Marlin lever gun toters?

[Desk Jockey]

I have sold down my lever stable and regret it. Fun guns to shoot. Still have a 22lr and a 30/30 I can’t part with.

Those dark marlins keep calling to me. Sort of a steam punk tacticool vibe.

 

[FLS]

I’ve got a 45/70 guide gun, an 1894 in 44 Mag, and a 336 in 35 Remington. I’ve killed a good bit of game with them all. If I can ever get my hands on a 336 in 356 Winchester for a decent price I’m adding it to the levergun stable.
There is something about carrying a levergun hunting that just feel right to me.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Had a straight-stock 1895G customized by Wild West Guns a few years back. Sold it...nice weapon.

This past winter I located an original unfired 1895G JM series and bought it. I immediately put it with a good gunsmith for a bunch of custom work:

Takedown conversion
Shorten the barrel and re-crown
Trigger smoothing
New magazine follower
RPP larger lever
Rear sight delete and fill
Safety delete
Skinner sights F&R
Shorten stock 3/4"
Pachmayr Decelerator pad with bobbed ends
Scout scope base for barrel, but not installed
Cerakote everything except the bolt and wood

I'm picking it up in 3 days. I've seen the pictures from my smith and this is one neat gun.

Incidentally: I've always had a rather negative opinion about optics on a lever. Mainly I didn't like the aesthetics on an original walnut-and-blued gun. However, doing a full customization changes the things so dramatically. A scout scope is pretty much an on-off (the gun) proposition as you desire. All that's left is a very low profile custom-machined base which is mated to the barrel or receiver. And scopes can definitely be Cerakoted to achieve any look you like. My gunsmith put his custom Guide Gun (with scout scope) in my hands and it was a literal eye-opener to understand how fast it was to get on-target and handle. Different aesthetics, but damn cool at the same time.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I had a new Marlin 1895 GBL. Carried it around Northwestern Montana for 7 days for bears. I was wishing I had dishes out more for the stainless, it rained/snowed just about every day and I dealt with a good amount of rust. While stripping it down to clean after, I had to take it completely apart to get all rust off and one of the screws at the end of the forearm heads broke in half. There was a couple more things that rubbed me the wrong way about it and now have a Henry All Weather. I wasn’t a fan of the drop in tube load over side, but gotten used to it. The Henry also shoots MOA with the lever action hornadys.
Funny story, the period of time I was searching for the Marlin, I was originally looking for the stainless. I could not find one anywhere, in stores or online, and the prices had gone up several hundred when if you did. Finally figured out by talking to a couple of gun store owners that it was because Jurassic Park had just come out. I didn’t start seeing them available much until over a year or two later. I guess it is the new SPAS-12

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Kev- Not knocking it, but that's a great way to make a small fortune out of a big one. Lol. But you're up where fit n function are not simply a novelty. Kinda why I was excited many years ago when Marlin kinda copped the WWG build plans of their customs and factory produced a pretty good platform, rather than guys chopping down Cowboys, etc.

Yea....I work with a degenerative who is the biggest pansy I've ever met. He bought one for the same reason. He will never shoot it, let alone hunt with it. Guess it's his money....

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

If I go through with it, like the one of the posters above....I'm 48. My eyes just took a schitt on my in the past year or so. I can see long distance very well. Reading sucks. And sights suck. Scout Scope in the RIGHT set of QDs makes a ton of sense to me. I think. Simply never handled a rig so equipped. Guess 5 minutes and a few rounds would quickly tell me that it's the Cat's Azz or simply not for me. So theory...takes away from the clean lines, and one handedness, and svelteness maybe. Will see

 

[Kevin Dill]

Preliminaries....

 

[chinook907]

I've had 2 JM stamped GS guns in 45-70, still have one. Had the trigger replaced and action slicked up before I took it home.

Just for bear protection. My gosh they carry well. On a sling crossed over my back, in my hand, or in the tackle tray of my drift boat.

Load my own heavy hard cast up pretty stout. Surprising how accurate they are.

 

[rayporter]

i have tinkered and slicked mine up some.

 

[justinspicher]

I have a WWG Alaskan Co-Pilot in 45-70. Barrel is 16 1/8” with a Kevlar foreend and stock. Shoots extremely nice. Less recoil than my 270. I won’t put an optic on it because that defeats the purpose on why I got it. I tested the .410 option last week, shoots them, single shot of course, but not well. Birdshot patterns out to 10yds on a paper plate, but slugs do well out to 25yds. I use it for about anything woods related. It’s light and easy to carry.

 

[jncarleton]

Just bought my first 45-70, excited to try it out on hogs soon. NVison confirmed I can run it on the Halo LR, so I may give that a try for grins.


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[pacoalcracker]

I have 3 JM Marlin 45/70 Guide Guns. Loaded with Cast Performance 460gr hardcast... you can kill anything right up to the largest elephant that ever lived. They are highly useful hunting tools and fun to shoot. Nothing stops those 460's. I also have a fully customized, fully weatherproofed Marlin 45/70 w/ a 22"bbl, dual mounted sling mounts, peeps, reliable duty action work with slightly larger loop lever, and a forward mounted QD Leupold 2x scope. Quite the levergun. Then I have the base Marlin Guide Gun fully customized by Reeder and chambered in his 450GNR...a 50 Alaskan case necked down to .458 and about 20% over a hot loaded 45/70. Its almost as handy as my custom Reeder Ruger #1 in 470 Nitro Express.

 

[coiloil37]

I’ve got the trapper too but I dressed it up with a stainless loading gate, stainless grip cap and laminate furniture like the JM trapper that they produced for a few years. I typically only haul it to the bait or pack it when I’m bow hunting around grizzlies but it’s a sweet little package. I have had two straight stocked guide guns and much prefer the pistol grip on hard recoiling rifles.

The 1968 built .35 rem beside it is a little sweetheart too.

If you don’t need the reach I think my marlin 1894 in .44 mag from the early 70’s is the nicest handling rifle of the bunch.

If you do want a bit of reach the .338 marlin gets the nod at being the most useful lever marlin ever made. I put the laminate furniture on it too along with a 2-7 leupold because I use it out to 400 meters. It’s sitting here next to the .308 marlin express which is also an awesome lever round. I’ll prob knock the barrel down to about 20” and put a full length mag tube on her but regardless it’s an awesome round and a handy lever rifle.

 

[Usmcff]

I have the 1895sbl in 45-70, still haven’t shot it but plan too soon when life gives me a chance. So far fit and finish is perfect and haven’t experienced any cycling issues when I’ve ran rounds through it without firing. Seems well made to me and I have a older marlin I’ve killed more white tails than I can count with so expect this one to be the same.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Mines just a plain Jane 1895 guide gun. Just been out on the Peninsula for two weeks so far but have bumped into a sow with two cubs from last year; sow and three cubs from this year and a juvenile boar.
when we get enough internet I’ll post pics. In any event my guiding day starts and ends with a two to three mile walk with my shorthairs. Guide gun goes on every trip. Carries easy, handles fast.
Old eye issues as well, really thinking about a Delta Point. I have a couple of those mounted on 450 bushmaster that work great.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Got one to load, the Juvenile. We’ll start seeing more bears as the salmon start showing up but that is another 10 days or so. Mostly I shoot porcupines at camp with mine.

 

[Wmmichael20]

Have 1895gs with a 2-7 vx1, a 308mxlr with a 3-9-42 Zeiss Terra,a 444ss with a peep site that getting ready for some work, new laminate stock,Cera coat,and barrel chopped to 20 inches, and the most handy lever I own a Ruger 96-44 with a 1.5-4.75 Bushnell slug gun scope. I love my levers . As another poster said if I get my chance I'm buying a 338mx first chance I get.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have several JM Marlins, 357mag, 44mag, 45lc, 444m, 450m, 45-70. I don’t shoot them much but I won’t be parting with any of them either.

 

[atod9]

I love my Marlin 45-70 but I only carry it when I'm hunting moose in the trees, for bear protection, or when I don't really care that much about bring home meat since my shooting range is limited... I shoot it with a peep and I keep myself honest on shooting distance. If I'm hunting open country, which is usually the case in AK, I carry a 300 win mag and call it good. Lever guns are a lot of fun, but not always the most practical weapon choice.

Well said

 

[Wapiti151]

Reviving this thread, because it deserves to be revived. My pride and joy, JM Marlin 1895gs with its box and paperwork, unfired. I have a couple other JM 1895 shooters/hunters. I don’t know that I’ll ever shoot this one though.