Old Marlin's vs Old Winchester's
- Thread starter Mr. Mosin
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Jim Watson
Member
92s, mostly; firing 5 in 1 blanks.
It just depends on the era. Marlins have had great fit and finish and Winchester (which is not Winchester nowadays) have been pretty poor. Just depends, purchase the rifle as an individual. I have owned seven or eight (I think) Marlins of various eras going back to 1974. My two REP Marlins shoot better, function better and are reliably more accurate but it is splitting hairs but still, my still very pretty REP 336S (2017) is demonstrably more accurate than my beautiful 1974 Texan 336, side by side, same day, same ammo. Which would you prefer, a shooter or a pretty rifle to hold and pet? Well, I guess we would want both but there is an old saying, got the originator beheaded, something about not having your cake and eating it too, or like that.
Tommygunn
Member
Well, having just bought two recent Miroku Winchesters, I'll say a couple things; sure, they're "not" WINCHESTER now, it's a legal fiction owned by parent companies, but Miroku makes very very nice Winchester 1866s and 1873s. Nice wood, nice fit and nice (!) Color case hardening on the 1873 receiver.
I bought a Marlin 1894 Cowboy in .357 magnum awhile ago and yes, they too make very nice rifles!
SSN Vet
Member
I have a 336C that was purchased used (late 80s production) and it is a beautiful gun. The fit and finish and Walnut grain and cut checkering are all top shelf. I've never had a single problem with the gun reliability wise. I'm not crazy about the cross bolt safety, but it's not a show stopper for me.
I've never owned a Winchester lever gun, but from the few I've handled, they are lighter and more handy.
You have to decide whether or not top ejection is a problem for you.... if you want to mount glass, it stinks.
I had a scope on my Marlin that I used while developing hand loads, but switched over to a William's Foolproof peep sight and Fire Eye front sight as glass on lever guns kind of defeats the handy light weight nature of the platform.
I've never owned a Winchester lever gun, but from the few I've handled, they are lighter and more handy.
You have to decide whether or not top ejection is a problem for you.... if you want to mount glass, it stinks.
I had a scope on my Marlin that I used while developing hand loads, but switched over to a William's Foolproof peep sight and Fire Eye front sight as glass on lever guns kind of defeats the handy light weight nature of the platform.
Well, having just bought two recent Miroku Winchesters, I'll say a couple things; sure, they're "not" WINCHESTER now, it's a legal fiction owned by parent companies, but Miroku makes very very nice Winchester 1866s and 1873s. Nice wood, nice fit and nice (!) Color case hardening on the 1873 receiver.
I bought a Marlin 1894 Cowboy in .357 magnum awhile ago and yes, they too make very nice rifles!
Just to be clear, I was not saying that Winchester LGs were bad always or even often, just that there has been ups and downs in quality for them as well. I am happy to know that you love your new rifle and I bet it is indeed a beauty.
That's right. From about 1865 onward, Hollywood cowboys carried Winchester 94s.
Cowboys certainly carried Marlins, this looks like a cowboy to me
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Riomouse911
Member
Just my opinion, being the owner of 4 1894 Winchester’s (plus 2 1892 copies) and 3 JM Marlins:
I like the look and feel of the Winchester straight-grip lever action design.
I shoot the Marlin designs more accurately.
To me this is a lot of Ford v Chevy (or toss in Dodge if you want) debate. No real winner or loser, I wouldn’t scoff at either one. Both makers have a lot of pluses, and a few minuses, about each their respective designs, fit, finish and function.
Stay safe.
I like the look and feel of the Winchester straight-grip lever action design.
I shoot the Marlin designs more accurately.
To me this is a lot of Ford v Chevy (or toss in Dodge if you want) debate. No real winner or loser, I wouldn’t scoff at either one. Both makers have a lot of pluses, and a few minuses, about each their respective designs, fit, finish and function.
Stay safe.
Tommygunn
Member
Just to be clear, I was not saying that Winchester LGs were bad always or even often, just that there has been ups and downs in quality for them as well. I am happy to know that you love your new rifle and I bet it is indeed a beauty.
Cowboys certainly carried Marlins, this looks like a cowboy to me
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TV trivia: in an episode of HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, the main character, Paladin, had a Marlin 1894 carbine with the knight figure on the shoulder stock kept in his horse's scabbard. Yea, Marlins were certainly around back then .... in point of fact they had lever actions capable of handling those big cartridges like the .45-70 before Winchester came out with the 1886.
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