New to me Marlin 1894C lever action question

[Ebola]

Just received my first lever gun today. It is a Marlin 1894C chambered in .357. This is my first lever gun and really my first time ever playing with one. 2 questions come up after handling the rifle. What is the little tab for on the bottom of the gun under the loading port? It does move when the action is cycled. Is it a magazine disconnect or something? Also on the stock near the swivel stud there is a little white plug that looks like ####. What is it? Any help is appreciated

 

[Hakutsuru]

The thing near the sling stud is the marlin bullseye. It's purely stylistic. Just something they started doing a while back.

I'm not sure what the tab is for. My guess is that it's got something to do with feeding from the magazine. Maybe a bullet stop to keep the next round in the mag tube.

 

[Alex McKr]

The little tab is part of the carrier assembly. Its role is to keep the carrier in proper alignment when cartridge feeding. As for the Marlin "bullseye"...as already mentioned, it is a trademark feature of all Marlin rifles. If memory serves, it has been used since 1922.

 

[Luckybeer]

Is it a new Marlin? FYI, always try and buy a "JM" stamped barrel Marlin.. if it's a 1984C.. it should be a JM.. the answers you received in earlier PMs were correct. Enjoy the rifle. You won't find a better lever.. Remember when Win was busy advertising, John Marlin was busy designing guns!! Cheers

 

[SHELL SHUCKER]

Is it a new Marlin? FYI, always try and buy a "JM" stamped barrel Marlin.. if it's a 1984C.. it should be a JM.. the answers you received in earlier PMs were correct. Enjoy the rifle. You won't find a better lever.. Remember when Win was busy advertising, John Marlin was busy designing guns!! Cheers

Yep, Winchester was advertising the best lever guns ever made in the day & they were designed by JM Browning.

 

[Luckybeer]

Yep, Winchester was advertising the best lever guns ever made in the day & they were designed by JM Browning.

I think they (Winchester) are good, but not as good as the Marlin.. The 1886 or 71 is by far the best Wins.. until the 1886 came around Win rifles really couldn't handle the pressures of more powerful calibers like 45/70 etc.. a weaker design.. and the rattle of the lose actions were always a bother to me.. lol In there day, they did sell more guns than Marlin, probably because the Wins were alot cheaper price.. Anyway something to take away..

 

[IRONSIDES1]

Marlin has used the white bullseye to designate walnut stocks on their rifles. Marlin rifles without walnut stocks do not have the traditional bullseye. It was also intended to advertise a Marlin rifle when various rifles were in the rack at your local gun shop.

 

[mastermind]

Marlin lever > Winchester lever

 

[EhGun]

Is it a new Marlin? FYI, always try and buy a "JM" stamped barrel Marlin.. if it's a 1984C.. it should be a JM.. the answers you received in earlier PMs were correct. Enjoy the rifle. You won't find a better lever.. Remember when Win was busy advertising, John Marlin was busy designing guns!! Cheers

Can't totally agree with you on always buy a JM ...the rifles coming out of the factory in the past couple of years are good to go. My wife has an 1894c and it is excellent.

 

[bWONGER]

Is it a new Marlin? FYI, always try and buy a "JM" stamped barrel Marlin.. if it's a 1984C.. it should be a JM.. the answers you received in earlier PMs were correct. Enjoy the rifle. You won't find a better lever.. Remember when Win was busy advertising, John Marlin was busy designing guns!! Cheers

Or you can buy a henry

 

[Luckybeer]

Can't totally agree with you on always buy a JM ...the rifles coming out of the factory in the past couple of years are good to go. My wife has an 1894c and it is excellent.

Yes .. I have been noticing a huge improvement in fit and finish etc.. I do agree..
..but on the other hand, JM will only go up in value if you decide to sell in the future.

 

[Ebola]

Yes .. I have been noticing a hugh improvement in fit and finish etc.. I do agree..
..but on the other hand, JM will only go up in value if you decide to sell in the future.

Thanks for the responses gentlemen. What specifically make a JM barrel better?



To be honest I was not impressed with fit and finish on mine at all. The front sight hood nearly fell off the second I opened the box. There were 2 small spots on the loading gate port that the finish didn't take at all and it is bare metal. Not a big deal as I figure the loading gate port area will get marked up over time. However there was another spot on a receiver edge right near the but stock were the finish didn't take either. That one is about a three quarter inch long. That one annoys me. If the store I bought this from was close to me I would have went back to ask for a discount. If this is the best Marlin can do, I will never buy a Marlin sight unseen again. Allot people say Marlin quality is decent again and Remlins are no longer. Im not so sure on that.

 

[buck knife]

You hve a great little rifle

 

[Alex McKr]

Judging from the description of the defects on your new rifle, it deserves to be returned. Defects like you describe are unacceptable. Is your rifle new manufactured? Or one from existing stock? It is possible you got one of the earlier 'Remlins', that may still exist in dealer inventory. These were the rifles produced right around and shortly after Remington acquired Marlin. There were a lot of quality control issues with these rifles, during the changeover. If so, you can determine its manufacture date, using this process:

B=Jan Year: E=2010, F=2011, G=2012, H=2013, I=2014, J=2015, K=2016, L=2017, M=2018....etc. Note: This is for new Remington-made rifles. Prior to 2011(when the changeover in date coding started), Marlin rifles featured a number-code for
L=Feb Manufacture date. Ie: 91=2009, 90=2010, 89/Mr=2011...etc.
A=Mar
C=Apr
K=May
P=Jun
O-Jul
W=Aug
D=Sep
E=Oct
R=Nov
X=Dec

Any of the newly manufactured Remington-Marlins I've seen...especially over the past year, have really improved in overall build quality. Though quality control and inspection prior to leaving the plant still seems to be spotty. Still, if the rifle is newly manufactured and has the defects you mentioned, it should be returned for warranty. Gravel Agency is the warranty center for Marlin, in Canada. Ultimately, the choice is yours. The Marlin '94...especially in .357, is a handy, accurate and fun little rifle to shoot. Don't let one 'bad apple' sour these rifles for you. You may have gotten the one 'lemon' in the basket.
Hope some of this helps.

Al

 

[captonion]

Thanks for the responses gentlemen. What specifically make a JM barrel better?
.

Nothing, there was a short time when Rem took over but all good now..
I have an JM in 444 that the sights are not top dead center (canted to one side). My brother had a JM 44 Mag that had the dreaded Marlin jam that was never fully cured after being sent back multiple times..

 

[Alex McKr]

I'm with Captonion. There is really nothing superior about a JM-marked barrel, over its Remington replacements. Aside from the JM cachet. This may be of some use to collectors; as no more of the JM-marked Marlin rifles are being built. But....at least in my opinion....that's about it. Its too bad you got a rifle that slipped past quality control. That's one of the problems when ordering any rifle, sight unseen. Also, these rifles are built to a certain price point. So you can expect some corners to be cut. Still, no excuse. Those defects should have been caught. But, as long as the issues are only cosmetic, it may not be a deal breaker for you.
How is the rifle mechanically? You can expect the action to be a little stiff when new. But that can be addressed with use. Plus judicious stoning and polishing of the internals. These little rifles can be slicked up to run smooth as glass, with a little work. You may also wish to replace the springs, for even smoother function. I believe Rusty Wood stocks Marlin spring kits.
These really are fun little rifles. Remington appears to have finally gotten its act together and producing some good quality 'Marlin' rifles again. Lately, some folks have even opined that the new 'Remlins', are better than the originals. Time will tell.

Al

 

[leeelmer]

I have a newer production marlin 357 cowboy
It is perfect in every way. Great trigger. Blueing is excellent. Fit is great. I am astounded at the accuracy of it with 38s and with full boar hunting 357 loads.