Marlin 1894 in 44 Mag at LGS

[Kevinakaq]

Well yesterday I went to the LGS to pick up a lightly used Uberti Yellowboy in 45 LC that i had been eyeballing. While i was 'a waiten i saw they had a 98 percent condition pre safety (1977) 1894 in 44 mag for sale. Couple small dents in stock that would easily steam out were the only flaws keeping it from being like new. All original.

I had one some 30 years ago and sold it as a kid and always regretted. They are asking (and will not negotiate) 595 (out the door) and i think that is a bit high, but i read they are selling high these days due to the CAS interest. Second guessing myself because i did drop a bit of cash lately on rifles/pistols and may have an addiction, ha! Someone talk me out of or into heading back and picking her up.

Thanks for your support during this difficult time ;-),
kev

[flyer1]

Around my area they are very rare. I gave 400.00 15 years ago. For todays prices no to bad. If you want it and have the money, buy it. Yes I have the addiction also. I guess I am an enabler.

[sghart3578]

I don't know, maybe I am an enabler also but I would buy it.

This is my thinking on situations like this: If you buy it and shoot it for a year or so, then decide to sell it you will get your money back. But say you only get $450 on a resale. That means you paid $145 to rent an enjoy a rifle for a year.

Life is short.

Steve in N CA

[starnbar]

I gave about 400 some years ago on a s/s 44 mag lightly used and wouldn't take 800 for it now.

[NavyVet1959]

I recently came across a Rossi Model 92 in .44 mag for $300. My other lever action is a Marlin 1895GS in .45-70, so the Rossi is my "small caliber" plinking round rifle.

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/rossi-model-92-480w.jpg

[762 shooter]

First step is to go to Gunbroker and see if there are any available and what is the cost.

Second step is to examine how bad you want it. I'm pretty sure they don't make those any more (pre-safety).

Third step is to make sure you can still pay the mortgage and all of the utilities if you buy it.

Fourth step is to think, ponder, meditate and pretend that you have already bought it. Do you have pre-buyers remorse? If not

Buy it.

Glad to help.

762

[Kevinakaq]

Response to various points -

1. Money as it related to paying bills etc. isn't the issue. I was raised frugal and despise paying to much etc. for anything.

2. Have a Rossi 92 24" 45 lc on layaway at Bud's currently.

3. Price seems to be on high end of fair on gb etc, but once again this is 98 plus and haven't found many for sale representational. Keep asking myself when will i find another in this condition and pre safety - will only own pre safety marlins (have around six currently - 32 wsp, 444, 35 rem, 30-30) but no pistol catridges). Oh and i realize there is a guide gun hole in my collection as well!

4. Always pondering, and as I told father the other day that as I age I have gotten wiser. Instead of debating for weeks on end I normally just buy anymore. BUT my frugal (downright poor) upbringing kicks in and I second guess the more expensive priced firearms. Hence my current predicament.

5. As for enjoying for a year...well if i got around to shootin this one in a year I would be amazed. I have a list of unshot rifles and I work to darn much these days. Retirement or unemployment is when I will get my chance to enjoy again, unless I get smart and rearrange my life and live the way I know I should.


thanks for the replies fellows. Still on the fence though, haha!

[pietro]

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FWIW, I sold my 16"/ported .44 Mag Model 1894P online for $750, about two years ago - but that model was only made for 2 years, IIRC.

A plain-jane 20" M1894 carbine usually changes hands today for close to $600 - unless it's a rarer (1973 only) M1894 Sporter (half-magazine), which should easily reach $750+ today.


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[utahtrapper]

600 to 700 in good shape to great shape most every where now.

[sghart3578]

"5. As for enjoying for a year...well if i got around to shootin this one in a year I would be amazed. I have a list of unshot rifles and I work to darn much these days. Retirement or unemployment is when I will get my chance to enjoy again, unless I get smart and rearrange my life and live the way I know I should."

Trust me, I know exactly what you are saying. I have guns that I have never shot, and guns that I shoot all the time.

Best of luck,

Steve in N CA

[Shuz]

I've owned 2/ea .44 mag 1894 Marlins in my lifetime, and neither one would shoot as well as my Winnie Trapper in .44mag. I attributed the poor accuracy to the 1:38" twist. The Trapper has a 1:20 or perhaps a 1:26 like my latest Winchester 1988 model 1894. Now, I love Marlin rifles, and I own 2/ea 444 Marlins. One is a pre-safety 444S with a 1:38" twist, and the other is a 2006 444XLR that has a 1:20" twist. The XLR is much more accurate than the 444S.
I also think that $600 out the door is too much for a Marlin 1894. I got $500.00 for my most recent 1894 Marlin in .44 mag, a year or so ago, and altho it was a cross bolt safety model, it did have a Ballard rifling. However, it still had a 1:38" twist.
Good luck on your decision! I made mine last Sunday when I bought my latest Winchester in .44 mag, a pre-safety 1988! I did pay $600.00 out the door.

[John Allen]

Marlin 1894 in 44 are going for way too much money in my opinion. Even worse are the 1894 in 357

[dragon813gt]

Marlin 1894 in 44 are going for way too much money in my opinion. Even worse are the 1894 in 357

They are brining market value. There won't ever be a JM stamped Marlin again. So they're commanding a premium. When a Remington made new 1894 is $600 you can expect the JM version to go for more. I haven't bought into the JM hype because the New Haven plant put out it's share of turds. But they became more valuable when the plant closed.

[FergusonTO35]

If you just want a shooter the current Remlin 1894's I'm seeing around here are very nice. Also, Henry just came out with a steel frame .44 that is really sharp and costs about the same. That said the 70's 1894's are darn good and I don't see prices going down. If you really want it and have the cash I say go for it.

[runfiverun]

Henry just come out with a steel frame 44 for about the same price.

that's reason enough for me to not buy the marlin.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

At my auction in April, my minty 1894s in 44Mag sold for $650. It was a early 1990s vintage. I'd say $600 is the type price these days.

[376Steyr]

http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1198551937p2/259666.jpg (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/259666.Mae_West) “I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.” -Mae West

[W.R.Buchanan]

They are brining market value. There won't ever be a JM stamped Marlin again. So they're commanding a premium. When a Remington made new 1894 is $600 you can expect the JM version to go for more. I haven't bought into the JM hype because the New Haven plant put out it's share of turds. But they became more valuable when the plant closed.

I'll second that notion on the turds! I think the fact that there will never be another JM Marlin is a good thing. That plant had outlived its usefulness, and the people in it didn't care about the product anymore. This is the death knell for a gun company.

I sold a gun just like the one you are looking at about a year ago and it sat on the shelf for 3 months before someone finally bought it for $525. I made $200 on that one!

IF the gun was a Cowboy model with an Octagonal barrel I'd say grab it. But the one you are looking at is a Microgroove Round Barrel, and whereas they are decent guns, I just don't have any interest in that exact type of gun, so I'd say let it slide. I don't like the Round Barreled Carbines.(barrel band) I like the Short Rifles instead.(no barrel band)

It's not like there isn't a zillion of them out there. If you really want one just be patient the right one will come along sooner or later. You definitely want one with Ballard rifling, not Microgroove.

I have an 1894 CB Rifle with a 24" barrel and it is one of my favorite guns. I would love to have a 1894 CB "Short Rifle" with the 20" barrel but one hasn't crossed my path . I saw a NIB one of Gunbroker a while back and they wanted $1000 for it. since it was NIB but a JM gun I passed on it. When Remlin makes the same gun it will be much nicer and a better product .

Paying a premium for a defunct name is dumb!

Randy

[FergusonTO35]

I love my 1970's 1894C, paid all of $250.00 for it in 1998. Would I buy it at today's prices? No way! Thank goodness for Henry, I'm saving for one of theirs right now.

[Kevinakaq]

I think I have settled on letting it pass. A fine rifle that satisfies a bit of nostalgia for me but not a huge hole in my collection either. Maybe I will just take the Rossi 92 out of layaway early, and it combined with the yellowboy will satisfy my itch for a while. I could do much worse. I made it past the first 48 hours anyway...should be easy to forget it now.

[pietro]

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Be careful - Withdrawal symptoms can include a custom knife purchase. :D


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[Shuz]

I think I have settled on letting it pass. A fine rifle that satisfies a bit of nostalgia for me but not a huge hole in my collection either. Maybe I will just take the Rossi 92 out of layaway early, and it combined with the yellowboy will satisfy my itch for a while. I could do much worse. I made it past the first 48 hours anyway...should be easy to forget it now.

Good decision!
FWIW according to Henry, their Big Boy .44 mag comes with a 1:38" twist!

[Kevinakaq]

If i bought a Henry would most likely be an 1860 (same shop has a used Uberti). I have a fondness for designs that came before me...

not sure what my next lever will be...prob a 16" 357 Rossi 92... Who knows what will pop up during my pawn shop crawls. As for new rifles in general i am looking hard at the M1A walnut loaded but that 1500 tag packs a punch! My step father always talks about the one he carried in Vietnam and would love to take him shooting and unveil it to him. Would be a treat for us both. He has shot my M1 and while close, it is not the same to him...

[perotter]

I got my 1894s years ago for $225-250. I wouldn't pay what they ask for them now. There are more bang for the buck with a few other guns today.

[Kevinakaq]

Patience is a virtue. Brought home a 1894 in 357 yesterday for less than what he previous LGS wanted for the 44.. Was a great price and I snatched her up soon as I saw her. Bluing is 95 percent and wood around 85. Took her apart last night, cleaned each part, and reassembled this evening. A fine firearm and nice addition to my collection.

Now to work up some loads...i did try one of my 357 catridges and it didnt want to chamber fully. May need to work on col or avoid the swc, OR stick to 38's....lol.

182669182670

[dragon813gt]

Some don't like feeding SWCs. And they typically give more problems feeding 38s than 357s.

[Michael J. Spangler]

You will love that 357.
Look into the dreaded Marlin jam. You can touch up some spots and fix the problem before it happens.

Mine feeds anything from 38 wadcutters to 357 with semi wadcutters no issues. Only problem I have is with bullets took long like the 358429 seated to the crimp groove in 357 brass. Just a touch too long for its liking.

I hear the NOE 360180 WFN is short and fat enough where it functions fine in a Marlin 1894.

Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[northmn]

Kevin, I can relate to the frugal. I usually have trouble resisting but I also get a bit upset when I don't. Really had an itch for a 22 hornet a while back but the rifle was $600. Not really high for a rifle, but the few varmints I have to shoot at can e easily handled with my 32-20 or my 243. Would get it and not shoot it much. Turned down a buy on a 38 pistol. I buy the things and don't shoot them. Saw a 257 Roberts on a sale bill and got the itch, but started looking around at ammunition and found it rare and expensive. Scratched it with a 243 with which I have taken a couple of deer and am quite content.
Those urges come and go and if I gave in I would have more rifles than I could shoot in a day. I am retired now but still do not find the time to be continually shooting. Bench rest/range shooting does not do much for me any more. If you figure you have a lot of use for the 44 and will shoot it a lot you may want it, but as Buchanon pointed out, it may not really be what you want.
We all have our own thing that we enjoy. I just can relate to the frugal idea. Instead of buying new guns I have been looking at upgrading things like the scopes I have, which really could be upgraded. I cannot shoot as many deer a year as I have rifles. Only NEED 1.

DEP

[FergusonTO35]

Very nice, Kevin! Mine is just like yours, paid all of $250.00 for it in like new condition back in 1998. The shop said nobody wanted it because it wasn't a .30-30 or .44.[smilie=1:

[Char-Gar]

Firearms are not wasting assets which lose value over time. They are appreciating assets which grain value over time. Over the past 60+ years I have bought hundreds of firearms and have never lost a nickle on any of them, even when considering the inflated nickle. In fact, on some of them I have made significant money due to the increase in value.

Don't pay a fools price for a firearm, pay market value, which varies from location to location and time of the year. However if your run across something you truly want and it is priced a smidge to high, buy it for likely by holding off, it will only cost more. You didn't pay to much, you just bought it too early. Hang on to it and your will get your purchase price back plus an increase, the amount depends on how long you hold it.

Of course, it you use the gun as a trade in at a gun store, you will lose something as the dealer has to make money. I have not done that in 40 years or more.

All of this said, don't spend money you don't have to spent, that is a fools way of doing things.

[NavyVet1959]

I was looking for a .357 lever action when I stumbled across my Rossi .44 mag for $300. A .357 Rossi would have probably cost me $500 *if* I could have found one. So, that's $200 I saved. But, the .44 will use more lead since I would have been using a 105 gr mold for plinking in a .357 lever action. The lightest Lee mold that I see right now is a 200 gr one for the .44 mag. So, we're talking a 95 gr difference. Figuring $1 per pound for lead, that means the .357 would have been cheaper to operate after 200 lbs of lead difference had been fired, so 14,736 rounds. I seriously doubt that I will ever fire that many rounds in a lever action, the lead savings of a .357 is just theoretical at best.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Kevin; Chamfer the Chamber Mouth and it will feed SWC's just fine.

Randy

[TXGunNut]

Nice rifle, Kevin! I scratched my pistol cartridge carbine itch with a Rossi 357 a little while back. Seems I have quite a bit of 38 brass, boolits and 231 powder around here so I won't have to buy anything to feed it.