Marlin introduces a 10mm lever gun.

[nnoe445]

Love the looks. The only thing keeping me away from it is the price. Far better options in this money range I guess.

[Horsewright]

I dunno. I've mentioned this before but I'm a huge fan of the 10mm. Carry one often on the ranch, a Dan Wesson Specialist. I call it my Belt Rifle.

In my career as a rancher I've had to put down numerous cows, horses, donkeys even a wild boar. I've use every caliber from a .17, .22, .22 mag, 9mm, .38, .357 mag, .10mm, .44 mag (and Special), .45 Colt and ACP, .30-30, .30-06, 6.5 Creedmore and the .45-70. That's quite a list. Told ya it was numerous. Flat out I can tell ya with out a doubt that nothing and I mean nothing else puts a large animal down at point blank range like the 10mm. Absolutely nothing. I know what numbers say and I can and have read the charts, a.45-70 and that big 1200 lb cow slumps down. Same cow and same shot (ear to eye and ear to eye and bout an inch high over where those two lines cross and that cow will bounce off the ground like a basketball and never even twitch as they come back down. I don't have an answer for you why this is, I can just tell you that it is so. Seen it. Unfortunately many times. Sometimes those horses were my friends. Didn't want to shoot em but I did have that responsibility. Second place from that list? .30-30, stuff just dies when you shoot them with it. .45 Colt a close third.

I've been charged both by a boar and a black bear and bluffed charged a couple other times by black bears. Never even seen a brown or grizzly in the wild. But even as big a fan as I am of the !0mm, If I'm carrying a long gun too, in big bear country, its not in any pistol caliber. It would be my Marlin (JM marked) .45-70 Guide Gun. Honestly. I've carried a rifle and handgun in the wild both in a vehicle, on foot and horseback, for more miles that I care to remember. I believe that the one caliber two gun advantage is overplayed. Never been a deal for me. I mean think about it. Just ain't a deal really. I can carry another five to ten rounds of .45-70 and a couple of mags of 10mm, without getting bogged down. Big bear country? .45-70 Guide Gun on a sling and my Belt Rifle (DW Specialist in 10mm) on the hip. Buffalo Bore in both btw. That's real life. Zombie apocalypse? Give me that 10mm lever gun and all the ammo I can carry for it and my Belt Rifle!

The Belt Rifle:





My two cents anyhoo,

[dayz2men]

Could you potentially squeeze more out a 10mm cartridge by reloading in the situation you are only using it in an 1894 and don't have to worry about proper functioning limits in a semi auto? Maybe. But if you're loading specific ammo for the lever rifle, what's the advantage of 10mm over something that is better suited to taking advantage of the lever rifle design like any of the rimmed 44 or 45 caliber offerings?

Real late to this reply because I forgot about this place, but time to plug precious seconds before it departs again.
The advantages I see are:

1. Capacity - .45LC is 25% larger and 10mm beats it in PSI/power and all other things except maximum bullet weights. 10m doesn't beat the .44 magnum in power, but does in capacity. Compared to .357, 10mm allows you sandwich an additional couple rounds in the same tube, and shoots a comparable power factor.

2. No potential rimmed-cartridge feeding issues or tube hangups, though this shouldn't be a problem in a quality, well-maintained lever gun regardless of caliber.

3. Commonality with "high capacity" (ugh) semi-auto pistol carried at your belt. M629 round count versus a Glock 20.

That said it absolutely is a luxury item that really only hits a 'pistol caliber guide gun' niche. In practice, I'm going to loadout the same way as the dapper gentleman above me - 10mm on the hip, .45-70 in the flip.

[Jimi Jah]

I have the Marlin 1894 Classic 357 at 18". Mostly bought it because it's beautiful. I already have a Henry steel side gate 20".

The Marlin has polished deep black blued steel and a fancy figured walnut stock. I've not seen another like it.

357 is super fun to shoot with good power. I paid 40 cpr for the ammo. It also shoots 38 special, good for the wife. Other lever ammo is pretty expensive now.

I have the Henry Golden Boy for .22LR. Plenty fun and rather accurate.