Do the Marlin Lever Actions still have problems?

[Kerplow]

I have an 1894 44 Mag circa 2017.

First time I shot it I was at the Angeles pistol range having a blast ringing steel up and down the range. Then all of a sudden I couldn’t hit anything, not even the 25 yard targets. Turns out the front sight worked itself loose in the dovetail and the only thing stopping it from falling out was the hood.

Other than that, my only complaint is the fit and finish of the wood. The forearm is fat and clunky and the grip fit to action is far from perfect.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I visited my favorite LGS Friday evening on the way to pick up the wife at the Burbank AP. Actually not a bad trip! No traffic both ways.

I looked at all of the Marlin Leverguns he had on the wall (about 7-8 guns) .30-30's .45 LC .45-70's, and all of them were in the $700-800 range. Some with regular wood most with Laminate. The fit and finish on all these guns was excellent. Note: these were NOT the Truck Guns I mentioned earlier in the thread.(IE $400-500 range)

There were no sharp edges on the levers or hammers and they ran smoothly but all could benefit from some fine tuning and internal deburring to bypass the couple hundred rounds of Break In they all need. I would have been happy with any of them.

Better than anything JM Marlin ever made! The actual machining is so far above anything Marlin ever did it is beyond belief that the less informed still cling to to the notion that these new Remlins are in some way inferior to a genuine JM Marlin Gun. I've got both and they aren't!

Note: I am a Machinist with 40 years making chips, and I do know the difference. So will others with my level of experience.

Randy

[RHT447]

Oh my.

https://gunsmagazine.com/rifles/cimarron-model-1894-38-55/

[200Apples]

Before I read the above link, Randy, you should have seen my new ‘94 SBL made maybe 18 mos ago. It wasn’t pretty, but it also wasn’t anything I couldn’t and didn’t make right. I felt at the time one year ago that had I sent it back to Marlin, they would have made it worse.

Glad to hear of their improvement. Thanks for the report.

[jerdog3]

Logged onto CalGuns for something else, but stumbled on this thread.

I've purchased 3x Marlins in the last year. All three have had some custom work done to them, but all three shot just fine right out of the box. The first two are 1895s (both 45-70s). The third started out as a 1894 (357), but has since been modified ... slightly.

I attached a few pics (because I can't remember how to link to them) ...


Happy Thanksgiving!

Awesome guns!!! Very nice!

[Horsewright]

All this 1895 is giving me a fever .... for an 1895.

https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/hunt365-winchester1895/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=20191125_BlogDigest_356g&utm_campaign=/digest/hunt365-winchester1895/

Anyone have an 1895 in 30-06?

Yes sir. I have a Browning 1895 in .30-06. Absolutely love this rifle. I also have the Marlin 1895 Guide Gun in .45-70. Kinda 95 ied up.





Love this rifle! Someday when I grow up and am rich and famous I will send this rifle to Turnbull. It deserves it. New fancy wood and their color case hardening on the receiver. Bought it last spring at a gun show in Bakersfield. Bet it didn't have five rounds through it. The action had hardly been cycled. It has been now. Find one and get one!

No pics of the Marlin. I bought it in the late 90s don't remember when exactly. I use to do a lot of horse packing in off the way places in the Sierra. Kept it loaded with Buffalo Bore ammo. While I never had to fire it for its intended purpose, I did have to face down angry bears twice and it was comforting to have in hand.

[elk hunter]

I like the Ruger and rig it's in.

[Horsewright]

Thanks guys! @ elk hunter its an old model Vaquero in .45 Colt. I built the holster.

[DueceMcGurk]

Hoss,
That is a beautiful holster. Ever make one for a 1911?

[heycorey]

Hey Corey, neat guns!

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the compliments on the LeverGuns. For the benefit of our studio audience (and those of you playing at home), I thought I'd mention that two of them were customized by Lee Hadaway, a gunsmith out of Trinidad, Colorado. If you're thinking of getting a levergun with some custom features (or maybe just repaired and/or improved upon), I can recommend him very highly.

I discovered Lee because I wanted a takedown levergun (and really ... who doesn't) and there are only a few gunsmiths who specialize in that. Moreover, Trinidad State College has one of the few nationally recognized gunsmithing programs. And Mr Hadaway teaches a summer class on how to convert lever actions into takedowns, which I had the pleasure of attending last June. I actually converted the first levergun in those pictures (with the brown stock) into a takedown in that class.

Yay me! :-D

I'm mentioning all of this because you guys have an interest in leverguns for yourselves. And not only does Lee convert leverguns into takedowns, he can also convert them into different calibers. Most notably, he can convert a Marlin 1894 to either a 9MM or even a 10MM (which is what that unGODly black levergun of mine is) ..., which gives a whole new meaning to PCC. And of course, he can add custom components (like the Ranger Point levers and XS Sights scout rails in the first two pictures). He even makes his own custom wood stocks for your extra fancy-Dan leverguns.

I lived in California for the better part of 40 years (though I managed to escape about a year ago), so I can appreciate the political environment you're still living in. If you've been considering a levergun for self-defense, I just thought I'd mention the possibilities that are out there beyond the classic 45-70, etc.

I mean your basic 1894 in .44 magnum is a great gun. But that little black beauty of mine pairs very nicely with my GEN-3 (CA Handgun-Roster Approved) Glock G20. Just Sayin'

If you're interested, Lee has a web-site called The Arms Room (http://www.thearmsroom.com/). And if you want to see more of his guns, he's got a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/categ...0232380405749/) that shows off his recent builds and custom work. If you scroll down a bit, there's a video of him shooting the 10MM levergun that he built for me. He even stuck a suppressor on the end of it. You will recognize him by his very good ol boy accent (he's good people too). I'm obviously a satisfied customer and wanted to pass his info along.


Here's wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

[elk hunter]

Thanks guys! @ elk hunter its an old model Vaquero in .45 Colt. I built the holster.

You do nice work.

[200Apples]

Agreed. Beautiful leatherwork there. Thanks for the photos!

And thanks Corey for your thoroughly informative post.

[pennstater]

Agreed. Beautiful leatherwork there. Thanks for the photos!

And thanks Corey for your thoroughly informative post.

Agreed! A good one.

MLC

[Horsewright]

Hoss,
That is a beautiful holster. Ever make one for a 1911?

Ya bet sir. Looks kinda like this un:



Sometimes like these guys:





And even for Marlins:





Henrys:





Even an Ubertti once and a while:



Thanks all!

[golfish]

Aaaaawwwww snap!

Nice leather there sir