new winchester 44 mag, $300 fair?

[klover]

Big Five has a new .44 mag winchester rain checked for me for $300. Read in THR that the small calibers of winchester rifles have been misfeeding. Also that hammer safeties are undesirable.

Are there issues for concern, or should I get my first lever on a whim?

Maybe they're just fun and cool?

 

[one45auto]

Well now I can't speak for everyone, of course, but I've owned a Winchester Model 94 Trapper for going on six years now - chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge - and I've only had it misfeed once. It was during my very first trip to the range, because never having handled one before I was working the lever too slowly. You see, next to heavier bolt action models like my .30-06 the little lever gun seemed like a Daisy air rifle and so at first I treated it too gently. However I quickly came to realize that the 94's haven't been around for well over one hundred years for nothing and started levering it quick and fast. I haven't had another problem since and if push should ever come to shove in a home defense situation I wouldn't hesitate to bet my life on that rifle.

As far as the price goes, $300 is a steal in my opinion, especially considering that I originally paid $378 for mine. Oh, and yes - they are cool, not to mention fun to shoot.

 

[nipprdog]

bought a 357 trapper compact 3 years ago.

haven't had any feeding problems with it.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

I've got 2 bullets that my 44 trapper won't feed. However, it's not the rifles fault. They are 300 and 325 grain hardcast that are all but full wadcutters, loaded a lot longer than industry spec.

Everything I have that is in spec. length-wise feeds just fine.

 

[VictorLouis]

That's the same deal I took advantage of.

The NEXT best price in town was $349. Gun-show prices were even a tad bit more, which only made me feel better about the Big-5 sale deal.

IF you should end up with one of the occasional guns that experience's difficulty, Winchester will make it right. My net research has shown them to be very stand-up with respect to service. However, I'm betting neither you nor I will have any issues.