Ever since I bought my Blackhawk convertible in .45 Colt/ACP a year or so ago, I've been looking for a rifle to go with it. I was kinda loosely watching gunbroker for a while, and checking the local stores. Nothing was turning up. I'm a Marlin fan, but I would have taken a Winchester Trapper if I could have found one at a good price, and even took a long look at the Rossis. My main criteria were carbine-length and round (not octagon) barrel.

A couple of weeks ago I was in the LGS, and stumbled upon a new Marlin (Remlin) 1894 in .45 Colt. It was exactly what I was looking for, but he wanted $750 for it, and I didn't have the cash handy at the time. I checked it over, and it had good wood to metal fit, and the action was smooth. I left it there that day, but ended up going back a week later and trading a cheap PSA 9mm AR and a Ruger SR22P plus some cash for it. Not a fantastic deal by any means, but I moved two guns that I didn't enjoy shooting to get one that I wanted, so I'm ok with it.

The action feeds very smoothly, even with semi-wadcutters. It also runs .45 Schofield very smoothly, although I still need to work up an accuracy load for that. The trigger is pretty decent...It's better than my .45-70 Remlin, but not as nice as my JM .357...probably 5-6 lbs, but not gritty at all.

The first time I took it out, it was all over the place. I then realized the front sight was loose in the dovetail. I could have peened it, but I planned on putting a Williams WGRS peep sight on it anyway and had a fiber-optic front sight handy for that purpose. I ordered and installed the WGRS (a note about that: The WGRS rear sight base for the 336 is too long, so I had to mount it backwards and do some filing on the sight base to get adequate clearance for the aperture, but I'm happy with the outcome), and got it out to the range to zero it today.

Here's two groups at 45 yards. The top three are the first group, and the lower three are the second after I adjusted the sight a bit. That's a 255GR Coated LSWC over 8.0gr of Unique at 1075FPS. After today, I'm convinced that the gun is more accurate than my capabilities, so I'm happy.

Nice! Looks exactly like the one I had in .44 Mag. One of the very few guns I regret parting with. Enjoy that rifle, sir!

Beauty, you did well!

Nice! Do your knuckles a favor and buy a lever wrap.

Nice. I really like the checkering.

I just got a little .22lr Henry for plinking and eventually will get one like yours. I am liking these things more than modern weapons.

I can also attest to the leather wraps saving your hands a lot of discomfort.

quote:

Originally posted by patw:
I am liking these things more than modern weapons.

I'm with you there. I like my ARs and that stuff, too, but I just get more enjoyment from shooting these. There's something about keeping it handy, light, and simple that really makes a gun fun to shoot. It doesn't hurt that my .357 is like a tack driver...I just can't miss with that gun. Hopefully this one proves to be similar.

And I'm not gonna lie...levering shells into the chamber can really make a guy feel like John Wayne .

quote:

Originally posted by Rolan_Kraps:
Nice! Do your knuckles a favor and buy a lever wrap.

Here is the one that I use: http://www.whyteleatherworks.com/Accessories.html
Only $10.

They also have "butt covers" to protect your stock.

SHOULD you decide to "play cowboy" with us, that peep site isn't legal for Cowboy Action Shooting.

Thanks for the link, Rolan. I likely won't be participating in CAS, so the peep sight won't be an issue. The rifle will probably accompany me on some camping trips out west and get used for general plinking and maybe deer hunting here at home.

I find an aperture sight much easier to use than the buckhorn style, which is probably due to training I've received on ARs and other military rifles. I've found that an aperture sight enables me to get similar results downrange as I could with a low power scope, without all the bulk and weight messing with the lines and balance of the rifle. Buckhorns, for me, are more of a crapshoot. As such, I'm opting for practicality at the expense of traditionalism.

Nice rifle. And all my levers wear Williams receiver sights. The main drawback to the gun is the buckhorn sights.

I hear you. If you DO decide you want to play Cowboy, a Tang site is legal such as the Marbles.

Like this: https://ads.midwayusa.com/prod...lDALFyxoCl2EQAvD_BwE

Rolan is certainly right about a lever wrap. I have the same Marlin in .44 mag. I shoot it with bunny farts in CAS, and Hornady Leverevolution 225 gr when woods walking.