Questions about a marlin 1895

[ARS1911]

For some reason over the past few years I have been falling in love with marlin lever rifles. I am mostly a black gun fan but one marlin in particular has caught my eye its the model 1895 in 45-70 govt. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me a little history about them and if possible a few personal stories about your marlin firearms and the 45-70 as a hunting cartridge (mostly whitetails and hopefully elk). Since most lever guns end up being family heirlooms (atleast where I come from) I want something that will last for generations to come. So let me know what you think. thanks 1911

 

[rlu0311]

I have an 1895 guidegun and I love it. I bought it to hunt pigs in central Texas and it works great. Pigs fall where they are hit with no tracking required. Google for the history. I shoot mild factory loads so recoil is not an issue. I have a limbsaver on it and it is so comfortable to shoot. If you want hot, reload as much as you dare. The .45-70 can be mild enough for small shooters or hand-load up to play with big boys. An added plus is that even loaded mild, it is super loud at the range which gets everyones' attention in a good way.

The .45-70 will easily take whitetails with factory loads. For elk, I'd load a bit hotter, but more imprtantly for all game I'd be concerned with range beyond 150 to 200 yards. The .45-70 has an arc trajectory to say the least. The round is accurate at longer ranges, but you have to judge the distance accurately to do justice. If you are not shooting known distances, get a laser rangefinder and dial in your distances with your load of choice. Keep good notes and you will hit accurately with plenty of energy.

marlinowners.com has all the marlin-lever-.45-70 info that you will need.

Buy the gun. It will become your go-to.

 

[EHCRain10]

one thing to note is that the 1895G and GS have an English Stock compared to the pistol grip found on the XLR and the base model.

I recently bought a 1895G and it does kick quite a bit, similar to a 12ga 3inch slug in a light weight gun.

I really do love the gun and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a solid short range gun.

 

[mainmech48]

I have an old model 1895G with the ported barrel. I replaced the factory pad with a Pachmayr and added a Williams FP receiver sight and Firesight FO front.

With factory 300 gr. loads the recoil isn't as 'attention getting' as 200 gr. .35 Remington feels from my old 336 with its factory buttplate. 405 gr. jacketed stuff is a bit stouter, but still not as harsh as 2 3/4" slugs feel from a fixed breech 12 ga.

I've not tried much in the way of the 'hotter' specialty factory loads or handloads so far. I don't anticipate going anywhere to hunt really large or dangerous game and they don't live where I do. The 300 gr. Federals are superbly accurate in my carbine and will handle whitetails, hogs and black bears out to the range limits that I'd take a shot with an iron sighted carbine.

 

[wyocarp]

It's a handy rifle that gets the job done no matter what you are hunting. My son just this last weekend nailed a bear with one as he was racing towards us. He dropped him at about twenty feet from us. The bear never moved. That is the experience that I have with mine and it is always the same.

 

[freakshow10mm]

I have a non-ported Guide Gun. Love it. Run hot loads in it, keeps on running. I load handloads of stout 350gr JSP to pucker factor 525gr LFN-GC. Takes it all and begs for more. You owe it to yourself to get a Guide Gun.

 

[freakshow10mm]

double tap

 

[AStone]

For some reason over the past few years I have been falling in love with marlin lever rifles.

Ah, yes, that makes at least two of us. (Actually, we number in the 100's of thousands.)

I'll suggest that a few folks from this club drop in to offer an opinion about those 1895's.

Yes, of course I want one.

 

[JustsayMo]

I traded for an 1895 a while back, then bought a guide gun, and then another, then a Cowboy and most recently a Limited III.

Their addictive.

My Guide Gun took an Idaho Black Bear. On game performance is AWESOME. Complete penetration (N to S) and NO tracking required. 425 gr Cast bullet a little over 1400 fps. I haven't shot an Elk with mine yet but my Pard took one with his using blackpowder load (maybe 1300 fps). Zipped right through her and she was down within a step.

 

[ECVMatt]

I have two .45-70's, both straight stocks...

one is a GG and the other is a full sized 1895. I love these rifles. I also own several other Marlins. They are extremely handy, powerful, and ready for rough use. I remove the safety buttons from all of mine that are the newer generation and then take them hunting.

My GG has XS ghost rings and my full size has a Lyman 66a.

I like to shoot a 350 grn. flat point at about 2150. This is more than I need for most things. I also like the 300 grainers at about 1800. This is an easy load to shoot.

Be careful if you get one, as more are soon to follow you home!

Matt

 

[freakshow10mm]

So far I've been able to just have one, but I shoot the snot out of it. XS ghost ring sights and scout rail.

 

[moooose102]

i bought a guide gun 2 years ago in 45/70. i LOVE it also. you couldn't pick a better gun to fall in love with.

i have not had the oppertunity to kill anything with it yet. i hunt whitetail, and i put in for an elk permit this year. but to be totally honest, elk may be more than I can chew. i am disabled, so i have to hunt pretty close to my 4x4 gmc jimmy. that limits a lot of where i can hunt. i can go quite a distance, 50 yards at a time, but i HAVE to be able to drive the jimmy to where ever the deer drops.

one of the reasons i decided on the 45/70 is the ABSOLOUTE drop dead factor. i am a fairly good shot, so i can place a good shot almost every time (nobody is perfect). the furthest i have ever had to chase a deer (prior to becoming disabled) that I shot was about 75 yards, and that was a deer that i shot with my .357 magnum.

now, you have many decisions. you have to decide wheather you want a straight stock (guide gun or cowboy model) or the curved pistol grip ( xlr< which also happens to be stainless steel). in shooting, both function the same, so it is purely asthetics. then, you will also have to consider barrel length and shot capacity. the cowboy model holds way more than the guide gun (which means that it will also be way heavier). but you may want to consider this, some states have a legal limit as to how many rounds your gun can hold when deer hunting (michigan does!) so if you buy a cowboy model, you may have to put a plug in it.

anyway you go, you will not be disapointed. but one thing, they DO KICK! i would say it is at least that of my 300 win mag. and the gun is light. for me, the gun wants to jump out of my hands. i am seriously thinking on having a muzzle brake installed on this gun!

by the way, when you buy ammo, don't pass over the HORNADY LEVEREVELOUTION ammo! it markedly improves the aerodynamics of the bullet, which means extended yardage with NO extra recoil! and the bullets come from the BEST name in bullets, PERIOD, so you know they will function properly. if you plan to go for bear, or elk, i would use the buffalo bore +P 400 (or heavier) grain bullets, thay will perform better on that sized game. unless you load your own.

these are a reloaders dream! they can be loaded way hotter than what most ammo makers have to load their ammo for, as they have to be certain that the loads they supply can be shot in the OLD, WEAKER trapdoor guns. THIS ACTION IS QUITE STRONG, and can take quite a bit more pressure than the old trapdoor models. just use your head, and follow the loading reccomendations for this gun and you will be fine.

good luck on your decision, and start enjoying!

 

[wyocarp]

My first big game animal was with a lever gun over 30 years ago. I have some guns with scopes, but nothing beats a lever gun. And the only gun I like more than the .457/45-70 is my .50 Alaskan.

When one leaves the sacred halls of these forums, there are a lot of guys that have bears and other animals that they shoot that they never find. Not so with one of these guns. If you hit it, it goes down.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Well, I have a standard blued 22" bbl Marlin 1895, and also love it. It's not my favorite rifle, but it's on the top 5 favorites probably. I have hunted deer with it I think twice, but sadly never had a shot opportunity. It's got a really traditional and solid feel to it. It's beautiful to my eye, very reliable, and accurate to boot. Decent trigger also. Some people don't like the crossbolt safety, but I do like it. First, it adds a measure of ya know, *safety*, and secondly, it allows you to dry fire without actually impacting the firing pin. There's nothing not to like except it being a little heavy, and of course the cartridge recoils a bit with stout loads. Oh, and I suppose also, the sharp inner edges of the lever can cut into your hands, espec. with repeated cycling - It could use a dehorning job there. Right now mine is wearing a 2-7x32mm, but I'm seriously thinking of switching to either a peep rear irons, or a 1-4x20; something like that.

wyocarp, that's a nice setup there. I love your sights, the large loop, and the leather buttstock wrap - which wrap is it? I have to say though, that the plain black sling kinda screws up the aesthetic, traditional look - you've GOT to get a nice leather sling, dontcha think? Maybe with some animal pics worked into the leather? Wood/Steel/Leather ==> Rock On. Wood/Steel/Leather/Nylon/Neoprene ==> Notsomuch.

 

[zulu6]

I love my Marlin .45-70. I went hog hunting a few months ago in the wilds of central Florida with it. Using Garrett 420's, at 45 yards, I shot a hog that, from my perspective, was standing directly along side another. The result was a one shot clean through-and-through shoulder wound...on both animals! The bullet was not recovered, who knows how far it went after passing through both hogs but both animals dropped where they stood. For me the .45-70 = a 2 for 1 hogs sale that day.

 

[TnBigBore]

I have owned just about every variation of the modern Marlin 1895 at some point. I like them all, but if I had to chose just one it would be the early 1970's straight gripped version with the 22" tube. It just balances perfectly and does not have the silly safety.

I have killed several whitetails with my Marlins and nearly all were boom-flops. I have never had one run more than a few yards. Most have fallen to a slow (1300-1400fps) 405 grain bullet. You can't go wrong with a Marlin 45-70.

 

[wyocarp]

PremiumSauces, yes I do need to get a nice leather sling. It is hard to find good leather products. I don't like the cookie cutter stuff. For now, the black sling has worked well but I totally agree. The guy that has done some custom leather work for me in the past is ready to make a few cuffs right now but it is so hard to squeeze into his schedule. You said something about animals in the picture, so...