Can I play too?
I was a bit slow coming to the 336 side of the Marlin line, had a few 1894's over the years, and thought the 336's pistolgrip was ugly, and unnecessary.
Then I bought one, and shot it a lot, and it got a lot prettier. Especially when it (35 Remington) put three shots into one hole at 50 yards. Actually, the widest part of the hole was dead-on .400", net group size was .042".
I decided to keep it.
Then I bought a 30-30, 1964 vintage, plain as a mud fence. It hasn't shot quite as well, but it will put three shots touching at 50 yards so often it's boring. 1894's are fun guns, but not as accurate. I have two, the better of which is an 1894C (357), and with its favorite handload, it will easily put five under an inch at 50. The 44 is nowhere near that good.
I was raised to believe that leverguns couldn't POSSIBLY be accurate. Every article by every so-called expert said so. I believed them. Any levergun, of any make, that shot under 3 MOA was a fluke, an abherration, a freak. So when my rifles started turning in amazing groups I was sure it would stop, eventually. It hasn't yet. Finding handloads my Marlins liked was about the easiest bit of research I've ever done. Some guns and cartridges are said to be inherently accurate. The 222, the the 375 H & H, the .243, the .....30-30? Yep. I've never owned a Winchester, so I can't speak for the accuracy they are capable of. But nearly every Marlin 336 I've seen or shot was capable of MOA accuracy with ammo it liked. Never heard that claimed for the Winnie 94. To me, there's nothing more fun than shooting next to someone with a mid-bore bolt gun, like a 30-06, and outshooting him with a Marlin. They always think it's a fluke......until I shoot a BETTER group. Then they start asking about Marlin prices, options, calibers, and such. Once they shoot one, they're sunk. I've sold a LOT of Marlins over the years.....I think they need to put me on commission!
Papajohn
