Which 44 Magnum lever action rifle?

[QuackAttack24]

I've got an itch to get a lever action in .44 cal. I've got a Henry .357 that I love to shoot, and I'm just looking to add another one because... well because one is never enough. I'd like it to be a side loader. I'm not fond of loading via the tube. Should I get another Henry, or look at Marlin, Winchester, Browning, Rossi? Which do you have and what do you love about your 44 lever guns? This is just going to be a target rifle, shooting plates and paper for fun.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Walks]

Browning - B92, Marlin - 1894, Winchester - 92 or 94, Rossi -092

Buy used for most of them.

[trapper9260]

I have a Marlin 1894 and shoots the same way as my Redhawk just have the boolit a size bigger.

[stef76]

1892's; Chiappa( they look nice but I wont buy the brand again after the warranty issues I had), Rossi( rough, cheap and dependable), Win/miroku( fancy and expensive but also heard they have a .432 or more bore), Browning 92, probably the best but no longer made, almost collectable these days.
Marlins: Cant really comment but there was the issue of poor quality remlins and fairly large bores .432.
1873's. Win miroku and uberti, apparently similar quality. reported to have .429 bores. Concerns over handling full house loads over time in the 1873 toggle link action.
My choice would be a smoothed up Rossi 1892, but I'm cheap.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Here's one.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/903823081

[iomskp]

I had a Marlin 44 mag I didn't like the length of the crank so I sold it and picked up a B92 in 44 mag, I'm much happier with it's operation.

[GregLaROCHE]

I had a Marlin and didn’t find anything lacking. I didn’t shoot it much, but when I did, it was a lot of fun. I got the dies for it and still have them, but never got around to reloading for it. I’ve always thought that a better load could be found than commercial rounds, because they were designed to be used with handguns. A slower powder could give better performance in a rifle. That was all many yeas ago. Maybe today there are commercial loads designed for rifles.

Anyway, if you want one and can afford it, go for it! There’s nothing wrong with owning another gun. It’s only going to go up in value.

[badguybuster]

Winchester 92 Legacy (mine is incredible)

[Dom]

I have a Win 94 Legacy with 24" bbl. Very accurate with cast bullets.The twist is fast enough to shoot 300 + grain bullets accurately. A great rifle if you can find one. My son has a Rossi stainless 44 with 20" Bbl. Also accurate & more available..

[pietro]

.

I had a .44 Marlin 1894P (ported, 16" bbl) that was VERY handy - when hunting, I usually carried it muzzle-down under my trigger arm ( the bbl was short enough to clear anything I happened to walk over).

[45DUDE]

I have a Marlin that I reload for but there is something about a Winchester Silvertip it likes at a distance.

[ReloaderFred]

I have a Winchester Model 94 in .44 Magnum, and a couple of Marlin 1894's in .44 Magnum. I prefer the Marlins over the Winchester, but that may just be me. The Model 94 is a more complicated mechanism than the 1894 Marlin, and to me, the Winchester delivers more felt recoil with full power loads.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[panhed65]

I have a Henry BBS, and 2 Marlins, one from 1977 the other a late Remington one. I am happy with all three, they all do what ever I want from them. am shooting 250 cast in them, and some Berry plated in the 77 model.
Barry

[Win94ae]

I have a Marlin 1894 44mag, looked to have been never fired; but had some problems with the action. First the action wanted to fall apart when cycling, (which is a common failing,) to the locking lug not locking, causing the action to open upon firing, and in turn causing gross imprecision.

Both problems have been fixed, but I still don't trust it.

Good luck!

[Win94ae]

I have a Win 94 Legacy with 24" bbl. Very accurate with cast bullets.The twist is fast enough to shoot 300 + grain bullets accurately. A great rifle if you can find one. My son has a Rossi stainless 44 with 20" Bbl. Also accurate & more available..

Oh yes, I forgot to complain about the Marlin 1894 44mag insufficient 1 in 38 twist rate! Thanks for reminding me!

[QuackAttack24]

Thanks for all the replies. Lots of good input to digest, and I appreciate all the personal experience shared!

[upr45]

I have a Marlin 1894. I stick with 240 - 250 gr j or cast. It has a nice balance with AO peeps. I handled a Henry but thought it was a bit heavy. I have a NEF single shot that is a bit heavy and has the same generous bore as the Marlin, although it is not as pretty as the Marlin, it goes hunting with me more than the Marlin. The single shot eats mostly 310gr cast gc with a full charge of H110. A benefit of the single shot is it is not as fussy about OAL as the 1894.

[QuackAttack24]

Kinda fun. I'm in a bidding war for a Marlin 1894 and a Winchester 92. Right now I'm winning the Marlin. If I lose it, I'm going back to increase my bid on the Winchester. Both end in less than an hour.

[QuackAttack24]

Well, I'm now the proud owner of a Marlin 1894. I placed a max bid about an hour ago, and someone placed four bids in the last 15 minutes right up to my max, then quit. Just as well, the Winchester is now up to $1,250. I didn't want to spend that much.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback.

[smkummer]

Did you get a micro groove or Ballard rifling Marlin?