This will be my third Marlin 1894 I have owned since 2007. The first was a used JM I bought in Arizona for $400. Chambered in .357 Mag, it was supposed to be a working rifle when I lived out in the boonies. I had javelina terrorizing my lawn and dogs, and a cougar in the area going after the javelina. But it was just too nice to have bouncing around on an ATV or thrown in the Jeep.
I got divorced a few years later and sold it for $1200 to some lawyer in SF wanting to play cowboy. It paid for my move from Arizona to Idaho.
The second one was a new Remington made 1894 in .45 Colt bought in 2015. It was supposed to be a camp carbine for the Idaho woods. I bought it online for $750 and was very disappointed when it arrived. It was like a cheap imitation of my JM 1894. The checkering was crude, the action was awful, fit and finish was subpar, and it would not reliably function. I joined a Marlin forum to try and figure out how to get it to run, and it never did. I sold it for $700 a year or so later.
Today's purchase was a total impulse buy. I have long since replaced the 1894 with a Henry Black rifle in .45 Colt as a camp/hiking/ATV carbine and it is awesome! Great rifle!
But today while visiting the local gun shop on my birthday, I spotted one of the new Ruger-made 1894s in .357 Mag. I inspected it and it was much, much better than the Remington-made 1894 in terms of finish and wood to metal fit. The checkering was much better, and it just seemed like a nicer rifle overall. Still not as nice as my JM 1894, but getting closer. The price was $959, which was less than most are going for online. With my military discount and birthday gift card, I paid $946 total for the rifle and a box of ammo, including taxes.
I'm planning on shooting it tomorrow and praying that it functions better than the Remlin.