New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Chiappa, Marlin, Mossberg and non-Rossi Manufactured Pumas plus anything else with a leveraction.
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Re: New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Post by golfish »

Mad Trapper wrote:That loading gate looks real good.
I may buy a couple.
Would look good on my guide gun.
thank you for posting the link golfish.
I put the saddle ring safety delete on the guide gun, i like it.
Thanks Mad Tarpper. I want all my lever guns to be setup the same, so I delete all of the safeties. I don't like the color of the loading gate, I emailed Ranger Point to see f I could exchange it for the black one.
It functions great, the color just bugs me. I do wonder about the aluminum work hardening and than breaking, if it last a couple thousand rounds, it will be worth it.
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Re: New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Post by Mad Trapper »

Same here, I hate that little marlin safety.
Ive done a 95 guide gun, 336 and a rossi 92 44 mag trapper.
I am very pleased with how they turned out.
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Re: New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Post by gqucool »

If1Hitu wrote:Like I said before i'm new to lever rifles,what's the problem with Remington built lever rifles?
Last week I took a trip to the new Smiths & Edwards up in South Jordan Utah they had 2 of the Marlin 1894 all weather model with Skinner sights looked very nice but I didn't care for the price above $800.00 gulp. Then the 1894 C like what is mentioned nice wood decent bluing but the oh no bogus boo boo on this one is it had only part of the rear sight assembly on the rifle the rear windage blade was missing............now is this the lack of the LCS counter guys not noticing this total crap???? I have read in the past that the last two years of the Marlin 1894's in .44 Magnum have been very nice. Is it that hard to also mfg the same rifle but in .357/.38 Special???? My two current lever action .357's one a pre cross bolt safety Marlin 1894 C and my latest a Rossi R92 about a 3 year old rifle both puts the new Marlin 1894 C to shame!!! I'll stick with what I currently have, I do wish that Rossi would start up some R92's and do a chambering in .327 Federal Magnum that would be nice!!! +guns +guns
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Re: New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Post by golfish »

I'd say it's the counter guys fault for putting the gun on the rack, I assume it was on the rack.

Yes, Marlin did have problems producing the .38sp/.357 model 1894. They had a hell of a time getting the machines and people up and running, I could be wrong but I thought they tried making both calibers and failed big time. They then started backup with the 44 mag and had limited success. A lot of really bad guns got out. A couple years ago they started to get it right with the 44 and again started producing the .357. so far, it seems like they are getting there.
The right people seem to have gotten the message that there is still a good market for these guns.
Maybe another member can correct me and include better info with a date line.
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Re: New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Post by gqucool »

I also looked at a brand new Marlin 1894 C in .357 magnum the fit and finish was ok but the rear sight was in compete the rear windage sight blade was missing.....man this is really sloppy representation of a rifle thats been off the gun shelves for a couple of years!!! Then to send one out like this doesn't speak very will of Marlins quality control!!!
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Re: New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Post by Ohio3Wheels »

It's been an ongoing problem since Remington bought Marlin.

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Re: New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Post by Archer »

Ohio3Wheels wrote:It's been an ongoing problem since Remington bought Marlin.

Make smoke and Merry Christmas,
It was an ongoing problem with Marlin if what I've read is at all true.
The story goes that Marlin had for years adjusted the drawings to fit worn tooling and was on the cusp of failure to be able to continue having not put the money into machine maintenance.
Remington bought them without realizing exactly how bad it was. Moved the machinery possibly without the people. Found out they didn't have the knowhow. Didn't exactly have RELIABLE drawings to work to since everything had been being worked to a series of redlines. And screwed the pooch royally trying to put out guns using that data anyway. Further screwed up by not being able to access the lack of quality (or in many cases functionality) of what they were producing and allowed them to get out into the wild until the customer feedback was enough to make them look at what they were doing.

Word is they finally had the sense to stop production and have been model by model, caliber by caliber, going through the line and reblueprinting each one. Hence we got the .30-30 .336s, followed by the .45-70 1895s then the 44 1894s. Those being the most popular being the most used in actual hunting brush guns and certain areas having a prohibition on the .357 Mag out of a rifle (or so I'm told) that will allow the .44 Mag.

Sounds like they still haven't got their QA department up to snuff. IMO that is and has been a failing of Remington for the past 25 years or more. Remington has released several new guns that have been utter flops requiring recalls and or redesigns. In the case of the R51 they have blamed the difference in prototype production vs. production tooling and methods but when you produce an entire production run that doesn't work worth a darn it means you didn't bother testing them as they came off the line.

I want to see Marlin producing good guns. I have one of the Remlin .45-70s and it is right.
I've got a couple friends who have the 336s that seem to be what they should be.
I want to see the same thing in the 39A and the 1894s from Marlin.

Although I have to say that Henry makes a mighty fine .22LR/.22 Mag rifle.
I still want a Marlin and would like to find a Winchester 9422.
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Re: New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Post by OldGringo »

I am now seeing the Marlin 1894C available online consistently now and not seeing any bad reviews. If you read my prior posts I have 3 92s, 2 in 357 and the stainless 454, coolest gun on the planet. Shoots 300 grain bullets about the same speed as my Marling Guide Gun. I have an 1894c made in about 1981, I think I got one of the first 10 shipped to my city, or so they told me, pretty nice gun. The old ones had the micro groove barrel and with a cheap Tasco scope it will shoot 125 grain bullets inside a 1.25 inch circle. Really nice older gun. Now, I bought a Remlin in 2012, much like the one in the above picture, FAR NICER THAN MY 1980-81 gun. Excellent wood to metal fit, perfect checkering, and deep polish. I also bought a Guide gun made in about 2012, I looked through 6 of them at a Cabelas and picked what I thought had the best stock. The wood to butt stock fit had a little gap and the grain of the stock was not very appealing on any of them. I also, got a special run Cabela's 1895, in 410 shotgun. Love that gun, walking around hunting doves with what looks like a 45-70 is pretty cool. Still hoping for a game warden to check me, lol. The stock on it is well, plain, wood to metal is OK, and bluing is fine, just not deep like the one from 2012. Now, if you look at all the new blued rifles, none really have that deep blue/black finish like they did decades ago, except for better guns like the Weatherby's. Just saying, I think they have solved the lever action complaints and no new gun is like the old ones. If you want a pretty gun, buy a Henry. I bought a Golden Boy 22 mag, but do not hunt with it as I do not want that first scratch. The Marlins are for hunting, the Rossis are for fun and defense while camping and traveling. Just my take. That Toole Gun Store has both Rossi and Marlin in stock today, Marlin blue $599, Rossi stainless $549, and 44 mags in both brands. https://tooeleshootingsupply.com/new-arrivals/ Everybody should own lever guns....
"Any behavior is instinctive if it is performed without being based upon prior experience", lever action guns are instinctive, anyone can pick it up and know how it works... a natural extension of the human arms. +guns
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Re: New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Post by Ohio3Wheels »

Around here, SW Ohio, 44 mag 92s were basically unfound, my local dealer had Henrys and Marlins with about $100 difference between them. I looked them over carefully and spent the extra on the Henry. I don't think of myself as a gun snob but somehow that Marlin didn't compare to either of my JM Marlins one from '75 and one from '80. The early one is a 35 Remington I take out for fun at the range and occasionally varmints. The '80 model was a 30/30 but it's currently in Oregon being redone as a 38-55 to be legal for deer here in Ohio. Like them all, there's just something about lever guns :) !

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Re: New Marlin 1894C 357 pre purchase review.

Post by Archer »

I looked over one of the .357 Marlins at the big box store this week.
The gun looked good. Action was smooth and I didn't notice anything missing, sticking or cockeyed on the gun.
The stock claims to be black walnut and appeared to be darkly stained, checkered, with a flat finish. In truth it might could use a bit of sealer or a satin varnish over the stain. It has a bit of that chunky Marlin feel to the wood but maybe not as fat as some of their models.

Price was right at $700 which I took to be higher than I really wanted to pay. They've got it 'on sale' this week for $20 off which isn't much of a sale IMO.
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