What do you think are the relative pro's and con's of the Marlin 45/70, cowboy, 1895, 1895 guide or the MLXR for hunting primarily with target/plinking as secondary use

I have the guide gun.Its a great brush gun.

I have owned a couple of guide gun's. I liked how compact they were. And they pack a hell of a wallop at close range. I had bought my first guide gun, and fired 80 rounds through it only to discover that the stock had cracked. From recoil. I took it back to the dealer, where he had another guide gun on the shelf, he very kindly traded me for that one. The stock on the new one split to. I gave up on the Marlin Guide gun.

I have a standard model 1895 and a cowboy. I like the cowboy best. Best looking and the extra length of the barrel makes for a smooth handling gun. I am not a fan of the shorties, too unbalanced to the rear for me.

I have all three cowboy, standard, and the guide gun (Don’t ask me how I wound up with all of them). All are great rifles in their own right and all shoot very well. The guide gun is very handy in tight situations and is probably the stoutest built of all three.

The cowboy gun is very svelte looking with its long octagon barrel and is the best shooting of all my 45-70s (sub moa). The cowboy’s high magazine capacity is also a plus (though I don’t know when you would need 10 rounds of 45-70). The cowboy guns recoil pad is non existent and with heavy loads you’ll feel it! The magazine tube screw came loose in mine after a few heavy loads and got stripped (I think it was due to barrel whip with heavy loads, that’ll never happen with the guide gun).

The standard is in between and in my opinion not as unique as the other two. You really just have to ask yourself what you’d be using it for.

Matt V.

Well I have a Cowboy and Guide. I prefer the Cowboy because it is a looker and shoots great. I think the balance is better too. Heavy loads are tamed with a full mag on it as well. If I were hunting some thick brush there is a good chance I would pull out the shorter Guide. It's not as balanced but is more handy. I also would hate to scratch the nice walnut on my Cowboy.

I guess if I'm voting I would go with the Cowboy, maybe go a little crazy and throw a Lyman Peep sight on too?

Guide Gun. Handy in brush, at 50 yards mine has turned sub-moa groups, front sight takes up too much space to shoot real accurate at that range, but I took a doe through the spine at a little past 100, right where I aimed. I vote for it.

I had the standard for several years and it was a good shooter.The hard butt was a killer and I should hav put a good pad on it but I just was not crazy about the gun. It was to long to be real handy and a little on the heavy side for a constant carry. I have the gude model now and it is with me all the time.I am not real fond of being in the pucker brush and big bruins with a 44 on my side but with that little guide gun and 350 Hornady hot loads I hardly think twice. It is light, handy and a good shooter . I have the williams reciever sight and keep the peep unscrewed out of it for a ghost ring rear sight. I love that little mother. If you are going to shoot full steam loads all the time for funzies it is punishing. I shoot 15 grain Blue Dot cast loads for fun and can take the head off Spruce hens with them.
Rod in wasilla

I've shot the heck out of my cowboy, including a box of buffalo bore, and a couple of Garretts, and haven't had a problem. I love the way it balances. It just got back from being checkered, which was the only realy draw back I had w. the cowboy vs. other models. I do STRONGLY suggest a limbsaver or pachmeyer decellerator on the back of any 45-70 that will see more than a plinker load. They make the hunting loads pleasant, and the hot loads bearable.

I vote for the Guide Gun.

I was looking at the 45-70 Marlins when I won my SS Guide Gun at a shoot several years ago. It is the ported model (which had just been replaced by a newer, unported model). I had excluded the ported model from consideration, but I was incredibly lucky to wander into it because it made the rifle shootable for my kids.

The Guide Gun is also incredibly handy. Mines a sub-MOA shooter even with the factory Remington 405gr load, and the porting makes it soft-shooting enough with factory loads that even my 12 year old was able to use it for deer and bear.

My friend's Cowboy is beautiful, but the length of the barrel puts the site elevation such that he had to swap the sight to get on target with the light (slow) standard loads. Not a big problem, but FYI.

Steve

1)Cowboy
2)1895

If you plan on doing some cowboy action shooting go with the cowboy if not then the GG for everything else. A few inches shorter barrel and fewer rounds in the mag never seem to bother me any and if you plan on carrying it for any distance you want it light as can be. Put on a peep sight and choose whatever bullet you like (expanding or non) and go to town. One great thing about a short barrel and no scope is you can carry it with you hand wraped around the reciever very comfortably for a long time but you have got to have a pretty short barrel.

Nice elk. Great shot. Fine rifle.

Another vote for the Guide Gun. Mine is blued, non-ported. The trade off betwen 100fps compared to the other 1895s and the lighter carry is well worth it in my opinion.

I carried this guy on a New Brunswick bear hunt last spring and it punched the ticket. It may be my favorite gun, but for sure my most fun gun.

Nice shot!!!

I had a "regular" marlin in 45/70.
My brother has a Guide Gun, and I have shot 4 of the Cowboy octagon bbled guns belonging to others.

My, favorite by far, is the Guide Gun.

The regular 1895 with the 22 inch barrel is by far the best looking of all of them.

Love my guide gun. Blued, nonported, with XS sights. Nicest wood I've ever seen on a Marlin lever. Shoots cast great. I would like to have a cowboy just because, but my gg is the ticket for hunting.

I have a new XLR 45-70 who does the barrel porting & is there any sources in Calif.?

I have the 22" blued model but if they had of been around would have bought the guide gun.

scr83jp-Where in California are you located? If you're down in Southern Cali I would highly suggest Dave Ransberger from Fallsbrook. This man is just phenomenonal in what he does, and if he cannot do it (which I highly doubt) he'll be able to direct you in the right way.

BTW, sorry to get sidetracked. It all depends on your tastes and what you're planning on doing with this rifle.
Guide Gun-Pro's, light and handier than anything, packs a serious punch and it's one of the most carried long firearms for Alaskan guides. Con's, holds 4 rounds, loud, recoil is fairly stout and the balance is a touch back, making it fairly jumpy at the muzzle (or so I've thought)
Standard- Just a plain jane 45-70, kind of the comprimise between the two.
Cowboy-Pro's, Very nice looking, great balance, extremely accurate and it holds 10 rounds. Just feels natural.
Con's, Heavy, slightly bulky, not very compact at all. Not exactly what I'd like to haul around the woods or up a mountain.

I have a Winchester 1886, so please excuse my ignorance.
What is the difference between the various Marlin 45-70s outside of barrel length. Aren't theu all the same rifle with different accessories?
Jim

Same action, but yeah different barrel and stock along with magazine. I think sights are the same.

i have a marlin 1895ss (not stainless steel) that is compact enough for woods hunting, but very accurate. the cowboy models are nice too.. i recommend (if possible), go to a gun shop and handle each model and see what you think.

just got got a marlin xlr stainless love the way it points and feels.putting a luepold 2x7 should get it to the range next week

Love my guide gun! Bought it used 4 yrs. ago. Got a 1x4 leupold heavy duplex shotgun scope on board. I don't reload anymore but every factory load I have shot thru it has been very accurate. The 2 best have been the win. nosler part. gold, and the leverevolution. I have killed 5 hogs, a javelina, and a black bear with it. In July 2008, it goes with me for a plains game hunt in RSA.

Mad Dog

I love my stainless guide gun. So far its taken a whitetail and a bear.

I couldn't decide between the various versions so I have to buy one of each. I have the 1895, 1895CB and the 1895GS. Still need to get an XLR, maybe the older microgroove straight stock version and a blued guide gun...

After looking at the 1895 XLR the other day out of all of them if i ever get anoth 45/70 i myself will go with the stainless guide gun i just loved the feel of the rifle and it seemed the best to carry all day.

I have:
1895
1895 Cowboy
H&R
Sharps
Trapdoor
....my next one will be the XLR

...I LOVE TH 45-70!

Neither.... Go with the 444

I have the 1895 ss and I have had a lot of fun with it. It has a WW trigger, XS sights, a Treebone Carving stock. I also got rid of the cross bolt safety. The metal butt plate is a bit harsh off the bench but I never notice it in the field.

Dave

any one of them.
as long as its blued
has a straight grip
isnt ported
and has no crossbolt safety.

I'll second Metalsmith's recommendation about Dave Ransberger at Cal Customs. He's a wizard with anything that shoots. And the semi-grumpy exterior hides a heart big as all outdoors.

I won a 45-70 guide gun at our SCI banquet a few years ago. Used it to take a black bear. Quite effective. I didn't care for the balance so I traded it for the regular one with the 22 inch barrel. Shot a wild hog in the head with it. Quite effective. Also put a pachmyer pad on it. Love the 45-70.

I have the 1895SS and an older 1895 I like them both. I have an old friend who bought a guide gun when they first came out and he has reloaded and shot hundreds of bullets out of it with no complaints.

I have the full size. I've shot both the full size and guide gun and would be happy with either.

I have the guide gun also. I bought it when it first came out. It is blued and ported. The only thing I would like is to get it in stainless now that I live in Maine where it it always wet when things arent frozen.

I love the gun, I have a fixed 2.5 Leupold IER on it forward mounted in QD with AO sights. I have shot a lot of diferent loads through it but lately I have been using the 300 grain Barnes X to great effect. With this set up I feel real comfortable out to 150 yards.

This gun has taken the Maine big 3, Whitetail, black bear and Moose, along with many other smaller critters in CA and AZ.

NO REGRETS GUIDE GUN ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!

I bought the 1895GS and like it. Waiting for dies now to start reloading. The rifle should far well in your real damp weather here as well in the fall.