Sent a MO off yesterday . . . !

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Found this Marlin 1894 44 Mag pre-safety on Gunbroker . . . decided I wanted an older one, and liked the non checkered stock . . .

Should be here by the weekend . . . I will end up paying $615 after shipping, FFL . . . but this is what I wanted, and it has a Williams peep on it too, which I would have put on it if it did not come with it!

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin%201894/GunBroker.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin%201894/GunBroker2.jpg

This my first Marlin, and first lever, and first 44 mag (although I have a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan 44 mag on order!)

I'll let you know what I think once I get a chance to shoot it . . . I have the MiHec H&G #503 Cramer Style Hollow Point group buy, and just ordered 500 new Star lines, and RCBS carbide dies and shell holder . . . got some large pistol primers that I bought awhile ago, even though I had no use for them, there were a deal! Also got a bunch of Blue dot, 2400, and Trail boss . . .

[Murphy]

Congratulations,

I keep hoping one day to run across one at a bargain or a good swap. Neat gun and a plus if you have a .44 handgun to go along with it.

Enjoy!

Murphy

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Yeah, hopefully my Alaskan in 44 mag will be in by this weekend too! (Sportsmans Warehouse had to have it flown down from AK! As they don't have any in stock in the 48!)

[Charlie, AKA The Deacon]

Congratulations:drinks:

Marlin makes a nice firearm, I have the 45-70 cowboy with the williams peep on it and just love it, my youngest just got one also glad to see him go that route also.

Charlie

:redneck:

I seen where winchester is making there model 94 again in Japan. take the guns out of country to be made and then expect us to buy them! I DON"T THINK SO not in my house

[miestro_jerry]

That is a nice piece of shooting iron. Your lucky.

Jerry

[excess650]

I HAD at least 2 44mags before buying a .357 1894C back in 1981. I still have that 1894C, bought a Browing Lowall .357 some years back and another 1894C last year(has the safety and microgroove). I had looked at the conventionally rifled Marlins a few years back, and passed on a 32H&R Mag CB:groner:, but bit the bullet and bought a NEW 1894C yesterday. I like the checkered stock and the newer 1894C has a ramp fron vs the dovetail only on the earlier models.

I'm debating as to whether or not I should buy a 44mag with conventional rifling.

One of the microgroove 44s that I had would kick the lever loose with 24gr WW296 and a 240gr JHP. With 22gr it would shoot cloverleafs at 50 yards. I should have kept that one...

Congratulations on your purchase!

[6pt-sika]

Try the Ranch Dog 432-265GC bullet with 23 grains of H-110 !

Also the Ranch Dog 432-300GC with 21 grains of H-110 !

Both loads shot well in the old 1967 vintage Marlin 336-44 I had !

[Mumblypeg]

I bought one off gunbroker a couple of years ago to replace the one I had years ago and got rid of like a dumba$$. The latest one cost me about half of what you paid but it had about three tight spots in the bore that I couldnt even lap out so I sent it back to Marlin to have it rebarreled with octaganal and ballard rifling, even thought it shot J bullets ok. I got a call from them this very morning... looks like it will cost me another $380 or there abouts... still, Im looking forward to it. I just like those things.

[excess650]

One of the microgroove 44Mag 1894s that I had was sent back to Marlin and rebarreled at no charge(30 years ago). Looking down the bore from the breech end, you could see a bulge into the bore from where the lettering was stamped into the barrel.

[izzyjoe]

congrats on your new rifle, i have one just like it my wife bought me for chrismas i love it and her. i shoot the lee 310 alot it's fairlly accurate. it shoots the 240 xtp's real good. but you will love that one.

[Southern Son]

I am loving mine even more now. I used it on Sunday the win 3rd in a levergun match. If I had a 200 meter zero, I would have probably won the match. Great little rifles.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I'm looking for a c for my wife in 357 mag!

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I'm looking for a c for my wife in 357 mag!

So . . . I found a pre-safety one, should hopefully have it in my hands by next weekend!
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin%201894/Marlin1894357Mag.jpg

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Finally picked up my 44 mag today, gotta load up some cases this afternoon, hopefully will get out to shoot it and my Alaskan today!
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin%201894/Marlin189444MagNew2.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin%201894/Marlin189444MagNew.jpg

Is this sight missing the apature?
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin%201894/Marlin189444Magsight.jpg

It was shipped in a fabric like polar fleece bag, so that is the red dust/fuzz, I still need to clean it!

[Blammer]

I don't think it's missing an apature. If it's threaded you probably could put one in it, but why?

It makes for a nice "ghost ring" rear sight.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Yes it is threaded, that is why I thought it should be something in it, I have heard of people removing them, I'm gonna try it the way it is . . . I may be getting a sight for my wife's . . . I'm gonna let her try mine, and see if she likes it, and if so I'll get a peep to screw into mine.

Mine does have the fiber optic on the front, pretty cool . . . I gotta go load some up!

[Four Fingers of Death]

Most people don't like the original insert as it is no good in dark wooded areas. I like to use both and as I exit the clearing and enter the heaavier growth, I unscrew it and pop it in my fob pocket. When the ground opend up again, I screw the peep back in.

I've got a later model with checkering (I suppose it has a safety, I'm easy either way, don't know why all the fuss, bolt guns and double rifles came out about the same time as levers and always have safeties and no one seems to mind) and use the standard sights as I use it for cowboy shooting some times. I can't say that it has had any 44mags through it, been a diet of 44Specials so far.

I heard somewhere that they were a bit ordinary at 200yds due to the slow twist. Is this the case?

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I just got back from making some noise!

I started out with a FTF! I think I may not have pushed in the last round quite far enough, and it hung up/jammed . . . on the loading gate . . . I got it out, and unloaded the rest through the loading gate, cycled it a few times . . . all seemed well, put one round in the mag, and cycled it into the chamber, it went, but I think I need a different mold as I'm using the Mihec H&G 503 mold, (which is a semi wadcutter) these had the pentagon hollow points . . .

This was shot kneeling on 8.5" X 11" paper with 10-20 mph winds:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Marlin%201894/Marlin4425yrdtarget.jpg

I need to get a recoil pad for it, as it has a short for my length of pull . . .

These were pretty stiff Special loads, but not really mag loads . . . I used 11.0 gr of BlueDot with the 242gr hollow points

So far I have not shot mine to 200 yards . . .

One of the nice things about no safety is lefties don't have to fuss with it, or order a special gun . . . also just one more thing to go wrong!

[excess650]

Your 1894 has a Willams "Foolproof" receiver sight, and it is missing the aperture.

Congratulations on finding a "pre-safety" 1894C. I think they started making the 357 in 1979 and added the safety sometime in the early to mid 80s. I have one that I bought new in 1981 or so, and it has been a favorite plinker.

I think that you'll find a bullet with rounded ogive, or truncated cone, will feed better than a SWC with its sharp shoulder. My OLD 1894c will feed most anything, but the NEW 1894c is far more fussy about length and shape.

BTW, the Lee 358-158RF is looking good in my 1990 vintage(microgroove) 1894C sized in a .360" die, Starline cases, and 9.5gr AA #7. LOTS more testing to do to find "the right load", but this mould is available in a 6 cavity.

If you want to go full throttle in the 357 with microgroove, you're going to want a gas check bullet like the Saeco #354 or the group buy NOE 360180.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Both of these levers are gonna mostly used for plinking, and maybe some rabbit hunting . . . but they also serve the purpose of a short range home defense gun and don't have that "evil look" of the AK47.

We both need some rifle practice time, and these are fairly cheap to load . . . and they are a real gun that I can reload for, unlike a 22 rimfire. (or our AK47's)

Gonna start out with 38 spl in it for my wife! Should be a nice mild shooting gun, last night when my wife came home, I showed here our new guns . . . and she really liked my marlin, and said "is this mine?" she seemed more interested in the lever than her Polish 1960 AK which I also just picked up yesterday!
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/AK47sNew.jpg
Got one for each of us . . . just incase!

Yeah, I ended up giving $600 + shipping and ffl for that 357, but it is what I wanted, I'm gonna see if Cyndi wants a Williams on hers too . . .