Mine is not technically a Short Rifle, but it was modified into a very similar configuration by the inimitable Ralf Martini before I obtained it. The original owner is a regular poster on CGN and contacted me when I foolishly listed the gun for sale after having owned it for a number of years, and he provided me with some info on it. Fortunately, I came to my senses shortly thereafter and removed the ad.
It started out with a 26-inch barrel and crescent steel buttplate, and was cut down to 22-inches and had the buttplate replaced with a nice rubber recoil pad; not sure if the action needed or had any TLC applied to it. Later, another 'smith added a Marbles tang sight specifically intended for the tang-safety version of the 1886. It's scalloped on the bottom surface and fits partially over the tang safety, which remains accessible to the paranoid but easily ignored by normal people. It will never be accidentally pushed on or off with the sight in place, so it's easy to put in into the Fire position and just forget about it.
I'm sure it was a nice rifle before these mods, but it's now a wonderful practical hunting rifle. In comparison to a Marlin 1885, the 1886 feels much more heavily-constructed and cycles more smoothly than most Marlins I've owned; it's a quality rifle. Between new cataract-free lenses in my eyes and the excellent Marbles sight, I'd be completely confident in taking on a deer at up to 200 or even 225 yards in good light (much less at dawn or dusk). It's zeroed at 200 and hits about 7 inches high at 100, so not quite as much a no-brainer to shoot as a typical scoped sporter chambered in a typical deer cartridge, but still very usable.
If you're an experienced levergun shooter and accustomed to older, pre-safety models, you may experience a serious brain fart the first time you shoot a tang-safety or cross-bolt safety newer rifle. Since these still allow the hammer to fall when the trigger is pulled, it's easy to fall back on old habits and rely upon the hammer position for safety, with or without an empty chamber. Then when a quick shot needs to be taken, the hammer is thumbed back or the lever cranked and the trigger is pulled...and the hammer falls (not far enough with the safety applied to actually fire the gun) and you get that horrifying
click. Dumbfounded, you cycle the lever, ejecting a perfectly good live round into the weeds, and fire again...
click. Crank the lever again and hear another big heavy cartridge thud onto the ground. Squeeze the trigger, crank her again, and after yet another
click maybe you think to re-#### the hammer manually, so this time you get another bonus
click without actually losing another cartridge. By the time embarrassment sets in as you realize what a doofus you've been...the deer is long gone...
Fortunately, this only happens once per shooter...but, trust me, once is more than enough.
At this point I've taken a couple coyotes with this gun, and carried it on the occasional day while hunting but never fired at a deer. I plan on carrying it in some locations for my deer hunt this fall. I have only one tag but at least three rifles that all need to kill a deer, so we'll see how it goes. Walking up onto a downed animal, even a coyote, while carrying this rifle rather than a typical scoped bolt gun is special.
