.38 Special longarm companion
- Thread starter skeeter1
- Start date
Good
I think the Marlin is a great little gun, but I have never tried 38's in it, just .357 mags. Smooth action and probably would be a nice addition. If you can find an early one without the dumb cross bolt safety, so much the better. Most of production apparently has the microgroove rifling so perhaps works better with jacketed bullets. The cowboy versions of the 94 now have ballard rifling for lead, but they are expensive guns. At least that is the facts as I recall them.
I think the Marlin is a great little gun, but I have never tried 38's in it, just .357 mags. Smooth action and probably would be a nice addition. If you can find an early one without the dumb cross bolt safety, so much the better. Most of production apparently has the microgroove rifling so perhaps works better with jacketed bullets. The cowboy versions of the 94 now have ballard rifling for lead, but they are expensive guns. At least that is the facts as I recall them.
Marlin 1894
I had one of these guns, back in the mid 80s. great little gun. With .38s it just went "pow", no recoil to speak of. If I remember right, it would hold 10 .38s, or 9 .357s. RN feeds better than SWC. Mine worked pretty well, my father-in-law fell in love with it, so I gave it to him for Christmas.
A friend of mine liked mine so well, he went and got one. Now, he did wind up with one jam (with .38s) that was so bad we had to take the gun apart to fix, but he was the kind of guy who could jam a single shot....
they are good little guns, and better for camping/travel that a handgun (because of legal restrictions). Short and handy, accurate at reasonable ranges. Just remember it is NOT a rifle, although it looks like one.
Look around for a used one, it won't be as cheap as a used .30-30, it is more of a specialty piece, but it still should be cheaper than one of the "cowboy" guns. I think they want too much for them.
I had one of these guns, back in the mid 80s. great little gun. With .38s it just went "pow", no recoil to speak of. If I remember right, it would hold 10 .38s, or 9 .357s. RN feeds better than SWC. Mine worked pretty well, my father-in-law fell in love with it, so I gave it to him for Christmas.
A friend of mine liked mine so well, he went and got one. Now, he did wind up with one jam (with .38s) that was so bad we had to take the gun apart to fix, but he was the kind of guy who could jam a single shot....
they are good little guns, and better for camping/travel that a handgun (because of legal restrictions). Short and handy, accurate at reasonable ranges. Just remember it is NOT a rifle, although it looks like one.
Look around for a used one, it won't be as cheap as a used .30-30, it is more of a specialty piece, but it still should be cheaper than one of the "cowboy" guns. I think they want too much for them.
SIGSHR--
I do indeed have one Marlin, a model 39D, bought about 1970. It was the carbine model of the 39A, long since discontinued. It's a top-quality longgun, and I'm not about to part with it. Equipped with a 4X Weatherby scope, I've taken out a crow at 100 yards. I'm a fan of leverguns, and have no use for autoloaders. Looks like I'm going to be spending some money.
Thanks for your input.
I do indeed have one Marlin, a model 39D, bought about 1970. It was the carbine model of the 39A, long since discontinued. It's a top-quality longgun, and I'm not about to part with it. Equipped with a 4X Weatherby scope, I've taken out a crow at 100 yards. I'm a fan of leverguns, and have no use for autoloaders. Looks like I'm going to be spending some money.
Thanks for your input.
ColtMember
New member
I have an 1894C that I bought new maybe 5 years ago. It would make a great companion to your .38. It's been accurate, tough, and easy-handling.
Ramcharger
New member
Got one too. One of the Big 5 not so fancy wood models. Absolute joy to shoot.
One of the Big 5 not so fancy wood models. Absolute joy to shoot.