Marlin Ruger 1894

[Puller]

I get a kick out of those who espouse the JM Marlins as some holy grail. I've owned near a dozen of them through the years and they were average in their day at best. The late Remlins were just as good (I know, blasphemy, right?), but I've handled and shot several Ruger/Marlins and they are a step up.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

Love my old Marlins. Both are 45colt. The CL was my main match guy forever, eventually developed the Dreaded Marlin Jam. I repaired it with a piece of coping saw blade and jbweld. I rebuilt the carbine into a Trapper. Hoping you get a good one. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[TheTinMan]

I own a Winchester 94 Trapper in .357. How does that compare? Better or worse than the new Ruger? Or the old Marlin for that matter. Seems to me that the "94" designation was originally a Winchester.

The Marlin 1894 was released in … wait for it … 1894. I'm not certain that it was the first side-eject lever action, but it certainly is the best known. However, I don't think that Marlin started pre-drilling holes in the top of the receiver for scope mounts until after WWII. The ability to easily mount an aperture sight or scope on top of the receiver is a big plus.

The Winchester Model 94 was designed by John M. Browning in 1894. It was designed for rifle cartridges like the .30-30 Winchester, while the Marlin 1894 was designed for pistol cartridges up to the .44-40.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

I have a JM Marlin .44Mag…one of my favorite rifles. I'm glad to see them back.

As already said…Remington nearly ruined the Marlin brand but there's more to the story. Marlin's tooling was quite worn and they didn't have the money to justify retooling…if they didn't sell out to Remington they would have closed their doors. Maybe someone else might have bought them…maybe not. Remington did save Marlin in that respect.

Because Remington became embroiled in legal problems they ended up not being able to retool Marlin or their own products and we know the end of that story.

It's much like AMF buying Harley-Davidson decades ago. They made a lousy product but did save the company which was eventually sold to investors who reinvigorated Harley. This is an earlier parallel to Ruger buying Marlin.

Smith & Wesson, Colt, Dan Wesson, Charter Arms and other gun companies have gone through different ownerships with varying degrees of success and quality control issues. Like it or not…it's the reality of life.

 

[dmar]

I've had hands on the new Ruger/Marlins at the gun store, and the quality actually looked really good. Wood was really nice, checkering was nice, and the metal work looked pretty good. Haven't shot one, but I'm interested in buying one at some point.

I've got several Marlins from back in the day, and cosmetically, these new Ruger rifles look good to me. That said, they are pretty price. If I was in the market for a lever action, I'd probably also look for an original Marlin that was lightly used. Not a fan of the Remington Marlins, quality was spotty on those. The new Henry lever action center fires are nice. I got one in .44 mag last year, and it's very nice.

 

[ladder13]

I have a 1894SS Remlin. It was a jam-o-lever so I sent it back to the "factory". It came back so ultra smooth with a slick action.

Don't think many folks would be interested in buying it, so it's mine forever.

I wish I had bought a Remlin 1894SS in 357, they were going for ridiculous prices at one time. Maybe not so much nowadays, haven't looked.

Should never have sold my JM 35 Remington.

 

[Doug M.]

They have started making .357s, but the version I want is TBD.

 

[Flyingfool]

I want a 357 lever action. I have absolutely no need for one. I have 3 Marlins. A336W in 30-30 a 30 TK on 30-30 and a 336C in 35Rem.

So a marlin 39a in 22LR and a 1894 in 357 would round out the collection nicely.

Since I don't need one. The 357 marlin or possibly a Henry, may have to wait a few years as a retirement gift to myself!

 

[TheTinMan]

I want a 357 lever action. I have absolutely no need for one. I have 3 Marlins. A336W in 30-30 a 30 TK on 30-30 and a 336C in 35Rem.

So a marlin 39a in 22LR and a 1894 in 357 would round out the collection nicely.

Since I don't need one. The 357 marlin or possibly a Henry, may have to wait a few years as a retirement gift to myself!

You're not done yet! Where's the .45-70?

 

[Super Trucker]

I would like another 1894 in .44mag.
I had a JM Marlin about 30 years ago and sold it to cover medical bills, then they got expensive after Remington took over.
Unfortunately the new Ruger/Marlin guns are more expensive than the actual JM Marlin's, so I'm not sure which way to go.

If they release a stainless model that would make up my mind.
I have a stainless 336 that's about 25 years old that I hung onto, a matching 1884 would be nice.

 

[reccpd101]

I have JM Marlin 1894SS in 357, 44, a blued 1894 32-20 and a 336SS in 30-30 and a 39A Mountie. The 1894s have been shortened to 17" barrels and fitted with peep sights. They are handy as hell and match my 357 and 44 Mountain Guns and Hand Ejector 32WCF. The old western lawmen were on to something with the 44-40s handguns and lever actions. I was a Deputy US Marshal in the 1970s and got the idea from reading some of the records from the old days. I have never had a problem with the JM Marlins feeding as long as I fired 158 grain 38 Special jacketed bullets in the 357 or 200 or greater jacketed in 44 Special. I have fired a 44 Ruger\Marlin with the same results.

 

[Borderboss]

You're not done yet! Where's the .45-70?

I had one of the 1895 Cowboy Marlins in .45-70 in the late-'90s. It hit me harder than I like to be hit, so I moved it along.

 

[Flyingfool]

You're not done yet! Where's the .45-70?

Probably not. Maybe a 444 Marlin!