Marlin 1894C vs 1894CP...

[Kentucky Rifle]

Guys, I'm still blown away by my wife's offer of a new Marlin lever action rifle as a 25th anniversary gift. (She somehow found out that I wanted a .357 mag, lever action. I guess my gun shop owner told her.) She just called me and she wants to order it THIS WEEKEND! (WOW!!!) However, she also wants to make sure that I'm going to be happy with the rifle. She's heard me talk about the reason I purchased my Bushmaster Shorty with a "plain barrel" because that AK style muzzle brake makes the rifle more noisy. Her thinking is that the 16.5 inch barrel on the "CP" model is ported, and that will equal muzzle blast & noise. However, on the 1894C, whose barrel is only 2.25 inches longer, and has no porting, will equal less blast and noise for me PLUS the shooter beside me. (WHAT a WOMAN!!) Please give me some opinions regarding the blast noise thing. She wants to order this rifle this weekend. I'd be happy with either rifle but had originally picked the shorter "CP" model.

Thanks,
KR
(WOW! )

 

[Deadman]

Personally the ports on my 1894CP do not bother me at all. I aslo own a Mosin Nagant M-44, so the noise and 'blast' from a .357 rifle pale in comparison to that of 7.62x54R
However I have had quite a few people ask if I'm shooting 30-30 when using .357 at the range on a few occasions.....

I have noticed alot of people moan and complain about the ports, whether they actually shot the rifle or simply commented on it. But I just don't see how .357 magnum out of a 16inch barrel (ported or otherwise) can be that much worse than if its shot from a 4inch handgun barrel?

As for concerns for fellow shooters at the local rifle range. If its crowded and there isn't that much room between each shooter, I'll simply switch to .38spcl. Afterall most .38spcl loads are technically subsonic and sound similar to .22lr when fired from my 1894CP.

FWIW

 

[Kor]

The regular 1894CS, with 18" barrel, has served me VERY well and I think it will serve you well, also. The extra 2-1/4" of barrel doesn't, IMO, make all that much difference in its handling/storage qualities, plus you get one more round of capacity.

I must admit, though, that the 16" shorties are quite enticing in their own right, and FWIW I've heard that Marlin is discontinuing the porting on the "Guide Gun" series this year - not that the pistol-caliber "guide guns" really needed it in the first place. So, if you've got your heart set on the unported 16" barrel, it may very well be available as new production - see if your dealer can inquire along those lines.

BTW, hang onto that wife of yours!

 

[Kestrel]

I don't understand why Marlin is not offering 16" models of the .357 and .44 rifles (unported).

It seems these would be the most handy size for these calibers.

Steve

 

[larryw]

I agree with you Steve. Would love a 16" non ported 1894 as a handy brush gun (but have no complaints with my 20" model)

Marlin discontinued all ported models this year; if that's what you want, better jump on it while some are still available.

 

[444]

I was thinking mine was 16", but I guess it must be 18" since you guys say they don't make a 16"; I am too lazy to measure it. When I bought mine, I went back and forth on the porting. In the end I decided that it didn't matter to me either way. In a semi-auto rifle I really like porting/muzzle brake. It allows a much faster follow-up shot. There is much less muzzle flip, therefore your sights don't move off target nearly as much. But on a lever action, your sight picture is taken from you not only by the rise of the muzzle/recoil but also because you have to work the action. The noise I guess is an issue, although to me it is a very small issue. Guns going off are loud, that is a fact of life. For pretty much any given gun, there are certainly louder guns out there. I mean, I read all the time about disturbing other shooters because you have porting or a muzzle brake. What if you were simply shooting a louder rifle without a muzzle brake ? Would it still bother you that other shooters found it loud ? Lets say you were shooting a .357 rifle with ports and thought it was loud. If this is loud I guess you wouldn't shoot a 7mm Mag either because it is way louder. But on the other hand, I wouldn't purposely make a rifle louder than it needs to be, and in the case of the .357 lever gun I don't see a whole lot of advantage to porting so any increase in noise would be counterproductive. I ended up going without the porting.
As to barrel length, I think I would prefer to go with a longer barrel. If I want a short barreled .357 I can shoot any number of .357 handguns. None of the barrel lengths offered will make the gun unweildy. Even a 20" wouldn't be bad and it might really give your velocity a boost.
You made a good choice in the Marlin. They have great quality. You can just look at one of these 1894sand see that it is a very high quality rifle. I haven't shot mine much (yet) but it seems to be very good. Whatever you decide, let us know how it works out for you.

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Well Fellers...

My decision just became much easier. I went to the Marlin website and it doesn't even LIST the 16 inch "ported" barrel 1894CP any more.
Thus, the 18.25 inch "non-ported" barrel 1894C is going to be the one.
Thanks for the opinions.

444: I agree. The Marlin seem's nicer than any other rifle at which I've looked.

*Wow, I'm STILL blown away at the "perceptivity" of my Lady. (Somehow, she "just knows" what I want. How do they DO that, anyway?) She's a shooter also and she's been lusting after one of those case-hardened finish Ruger Vaqueros. That just might have to be be my anniversary gift to her.

KR