Who has experience w/the Marlin 1895 45-70?

I am very interested in acquiring the Marlin 1895 in 45-70 config. Does anyone have any experience with this gun?

J.M. STAMPED Buy now still going up in price. Learn the codes for date of manufacturer, BUT some late ,ones still O.K. They are for the most part VERY well made and slick to operate. Same for H & R's. There is a large amount of info about both on the net. I think they are a wise investment, BUT you decide what you want out of life.. I too worked all my life from 14. NOW wore out and NEVER will make the Rockies for elk.. SUPERMAGS gone out of site and Money...

I've got one one of the new "Remlins" and it seems well built and a decent shooter. I can't speak for the sights as I put a 2x scope on it as my eyes aren't that good any more. The wood to metal fit looks good to me. It shoots 300 JHP (factory) well but am having trouble with a LEE 340 GC cast to shoot well at 100. I'm PC'ing them and am not using a GC on it, so I expect it's me or the bullet/charge instead of the rifle. I got mine for a real good price (clearance at Walmart) but am pretty pleased with it. I'll get it wrung out soon enough, I imagine.

Have a 26" CB. It is fun especially with with minimum loads of Trail Boss. Have not hunted with it. Can't use cast in Calif. Factory sights are accurate at soda cans and other similar wild game. It is a light gun so I don't want to shoot heavy loads.

There are several variations. My favorite is a JM stainless guide gun. With a 405gr and full tilt load of Varget it’s a ragged hole shooter at 100 yards if I do my part.

Have a 22” blued version. Love it. Bought mine new in 2007. 1.5” groups at 100 yards with peep sights using Laser cast boolits. Todd/3leg

Yes I have one. Shoots good enough for me to go out to 250 yards with a shortened 1.80" case for hunting in Michigan. Initially had problems with the dreaded Marlin Jam. Even with SAAMI Spec ammo. Took it back where I bought it under warranty. Since I got it back, it functions flawlessly.

I have a brand new 2018 1895CB with a 26" barrel. Accurate, light and smooth.

What's not to like?


Steve in N CA

I've had one for about 20 years, and have put many cast boolits through it, especially in the first 10 years I owned it. It has accounted for 2 deer and a moose and it will be with me until I can no longer shoot. Mine is very accurate with everything I have put through it except the Lee 340 grain boolit. For some reason I can't get decent groups with it. I initially used a Williams peep sight on it but now it wears a Leupold FX II 2.5 power scope. It's a great combination!

The action is a little short but the 2010 I shoot is otherwise ok .

.

I've owned/shot/hunted with several different .45-70 Matlin 1895's over the past 40-odd years.

They were an early Sporter (22" bbl), a Guide Gun (short bbl) & a later Sporter (22" bbl)) - all of them had Ballard type rifling ILO Marlin's Microgroove rifling.

The Guide Gun was factory ported to help fight recoil with it's short bbl & commensurately lighter weight.

As much as I liked the GG, I much preferred the 22" barreled Sporters (I used to change guns like I changed shoes).

I found that the 22" bbl was just as handy while hunting as the GG, and I felt that it swung (on running game) better than the GG.

I would, however, recommend a CB model (Cowboy) with it's 26" octagon bbl, for target shooting, as the long bbl can be more accurate, and the extra weight is a great recoil mitigator.

After many years of shooting .45-70's, I will now refuse to shoot one with a boolitt weight of over 300-305 gr. (YMMV)



.

The only experience with the Marlin 45/70 is I brought one three weeks ago.I haven't taken it to the range yet.

Fine guns and a lot of fun. Boolits need to be oversize with microgroove barrels( if you get a used gun. all the new ones have Ballard rifling). With heavy bullets they can be uncomfortable to shoot. Of course they are not a long range rifle or a varmint gun.

A couple friends bought straight up vintage 1895s when Ohio began allowing rifles for deer. I have two Guide Guns, one blue and one stainless. A friend bought a Guide Gun then years later sold it to another friend.

They all have fired loads using my NOE/Ranch Dog 350gr boolits with great groups and taken deer. That’s my favorite, but I also have 405gr and 420gr cast, 350gr Hornady and 400gr Speer bullets on the shelf. The .45/70 can be loaded from wild to mild and still take any North American critter. It’s a grand old cartridge.

Marlin went thru a low period, got sold, moved to the Remington factory without tooling or experienced labor. It’s safe to buy most older Marlins and I’ve read enough to be comfortable buying a new rifle that I got a chance to inspect.

I have a JM 1895G (non ported) that is an absolute hoot to shoot, have taken more than a few deer with it. I put the xs peep and blade on it and love it. Shoots cast (gould 330 grain), j word, and barnes mono equally well. Way overkill on deer, but puts them down like thors hammer.

The kids bought me a new Marlin 1895 Cowboy 45-70 for fathers day. By S # it was built in 2012. Very nice gift until we scoped the bore and found that there were several CHUNKS missing out of the lands about four to six inches down from the muzzle. It was sent back to Remlin for a new barrel but what we got back was a target shot by someone somewhere with some rifle that had about a three inch five shot group and a note that the gun shot just fine and they saw no reason for complaint. Old JM Marlins, I love them, but you won't see me doing anymore business with Remington. Their products are junk and their customer service is worse. Gp

Their customer service encouraged me to not buy any more new ones as well and that was over twenty years ago . I do have some Marlins made long before that and I'm happy with them , I've just lost interest in anything new they have .

Jack

When I think 45-70; the Marlin 1895 comes to mind first and the CB model is the pick of the litter in my opinion. I custom built a Guide Gun from a new model in 1981. I cut the barrel to 18" and hand filed a new dovetail. Yes I miss it. Love Marlins when they're built right Remlins included.

If you go to buy a gun,any gun,take a USB bore camera with you,and have a look. And a couple of styrofoam peanuts......Then you will not get caught with a bad bore and it wont matter if the gun was made by JM Marlin or Eli Remington..I know that lots of buyers used to complain about new Remington 700s having chambers not concentric with the bore........The time to look is before you buy,not after......then you can say "Id like to see another one,please"........not beg for the defect to be fixed in your new rifle.

Bought mine on close-out for $125 in 1980. Straight-grip, Curved buttplate quickly replaced with recoil pad, 22" barrel -shot my first elk with it (a5x6) and many more since then, wife has shot a few elk with it also two others friends, one a fine 7x7. A moose and just a few deer, I usually use other rifles for lighter game like deer. Longest shot taken was a 5x7 bull at 340 yards on ranch where I practiced my long range shooting, at 9500 feet trajectory is much flatter than the low country. If/when I start thinning my herd of rifles, it and a Savage 99 358 will be the last. I had a Leupold 2.5x20 on it for a very long time, upgraded to 1.5-5x20 Vari-Xiii and now have a 1.76-6x32VariX 3i. I shoot a 300g RCBS Flatnose Gas Check for fun over 5744, a 300 gr Barnes Origin. It has been and is just a reliable companion and comfort in the back country of Colorado and Wyoming. Not many rifles more comforting in bad country, horseback or afoot. Oh yeah, now the dinosaur guys(Jurassic World) and the movie Wind River have them in starring roles. Just got an 1895 Cowboy when Marlin/Remington did the rebate, it is well done and accurate, I will shorten the magazine to 3 Rounds and the barrel to 23", add another 1.75-6x32 and have a back-up that is just a little bit unique. I have a dozen or so Marlins but my old 45-70 is special, 1st elk taken, I was alone with my saddle horse and a pack horse back in the West Elk Wilderness, Colorado. Yeah the 1895 Marlin 45-70 can be really special.