S&W 686 v Marlin 336c

[r8dr rider]

I just put a deposit on a 686 at Turners yesterday but nobody knows when they are coming in. I'm now debating if I should just get the Marlin. These are the two type of firearms I want for my collection. Getting the Marlin before the 2014 registration would be a plus. But on the other hand I want the revolver for HD. Thoughts?

[aleng888]

Is the marlin in stock? I would get the one with the shortest wait time.

[r8dr rider]

^I do believe so. Well at least as of yesterday.

[Gaspasser100]

Has marling fixed their quality conrol issues? If not, I would go for the 686. You might be able to find one on gunsamerica or gun international and hav it shipped. I have the 686 ssr and love it

[BBJohnnyT]

Get the Marlin, especially before the end of the year as you said. Rifles are still great for HD, including lever actions if you have a wife or other family member who is not as experienced in shooting. Cock lever, aim, pull trigger, just like they saw in old westerns.

As far as Marlin recent issues with reliability, that's another subject I can't comment on. I have a Rossi 92 in .357.

[r8dr rider]

So I just DROS'd a firearm. The winner is.......



Mossberg 500 HS 410 gauge...whaaaaaa?

This was actually the first gun I was looking for when in search of a HD weapon my wife could use, but I couldn't find them anywhere. So next I thought of a handgun that was dependable with not so many moving parts, hence the 686. But since I couldn't find a revolver anywhere I figured why not get the Marlin and call it a day. Then today I walked into "Old West Guns" in Industry and this little guy for $389. I couldn't pass it up. Now dreaded 10 days.

[BBJohnnyT]

Good choice, especially for your wife. Now find a box of good defense load, like 000 buck in a 3" shell which has 5 bigass pellets (the 2 1/2" just has just 3). If you're concerned about wall penetration (i.e. you have kids in other bedrooms), consider lighter loads meant for the Taurus Judge, like the Winchester PDX1.