Mosinnagant
New member
Dose anybody know what lever action in ethier 44 magnum or 357magnum is the overall best buy for about $500 or less. I am asking this because I have very little knowlege about lever actions in general.
Lever Action Questions
- Thread starter Mosinnagant
- Start date
mapsjanhere
New member
Marlin 1894C, so don't let your wife get her hand on it or you will need two. Very fun gun to shoot.
Mosinnagant
New member
Not marrieded so I dont need to worry about getting two thank you for your reply.
Crunchy Frog
New member
About the only lever gun at that price point is the Brazilian 1892 clone (used to be Puma, or Rossi and I think now it's a Braztech or some such.
If you are shooting full power loads the '92 action has a good strong lockup. General word is that they function better in .44 magnum or .45 Colt than in .357. The .357s can be real finicky about feeding especially with .38 Special ammo.
Dick's Sporting Goods had some .44 Magnum '92s on sale last time I was in there.
If you can stretch your budget a little the Beretta Renegades are available on GunBroker and elsewhere at a closeout price of about $700 which is about half of MSRP. I think those are made in .357 and .45 only. The rifle is manufactured by Uberti and is a reproduction of the Winchester 1873. The older "toggle link" action is not as strong as the Browning-designed 1892 model but it is very smooth operating and looks great.
If you are shooting full power loads the '92 action has a good strong lockup. General word is that they function better in .44 magnum or .45 Colt than in .357. The .357s can be real finicky about feeding especially with .38 Special ammo.
Dick's Sporting Goods had some .44 Magnum '92s on sale last time I was in there.
If you can stretch your budget a little the Beretta Renegades are available on GunBroker and elsewhere at a closeout price of about $700 which is about half of MSRP. I think those are made in .357 and .45 only. The rifle is manufactured by Uberti and is a reproduction of the Winchester 1873. The older "toggle link" action is not as strong as the Browning-designed 1892 model but it is very smooth operating and looks great.
L_Killkenny
New member
I don't know where you guys get that the Marlin is over all better than the Rossi/Puma 92's and where you are getting your prices at. The 92's have actions just as strong if not stronger, they are slicker and they have a better "lightweight carbine" feel. Overall it's pretty close to a dead heat. The Marlin can be scoped which is an advantage to some. Only way to tell which one you prefer is to handle both yourself.
But a Marlin 1894 for $500 or less? Not on the new market and rare in the used market.
LK
But a Marlin 1894 for $500 or less? Not on the new market and rare in the used market.
LK
I have two Puma's, a blue 45LC and a stainless 44mag, both 16" carbines. Both are accurate and reliable. They could use a longer LOP, but still good shooters. I wanted Marlins, but Marlin is having some serious QC issues. I looked at a new Marlin in 357 that was on the rack at the gun store, but it had the infamous Marlin jam issue, wouldn't cycle, so they sent it back home. The Puma's were both under $500. The Marlins are more expensive and didn't work. Marlin is supposed to start producing the 1894s again this month, hopefully with all of their QC issues corrected. In the mean time, I would go with Rossi if I were you, if you can find one. I want to get a 357 and round out my collection.
Rossi M92 stronger action than the 1894 and works well with handgun cartirdges. The 1894 was not designed for handgun cartridges and if you google "dreaded Marlin Jam" you can learn how to "fix" you Marlin to function well with handgun cartridges. For 30-30 I would for sure get a Marlin but otherwise the M92 may be a better bet especially from Steves Gunzs or at least get the upgraded parts he sells. http://www.stevesgunz.com/index.htm The M92 is so strong it is sold in .454 which the 1894 could not handle.
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L_Killkenny
New member
Actually I'm pretty sure that the 1894 Marlin was designed for pistol cartridges. You're confusing it with the Winchester 94 which WAS NOT designed for pistol cartridges but instead for rifle cartridges like the .30-30. But plus on Steves Guns.
LK
"I'm pretty sure that the 1894 Marlin was designed for pistol cartridges" You may be right - aside from the change in ejection not sure what other changes Marlin made. In the end, Marlin is always a good choice. I have not seen any "R92's" in .454 in stock so it may have been discontinued which would be unfortunate.
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Marlin Jam
I have two 20+ year old Marlins including a 44 mag 1894 and both have been flawless. My one year old 1895 had the jam and had to be sent back for repairs. There have some quality control problem that the company needs to fix or they made some design changes that affected the rifles.
I have two 20+ year old Marlins including a 44 mag 1894 and both have been flawless. My one year old 1895 had the jam and had to be sent back for repairs. There have some quality control problem that the company needs to fix or they made some design changes that affected the rifles.
g.willikers
New member
The Marlin that was not exactly designed for the 44mag, was the model 336, modified for that cartridge.
When the problems became obvious, the '94 replaced it, many years ago.
When the problems became obvious, the '94 replaced it, many years ago.
Crazy Carl
New member
If you can find a Marlin 1894 for that price, go for it.
If you can't, the Rossi/Braztech/whoever Brazilian or Italian 92 is nothing to sneeze at.
My 20" SRC is an older Interarms, pre-safety & I love it. Yeah, it needs some tuning, to keep my brass out of low earth orbit, but it's a great shooting, fun little gun.
If you can't, the Rossi/Braztech/whoever Brazilian or Italian 92 is nothing to sneeze at.
My 20" SRC is an older Interarms, pre-safety & I love it. Yeah, it needs some tuning, to keep my brass out of low earth orbit, but it's a great shooting, fun little gun.
Single Six
New member
I had a Marlin 1894SS in .44 Mag. It fed okay....sometimes. With hollow points, it choked relentlessly, even after being sent back to Marlin for service. In complete disillusionment and disgust, I sold it off. Lesson learned. 
Single Six said:
To Quote Kris Kristofferson, "Mister, you've been reading my mail."
I had a dog 1894/44 myself. I know there were some good ones made, cause 10 or 70 guys will be along here shortly to tell us how great theirs is. You know what? I believe 'em. Personally, I wouldn't trade my... correction, my wife's... Rossi 92 in .45 Colt for two of them.
YMMV.
I have a puma M92 in 357 mag, I can feed it everything and it wont go down. Mine is also amazingly accurate which was a suprise to me because I was told by people that they are very inaccurate. But I do have a Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and it is the same as my Puma, accurate and reliable. I wouldnt trade them for anything.