Marlin 1894 .38/.357 - This one stays here

[NCBeagle]

Among my greatest gun "regrets,"'selling two Marlin 1894s (JM stamped) years ago. Found this Marlin 1894 at a shop in Matthews, NC today. It is modern production / Ruger era Marlin. Looks great. Smooth action. We'll not let this one go. O can shoot it this summer.

 

[Sam McCord]

Good looking carbine! Put a quality receiver sight on it and shoot the rifling out of it!

 

[huthike]

Sweeeeet. Always wanted one of those in 38/357.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

There is a minor flaw in the design. On 357's only after many hundreds/thousands of rounds, The elevator gets a groove worn in the bottom by the lever extension. It continues to work fine with 357's but the 38's no longer function correctly. I had 2 over the years that did that. I suggest you use a grease instead of oil to lube the under side of the elevator and the "Thumb" on the lever.

J.B.Wood in his book "Troubleshooting Your Rifles and Shotguns", says the repair would be to epoxy a thin, hardened piece of steel over the worn groove, He recommended a short piece of worn out (toothless) hack saw blade.

Personal experience has taught me the instructions are correct when it says; Don't use 38 Special full wadcutter ammo or 38 S&W cartridges (Long and Short Colt either!). It ends up jamming the action with the second cartridge and you have to disassemble the tube magazine to clear the jam. Did I say repeated personal experience.

I hope you enjoy your new Marlin for years to come.

Ivan

 

[JJOG]

I have three JM 1894's myself. 1982 in 357 ,1981 in 44 mag, and a 1990's Limited Cowboy in 45 Colt. All keepers for life! Winchesters are nice too.
I'll take the old JM Marlins over the Winny!
I hear good things about the Ruger Marlins!

 

[dutch686]

I love my 44 mag. Just wish the stock wasn't as short as it is.

 

[target tech]

Just curious, does anyone know if Marlin ever made a 16” “trapper” 1894. That’s what I’m waiting for, in .44mag. Maybe Ruger will step up.

 

[Goldstar225]

Congratulations on your 1894. I lucked into a great deal on my JM 1894 .357 a few years ago. If I didn't have it then I would buy the Ruger/Marlin in a heartbeat.

 

[S-W4EVER]

That’s a beautiful carbine. I’ve got the JM 1894C .357 w/ 18.5” bbl and the JM Cowboy w/ 24” Octagon bbl. they’re not going anywhere.

 

[NCBeagle]

There is a minor flaw in the design. On 357's only after many hundreds/thousands of rounds, The elevator gets a groove worn in the bottom by the lever extension. It continues to work fine with 357's but the 38's no longer function correctly. I had 2 over the years that did that. I suggest you use a grease instead of oil to lube the under side of the elevator and the "Thumb" on the lever.

J.B.Wood in his book "Troubleshooting Your Rifles and Shotguns", says the repair would be to epoxy a thin, hardened piece of steel over the worn groove, He recommended a short piece of worn out (toothless) hack saw blade.

Personal experience has taught me the instructions are correct when it says; Don't use 38 Special full wadcutter ammo or 38 S&W cartridges (Long and Short Colt either!). It ends up jamming the action with the second cartridge and you have to disassemble the tube magazine to clear the jam. Did I say repeated personal experience.

I hope you enjoy your new Marlin for years to come.

Ivan

Great info. Thanks. Was not aware of the issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[colt_saa]

Olivia looks very happy in that image

I have always preferred the straight stocked levers. I must have 12 by now from various manufavturers

I have 3 of the 1894s myself. Two are chambered in 41 Magnum and one in 45 Long Colt

My only 357 levers are a pair of 1892 Pumas and a Mares leg from Rossi

I did take the 45 Long Colt Marlin and convert it to a take down. Then I had a saddle maker create a nice leather roll to transport it in

 

[Durango Slim]

Just curious, does anyone know if Marlin ever made a 16” “trapper” 1894. That’s what I’m waiting for, in .44mag. Maybe Ruger will step up.

I have an 1894CP .38/.357 that has a 16" barrel. Bought new in 2002 for $400.

Kinda of a rare duck. Ported barrel for some reason and only made a couple of years.

I have a matching 336Y with a 16"barrel.

I want to find a .22 and a big bore in the same length to round out the collection, although I don't know if I should go .45-70 or .44 or .45.

As expensive as they have gotten, I better decide soon- they are likely to continue to increase in price.

 

[chief38]

Ruger seemingly has gotten the new production Marlins going out the door in an impressive manner. From everything I've heard & read, their QC fit & finish are pretty darn good. I have not yet shot or held one, but the consensus so far is good.

While there are a few differences in their production methods, at least they have stepped up to the Plate and made them high quality rifles. There will only be one JM Marlin and they are now long gone, but at least Ruger has done an excellent job in resurrecting the name and models. They are also giving the rifles back the reputation and quality they deserve after Remington completely destroyed that.

I am hoping that they also come out with the 39A. IMHO, the 39A was the finest 22 rifle ever constructed. Yea, the Winchester 9422 was an excellent, buttery smooth and gorgeous rifle / carbine in its own right, however the 39A was full sized and more comfortable for most of us and just plain always worked. The Henry's are just not my cup of tea. Yes, their quality is good and they work just fine, I just can't deal with their construction, looks and materials they use. I suppose one could make the argument that they are selling them at a much better price point and yes, that is true.

Good luck with your new Ruger - it looks great! Let us know how it shoots.

 

[TheTinMan]

Just curious, does anyone know if Marlin ever made a 16” “trapper” 1894. That’s what I’m waiting for, in .44mag. Maybe Ruger will step up.

I think Marlin did make 1894 Trappers. Their “Trapper” line today doesn’t show an 1894. However, the “Dark Series” line does. I do not like the plastic stock etc; however, a 16” barrel with a threaded muzzle does open up some non-traditional possibilities.

Dark Series Lever-Action Rifles

Chip

P.S. takedown lever actions are COOL and that case looks vaguely familiar. I had one made for my Browning BLR in .308 and Winchester 1892 Trapper in .45 Colt:

P.P.S. Winchester 1892 Trapper Deluxe Takedown (.45 Colt - Miroku manufacture)

 

[zeke]

Just curious, does anyone know if Marlin ever made a 16” “trapper” 1894. That’s what I’m waiting for, in .44mag. Maybe Ruger will step up.

Yes they did. Have the 357 and 44 mag CP versions. The 44 mag is in the bedroom loaded with 180 jhp's at about 1550 fps (1250 fps from 4 in). Very accurate and soft shooting.

Once took my mother to the range when she was in her late 70's, who had no rifle shooting experience. She was effectively on target from standing at 25 yds in a few shots.

 

[Faulkner]

I have a Rossi 92 and a Winchester 94 in .357 but have been unsuccessful in acquiring a Marlin in .357. I'm gonna have to go on the search for one of the Ruger/Marlins, looks impressive.

I'm also a fan of Lee Hadaway's work. He did a great job on the takedown conversion on my 16 inch 336Y in .30-30.

 

[jake1945]

I'm lusting over their 'Limited' 1894. Beautiful lever rifle!

 

[smitholdtimer]

Nice One....

Good show, Ryan. You will enjoy.

 

[Rock185]

target tech, Yes Marlin made an unported 16" barrel, trapper type .44 carbine , about 25 years ago, IIRC. Mine is marked "The Marlin Limited" on the barrel and was part of a TALO distributor's run. I bought it new, still have it. Bottom one in the photo..

 

[colt_saa]

Just curious, does anyone know if Marlin ever made a 16” “trapper” 1894. That’s what I’m waiting for, in .44mag. Maybe Ruger will step up.

I am not a big 44 Magnum fan, but make one in 41 Magnum and I am all over it

I bought this one in 2005. Stainless steel, laminated grey stock and a 16" barrel. 251 pieces were made