Learn me on the Marlin 1894 in .44 mag

[zackmars]

Might end up with one, no pictures as of yet, but it's an older model, no safety, in really good condition. Straight wood stock. Has an older 4x scope on it, 20" ish round barrel.

Chambered in .44 magnum.

Any thing i need to keep my eyes open for? Approximate value? Any good off the shelf loads that shoot well? I have a couple of boxes of leverloution 225gr for some reason...

 

[justmax]

Might end up with one, no pictures as of yet, but it's an older model, no safety, in really good condition. Straight wood stock. Has an older 4x scope on it

Chambered in .44 magnum.

Any thing i need to keep my eyes open for? Approximate value? Any good off the shelf loads that shoot well? I have a couple of boxes of leverloution 225gr for some reason...

I had one just as you described but without optics. Over the thirty years it, that rifle killed more deer and hogs than all my other rifles combined.

When I am buying any magnums, I want to know that it will properly chamber and eject a piece of spent brass just to be sure it has not had a too steady diet of "specials".

 

[Sam7sf]

Any thing i need to keep my eyes open for?

Nothing you're not already smart enough to know. As long as them screws aint messed with and it's clean, buy it. Older marlins are good guns. I'm not a huge 1894 buff but I wouldn't be afraid to gamble on one.

Haven't heard much from him lately but if @TreyG-20 Is still around I would suspect he's in the know being such a big fan. @Hoji Seems to know his lever actions well also.

 

[Moonpie]

If it has the micro-groove barrel(which it probably will) stick with jacketed bullets.
Lead bullets = bad juju in the micro groove.

 

[Outrider]

I bought one [1894 SS 44 mag] from a friend a couple of years ago. Liked it but the lever itself was painful for my hands. Sold it back to him after he had all his other rifles stolen and picked up a Henry X 45 Colt. The larger lever and the action are both far superior to the Marlin. I wouldn't trade him back for the Marlin under any circumstances. Accuracy is about the same although the Henry has better sights [fiber optic].

The Marlin sells on the used market for around $1200-1400. The Henry X is $949 at my LGS. You can get a 44 mag, but you will likely have to wait a bit to get it.

 

[hornetguy]

Just to play devil's advocate... I had one for a short period of time. It had issues feeding some loads, others did ok. Accuracy was just ok, but admittedly I didn't have it long enough to really work out a good load.
I've heard good things about too many of them to think that mine was the norm.
I wouldn't hesitate to try one (preferrably .357) again, if I could afford the stupid prices on them.

 

[TxStetson]

As @Moonpie noted above lead projectiles can be bad on micro groove rifling unless they’re moving slow and you clean it very often. Those Leverevolution rounds feel almost like 45-70’s when you pull the trigger, and can be very accurate out of some guns and minute of barn out of others. It’s hard to beat as a brush/hog gun with its 10+1 capacity. I did manage to break the ejector on mine, but since I was saving the brass it was pretty convenient to just roll it to the right and dump the brass out off the chamber. It cost $6.50 for parts and shipping to fix. If the action feels rough, it can be made butter smooth in about 10 minutes with emery cloth and rubbing compound.

What else do you need to know?

 

[hornetguy]

I've heard a lot of guys that shoot microgroove, and they insist that if you size the bullet .001 to .0015 over groove diameter, you'll get no leading. Of course, that is the correct approach for ballard/cut rifling as well.
I've never seen any leading in a microgroove .22lr either. I imagine it's the same principle...

 

[jertex]

I own about 2 dozen Marlins and the 1894 in 44 magnum is probably my favorite. I had to put a 1-4x scope on it because of my aging eyes and shoot a 1.3" group at 100 yards with factory Fiochi XTP's and think I can tighten that up with hand loads. The 44 magnum is a mild recoil load in a rifle and plenty of gun to take down whitetail for a quick kill. Be aware of the potential for what's called the Marlin Jam, which is easily remedied with about 10 minutes of work if you handle it before it becomes an issue.

 

[rotor]

My JM 44 magnum is a great shooter and I shoot 240 gr JSP, the same that I shoot with my S&W 629. Grace makes special screwdrivers for Marlin lever actions and I recommend getting a set to preserve the beauty of the gun. If you need a copy of the user manual reply here and I will post one.

 

[BigRed]

They do work well...even better when you get the ammo figured out. Went to rolling my own long ago and never looked back.

 

[wakosama]

https://www.marlinowners.com/forums/1894.38/

If I had one it would go to favorite daughter.

 

[Dingo]

My JM shoots awesome and is a tack driver. Have not had a single issue. It shoots the lever revolution damn good but absolutely loves the Ted nugent , th o I don’t remember the bullet for those off hand. Good luck

 

[Emow]

I’ve not had any trouble over the years. You’ll really like it!