My 28-2 turns into a .44 magnum

[Ribwizzard]

Recently moved to a Miami area and first pawn shop I stopped at a few weeks ago had a 28-2 nib 6" that I snagged for $800 out the door.
Today I had some spare time and google searched the closest range and found a hole in the wall that only had 10 yard lanes.
When I checked in to shoot, I looked at the display rack of new guns and right in the middle of 20 some ar and aka variants was a Marlon 1894 in .44 magnum.
I checked it out for all the usual complaints that new Marlins are supposed to have and saw none. Action was like silk and trigger felt very good. Wood is a little darker than what I've looked at, but looks very nice with nice fit.
The young clerk did not know the price and said he would have to call the main store to find out. I went on in and shot my 28-2. Sweet gun and 158g .357 can shoot easily with one hand, just a nice handgun.
So...I come out and the kid says $500 out the door on the marlin. SOLD.

 

[Muley Gil]

I presume you kept your M28-2. Oh, and you may want to re-do your picture of the bill of sale and cover up your name and home address.

BTW, nice looking Marlin.

 

[Ribwizzard]

Yes, kept the 28-2. Sweet shooting gun. Only thing that surprised me was how dirty it got my hand.

 

[Ribwizzard]

Powder residue

Strange how dirty I got shooting the 28-2

 

[k22fan]

I'd like to have a Marlin 1894 .25-20 again. The .44 Magnums kick. Figuring they will only be short range carbines many .44 owners mount the least expensive scope they can find then wish they'd spent more after recoil jars the reticle loose.

 

[rwt1405]

Very nice revolver and carbine!

I'm a lever action (and revolver!) fan, so I'd have been a very happy camper to find either/both of those!

My first hunting rifle (Christmas 1975, for my first hunting season, as I turned 12 in 1976) was a Glenfield (made by Marlin) 30A.

Congrats and good shooting!

 

[AJ]

Had a Marlin 1894 many years ago. Paired it with a Ruger New Model Super Blackhawk. Both shot very well. No real need for a scope on the 1894. It is a short range tool for hunting or target. Quicker handling without the scope.

 

[NCBeagle]

Well done. Those Marlin 1894s are fantastic. I've had a couple 1894c (.38/.357). You stole it at $500.

 

[Ribwizzard]

My first choice would have been in .357, but have been looking for a few years and have yet to find one.
But, I picked up a 6" 629 a few months back, so at least I have s 44 magnum handgun to pair with it, but may need to pick up a 4" in blue to better match.

 

[Eddietruett]

I'm glad that you shot the new 28! It was made for shooting.

 

[Ribwizzard]

Thanks, I'm not much into safe queens, and bought it because I wanted a 6" .357, not because of its it's age or collector status. I do however appreciate the quality of the workmanship. I was shooting it double action , single handed with magnums, the trigger staged perfectly on all chambers and I never let one off early . Try to do that with my 686 and you'll let one off early if your not as super easy or shooting too fast.

 

[Black Knight]

Nice revolver and nice rifle. I have wanted to pair my stainless Ruger Vaquero in 44 Magnum with a Marlin 1894 but around these parts they go at least $850 to $950 and sometimes more depending on where you look. Great job and great price.

 

[Ribwizzard]

Checking online last night, looks like prices have dropped about $100 across the board for this rifle. Still not $500 out the door, but in the $600 range

 

[General Flunky]

I am not an expert on Marlins but I do have some made before Remington bought the company. The MR prefix in the serial says it was a Remington built Marlin. Check the left side of the barrel next to the receiver. If it has a "JM" stamp then the barrel was made by Marlin. If it has a "REP" the barrel was made by Remington. It has a six groove Ballard rifling with a 1/38 twist rate. The barrels were pretty uniform for size and should be fine with .430 to .431 size bullets.

 

[SteveA]

My son's friend bought a Marlin .44 last week at Cabelas/Wichita. It was new production as well and is pretty nice. I'd like it a lot better without the impressed checkering but it shot well with the ammo on hand. A peep sight would certainly help (at least for these 51 year old eyes).

 

[Ribwizzard]

Best I can tell, this one was produced late 2016, and that is good news as it was built on the new tooling and well after the bad batches reported.
Also. The wood has cut chickening, not pressed. It is deep with sharp points. My 870 had pressed checkering, and did nothing for gtip.

 

[TheHobbyist]

Nice guns.

 

[coyote6974]

I bought a Marlin 1894 .44 magnum carbine back in the late 80's. It has the micogroove rifling and turned out to the most inaccurate firearm I owned at the time. I finally found I needed to handload using .431 diameter bullets to get best accuracy from the gun. I currently load 240 grain Hornady XTP HP's over 20 grains of 2400. The Marlin has taken many deer over the years using this combination. When deer hunting I pair the Marlin with a four inch 29-2 that is a phenominally accurate revolver using the same load. I've taken several deer with the 29 as well.

 

[Green Frog]

I had a chance in the early '70s to buy one of the then-current Model 1894 carbines with heavy octagon barrel, over runs from some commemorative series that Marlin had done, but other than the barrel just like then-current production rifles. Didn't lay it away but came back to the store when my income tax return came in... sold it the week before! Of all the guns I've missed buying in my life, that one hurts the most, especially since I got a Model 29-2 a few years later that would have paired with it perfectly.

Froggie

 

[453030]

Big fan of the 44 lever rifle. Mine drives tacks, no optic required.