David,
I picked up the 1894P last year, about a week after deer season. I haven't had a chance to hunt with it, but I have done a lot of shooting with it. The gun should be a great heavy brush gun, due to it's short length and heavy bullet. It's light weight makes it easy to carry, while still being enough gun to handle the .44's recoil. It's a nice all around package that handles real fast. Two complaints I do have one regarding the factory sights and the second the factory finish. If you want to stay with iron sights, I would go with a peep sight and firesight for the front. The finish may just be a matter of personal taste, It had a nice grain that couldn't be appreciated with the Mar-Shield finish. I stripped the finish off this gun when it was a week old and refinished it using tung oil, it realy brought out the depth of the grain. I can't wait to take it for deer. Of all the guns I have, this would be the last one I would ever sell. I saw a used one for sale today, for $329.00. I hope this helps.