Bought one of these at a gun show about a month ago and finally had a chance to put some rounds through it today. I've been wanting an old-fashioned lever gun for a long time and they don't get much more traditional than this. Pretty accurate gun, which is nice because you can't really hang a scope on it because the cartridges eject straight up when you work the lever action- that's a failing most other models fixed later on. The only other problem is that I found out the hard way that it's easier than shit to burn yourself on this fucker when it gets heated up. Gloves are definitely going to be in order in the future for shooting this bad boy. Technically the mag will hold 7 rounds but the second time I put 7 in there I had a jam- it likes 6 rounds a lot better. (30-30). Anyhoo, that pic of Paladin's lever gun has me salivating and I'm not sure if I'm going to hang onto this Winchester or maybe trade it in on a Marlin that shoots .45 cal, since that would make it instantly compatible with my 1911. I will say, there is something about standing on a dusty, Idaho back-ass road in 100+ degree heat, wearing your cowboy hat and shooting an old lever action Winchester. I was feelin' like Captains Augustus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call all wrapped up in one there for a little bit. Did some cowboy-style plinking with the .45, too. I'm getting pretty fucking good with that gun.
My gun life is mostly about AR-15s now. What kind of buttstock, what kind of optic, etc. They're really slick, high-tech guns. But despite its old tech (or maybe because of it) I fell in love with that Marlin at first sight. When I was a young man, I had a Mustang GT. When it was stolen--and the insurance paid off--I did the logical thing: I bought a Corvette. Now, that Corvette was superior in every way to the Mustang: faster, better brakes, better handling. But there were days I missed that old Mustang... Sometimes a man just enjoys a little romantic simplicity. P.S. I'll undoubtedly add another lever gun to my arsenal at some point. I think I'd like to have something that shoots .357 or .44 Magnum. Just for some fun plinking...
Heh. I have a Model 94 (sadly neglected these days) and I love that gun. Those 30-30 rounds make a real satisfying CRA-ACK!! when you pull the trigger.
Yeah- I was thinking about a rifle that shoot .44 magnum, it turns out. Also not compatible with a 1911.
One of my wish list guns is a lever action .44 magnum. My dad has an old Rossi .357 lever action that's a whole lot of fun to shoot.
I had a model '94 when I was little. I sold it when I was 12, and bought a scoped 30-06 which I never used hunting. I technically got the "good end of the stick" but I miss that '94 with it's beautiful walnut, finely polished stock. Crap. I wish we made things nice, like we used to.
Next time I am home I plan to liberate my Marlin .35 from the gun house. The old man still maintains that he isn't dead yet.
I have a little Marlin carbine that shoots .44RemMag. It's very effective as a little truck gun. [?=Here it is, compared with my Guide Gun with a 5.56mm NATO round thrown in for comparison.][/?] Edit: I've found that I get the best performance using Gold Dots in it and out of that carbine length barrel, it's effective out to about 150 yards. Not bad for a handgun round.
My fave is my Remington reproduction of the '92 Winchester carbine in .44 mag. Light, short, incredible fun to shoot with .44 specials, awesome hitting power with magums.
