost as much as a low end AR. I say this as someone who looked for a 357 model for a long time and ended up buying a Rossi 92 357 for ~$450. They also come in 44. With a 16" barrel it is very handy, mobile, and powerful.
 
Another plug for the 357... realize that from a carbine, a 357 can achieve nearly twice the KE it gets from a 4" revolver. That's MORE than enough for humans or deer. Get a Rossi 92 and a good 357 HP
 
the trouble with picking a lever for HD is that it is the weakest most complicated repeater made and I love them. I would have to fire the rifle at least 200 times to test cycling with the load I would use
 
My HD rifle is a Marlin 1894 in .44 mag.. Everyone who is complaining about how horrible the recoil is is a wuss frankly. I stoke mine with 210 grain .44 gold dot handloads over about 29 grains of Alliant power pro 300mp.. good for about 2100 fps, but doesn't kick even as bad as a 12 gauge loaded with birdshot. I have no doubt this load will stop most anyone right in their tracks, and if need be I have 10 more shots behind it.

The .44 is the most versatile caliber around both in a rifle and a pistol. My .44s are my most frequently shot, and most enjoyable firearms. My usual target shooting load is simply a 200 grain boolit over a charge of herco; in a pistol it recoils just enough for you to know that you are shooting a big gun. but is hardly uncomfortable. In a rifle it shoots like a .22 and is as accurate as all heck. That being said, you can obviously load a .44 up to near nuclear levels as well. The .44 is far more versatile and capable than any .357.
 
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mattm0691 said:
Everyone who is complaining about how horrible the recoil is is a wuss frankly.
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Well, since (following a quick scan of the posts) Jackal and OregonJohnny came the closest of all to actually complaining about the recoil (referring to their shoulder bruises), are they the ones to which you refer?

Are you saying that Jackal and OregonJohnny are "wusses"? (assuming that is the correct plural of "wuss" ... or is it "wussies"?) :)
 
Hm I didn't mean for that to be taken offensively and I now see that I may have worded it a bit strongly. The recoil is somewhat stout but certainly not overpowering or uncontrollable. Better :)
 
OregonJohnny said:
• Paracord-wrapped lever - This was the cheapest and best modification I think I've ever done to a firearm. My knuckles were taking a beating trying to work the lever quickly. This takes all the pain out of it.
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Paracord! Shortly after I got my 1894 a quarter of a century ago I wrapped the lever with a woven nylon cord (IIRC, it began life as a boot lace) to minimize the abuse that the fingers were experiencing. It did the trick, but it has never been truly "comfortable", y'know.

Replacing that with paracord probably would make it relatively comfortable.

... and now I have a good excuse to get the ol'girl out of the south gunsafe, re-wrap the lever, and take her shooting for the first time in a very long while. :)

Thanks!
 
Don't get me wrong - I like recoil :). I've been shooting high powered rifles and pump shotguns with slugs and buck since I was a kid.

All I was saying is that someone who has never shot a lightweight .44 Magnum rifle, shouldn't just assume that it won't kick a little bit just because it's a rifle shooting a handgun round. I would agree with the poster above that said shooting the .44 Mag 1894 with full power loads is about the same perceived recoil as shooting a .30-30. Not bad at all, but probably not much fun for some females or smaller shooters not comfortable with the sudden hard smack against their shoulder.

Loaded down to mid-range data, the 1894 can be much milder and more fun - while still being extremely lethal and confidence-inspiring.
 
I've had 3 different gun dealers tell me the new Marlins made by Remington "have issues" and they all recommended to find an older model manufactured by Marlin in Connecticut I think....nowadays with the gun panic, lots of firearms are lacking quality. a buddy just paid close to a grand for a Henry big boy .44 mag and it would chamber, but not eject. he took it back to Cabelas, the salesman said his was the 3rd Henry rifle returned in less than a week.
 
1. Get some Umarex "Cowboy loads" to practice with at close range. 240 gr soft lead round nose flat point should be just around 1000 fps.

2. Fat forend helps keep a firm grip, checkering helps too. Mine is an 1894 Cowboy in 44... the smooth stocks are attractive but for hunting and SD I think the thicker fore end of the standard models is better.

3. WORK THAT LEVER. Don't tilt it to look, don't baby it, WORK IT. That fast action will help 'slick up' the action. Shoot it a bunch.

4. Rings on your trigger hand get in the way.. remove them or wrap the lever

5. Upgrading the ejector is not a bad idea.

6. cheap slip on recoil pad can tame the bite of the 44 with full power loads.
(I don't use mone on mine it's got a hard plastic plate--if I plan on shooting a bunch I use a past recoil shield strapped to me.)

7. Big brass bead front sight is fine for HD, you might take the front sight hood OFF and paint the front sight white or neon yellow/green.
 
I would not want to fire a .44 Magnum revolver or carbine in a house unless everyone on the floor had good ear protection.
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I would not want to fire a .223 rifle indoors without ears on either, yet how many people use the AR15 variants.

To relate back to the OP, I actually have a Rossi M92 in .357 mag next to my bed right now. It's my HD rifle. Lighter, shorter and handier than the Marlin, and .357 out of a rifle is a serious load to deal with. We're talking about being just shy of .30-30 ballistics.
Loud indoors, but so is a 12ga., a .223/5.56, and just about any other gun people use for HD.
 
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