I'm finally going to buy a lever gun because they are so damned cool. I want it in either .357 mag or .44 mag. I have no experience with these rifles and would like to hear the opinions of those who own/shoot these beauties. Thanx early and Happy new year everyone!
Lever action, Marlin Vs. Winchester.
- Thread starter savagefan
- Start date
Our family has four Marlin's 1895SS (45-70), 1895G (45-70),336CS (30-30), 336Y (30-30) and 2 Winchesters Trapper 94 (30-30) and Timber Carbine (444) in our house (I have 5 kids who all shoot and hunt, except the 6 year old who only target shoots with her 22). I like the Winchesters but love the Marlins. Accuracy is basically the same but the Marlin action is smoother and the Marlins have proven a bit more reliable. My 11 year old son had his safety fail to release as he tried to shoot a 560 pound black bear last season. I shot it with my Marlin 45-70. I'm planning on buying the new Marlin 336XLR from SIR (price is going to be $729.99) in the next couple of months.
- Location
- Yellowknife, NWT
I've owned both a '94 carbine and a 336C. Both in .30-30. Accuracy was roughly the same, slightly in Marlin's favour. Pointability (OKAY, so it's not a real word!) goes to Winchester, which I like the feel of for carrying. I think the Winnie is prettier, which counts a fair bit; more than most of us will admit. But I like the Marlin for its ease of disassembly, and cleaning from the breech. It also just feels more solid to me when I shoot it, which is subjective. It could just be the extra few ounces of weight. I'd be happy owning either, but if I were buying a lever as my one and only, go-to gun, it'd be a Marlin. A 336XLR is in my future if they make a blue/ walnut version. If they don't, I may get a Winchester Legacy 26" blued octagon. Not that I've thought it over much! LOL!
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
IMO as a hunting arm you'd be better off with a 30-30. I like Winchester's myself.
The 30-30 feeds better in both Marlin and Winchester, has more range and thump than the pistol calibers, and a flatter trajectory. Plus, you can get the 30-30 ammo anywhere.
The 30-30 feeds better in both Marlin and Winchester, has more range and thump than the pistol calibers, and a flatter trajectory. Plus, you can get the 30-30 ammo anywhere.
This is one of those debates that has no right answer! I think everyone should have at least on lever action Winchester in their collection...just 'cause! The Marlin is a well made rifle and, on average, I've found them to be just a tad more accurate than the run of the mill Winchester 94. My next purchase is going to be a Marlin 1895 Cowboy in .45-70 with 26" Octagon barrel, because I've been wanting one for a looong time! Love the look, heft and feel of that rifle and it will make an excellent black bear and moose gun for pushing the bush.
That said, your best bet is to try both the Winnie and the Marlin and see which one fits or "feels" best to you. A good rifle can be a very personal thing, and since only YOU know what you like best, you'll only know by going out and trying 'em both! You won't go wrong with either rifle! Good luck and have fun!
The Marlin is a well made rifle and, on average, I've found them to be just a tad more accurate than the run of the mill Winchester 94. My next purchase is going to be a Marlin 1895 Cowboy in .45-70 with 26" Octagon barrel, because I've been wanting one for a looong time! Love the look, heft and feel of that rifle and it will make an excellent black bear and moose gun for pushing the bush. That said, your best bet is to try both the Winnie and the Marlin and see which one fits or "feels" best to you. A good rifle can be a very personal thing, and since only YOU know what you like best, you'll only know by going out and trying 'em both! You won't go wrong with either rifle! Good luck and have fun!
Virtually everyone has a horror story about 1 or more firearms that they have owned. He's my lever horror story;
In '94 I was looking for a lever in .357 because I was doing alot of .357 shooting out of my M66 and wanted a cheap and easy round that I could reload in abundance. After looking around for about 6-8 months I couldn't find one, I even phoned Winchester! The nice lady said that they didn't have enough calls to start manufacturing them again. Remember this was before Cowboy Action got bigger.
I finally gave up on .357 and found a Winchester Wrangler in .44 Magnum. Shades of John Wayne that large loop lever was kewl! Little did I realize that with 2 years, I'd start shooting Cowboy Action. I did lots of testing and came up 7.2 grains of Unique pushing a 240 grain LSWC bullet as an accurate target load.
Within the first 20 rds down range, the pot metal feed ramp broke. Off for warranty work! Eight months later I get the rifle back. After every 50 rds the rear sight elevator would fall off. So we have to install a Williams rear sight! Shooting again after every 50 rds the screws in the receiver would work loose. Locktite!! After 1,500 rds the tubular magazine spring gave up the ghost! Wolfe Gunsprings to the rescue. After this the Lever Link broke, 3 months and 5 nasty letters later, Winchester told me they would sell me the part but without warranty! They wanted me to send the gun to the warranty centre again!
That was the last straw, I found a sucker to buy the Winchester and bought a .44 Magnum Marlin M1894S, after 8,000 rds through it, it broke a firing pin. I love the quality Marlin builds in. That being said I absolutely love my .44 Magnum Winchester M92 Carbine mfg in 1906 and my .38-55 Winchester M94 Rifle mfg in 1913. The actions are butter smooth and they don't rattle! Basicly ask a Cowboy Action shooter because we are HIGH volume shooters for that type of rifle.
P.S. My Wrangler was one of 4 Wranglers in town with the same problems.
In '94 I was looking for a lever in .357 because I was doing alot of .357 shooting out of my M66 and wanted a cheap and easy round that I could reload in abundance. After looking around for about 6-8 months I couldn't find one, I even phoned Winchester! The nice lady said that they didn't have enough calls to start manufacturing them again. Remember this was before Cowboy Action got bigger.
I finally gave up on .357 and found a Winchester Wrangler in .44 Magnum. Shades of John Wayne that large loop lever was kewl! Little did I realize that with 2 years, I'd start shooting Cowboy Action. I did lots of testing and came up 7.2 grains of Unique pushing a 240 grain LSWC bullet as an accurate target load.
Within the first 20 rds down range, the pot metal feed ramp broke. Off for warranty work! Eight months later I get the rifle back. After every 50 rds the rear sight elevator would fall off. So we have to install a Williams rear sight! Shooting again after every 50 rds the screws in the receiver would work loose. Locktite!! After 1,500 rds the tubular magazine spring gave up the ghost! Wolfe Gunsprings to the rescue. After this the Lever Link broke, 3 months and 5 nasty letters later, Winchester told me they would sell me the part but without warranty! They wanted me to send the gun to the warranty centre again!
That was the last straw, I found a sucker to buy the Winchester and bought a .44 Magnum Marlin M1894S, after 8,000 rds through it, it broke a firing pin. I love the quality Marlin builds in. That being said I absolutely love my .44 Magnum Winchester M92 Carbine mfg in 1906 and my .38-55 Winchester M94 Rifle mfg in 1913. The actions are butter smooth and they don't rattle! Basicly ask a Cowboy Action shooter because we are HIGH volume shooters for that type of rifle.
P.S. My Wrangler was one of 4 Wranglers in town with the same problems.
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Appreciating all replies so far, Garand I think you've nailed it, I will shoot this gun lots and I think you've shown why the Marlin costs a bit more than the Winchester. But the Winchester looks really good, especially the trapper.
Altacan, the 99 is of course an excellent rifle, unfortunately I'm looking for a new one, come on Ronny make 'em again will ya? Happy 06 everyone yeehaw!
Altacan, the 99 is of course an excellent rifle, unfortunately I'm looking for a new one, come on Ronny make 'em again will ya? Happy 06 everyone yeehaw!
gunasauras
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Western Manitoba
I have owned both Winchester and Marlin lever actions, and I definitely prefer the Marlins. Right now, I own 2x Marlins, 1x 1895 in 45-70 and 1x 1894in 357 Mag. Both took game this year and I love them both!
gunasauras
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Western Manitoba
