NorthBorder
Member
I just picked this up today at the LGS.
I was really fortunate. On Saturday somebody had put some money down on this brand new Ruger Marlin 45-70 Trapper made in Mayoden,NC. Yesterday I stopped by the LGS and learned that the buyer had backed out. It was mine if I wanted it. And I did. So, I put a hold on it until today when I could get to the bank. For $1130 I walked out wth a brand new Ruger Marlin. The store owner said I was lucky because there is a waiting list for these new Rugers.
Lucky? I guess.
So I took it out to the range to see what it is made of. 10 rounds is all I could handle. It is a punisher. I don't know whether to love it or be afraid of it. I have a C Sharps and Henry in 45-70 caliber and I don't mind pulling the trigger multiple times on either of those, but this could cause a serious flinch when seated behind a bag. I had previously loaded some 405 gr LFN on top of 38.5 gr IMR 4895. I am going to have do dial down this load to something in the range of what one would shoot in a trapdoor rifle. At least to practice with.
I started out shooting at 25 yards and after the first round I knew this was going to be a challenge. I managed 5 rounds and they were a bit low and spread out. I raised the Skinner sight one revolution and moved out to the 50 and tried a few at the 100. By that time I really wasn't having fun. At the 50 my shots seemed to stay in the group from the 25. At the hundred I was just trying to split the target in half because I couldn't even see the orange center. So I don't even know where the rounds were hitting. I had previously shot the B27 target behind my 8.5x11 target with some 45s.
As for function the gun was flawless. This is the easiest lever gun I have to push rounds thru the loading gate. Levering a round in the chamber is not smooth, a bit clunky, but flawlessly loads when held a different angles. The trigger is heavy (8-10 lbs I would guess) but breaks clean with no over travel that I could detect. It is pretty easy to pick up a target thru the Skinner sight. The front sight is a ramp with a white line. Also, the muzzle is threaded so maybe a muzzle break is indicated.
To turn a John Mellencamp phrase used in a song, "Ooh, it hurts so good."
I was really fortunate. On Saturday somebody had put some money down on this brand new Ruger Marlin 45-70 Trapper made in Mayoden,NC. Yesterday I stopped by the LGS and learned that the buyer had backed out. It was mine if I wanted it. And I did. So, I put a hold on it until today when I could get to the bank. For $1130 I walked out wth a brand new Ruger Marlin. The store owner said I was lucky because there is a waiting list for these new Rugers.
Lucky? I guess.
So I took it out to the range to see what it is made of. 10 rounds is all I could handle. It is a punisher. I don't know whether to love it or be afraid of it. I have a C Sharps and Henry in 45-70 caliber and I don't mind pulling the trigger multiple times on either of those, but this could cause a serious flinch when seated behind a bag. I had previously loaded some 405 gr LFN on top of 38.5 gr IMR 4895. I am going to have do dial down this load to something in the range of what one would shoot in a trapdoor rifle. At least to practice with.
I started out shooting at 25 yards and after the first round I knew this was going to be a challenge. I managed 5 rounds and they were a bit low and spread out. I raised the Skinner sight one revolution and moved out to the 50 and tried a few at the 100. By that time I really wasn't having fun. At the 50 my shots seemed to stay in the group from the 25. At the hundred I was just trying to split the target in half because I couldn't even see the orange center. So I don't even know where the rounds were hitting. I had previously shot the B27 target behind my 8.5x11 target with some 45s.
As for function the gun was flawless. This is the easiest lever gun I have to push rounds thru the loading gate. Levering a round in the chamber is not smooth, a bit clunky, but flawlessly loads when held a different angles. The trigger is heavy (8-10 lbs I would guess) but breaks clean with no over travel that I could detect. It is pretty easy to pick up a target thru the Skinner sight. The front sight is a ramp with a white line. Also, the muzzle is threaded so maybe a muzzle break is indicated.
To turn a John Mellencamp phrase used in a song, "Ooh, it hurts so good."