Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag

Status
Not open for further replies.
W

wrs840

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2008
Messages
1,922
Location
NC
I ran across one in a Pawn Shop today: 20" bbl, pre-safety, straight stock, banded forestock, no checkering, gold trigger and saddle ring, in really good shape. I could buy it for $379 (maybe less) OTD.

Is this generally a good levergun? I don't currently own anything in .44 mag, but that could change as time goes by.

Thanks for any opinions,
Les
 
For a while Marlin was putting these out with MicroGroove Rifling. Newer ones now have a deeper Ballard rifling.

I had one a while back, sold it to buy a kayak. Missed it and recently found another in a pawn shop. Seems like I saw them for sale, new at Wal Mart for about $300. I could be wrong.

At any rate, 44 mag is a great caliber for a brush gun in lever action. Marlin has been making this design since 1894.

I like that I can shoot the same ammo in the carbine and in my revolver. That's a huge consideration out in the field.
 
I'm pretty sure this one is MicroGroove. I've read that they don't like hardcast, only jacketed, and read that therefore MicroGroove is a significant limitation regarding potential utility for .44 mag levergun. Is this true?

Les
 
There will be a "MicroGroove" stamp on the barrel. I shoot hardcast in mine. Not optimal, but then I'm "plinking" for the most part. It gets used at ranges where accuracy is not an issue.

The new guns are Ballard rifled, and designed to shoot hardcast lead. The Ballard rifling will be featured in the specs for the gun.

Seems like WalMart was selling them at a low, low, everyday price, like $300.
 
I've read that they don't like hardcast, only jacketed, and read that therefore MicroGroove is a significant limitation regarding potential utility for .44 mag levergun. Is this true?
Click to expand...

Yes, to a point. You can fire cast in a micro-groove barrel, but they lead up real bad. Accuracy will deteriorate, and lead build-up can potentially increase pressures to dangerous levels if it gets bad enough. I would tell you that for hunting, when only firing a few rounds at most, cast lead is fine. But for those high round count range days, I'd stick to jacketed stuff.

Anyway, that price is fair. Not a steal, but reasonable. I paid $350 for mine in 98% condition. It's a later one with ballard rifling. They're great rifles, and you won't regret buying it.
 
Hi WRS
I have one and like it. Used it to take last year's deer. I'd buy it, though the asking price should be negotiated. Mine was 320$, new in the box.

Mine is Ballard rifled, and I've shot cast in it, but I also have a .357 microgroove 1894 that I shoot a LOT of cast in. I shoot Lyman's 358477 150 grain SWC at 1800 fps with only moderate leading. If you're serious about shooting cast, you need to slug your barrel with a cast bullet. Just remove the bolt from the reciever and tap a cast bullet through with a wooden dowel.

You want to size your cast bullets .001 or maybe even .002" over your bore diameter. Do that and leading will not be too bad, even at 1800fps: and 358477 is a plain-base, not gas-checked. That's with home-made Lyman #2 alloy (wheelweights+5% tin). Leading is usually cleaned out with no more than a few tight cotton patches.
Have fun,
Michael
 
Thanks guys. I brought it home today for $379, the Pawn Shop paid the 7.75% tax. Came with a real nice leather sling on detachable rings. It is MicroGroove.

Les
 
I bought one new years ago, it really likes a hard cast 205 gr fp bullet, also shoots jacketed just fine. Mine has a Williams FP target knob peep sight, fun gun to shoot.
 
the $300 walmart marlin is a 30/30 with a maple or similar hardwood stock.

my microgroove 357 marlin does just fine with hardcast. or even softcast.

you picked up a fine gun for a fine price. with a little action work it will be a great gun. step 1 is to take a coil off each end of the hammer spring. then polish teh ejector and the channel it runs in.
 
How's the trigger on that thing, wrs? There's a replacement trigger sold by Wild West Guns (Midway carries it) that will correct a heavy pull. Replacement is a fairly easy DIY task if you use the trigger replacement thread by member 1858 as a guide.

My .44 1894 was bought new in the late eighties (from K-Mart would you believe) and it had a horrible trigger. The Wild West upgrade turned it into something quite nice.
Bob
 
The trigger feels really good to me. It breaks clean and crisp very consistently. Although this is my fifth Marlin lever, (four pre-safety, all acquired used, none modified as far as I know), I may just not know what "better" for them would feel like.

Les
 
sure its not an old 336 in 44 mag ? those were the pre-curser to the 1894 and the action is solid all the way around, not like the 1894. Only mad e for few years in the late60s. those are the only ones i've seen with gold saddle ring. nonethelesss thats a great price and a 1894 will handle all your 44 needs. you can easily sell it and get your money back
 
Last edited:
Could be wrong
Click to expand...
....and I was. Sorry, should of read the earlier post we're you stated buying the rifle. Anyways, enjoy. You'll love it. My '94 an old pre-saftey with microgroove, just like yours, but no saddle ring, and I added a XS Systems front and rear sight (and a Marbles dovetail blank to fill in where the old rear sight use to be).
 
Well I'm not much of a photographer, the washed-out photo doesn't do them justice, but here ya go:

Winchester Model 94AE with 16" bbl 30-30 on top,

Marlin Mod 1894 with 20" bbl in 44 Rem Mag on the bottom. Both found in pawnshops within the past week-or-so.

Les
 

Attachments

  • 2-rifles.jpg
    2-rifles.jpg
    246.6 KB · Views: 13
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

4
  • Locked
Marlin 1894 44 mag
Replies
6
Views
728
.45&TKD
4
shaggy430
  • Locked
Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum
Replies
1
Views
524
galilgunner
G
F
  • Locked
Marlin 336-44???
Replies
6
Views
940
George Hill
G
G
  • Locked
Marlin 1894 SS .44 Mag
Replies
17
Views
1K
Ranger J
R
Nathanael_Greene
  • Locked
Going price for a Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag?
Replies
7
Views
834
CraigC
CraigC
Back
Top