Lever Action Questions

Mosinnagant · May 1, 2011, 07:54 AM

Dose anybody know what lever action in ethier 44 magnum or 357magnum is the overall best buy for about $500 or less. I am asking this because I have very little knowlege about lever actions in general.

mapsjanhere · May 1, 2011, 07:57 AM

Marlin 1894C, so don't let your wife get her hand on it or you will need two. Very fun gun to shoot.

athanasor · May 1, 2011, 08:12 AM

Ditto on the Marlin 1894c ( that's the 357/38 model ). There is no better better lever action in this caliber.

Mosinnagant · May 1, 2011, 08:13 AM

Not marrieded so I dont need to worry about getting two thank you for your reply.

Crunchy Frog · May 1, 2011, 09:38 AM

About the only lever gun at that price point is the Brazilian 1892 clone (used to be Puma, or Rossi and I think now it's a Braztech or some such.

If you are shooting full power loads the '92 action has a good strong lockup. General word is that they function better in .44 magnum or .45 Colt than in .357. The .357s can be real finicky about feeding especially with .38 Special ammo.

Dick's Sporting Goods had some .44 Magnum '92s on sale last time I was in there.

If you can stretch your budget a little the Beretta Renegades are available on GunBroker and elsewhere at a closeout price of about $700 which is about half of MSRP. I think those are made in .357 and .45 only. The rifle is manufactured by Uberti and is a reproduction of the Winchester 1873. The older "toggle link" action is not as strong as the Browning-designed 1892 model but it is very smooth operating and looks great.

L_Killkenny · May 1, 2011, 10:06 AM

I don't know where you guys get that the Marlin is over all better than the Rossi/Puma 92's and where you are getting your prices at. The 92's have actions just as strong if not stronger, they are slicker and they have a better "lightweight carbine" feel. Overall it's pretty close to a dead heat. The Marlin can be scoped which is an advantage to some. Only way to tell which one you prefer is to handle both yourself.

But a Marlin 1894 for $500 or less? Not on the new market and rare in the used market.

LK

cmdc · May 1, 2011, 10:20 AM

I have two Puma's, a blue 45LC and a stainless 44mag, both 16" carbines. Both are accurate and reliable. They could use a longer LOP, but still good shooters. I wanted Marlins, but Marlin is having some serious QC issues. I looked at a new Marlin in 357 that was on the rack at the gun store, but it had the infamous Marlin jam issue, wouldn't cycle, so they sent it back home. The Puma's were both under $500. The Marlins are more expensive and didn't work. Marlin is supposed to start producing the 1894s again this month, hopefully with all of their QC issues corrected. In the mean time, I would go with Rossi if I were you, if you can find one. I want to get a 357 and round out my collection.

jmortimer · May 1, 2011, 10:33 AM

Rossi M92 stronger action than the 1894 and works well with handgun cartirdges. The 1894 was not designed for handgun cartridges and if you google "dreaded Marlin Jam" you can learn how to "fix" you Marlin to function well with handgun cartridges. For 30-30 I would for sure get a Marlin but otherwise the M92 may be a better bet especially from Steves Gunzs or at least get the upgraded parts he sells. http://www.stevesgunz.com/index.htm The M92 is so strong it is sold in .454 which the 1894 could not handle.

cmdc · May 1, 2011, 10:40 AM

I could be wrong, but I think Rossi stopped production of the 454 because they were having problems with it. I hope that's not true, because I think it's a neat concept. I really wanted one of those but got the 45LC because it was all I could find.

L_Killkenny · May 1, 2011, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Rossi M92 stronger action than the 1894 and works well with handgun cartirdges. The 1894 was not designed for handgun cartridges and if you google "dreaded Marlin Jam" you can learn how to "fix" you Marlin to function well with handgun cartridges. For 30-30 I would for sure get a Marlin but otherwise the M92 is a better bet especially from Steves Gunzs or at least get the upgraded parts he sells. http://www.stevesgunz.com/index.htm The M92 is so strong it is sold in .454 which the 1894 could not handle.

Actually I'm pretty sure that the 1894 Marlin was designed for pistol cartridges. You're confusing it with the Winchester 94 which WAS NOT designed for pistol cartridges but instead for rifle cartridges like the .30-30. But plus on Steves Guns.

LK

jmortimer · May 1, 2011, 11:29 AM

"I'm pretty sure that the 1894 Marlin was designed for pistol cartridges" You may be right - aside from the change in ejection not sure what other changes Marlin made. In the end, Marlin is always a good choice. I have not seen any "R92's" in .454 in stock so it may have been discontinued which would be unfortunate.

overland · May 1, 2011, 12:19 PM

I have two 20+ year old Marlins including a 44 mag 1894 and both have been flawless. My one year old 1895 had the jam and had to be sent back for repairs. There have some quality control problem that the company needs to fix or they made some design changes that affected the rifles.

g.willikers · May 1, 2011, 03:28 PM

The Marlin that was not exactly designed for the 44mag, was the model 336, modified for that cartridge.
When the problems became obvious, the '94 replaced it, many years ago.

Lateck · May 1, 2011, 05:11 PM

I enjoy my Marlin 1984c. (357)

It's right at that price point.

Lateck,

Crazy Carl · May 1, 2011, 10:04 PM

If you can find a Marlin 1894 for that price, go for it.

If you can't, the Rossi/Braztech/whoever Brazilian or Italian 92 is nothing to sneeze at.

My 20" SRC is an older Interarms, pre-safety & I love it. Yeah, it needs some tuning, to keep my brass out of low earth orbit, but it's a great shooting, fun little gun.

Deja vu · May 1, 2011, 10:09 PM

I got my marlin for about $450.00 of course that was in 1996 and it was slightly used and had minor action problems that my father was able to fix.

I am sure the prices have gone up

I wish I would have gotten one of those old pump action 357 magnums.

Single Six · May 1, 2011, 10:15 PM

I had a Marlin 1894SS in .44 Mag. It fed okay....sometimes. With hollow points, it choked relentlessly, even after being sent back to Marlin for service. In complete disillusionment and disgust, I sold it off. Lesson learned.

Sarge · May 1, 2011, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Single Six

I had a Marlin 1894SS in .44 Mag. It fed okay....sometimes. With hollow points, it choked relentlessly, even after being sent back to Marlin for service. In complete disillusionment and disgust, I sold it off. Lesson learned.

To Quote Kris Kristofferson, "Mister, you've been reading my mail."

I had a dog 1894/44 myself. I know there were some good ones made, cause 10 or 70 guys will be along here shortly to tell us how great theirs is. You know what? I believe 'em. Personally, I wouldn't trade my... correction, my wife's... Rossi 92 in .45 Colt for two of them.

YMMV.

nathaniel · May 1, 2011, 10:31 PM

I have a puma M92 in 357 mag, I can feed it everything and it wont go down. Mine is also amazingly accurate which was a suprise to me because I was told by people that they are very inaccurate. But I do have a Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and it is the same as my Puma, accurate and reliable. I wouldnt trade them for anything.

bigghoss · May 1, 2011, 10:34 PM

I'm planning on getting a rossi just because I can't find any others with a 16" barrel.

Single Six · May 2, 2011, 06:14 AM

Sarge: Glad to see I wasn't the only one! I may have to look into Rossi since you say they've succeeded where Marlin did not.

jmr40 · May 2, 2011, 09:07 AM

I'm not sure if you can get a new one for under $500, but I wouldn't touch anything other than a Marlin in a pistol caliber.

Mosinnagant · May 2, 2011, 05:34 PM

Thank you for all the tips. I think I am going to go with the marlin in 357.

mavracer · May 2, 2011, 06:30 PM

Marlins are great guns the 1894 can be finicky about length. Mine will feed 357s and longer 38s like 158 RNFP cowboy loads fine, but it'll jam with short 38s like WW 125 jhps. My fix is easy I reload the cowboy bullets in 357 cases.

Daggitt · May 2, 2011, 09:23 PM

No problems with my Marlin lever action 44. It does not jam. Takes my reloads too with no problems.

May 1, 2011, 07:54 AM	#1
Mosinnagant Member Join Date: July 20, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 75	Lever Action Questions Dose anybody know what lever action in ethier 44 magnum or 357magnum is the overall best buy for about $500 or less. I am asking this because I have very little knowlege about lever actions in general.

May 1, 2011, 07:57 AM	#2
mapsjanhere Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 2,832	Marlin 1894C, so don't let your wife get her hand on it or you will need two. Very fun gun to shoot. __________________ I used to love being able to hit hard at 1000 yards. As I get older I find hitting a mini ram at 200 yards with the 22 oddly more satisfying.

May 1, 2011, 10:33 AM	#8
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,763	Rossi M92 stronger action than the 1894 and works well with handgun cartirdges. The 1894 was not designed for handgun cartridges and if you google "dreaded Marlin Jam" you can learn how to "fix" you Marlin to function well with handgun cartridges. For 30-30 I would for sure get a Marlin but otherwise the M92 may be a better bet especially from Steves Gunzs or at least get the upgraded parts he sells. http://www.stevesgunz.com/index.htm The M92 is so strong it is sold in .454 which the 1894 could not handle. Last edited by jmortimer; May 1, 2011 at 11:30 AM.

May 1, 2011, 11:29 AM	#11
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,763	"I'm pretty sure that the 1894 Marlin was designed for pistol cartridges" You may be right - aside from the change in ejection not sure what other changes Marlin made. In the end, Marlin is always a good choice. I have not seen any "R92's" in .454 in stock so it may have been discontinued which would be unfortunate. Last edited by jmortimer; May 1, 2011 at 11:35 AM.

May 1, 2011, 12:19 PM	#12
overland Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2009 Location: Outback of Michigan Posts: 244	Marlin Jam I have two 20+ year old Marlins including a 44 mag 1894 and both have been flawless. My one year old 1895 had the jam and had to be sent back for repairs. There have some quality control problem that the company needs to fix or they made some design changes that affected the rifles.

May 1, 2011, 08:12 AM	#3
athanasor Member Join Date: September 5, 2009 Location: South Florida Posts: 55	Ditto on the Marlin 1894c ( that's the 357/38 model ). There is no better better lever action in this caliber.

May 1, 2011, 08:13 AM	#4
Mosinnagant Member Join Date: July 20, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 75	Not marrieded so I dont need to worry about getting two thank you for your reply.

May 1, 2011, 09:38 AM	#5
Crunchy Frog Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2008 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 591	About the only lever gun at that price point is the Brazilian 1892 clone (used to be Puma, or Rossi and I think now it's a Braztech or some such. If you are shooting full power loads the '92 action has a good strong lockup. General word is that they function better in .44 magnum or .45 Colt than in .357. The .357s can be real finicky about feeding especially with .38 Special ammo. Dick's Sporting Goods had some .44 Magnum '92s on sale last time I was in there. If you can stretch your budget a little the Beretta Renegades are available on GunBroker and elsewhere at a closeout price of about $700 which is about half of MSRP. I think those are made in .357 and .45 only. The rifle is manufactured by Uberti and is a reproduction of the Winchester 1873. The older "toggle link" action is not as strong as the Browning-designed 1892 model but it is very smooth operating and looks great.

May 1, 2011, 10:06 AM	#6
L_Killkenny Senior Member Join Date: February 2, 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,676	I don't know where you guys get that the Marlin is over all better than the Rossi/Puma 92's and where you are getting your prices at. The 92's have actions just as strong if not stronger, they are slicker and they have a better "lightweight carbine" feel. Overall it's pretty close to a dead heat. The Marlin can be scoped which is an advantage to some. Only way to tell which one you prefer is to handle both yourself. But a Marlin 1894 for $500 or less? Not on the new market and rare in the used market. LK

May 1, 2011, 10:20 AM	#7
cmdc Senior Member Join Date: April 1, 2010 Location: Florida Gulf Coast Posts: 721	I have two Puma's, a blue 45LC and a stainless 44mag, both 16" carbines. Both are accurate and reliable. They could use a longer LOP, but still good shooters. I wanted Marlins, but Marlin is having some serious QC issues. I looked at a new Marlin in 357 that was on the rack at the gun store, but it had the infamous Marlin jam issue, wouldn't cycle, so they sent it back home. The Puma's were both under $500. The Marlins are more expensive and didn't work. Marlin is supposed to start producing the 1894s again this month, hopefully with all of their QC issues corrected. In the mean time, I would go with Rossi if I were you, if you can find one. I want to get a 357 and round out my collection.

May 1, 2011, 10:40 AM	#9
cmdc Senior Member Join Date: April 1, 2010 Location: Florida Gulf Coast Posts: 721	I could be wrong, but I think Rossi stopped production of the 454 because they were having problems with it. I hope that's not true, because I think it's a neat concept. I really wanted one of those but got the 45LC because it was all I could find.

May 1, 2011, 03:28 PM	#13
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	The Marlin that was not exactly designed for the 44mag, was the model 336, modified for that cartridge. When the problems became obvious, the '94 replaced it, many years ago. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

May 1, 2011, 05:11 PM	#14
Lateck Member Join Date: December 22, 2010 Location: Arizona, USA Posts: 72	I enjoy my Marlin 1984c. (357) It's right at that price point. Lateck,

May 1, 2011, 10:04 PM	#15
Crazy Carl Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Location: Alamance Co., NC Posts: 265	If you can find a Marlin 1894 for that price, go for it. If you can't, the Rossi/Braztech/whoever Brazilian or Italian 92 is nothing to sneeze at. My 20" SRC is an older Interarms, pre-safety & I love it. Yeah, it needs some tuning, to keep my brass out of low earth orbit, but it's a great shooting, fun little gun.

May 1, 2011, 10:09 PM	#16
Deja vu Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2010 Location: Border of Idaho & Montana Posts: 2,584	I got my marlin for about $450.00 of course that was in 1996 and it was slightly used and had minor action problems that my father was able to fix. I am sure the prices have gone up I wish I would have gotten one of those old pump action 357 magnums. __________________ Shot placement is everything! I would rather take a round of 50BMG to the foot than a 22short to the base of the skull. all 26 of my guns are 45/70 govt, 357 mag, 22 or 12 ga... I believe in keeping it simple. Wish my wife did as well...

May 1, 2011, 10:15 PM	#17
Single Six Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2010 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,522	I had a Marlin 1894SS in .44 Mag. It fed okay....sometimes. With hollow points, it choked relentlessly, even after being sent back to Marlin for service. In complete disillusionment and disgust, I sold it off. Lesson learned. __________________ Seen on a bumper sticker: "Exercise. Eat right. Take vitamins. Die anyway."

May 1, 2011, 10:31 PM	#19
nathaniel Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: North Dakota Posts: 600	I have a puma M92 in 357 mag, I can feed it everything and it wont go down. Mine is also amazingly accurate which was a suprise to me because I was told by people that they are very inaccurate. But I do have a Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and it is the same as my Puma, accurate and reliable. I wouldnt trade them for anything.

May 1, 2011, 10:34 PM	#20
bigghoss Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2006 Location: Pueblo, Colorado Posts: 2,664	I'm planning on getting a rossi just because I can't find any others with a 16" barrel. __________________ I don't collect guns, I accumulate them.

May 2, 2011, 06:14 AM	#21
Single Six Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2010 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,522	Sarge: Glad to see I wasn't the only one! I may have to look into Rossi since you say they've succeeded where Marlin did not. __________________ Seen on a bumper sticker: "Exercise. Eat right. Take vitamins. Die anyway."

May 2, 2011, 09:07 AM	#22
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	I'm not sure if you can get a new one for under $500, but I wouldn't touch anything other than a Marlin in a pistol caliber.

May 2, 2011, 05:34 PM	#23
Mosinnagant Member Join Date: July 20, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 75	Thank you for all the tips. I think I am going to go with the marlin in 357.

May 2, 2011, 09:23 PM	#25
Daggitt Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2011 Posts: 321	No problems with my Marlin lever action 44. It does not jam. Takes my reloads too with no problems.

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