I have been thinking about getting one of these guns. What I would like to use it for is late season cow elk hunts. I have shot a lot of elk with my 270 and several with a muzzleloader. I am thinking about this for just a (fun) gun.
Has anyone used one of these guns? IF so how well do they shoot?
I would like to use a 400 grain bullet. Has anyone had any experience with this kind of gun and load for hunting? Thanks Ron

Head over to the Marlin firearms sight - MarlinTalk section, BigBores and ask that question.

I've got one of the early repro 1895s, a 1972-73 model. It's a fun gun indeed, and shoots the 400 grain bullets mighty well. It's a bit punishing with its curved hard buttplate, which Marlin wisely eliminated. I've gotten over loading it for monstrous dangerous game that I'll never hunt and gone to shooting cast 340 grain hollowpoints at about 1470 FPS, more or less equivalent to the old blackpowder .45-90. Those would certainly do well on your cow elk within 150 yards, if you avoid taking "Texas heart shots." (I don't think anybody ought to take those kind of shots anyway, on any large game with any rifle.)