Marlin 1894 Dark

Mr H · Jul 23, 2020

Got the latest "Shooting Illustrated" a few minutes ago. On the cover is a new lever-action from Marlin, tactical style.

I may just have to look into this thing!

It runs .38spl/.357mag, 8+1, top rail, threaded for "muzzle devices", adjustable ghost ring sights, paracord sling (and wrap on the loop).

The review was very positive.

joppaj · Jul 23, 2020

Guessing the Henry Big Boy X must be selling well.

MattTheGunslinger · Jul 23, 2020

Wow, I dont hate either the Marlin or Henry tactical models. They are tastefully done. After seeing the Mossberg 464 SPX, I just assumed I hated all tactical lever guns.

Uncle Duke · Jul 23, 2020

Matt said:
Wow, I dont hate either the Marlin or Henry tactical models. They are tastefully done. After seeing the Mossberg 464 SPX, I just assumed I hated all tactical lever guns.

Not a fan either. But hey, to each his own as they say, and that's why they make chocolate and vanilla both.

For the Op's purposes considering a purchase though, I'll add this thought. I bought a Henry steel .357 a while back, and have had more damned fun with that little rifle than I ever imagined I would. I have a 22 and a 44 mag and a 30-30 lever also. But of the levers I own, there's something special (ballistically speaking and regarding the shooting fun factor both) about 357 in a lever gun.

DO buy yourself a .357 lever!

Mr H · Jul 23, 2020

Uncle Duke said:
Not a fan either. But hey, to each his own as they say, and that's why they make chocolate and vanilla both.

For the Op's purposes considering a purchase though, I'll add this thought. I bought a Henry steel .357 a while back, and have had more damned fun with that little rifle than I ever imagined I would. I have a 22 and a 44 mag and a 30-30 lever also. But of the levers I own, there's something special (ballistically speaking and regarding the shooting fun factor both) about 357 in a lever gun.

DO buy yourself a .357 lever!

I have a Rossi, and while it's a nice shooter, the loading gate is still a cranky little bitch

I'm thinking that something built specifically for operability might be well worth it.

I almost bought the stainless model several years ago, but was on a motorcycle that day, which saved me :innocent0

MattTheGunslinger · Jul 23, 2020

Mr H said:
I have a Rossi, and while it's a nice shooter, the loading gate is still a cranky little bitch

I'm thinking that something built specifically for operability might be well worth it.

I almost bought the stainless model several years ago, but was on a motorcycle that day, which saved me

I had a Rossi with the same problem. Great gun, just fussy loading it.

I think this Marlin would be awesome for someone who does 4-wheeling and doesnt want to mess up an old school lever gun. I wouldn't mind carrying one of them on my buddies side by side in WV.

byf43 · Jul 24, 2020

Uncle Duke said:
Not a fan either. But hey, to each his own as they say, and that's why they make chocolate and vanilla both.

For the Op's purposes considering a purchase though, I'll add this thought. I bought a Henry steel .357 a while back, and have had more damned fun with that little rifle than I ever imagined I would. I have a 22 and a 44 mag and a 30-30 lever also. But of the levers I own, there's something special (ballistically speaking and regarding the shooting fun factor both) about 357 in a lever gun.

DO buy yourself a .357 lever!

Ya know, Duke.... you are NOT helping me, here!!!

I've got several lever guns in .45-70 and in .44 magnum.

Reading your post, has got me started perusing various vendors' sites and shops, looking for a .357/.38 lever gun.

Before I spend the money, I'm gonna have to join "RA". Rifleholics Anonymous.
Maybe they can help with the addiction. :party29:

28Shooter · Jul 24, 2020

Call me old-fashioned but "tactical" and "lever gun" should never appear in the same sentence.

bibitor · Jul 24, 2020

I have the Henry Big Boy Steel in .357, an absolute joy to shoot. Trying to work-out a deal on a Marlin 1895GBL with a member here right now, I heading down the path of lever-gun addiction fast.

John from MD · Jul 24, 2020

Mr H said:
I have a Rossi, and while it's a nice shooter, the loading gate is still a cranky little bitch

I'm thinking that something built specifically for operability might be well worth it.

I almost bought the stainless model several years ago, but was on a motorcycle that day, which saved me

The loading gate is an easy fix. You can remove it and take off about .050 off of the top and bottom of the thin part and it will be much easier to use.

Uncle Duke · Jul 24, 2020

byf43 said:
Ya know, Duke.... you are NOT helping me, here!!!

I've got several lever guns in .45-70 and in .44 magnum.

Reading your post, has got me started perusing various vendors' sites and shops, looking for a .357/.38 lever gun.

Before I spend the money, I'm gonna have to join "RA". Rifleholics Anonymous.
Maybe they can help with the addiction.

Do yourself a favor. Buy one.

What I wanted was yesteryear's Marlin. Wanted the fit and finish and the overall quality. Wanted traditional. Wanted walnut. With deep blued steel receiver and barrel. Without plastic. Without cross bolt safety. With a loading gate. In .357 magnum. At an affordable (non-Winchester or Uberti) price.

See how easy I am to please?

What I settled on was a Henry steel.

But what surprised me along the way was that, while I can live with the modern "non reflective" and non "game spooking" rifle finish well enough (read Oh ******** Mr. Manufacturer--blued and polished steel costs MONEY), and while I will probably like it more with a good set of Skinners, since the LEAST desirable thing about that Henry rifle to me is the buckhorn rear sight?

It's the cartridge. It's the cartridge itself. And it's the all day long shootability of the cartridge, should I wish to do that. Tougher to do that with large quantities of 44 mag. or .30-30. Then there's "Don't be stupid", which surpasses, and then for good measure runs laps around "tough to do" in my mind, when it comes to the idea of leaning into a .45-70 at a bench all day. I'm older and (arguably at least) just a tad smarter nowadays, than I used to be. Not that that was too terribly hard to accomplish.

When I think about it, I came to own more .357 revolvers than any other chambering, so it's fair to say that I know and like the cartridge. And I can be a bit of a ballistics chart junkie as well, just by way of general interest. So I'm not unfamiliar with the paper specs of the round. But what never really dawned on me in the same way I knew it intuitively, until such time as I actually had one in hand, was just how much that .357 magnum cartridge comes alive in a rifle tube! That damned thing is FUN, from punching holes in paper to smacking steel plates, to walking tomato cans with newfound authority. Hunting now possible too, even here in the Land of Merry, with a few loads I think. And all the while of not putting the rifle down, my shoulder isn't screaming WTF??

Marlin quality control scares me nowadays, though many say it's now ok, or at least much better than the previously god awful mess it was with the Remlin deal. Their used rifles in .357 cost serious cash and a kidney both. Their present day bankruptcy announcement, coming now years behind the Remlin fiasco, doesn't breed renewed confidence in me about what they might be turning out tomorrow either.

Henry is finally waking up to a serious market vacuum IMO, and is fooling with loading gates, including in 357. But to my knowledge, they don't yet have a non tacticool traditional loading gate offering. Not sure why, as in my mind they'd have a draw with a good quality side loading traditional looking .357, much akin to free beer night at a strip club. But I just might be behind the times. Rossi seems to me from their owners like the epitome of lever action love/hate relationships. And Winchester and Uberti and others have the quality, but also the premium price.

What's a feller to do??? There...see that? I did my job. I talked you out of one, didn't I???!

Blackstar65 · Jul 24, 2020

I have a 336 Dark. It a great gun. The 1895 dark is the next lever action I plan to purchase. Prices right know are insane though.

jimbobborg · Jul 24, 2020

Blackstar65 said:
I have a 336 Dark. It a great gun. The 1895 dark is the next lever action I plan to purchase. Prices right know are insane though.

They had one at Cabela's last month, I should have picked one up then. Yes, prices are crazy.

smokey · Jul 24, 2020

byf43 · Jul 25, 2020

Uncle Duke said:
Do yourself a favor. Buy one.

What I wanted was yesteryear's Marlin. Wanted the fit and finish and the overall quality. Wanted traditional. Wanted walnut. With deep blued steel receiver and barrel. Without plastic. Without cross bolt safety. With a loading gate. In .357 magnum. At an affordable (non-Winchester or Uberti) price.

See how easy I am to please?

What I settled on was a Henry steel.

But what surprised me along the way was that, while I can live with the modern "non reflective" and non "game spooking" rifle finish well enough (read Oh ******** Mr. Manufacturer--blued and polished steel costs MONEY), and while I will probably like it more with a good set of Skinners, since the LEAST desirable thing about that Henry rifle to me is the buckhorn rear sight?

It's the cartridge. It's the cartridge itself. And it's the all day long shootability of the cartridge, should I wish to do that. Tougher to do that with large quantities of 44 mag. or .30-30. Then there's "Don't be stupid", which surpasses, and then for good measure runs laps around "tough to do" in my mind, when it comes to the idea of leaning into a .45-70 at a bench all day. I'm older and (arguably at least) just a tad smarter nowadays, than I used to be. Not that that was too terribly hard to accomplish.

When I think about it, I came to own more .357 revolvers than any other chambering, so it's fair to say that I know and like the cartridge. And I can be a bit of a ballistics chart junkie as well, just by way of general interest. So I'm not unfamiliar with the paper specs of the round. But what never really dawned on me in the same way I knew it intuitively, until such time as I actually had one in hand, was just how much that .357 magnum cartridge comes alive in a rifle tube! That damned thing is FUN, from punching holes in paper to smacking steel plates, to walking tomato cans with newfound authority. Hunting now possible too, even here in the Land of Merry, with a few loads I think. And all the while of not putting the rifle down, my shoulder isn't screaming WTF??

Marlin quality control scares me nowadays, though many say it's now ok, or at least much better than the previously god awful mess it was with the Remlin deal. Their used rifles in .357 cost serious cash and a kidney both. Their present day bankruptcy announcement, coming now years behind the Remlin fiasco, doesn't breed renewed confidence in me about what they might be turning out tomorrow either.

Henry is finally waking up to a serious market vacuum IMO, and is fooling with loading gates, including in 357. But to my knowledge, they don't yet have a non tacticool traditional loading gate offering. Not sure why, as in my mind they'd have a draw with a good quality side loading traditional looking .357, much akin to free beer night at a strip club. But I just might be behind the times. Rossi seems to me from their owners like the epitome of lever action love/hate relationships. And Winchester and Uberti and others have the quality, but also the premium price.

What's a feller to do??? There...see that? I did my job. I talked you out of one, didn't I???!

^^^GREAT post!!!

Don’t know what I’m gonna do.

Thinking of selling off some of my stuff, but still not certain.
Some of the ones I’m contemplating have never been fired.
I’m a certified lever gun junkie now.

Aging eyes and other ailments (including that darned honey-do list) are keeping me away from my preferred pastime....... shooting.

Jimbob2.0 · Jul 25, 2020

byf43 said:
^^^GREAT post!!!

Don’t know what I’m gonna do.

Thinking of selling off some of my stuff, but still not certain.
Some of the ones I’m contemplating have never been fired.
I’m a certified lever gun junkie now.

Aging eyes and other ailments (including that darned honey-do list) are keeping me away from my preferred pastime....... shooting.

Join the club

Mr H · Jul 27, 2020

John from MD said:
The loading gate is an easy fix. You can remove it and take off about .050 off of the top and bottom of the thin part and it will be much easier to use.

Hey!

I have a Dremel!!

:lol2:

Nerp... IANAGS...

John from MD · Jul 27, 2020

Mr H said:
Hey!

I have a Dremel!!

Nerp... IANAGS...

Great! The Rossi, unlike the Winchester and Marlins, uses a thin piece of spring steel that is riveted on the door portion and the end that is screwed into the receiver. To lessen the pressure needed to open the gate, you can decrease the width of the spring.

This is a try and fit type of process so my suggestion is that you
1. measure the width of the spring
2. take equal passes on both sides and then measure. Try .010 on each side and try it out. If not enough, take additional metal off. I would use one of the 1/8 inch green stones if you have them. If not, Lowes carries them.
3. when you are satisfied, deburr the spring and cold blue it. If you find any sharp edges on the receiver opening, now is the time to round them off. I have been cut bad from a couple of sharp cutouts.

Good luck, have fun.

Trumpet · Jul 27, 2020

28Shooter said:
Call me old-fashioned but "tactical" and "lever gun" should never appear in the same sentence.

I kind of agree. I'd just as soon get a "regular" Marlin or Rossi and have it threaded and call it a day. The paracord thing seems useless to me and on the lever it's a great way to retain moisture.

KP Shooter · Jul 28, 2020

Anyone have and leads on 1894 Darks in .357MAG? I cannot seem to find it anywhere, and when talking to some LGS, they all basically tell me that I have just as much luck finding them on my own as I do relying on them to source.

Marlin 1894 Dark

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Banana'd

Sheepdog

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Banana'd

Ultimate Member

SCSC Life/NRA Patron Life

Ultimate Member

Kulak

American Patriot

Ultimate Member

Active Member

Oddball caliber fan

2A TEACHER

SCSC Life/NRA Patron Life

Ultimate Member

Banana'd

American Patriot

SCSC/NRA life member. MSI member

Le Flâneur

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics