Yes, Ruger should be ashamed of themselves, but they won't, especially with people willing to get cornholed by buying one of these. The cost is not justifiable. There's no custom work in it, and I'm pretty sure that more than a few will be going back to the factory to correct things which should have stopped them from going out the door in the first place. Ruger is really bad about that, with their Indy 500 pit stop-style assembly line and their questionable QC these days.

The last Ruger I bought was an SP101 that had one edge of the trigger guard unfinished and was so sharp, I cut myself the first time my finger rubbed against it.

quote:

Originally posted by Abn556:
For $240 less you can get a Ruger SFAR that is a much better all around rifle.

+

Not even remotely in the same market, these rifles. At that, I'm seeing a lot of mixed feedback about the SFAR in terms of accuracy and reliability.

In fairness to Ruger, when they bought Marlin all they effectively got was the plans for the firearms and the rights to the trademark. They apparently didn't know just how BAD the then-existing Marlin tooling and machinery were going to be. Which naturally turned out to be THE reason why it took them so long to the 1895 production back up and running, as they felt that they had no choice but to completely retool for all of Marlin's production lines.

I would imagine that all of this initial work didn't come cheap since they were essentially starting over. Probably didn't help that it was also during the height of COVID, when there were already rumors that Ruger was facing worker shortages. No question that the new MSRPs for their reintroduced levers are certainly much higher than before when Marlin was part of Remington, but what's even WORSE is what people have been willing to actually PAY for these new production rifles. It ain't MSRP. Not even close.

And while it's sad and somewhat disgusting for us with long memories that Ruger will sell every frickin' one that they can churn out, these guns in turn most likely will sell out at retail for considerably MORE than mere MSRP. It's what happened with the 45-70 1895 SBL and subsequent Trapper when those went live, and is still the case more than a year later.

Marlin like their past Remington overseers was direct-from-factory ordering for dealers before Ruger came along. Now everything is through distribution which only contributes to the hot shortage mess with any high-demand firearm out of Ruger or Marlin. When Davidson's or Lipsey's sees a 1895 shipment, as I've been endlessly told by our reps, far too often the guns come in a dozen or two at a time...for dealer accounts to consume across the entire country. And of course the Eastern time zone usually has the advantage since they wake up first to take advantage of any overnight restocking.

Forgive me, I grousing again. But all of this will contribute to some stupidly expensive prices when the guns finally hit stores. Except maybe on the East coast. But even there it wouldn't surprise me if there won't be some serious price gouging taking place, considering how HARD it is to find and get these guns.

I'll also add that for levers, Marlin pricing and Winchester pricing (from Browning) are now pretty much on par with one another. Probably a fact that wasn't lost on Ruger when they set their current MSRPs.

quote:

Originally posted by ruger357:
Not for that price. Maybe if was half that price.

Indeed. At half the price. Until then, give me a used Marlin or a new Henry.

I'm surprised at all of this hate directed toward Marlin for the new rifles and their prices.

Today's prices can't be compared with those of past Marlins, especially pre-COVID and considering the high inflation the last couple of years.

Marlin took on a failing company, took their basic designs and completely revamped them and greatly increased their quality.

I'm like anyone, I hate to see increased prices on firearms or anything for that matter, but if you take the time to look at current prices on other products offered by competitors I think you'll see that they are pretty comparable. It's not fair to compare Marlin prices from several years ago to today's prices in this inflationary market any more than it's fair to compare egg prices from 3 or 4 years ago to egg prices today. Look at gas prices. Two year ago it was much cheaper compared to today's prices that are two or three times more. Unfortunately that's the way things are today.

I'm sure that Marlin very carefully compared and priced their products after checking out the competition and made certain their prices were competitive. They couldn't hope to stay in business if they were overpriced.

I think the fact that there are long waiting lines for the new Marlins proves that they have created a new, quality Marlin that is competitive in today's market.

quote:

Originally posted by rlbuzz:
I'm surprised at all of this hate directed toward Marlin for the new rifles and their prices.

It's not Marlin, it's Ruger, and it's not hate, it's disgust.

It's disappointing that adults have started throwing around the word "hate" when someone else expresses their displeasure with something or someone. I know how this current usage originated and I'll leave it at that.

If you and others think you see 1240 dollars worth of rifle, be my guest and throw down the cash, and has been pointed out, these rifles are likely to go for more than retail price, and Ruger knows this and this serves to deepen my disgust with them. They're Chevrolet and they think they're Porsche.

Saying that other gun companies are doing the same is not an excuse for this attempted rape. "It's OK because there are other rapists" simply does not cut it.

quote:

Originally posted by monoblok:
Probably a fact that wasn't lost on Ruger when they set their current MSRPs.

Traditionally Ruger's MSRP's have been laughably high, well above actual selling price.

But there's no doubt, Ruger's prices have soared. All prices have, but perhaps theirs a bit more.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by rlbuzz:
I'm surprised at all of this hate directed toward Marlin for the new rifles and their prices.

It's not Marlin, it's Ruger, and it's not hate, it's disgust.

OK, I see your point. Maybe my word "hate" was the wrong term to use in reply.

The point I was trying to make was that all of the complaints about the high prices on the new Ruger/Marlin products (they're one and the same now) fail to realize that competitors prices are very similar.

It's hard to compare one model to another because various models from different manufacturers contain different options, but just for comparison in two models that are very similar let's consider the Winchester 94 in 30-30 as a fairly close competitor to the Marlin 336. The 336 retails at a MSRP of $1240 that many say is too high. With fairly similar features the Winchester 94 retails for $1340. I'm trying to pick very similar models in the same caliber and with comparable features.

Take a Marlin 1895 BDL in 45/70 and it retails for $1240 with laminate stock and blue finish. A comparable Winchester 1886 Saddle Ring Carbine which is similar with a blue finish and wood stock comes in at $1630. They are not exact matches but Winchester doesn't have many 45/70 rifles to choose from.

If you take Marlin's top of the line 1895 SBL in all stainless and it retails at $1479, or less than the Winchester 1886 with a blue finish.

The models that I chose to compare may not be exact matches, but they are similar and in the same calibers and finishes so they should be close. In all cases the Marlins are about the same or even less in MSRP. While we may not like the MSRP of the Marlins, they are in line with what other manufacturers of similar firearms are charging for their products.

I haven't checked other manufacturers of lever action rifles but I suspect their prices will be in the same range. It's an unfortunate fact of life that ALL prices of just about everything have risen dramatically in the last few years and it isn't fair to compare today's Marlin prices with Marlin products that were manufactured several years ago. I'm sure that Marlin spent a great deal of time researching the prices and features of other manufacturer's firearms and set their prices accordingly. Marlin had to keep their prices competitive in order to compete and stay in the game.

I’m thinking about getting into the lever action game. Don’t know if I’ll get a Marlin or Henry. Thinking about something in .38/357.

Any suggestions?

I have a newer Henry 8n 45-70, my 1st. I find it very nice, great quality.


I also have a few older lever guns, 444, 32 win, 30-30. While cool, I wonder if the market will wane some as many that appreciate them age out?

I look back to certain guns, Model 12 Winchester pump, Ithaca 37, A-5 Browning that may not have the desirability they once had.

Then on the other hand, the market is as hot as ever for an older S&W revolver.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
I’m thinking about getting into the lever action game. Don’t know if I’ll get a Marlin or Henry. Thinking about something in .38/357.

Any suggestions?

Are you looking for a more traditional lever action rifle or one of the newer “tactical” type guns?

Either way I like Henry, but I’ve heard pretty good things about Rossi guns and those will typically save you a few hundred bucks. I recently got a Henry Carbine in .45 Colt and it’s a really fun rifle that pairs nicely with a couple .45 Colt pistols I have. I’d like to add a .357 but might go with a more modern one and make it all tacticool. There are some pretty cool mods for the Henry Big Boy X models.

Very Nice PaleHorse.

I’ve got a Marlin 45 Colt but my next lever action rifle will be a Henry.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
I’m thinking about getting into the lever action game. Don’t know if I’ll get a Marlin or Henry. Thinking about something in .38/357.

Any suggestions?

I am a former owner of a Rossi .357/.38 lever rifle, and it was 100% reliable, plenty accurate, and a decent bargain for the price. Cannot comment on current production models, but the ones I've seen at my LGS look at least as good as the old one I owned years ago!

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
I’m thinking about getting into the lever action game. Don’t know if I’ll get a Marlin or Henry. Thinking about something in .38/357.

Any suggestions?

For pistol caliber, if you don't reload, .38/.357 is the way to go. .45 Colt, .44 Mag, or .44-40 will bankrupt you in short order. Even .38/.357 isn't exactly cheap these days.


I like my Marlins, but they do have their issues. They don't like to feed SWC bullets very well as the shoulder will hang up on the edge of the chamber. The lever cam on the 1894 also has a tendency to wear a groove into the bottom of the lifter, which eventually allows the magazine to feed two rounds (well, one and a half) which will lock the gun up tight. There are fixes for this, but IMO it's a design flaw that should have been considered from the beginning. My ported 16" .44 is pretty ammo picky...I think it's a barrel harmonics thing based on how the end of the magazine tube is attached to the barrel. I finally found a load that it likes, but it took some doing. My .357 and .45 Colt are both tack drivers. Also keep a screwdriver handy...there are lots of screws and they like to come loose if you shoot them a lot.

Henry makes a nice looking and feeling center-fire leverguns, but I haven't shot one.

My buddy used to have a Winchester 94 in .30-30 that was a lot of fun to shoot...I wish I'd bought that one instead of letting him trade it to a gun shop for $200.

The Rossi is a decent copy of a Winchester 92...it has a stupid safety thing on the bolt but I hear those can be removed. The price on the Rossi is as close as you're going to get to reasonable these days. When I was after a .44 I almost bought one before a buddy basically gifted me his Marlin.

I really want an 1873 clone for the smooth toggle-link action, but personally can't stomach the price.

Several months ago, I ran across a new Ruger Marlin 336 on the shelf at a LGS, with a tag that was wayyyy under MSRP.

I was surprised! It had the most beautifully figured walnut furniture, excellent bluing, and very impressive fit and finish. The store clerk let me try the trigger and it was better than just good.

I had to flip my heart switch from in love to cold as stone, gave it back to the clerk and quickly left.
It's a decision I still regret.
There is a very nice article in the November 2023 American Rifleman about the Ruger/Marlin 336's and 1894's.



My poor little broken heart is panging again.

Here's a link to the .pdf version:

https://pdf-magazines.me/2023/...n-november-2023.html

Edited to add: The author reports 3 different ammo ten shot groups at 100 yards of 2.23", 2.25" and 1.85".

The last one was with Winchester Power-Point 170-grain JSP. Not bad at all for a short range deer and pig rifle.

I used to have a Winchester in 30-30. Gave it to my FIL who promptly sold it. Fuck. Still, it wasn’t great. The new Henry’s with the side gate are great. First off they don’t have an external safety. No push button no tang nothing. I love that clean look. Lever guns never needed that safety. It’s the Hilary hole of the lever gun world (sorta, poetic license).

I would love to hear (seriously) any reasoning why comparable modern Winchester or Ruger lever guns are preferred over Henry, which are cheaper. And nicer to my eye and hand. Is it the name thing? I always avoided Henry when they didn’t have a load gate. Now that they fixed that, I am all in.

Want to get into lever guns? Stroll into your local pawn shop or small LGS and look over the used rack. I can often find beater 336s or 94s for $250. Upgrade the sights to Skinner or Williams, check the extractor /ejector and give it a good cleaning.
The lever gun was the AR of its day!

I have 3 JM marlin 336 in 30/30 including a 1949 undrilled waffle top. Didn’t pay more than 350 for any of them in the last decade or so.

Also have a nice 1894 44mag. Paid about $600 But it’s had a lot of rounds run through it.


I’d really like to see Ruger come out with a pistol grip stock 1894 in 16.24 stainless preferrred in 44m/44s, 357/38 and possibly 327 mag. With special runs in 41 and 45 for the cultists.

In 336 of course they need to bring out 35 rem special runs in the old calibers 32 special 219 zipper etc.