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Truth Seeker |
So I am wanting/thinking to buy a lever action .44 magnum rifle really just to have one to add to my collection. I am not looking for anything expensive or fancy; just a good reliable gun. Obviously there are many manufacturers and models over many years so I am wondering what people know is good or what to avoid. I don’t go to gun shows often anymore so if I buy from GunBroker I would probably rather buy new unless I knew a specific make/model/year to be looking for. I don’t own a .44 magnum so this would be a road down buying ammo for a whole new caliber…ugh. NRA Benefactor Life Member | ||
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Prepared for the Worst, Providing the Best |
Marlin 1894. And you definitely need a revolver to keep it company!  | |||
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| Truth Seeker |
That is certainly the plan! NRA Benefactor Life Member | |||
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Member |
Recently picked up the revolver and was thinking this would be my next purchase as well. I have a Marlin in 45-70 and really enjoy it. 10 years to retirement! Just waiting! | |||
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| Truth Seeker |
Yeah my next purchase for sure will be another lever action. I like 45-70, but was thinking .44 magnum for a pistol to go with it and also something I could more easily reload. If I wouldn’t have just bought the new Sig P320 I did, I could have already bought it! Stupid gun fever! NRA Benefactor Life Member | |||
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| Member |
I looked at a Henry carbine today. It was hard walking away from that one. | |||
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Tupperware Dr. |
I’ve got a Rossi 92, one of the current models “hardwood/ polished black” https://rossiusa.com/rifles/le...k-oxide-44-mag-20-in Nice gun that does nice work on pigs. I’ve had Rossi 92’s in the past, and I have to say these current offerings are a vast improvement. The wood is higher quality, and fit & finish definitely improved over models from 10yrs ago. Years ago I would completely strip down the action to take the sharp edges off the side loading gate area, and do a general action smoothing job. I did probably 7 or 8 of them and all were improved by cleaning up all the sharp edges inside. When I picked up this current model the first thing I did was disassemble it to do that same dehorn and smooth the action, but the factory had really done a great job on the internals to dehorn the edges and smooth it up. My son has one also, his is 357 16”, but both his and my .44mag 20” are good to go. | |||
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Member |
I bought a pair of 20" Rossi 92's in S/S approx 11-12 years ago. They are the .357 and 44mag. They have been great! Now, if you put them side by side to a Marlin, Henry, or even Winchester, you can tell the quality is on the lighter side. What I really like, as mentioned above, is having matching caliber handguns. Dream would be to have one in 41 also. Sigs P-220, P-226 9mm, & P-230SL (CCW) | |||
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Member |
Which of the currently offered .44's are known to be good or bad about working with .44 Special cartridges? ____________________ | |||
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Member |
Henry X Model... MSRP - 1200, street price under 900. Accurate and plenty of aftermarket support if you decide to dress it down the road. | |||
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| Prepared for the Worst, Providing the Best |
I've not tried one myself, but the new Ruger Marlins supposedly are good at feeding specials and magnums, and a wide variety of bullet shapes. That's an improvement over the older guns that could often be picky. I love my Marlins, but I must admit that they are pretty ammo picky. My .357 feeds magnums and specials just fine, but I've never tried specials in my .44, or Schofields in my .45. All of them will get hung up on the shoulder of semi-wadcutter bullets, though. I found a mold for a nice round nose flat point with a very wide meplat, and it feeds those just fine...but if you're not a handloader and want a gun that will feed anything you can buy off the shelf, I'd see if they'll let you try cycling some dummy rounds before you buy. | |||
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| Tupperware Dr. |
The only loads I've ever shot in that Rossi are .44 mag, either JSP factory rounds or the Buffalo Bore heavy JSP's. | |||
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Diablo Blanco |
We have one of the new Marlin (Ruger) 1894s in 44 magnum and the quality is outstanding. I can confirm that it feeds 44 mag and 44 Spl equally well. To go along with the 1894 I added one of the 6” Colt Anacondas. The Marlin has quickly become one of my favorite guns to shoot. _________________________ "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile - hoping it will eat him last” - Winston Churchil | |||
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| Member |
Older marlins if you can find and afford. Henry is pretty darn nice too and easier to find and cheaper. And no stupid safety. I have and like both. ----------------------------------------- Roll Tide! Glock Certified Armorer NRA Certified Firearms Instructor | |||
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| Member |
I think I remember you saying you had the barrel chopped a little, correct? Who did the work? And the peep sight. Anything else? ----------------------------------------- Roll Tide! Glock Certified Armorer NRA Certified Firearms Instructor | |||
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| Prepared for the Worst, Providing the Best |
That wasn't me, that was a different member with his .45-70. Can't remember who, though. The gun in that picture is a factory 16" barrel 1894P. I could do without the ports, but they don't really hurt anything. The sights are skinner peeps. They fit the factory mounting holes and I installed them myself. The dovetail filler for the rear sight slot on the barrel was made by Marbles, IIRC, and I got it off Midway. The previous owner had removed the safety but just left an open hole, and he lost the parts. I bought a plug/safety delete kit from Beartooth Mercantile to deal with that. I also had to tweak the lifter a bit to fix double-feed/Marlin jam in this one. I love the short barrel on that gun as it's noticeably handier than my .357 or .45, which are both 18". That said, it's a bit more ammo picky for accuracy than my other two, and it took me a while to find a load that it likes. My suspicion is that it has something to do with how the magazine tube dovetails into the barrel on the 16" guns, whereas the 18" carbines use a barrel band. | |||
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| Member |
I've been keeping an eye out for a 16" Marlin 1984. Those ported models command a pretty penny these days. I am looking for a limited, banded barrel 16" but they are north of 1500$ lately. Hoping Ruger makes another run of em at some point. 10 years to retirement! Just waiting! | |||
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| Member |
Winchester/Miroku mod 92. Just smooth and slick. Had a Marlin .94, didn’t like the grip safety, had to make to much of a concerted effort to keep the lever squeezed as I was shooting. And I think the 92 had a smoother action. | |||
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| Member |
I had a 1894 Marlin sbr’d to 13.5” barrel and other custom work done by Lew Bonitz at Grizzly Custom. He does really good work but very $$. I posted pics here some time ago. | |||
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| Truth Seeker |
I am actually looking at the x model as a possibility. NRA Benefactor Life Member | |||
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