I had have a custom rifle on order, however, it will not be ready prior to the start of my Canadian bear hunt. A friend offered to lend me his Marlin 450. It only has an 18 inch barrel, so I presume it is a carbine. I have never fired it, and have to travel 600 miles to pick it up.

Before I set off on this journey, can someone offer more information about this lever???
It looks like it should be more than sufficient for a bear, but with such a large bullet, 350 grain, what will the recoil be like? More than a .338 rifle? Will this rifle be accurate up to 100 yards?

Appreciate all you have to offer.... Thanks in advance

Marianne

the 18 barrel is probably ported and veryyyyy loud. they shot good and mine was managale. if buying one again I would go for the 22" non ported.

Newer Marlin 1895Ms no longer have the porting. And you are right on about the 450 Marlin in that firearm having about the same recoil as a 338 Win Mag shooting a 250 grain bullet. A major difference, though, is the stock configuration, including that brick of a "recoil pad", of the Marlin 1895M will make its perceived recoil much worse. With the right load the 450 Marlin will easily provide adequate hunting accuracy to 200 yards.

Marianne
My brother has a Marlin Guide gun in 45/70. He shoots 350 grain bullets to the same velocity as the 450 Marlin.
If your bear hunt is over bait the 450 Marlin will be perfect. If you can shoot a 338 the 450 will not be a problem.
If my hunt was spot and stalk I might want a rifle a little flatter shooting. However I have used my 450/400 3 1/4" double rifle on spot and stalk black bear hunt and on a caribou hunt.

The Marlin 450 is basically a 45/70 on steroids. It evolved from the wildcat cartidge known as the 458 American or 458x2. It is a 458 Win Mag shortened about half an inch. I have had one for years and was glad when the 450 Marlin came out. The belt on the case is thicker than standard magnums like the 300 WM or
458 WM to prevent chambering accidently in a normal magnum chamber which would be a disaster. I have shot many critters with my version in a 20 inch barrel and it does the job very well with the right bullet choice. I don't know that I'd drive 600 miles to borrow one. A 30-06 would work just as well with 200 grainers.

The 450 Marlin is bascially a 45-70 with a belt added to the case. There is bascially no ballistic differences between the two. The earlier versions of the Guide guns were ported but then Marlin dropped the porting due to complaints about excessive noise. Very accurate guns. Many will do MOA and with the right bullet can drop any animal in north america within 150 yards. Don't drive 600 miles to pick it up. Have your friend mail it to you at your house in care of himself. Totally legal.

Yes.
Totally legal.
Except that he then has to drive the 600 mi to open for you. Otherwise, it's illegal transport of a firearm, fairly serious.
Then again, it's like bank robbery: only a problem if you get caught.

Marianne,

I've had my .450 Guide Gun for years and find it a fantastic rifle. It's light and handy and recoil is really not that bad IMHO. I once had a .338 Win Mag Ruger M77/MkII and to me it had alot sharper recoil to it than my .450 does.

That .450 with the 350gr factory ammo will be plenty adequate for your needs. Shoot it a bit before your trip and get a feel for it, I think you'll find it suits you very well.

PS: I don't think you can ship a rifle to a private party like that... You'd have to have the owner ship it to a FFL dealer and go through the paperwork BS... Just drive up and get it or meet him halfway.

Thanks everyone...

I picked up the Marlin and went to the range....
Shot Hornady 350 grain bullets, and surprise surprise, it did not recoil as bad as I had expected, and it was not as loud as I had anticipated. Overall I fired 20 rounds out of it in a little over an hour (that included the tedious process of sighting it it), and ended up with 3 consecutive rounds touching each other in the bull's eye at 100 meters.

It is going to Canada on the bear hunt!!!!

Thanks again for all the info.

PS, I drove the 600 miles to pick it up!

Marianne

Marianne,

Congrats on the new rifle and you're obviously dialed-in with it... great shooting! Glad to hear you like it and will be using it on your trip.

Send us some pics when you get back and a report on how it goes please.