Got the chance to buy one of these, around US $400 equivalent, here in England.

What are the benefits (I know they are the more desirable with no safety catch or "Warning" on BBL plus side eject as against top eject) and drawbacks of this against the 1973 Winchester 94 in 44 Magnum that I already have?

Some say that the Marlin kicks more and more difficult to clear a jam. Others say is more accurate and they don't ever jam!

Never used a Marlin 1894 so whilst I know all the physical features don't know about accuracy, reliability, speed of operation, ease of operation, recoil compared to identical calibre Winchester etc., etc.

Thanks in advance.

Basically will this be more than just different to my 44 Magnum 1973 Winchester 94, BETTER, WORSE or WHAT?

Lastly does the OCTAGON BARREL offer any benefits?

You can mount a scope on them with out trouble.

the octagon barrel looks neater.

The Marlin you mention is quite popular here with the "Cowboy Action Shooters," but in 45LC chambering. These shooters work their guns hard, shoot far more rounds than a hunter would and due to the nature of the matches, gun needs to function smoothly and be reliable. The Marlin can be disassembled very easily for cleaning of the internals as well as cleaning the bore from the breech end. Don't suggest taking down the Win. 94 unless absolutely necessary for it is a "pain" compared to the Marlin. The gun is popular in 44Mag w/ deer hunters in my area for close in shots, 100yds or so, due to it's handiness and packs a pretty good punch as well.

$400 is a good deal here so it seems like a very good deal in your neck of the woods.

The Octagon barrel doesn't really offer any advantages except maybe a wee but more weight. They are prety kool looking though and I hear chicks dig them. The lack of push button safety is a plus, at least around here they are very sought after.

In general I prefer the Marlin to the 94. As someone said, they are easy to mount a scope on if you so desire.

The only possible drawback to the Marlin is that it probably has microgroove rifling. Many claim that it is a disadvantage if you plan on shooting cast bullets. I don't agree as I shot Cowboy action with mine for years with nary a problem. I just made sure the bullet was hard and sized properly for the bore on my rifle. Mine was extremely accurate and ultra reliable.

It makes a heck of a nice brush gun for deer and hogs. But if you handload it is just a heck of a lot of fun to plink with too.

If someone offered me that gun for $400 I'd snatch it up in the blink of an eye.

Many thanks for all the replies...thread now closed. It sold for UK £330 at Bonham's in London. So in US Dollars about $500.

I'd left a bit below that so didn't get it. Guess I'll have to stick with my Winchester. Thanks guys for your posts.

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:
Many thanks for all the replies...thread now closed. It sold for UK £330 at Bonham's in London. So in US Dollars about $500.

I'd left a bit below that so didn't get it. Guess I'll have to stick with my Winchester. Thanks guys for your posts.

It would have sold for much more here.Have no qualms about buying Older Marlins.Thay are very accurate and have little to no feeding issues.

Wished that I could have gotten one of the octagon barreled models when I bought mine, but I am happy with the one I got. Shoots great and I have no issues with feeding or extraction and my normal loading uses one of the Keith Semi-wadcutter cast bullets.