[Gunnut45/454]

Gentleman
I need your assistance in my next purchase. I'm in the market for a .45LC lever gun to accompany me on my Mulely hunt this year. I was thinking of the Rossi 454 since I'm going to be Hunting with my 454 SRH, but I've not heard anything good about it and they are well behind in delivery's
My season starts 5 Oct 02 so I'll need this to be on hand soon so I can work up a back -up load. I feel the Lever will be a great Camp gun for those four /two legged critters around camp. To my question-which is the best for moderate to heavy 45 loads- the 1892 or 1894 design in a Winchester or Marlin? I have some Buffalo Bore 325gr LTB's that should be Hades on wheels if these can shoot them? Thanks in advance!

 

[TIMBERWOLF]

I called Buffalo bore a couple of years ago and asked a similar question. The gentleman with whom I spoke said the Winchester model 94 will "eat up" their heavy loads like popcorn and spit them out. So, it appears that the model 94 may be a bit stronger than the 92.

Take care,
Timberwolf

 

[m141a]

gunnut~
I purchased the 94AE Trapper in .45colt about a year ago. to this day I have around 1500 rounds thru the rifle. Even with the 16" bbl, she shoot great out to 100yds.
The fit and finish on the Winnie is ok, the Marlin's a little better. I chose the Trapper for it's length and "handiness" in the NE hardwoods. I believe the weight is around 6 lbs.
I have shot some mild stuff, and ALOT of Ruger/ Thompson type of power loads from mine. Mine likes Marshall's 285's and 300's with Hodgdon H110 powering them. The recoil is negligable. I think if you choose Winchester, you will not regret it!

 

[MikeG]

Win 94 is probably the strongest, but any of them should be able to handle the 30,000CUP loads for the .45 Colt.

The Win 94 is not noted for being a smooth action. Work one and you'll see why, there is a LOT of stuff that comes down out of the receiver with the lever.

Marlin 94's are pretty slick, and easy to mount a scope on. I just helped a friend buy a 94 for pig repellent and it's a nice little gun. I really like the fact that you can take out one screw then remove the bolt & clean from the chamber end.

On the down side, Marlins are maybe a little heavier than they need to be and for some reason, Marlin likes to put really fat forends on them.

Some people really like the 92's. It's a classic design and smaller and lighter and smoother than a Win 94, I believe. Have not shot one but a friend has a 92 in .44 mag and he likes it a lot.

Bottom line, any of them will probably work fine for your purposes, see which one suits you best, and what is available to you before the season.

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Gentlemen
Thanks for your imputs! I'm leaning towards the Win 94 legacy-like the lines of that gun feels great in the hands.
I like the longer barrel-weight no problem. If it will shoot the BB's I'll be set.

 

[JRR]

I recently got a Win. 94 with 16" barrel. The trigger is horrible, with lots of creep and hard let off. The barrel is smooth and the gun is very accurate even with the hard trigger pull. The LBT 300 gr. gas check bullet with 25 gr. of H110 and standard primers gave me an average 1635 fps. The LBT 335 gr. gas check bullet and 23.5 gr. of H110 and standard primers gave me an average of 1550 fps. The recoil is VERY pronounced in this lightweight carbine. The 50 yard groups were 1.5" with the stock sights. These loads are in the 30 K cup area.
Jeff

 

[Charlie Z]

In terms of quality, it seems there is more variation between individual guns than with brands. I've picked up both new Marlins and Winchesters some with good triggers and assembly, some not. It's best to compare and handle in person; you'll figure which one you want best and avoid a bad choice.

Action strength is irrelevant. All will chuck a hunk of lead as hard as the pistol cartridges (and your shoulder) can take.

The biggest functional issues, Marlin vs. Winchester 94 are mounting a scope (why?), cleaning and bullet choice. The Wins are complex and don't come apart for cleaning at all. From all the comments we've heard, it seems that the Win 94s do action just about any bullet and OAL for the pistol cartridges, which is a plus. Some Marlins don't handle some bullet shapes without fussing. My 92 has eaten everything I've fed it.

The Win 94 action was designed for the 38-55, 30-30, and 32-40 cartridges, so it is a little longer than necessary. The net result is the gun is a bit longer than a '92 or Marlin 94 (really, no factor).

The Win 92s, like the Marlin 94, is purpose built for pistol cartridges. The 92s do not have the ease of mounting a scope (why?) or peep (significant) that you get with the Marlin. Most 1892s are from "other" companies, so that may affect you choice, too.

I laid a Marlin 1894P (nice gun) next to a Brownchester 1892 and I realized that to get the Marlin to be as smooth and look as good as the 1892, I'd have to pay more than the difference between the two at the gunsmith. I kinda felt the other 1892s (cheaper) would require as much fussing to get smooth as the Marlin, so I didn't go further with them. I do like that 1894P and it was a hard choice.

I do recommend the 16" barrels in whatever you get. These are not your best "all-around" guns, so if you're going to specialize with a short range pounder, why not go for the whole package? (These carbines are for <100yd hunting with open or peep sights and you don't need the extra 4" of barrel. It's a tad handier and any accuracy gained by the longer sight plane is irrelevant at this distance).

This logic kinda eliminates the 1892s (no 16" barrels), much as I like it. Put a Trapper and 1894P together and tell us which one you take home!

Regards,

Charlie

PS: Mr. Gates has a good point on bullet weight. If a 250-265 grainer LBT will go thru a deer or hog end-to-end, why bother with the recoil and drop of a 300 or 325gr?

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Gentlemen
Again thanks for the Imputs. I went and put a Win 94 Legacy on order today- now I wait for ten days for it to get here. Should leave a couple of weeks to ring it out for the hunt. I went with the long barrel since I'm in open country here in ID, so if needed it will be nice to have that little extra reach. Now since I don't have alot of experince with lever's how critical is it to have flat nose bullet for a pistol cartridged Levergun. I have a round nose design bullet that does have a flat to it about the size of the primer pocket, but not as wide as the flat nose design in 255Gr would it be alright to use this since recoil in not as heavy in this round?

 

[m141a]

As long as you have a round or flat point you'll be fine.

 

[Gunnut45/454]

m141a
Thanks! I though so but better safe than sorry! Man your quick

 

[m141a]

It's a slow Saturday afternoon!

 

[Yanqui]

"Remember the modern 92 has the strength to take much higher pressures than the Marlin 94s and Winchester 94s. I had a converted 92 chambered and rebarreled for the 256 mag when we lived in the wilderness."

I came across an article at SIXGUNNER that has some interesting reading. The excerpt above is part of it. Read it and see check it for yourself.

BITS & PIECES....WILDCATS
http://www.sixgunner.com/paco/bits5.htm