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Transforming my stock marlin 1895..opinions!!

16406 Views 25 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  Greg Koziol, 
G
Hey fellow gun enthusiasts

Got the idea the other day that I wanted to put a lot of aftermarket stuff into my marlin 1895 and turn it into my primary deer/bear and large game rifle, as well as for camping trips for self defense etc, and home defense. I believe that the .45-70 is the best round for short to medium range knock-down power!! Going to be working on this project over the next few months will post pics when done

I have a standard marlin 1895 22" barrel, 4 shot magazine. Bought it when I was 16 for 600bucks now i'm 24, haven't really put that many rounds into it maybe 50-100 at most.

Here's what I will be adding to it, comments and suggestions please!!

1) BURRIS FAST FIRE II reflex sight and sight in at 50 yards?? .... i like this sight but little worried about how visibile it will be during the day time... most of my hunting is done in upstate new york woods so its pretty dark anyway..

2) Remove stock iron sights and replace with FIBER OPTIC SIGHTS for BACK-UP purposes and sight in at 50yds. not sure which manufacturer to go with I saw a few at brownells.com and realguns.com they were talking about a manufacturer that designs a pair of fiber optic sights specifically for 1895's... ????

3) Laser/light mount from Wild West Guns

4) Streamlight TLR-2 laser/LED light combo , mount onto wild west guns laserlight mount at the end of mag tube, sight in laser at 15-25 yards??? One thing i'm wondering is if the laser will be able to take the pounding... i think sighting the laser in at 15-25 yards is perfect for fast target acquisition for short range self defense shots either in a home defense scenario or against a bear charge/attack on hunting/camping trips.

5) Just ordered a pachmayr F990 triple magnum recoil pad, it's supposed to be the most recoil absorpbent pad on the market, used by .50 cal shooters. Looks pretty heavy duty. I ordered a MEDIUM size because I was a little confused with the sizing. I hope it's right..

6) For the most part I will be shooting the standard remington 405 grain soft point. I'm planning a bear hunt this year.. black bear... they get big around here... like 600+ pounders are not un common. I think the 405 grain is powerful enough to stop a possible charging black bear?? If not was thinking about buying a few boxes of buffalo bore ammo... i don't have the time or money to start getting into hand-loading... would like to in the future son.. still college student so low on money for now

7) I also was thinking about getting a new magazine tube or tube extension??? so i can hold more cartridges like 6 or 7... in case some looters or local dirtbags screw with me when i'm at home or if multiple shots are needed at a large charging bear(s)!! not sure where to get one, been looking all over the internet can't find them!!! Suggestions please!!

Thanks for taking the time to read this monstrosity!!!
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Rangr44
[1) BURRIS FAST FIRE II reflex sight and sight in at 50 yards?? .... i like this sight but little worried about how visibile it will be during the day time... most of my hunting is done in upstate new york woods so its pretty dark anyway..]
I can't speak to the Burris, but I had it's progenitor, the Tasco Optima - which did fine, although I bought one with the larger dot.


[2) Remove stock iron sights and replace with FIBER OPTIC SIGHTS for BACK-UP purposes and sight in at 50yds. not sure which manufacturer to go with I saw a few at brownells.com and realguns.com they were talking about a manufacturer that designs a pair of fiber optic sights specifically for 1895's... ????]
Williams Gun Sight Co sells FireSight sets for the Marlin 336/1895 (same sights)


[3) Laser/light mount from Wild West Guns] - I have no experience w/this


[4) Streamlight TLR-2 laser/LED light combo , mount onto wild west guns laserlight mount at the end of mag tube, sight in laser at 15-25 yards??? One thing i'm wondering is if the laser will be able to take the pounding... i think sighting the laser in at 15-25 yards is perfect for fast target acquisition for short range self defense shots either in a home defense scenario or against a bear charge/attack on hunting/camping trips.]
You might want to check with the NY Game Dept. Many states disallow lights/lasers on guns for big game


[5) Just ordered a pachmayr F990 triple magnum recoil pad, it's supposed to be the most recoil absorpbent pad on the market, used by .50 cal shooters. Looks pretty heavy duty. I ordered a MEDIUM size because I was a little confused with the sizing. I hope it's right..]
Just make sure it's long enough to continue the stock's top/bottom lines through the pad w/o interruption


[6) For the most part I will be shooting the standard remington 405 grain soft point. I'm planning a bear hunt this year.. black bear... they get big around here... like 600+ pounders are not un common. I think the 405 grain is powerful enough to stop a possible charging black bear?? If not was thinking about buying a few boxes of buffalo bore ammo... i don't have the time or money to start getting into hand-loading... would like to in the future son.. still college student so low on money for now]
Good luck - I switched long ago to 300-350gr slugs for all Eastern Seaboard game, to save my shoulder

[7) I also was thinking about getting a new magazine tube or tube extension??? so i can hold more cartridges like 6 or 7... in case some looters or local dirtbags screw with me when i'm at home or if multiple shots are needed at a large charging bear(s)!! not sure where to get one, been looking all over the internet can't find them!!! Suggestions please!!]

The only way to get one is to order a 26" Cowboy magazine tube & spring ( Marlin/Numrich/etc), and a forward dovetailed tube hanger, then shorten it to length and install the hanger under/near the front sight.

FWIW - I've been hunting/shooting Black Bears since 1968, and the only way they've "charged" was to get out of Dodge, once they detected my presence.
Of course - NOBODY has any business, getting between a sow & her cubs, which is asking for trouble.

.
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unclenick
I was going to suggest that when you're looking at sights don't ignore the ghost ring offerings (I find them fastest to acquire up to around 100 yards or so). The Williams 70102 Firesight will let you approximate that by just unscrewing the peep. Williams makes a ghost ring apperture for the 336 in the Firesight line (WGRS-336 Set) with two little fiber optic beads at three and nine o'clock. Never tried one, but it might overcome any objections about low light with a regular ghost ring?
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G
Rangr44 said:
[1) BURRIS FAST FIRE II reflex sight and sight in at 50 yards?? .... i like this sight but little worried about how visibile it will be during the day time... most of my hunting is done in upstate new york woods so its pretty dark anyway..]
I can't speak to the Burris, but I had it's progenitor, the Tasco Optima - which did fine, although I bought one with the larger dot.


[2) Remove stock iron sights and replace with FIBER OPTIC SIGHTS for BACK-UP purposes and sight in at 50yds. not sure which manufacturer to go with I saw a few at brownells.com and realguns.com they were talking about a manufacturer that designs a pair of fiber optic sights specifically for 1895's... ????]
Williams Gun Sight Co sells FireSight sets for the Marlin 336/1895 (same sights)


[3) Laser/light mount from Wild West Guns] - I have no experience w/this


[4) Streamlight TLR-2 laser/LED light combo , mount onto wild west guns laserlight mount at the end of mag tube, sight in laser at 15-25 yards??? One thing i'm wondering is if the laser will be able to take the pounding... i think sighting the laser in at 15-25 yards is perfect for fast target acquisition for short range self defense shots either in a home defense scenario or against a bear charge/attack on hunting/camping trips.]
You might want to check with the NY Game Dept. Many states disallow lights/lasers on guns for big game


[5) Just ordered a pachmayr F990 triple magnum recoil pad, it's supposed to be the most recoil absorpbent pad on the market, used by .50 cal shooters. Looks pretty heavy duty. I ordered a MEDIUM size because I was a little confused with the sizing. I hope it's right..]
Just make sure it's long enough to continue the stock's top/bottom lines through the pad w/o interruption


[6) For the most part I will be shooting the standard remington 405 grain soft point. I'm planning a bear hunt this year.. black bear... they get big around here... like 600+ pounders are not un common. I think the 405 grain is powerful enough to stop a possible charging black bear?? If not was thinking about buying a few boxes of buffalo bore ammo... i don't have the time or money to start getting into hand-loading... would like to in the future son.. still college student so low on money for now]
Good luck - I switched long ago to 300-350gr slugs for all Eastern Seaboard game, to save my shoulder

[7) I also was thinking about getting a new magazine tube or tube extension??? so i can hold more cartridges like 6 or 7... in case some looters or local dirtbags screw with me when i'm at home or if multiple shots are needed at a large charging bear(s)!! not sure where to get one, been looking all over the internet can't find them!!! Suggestions please!!]

The only way to get one is to order a 26" Cowboy magazine tube & spring ( Marlin/Numrich/etc), and a forward dovetailed tube hanger, then shorten it to length and install the hanger under/near the front sight.

FWIW - I've been hunting/shooting Black Bears since 1968, and the only way they've "charged" was to get out of Dodge, once they detected my presence.
Of course - NOBODY has any business, getting between a sow & her cubs, which is asking for trouble.

.
Click to expand...
YEa I just check with the DEC about the laser... I don't plan on hunting with it, just mainly for the fun of it and for self-defense purposes when up close shots are needed or in low light. I figure if i'm gonna mount a flashlight on it I might as well get a flashlight/laser combo. The flashlight is handy for getting out of the woods late at night or getting in in the morning! For now i do most of my hunting in the catskill mountains of new york which the only thing you gotta worry about are black bears. Thanks Alot of the advice.

I just got my williams fire sights and installed them.. they were actually a little tough gettin on, I had to file the crap outta the front sight. The rear was much less filing maybe a few strokes with the file and some sand paper. I was filing and sanding the front sight for a while

I just ordered a picatinny rail from EGW gun works...
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G
unclenick said:
I was going to suggest that when you're looking at sights don't ignore the ghost ring offerings (I find them fastest to acquire up to around 100 yards or so). The Williams 70102 Firesight will let you approximate that by just unscrewing the peep. Williams makes a ghost ring apperture for the 336 in the Firesight line (WGRS-336 Set) with two little fiber optic beads at three and nine o'clock. Never tried one, but it might overcome any objections about low light with a regular ghost ring?
Click to expand...
I was looking at the XS sight systems for a while they first caught my eye in last years cabela's, I was going to go with that system but I want to get the burris fast fire and I think the rear ghost ring will obstruct usage of the burris fast fire. So instead I ordered a standard picatinny rail which sitson top of the reciever it doesn't extend too far over the barrel like the XS and this will allow me to mount my burris fast fire more towards the front of the gun... although not as forward as an XS system will allow me to but it will still be a little bit forward giving me fast target acquisition. Also if for whatever reason I need to take off my burris fast fire if it's raining heavy or the battery is dead etc. or in case if it gets messed up while in the middle of a hunt or dangerou game hunt... I can all ways just remove the sight from the picatinny rail and I'll have the williams fire sights as a back up.. Common sense tells you never to place your trust on electronics, therefore i can fall back on the williams fire sights .Plust the picatinny rail can allow me to quickly take it on and off without messing up the zero. Just an idea you might appreciate! Thanks for advice.
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Now everything sounds good to me but that laser is something can do without period! I have no use for laser's on guns. Just something else that can and will go wrong down the road.:eek::)
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Dan 444
Greg,

Where do you hunt in NYS that you're worried about charging black bears? There is no documented attack by a black bear in NYS. Also, do NOT get caught in the woods during hunting season with a laser on the gun.....illegal in NYS. Also, do NOT get caught ANYWHERE in NYS with that flashlight mounted to the gun if it's after sundown.....illegal in NYS (deer jacking).

Best,
Dan
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Flat Top
Greg; We hunt some pretty rough stuff down here...heavy cover...wet terrain, etc. Also, we do a lot of traversing by boat....its all tough on equipment. When I built the "Peashooter, my end goal was simplicity. I wanted everything to fit the terrain and conditions that I hunt. (Read "A custom levergun story") in this section. If you design simplicity into the gun, and build it to your specific requirements, you should be most happy with the results...but, really "take the time" to consider all the options, and the postitive and negative impact of your decisions. The thought and design process is much harder than building the rifle!!!). Good luck, and lets see what you come up with!!!
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Dan 444
Rangr44 said:
[1) BURRIS FAST FIRE II reflex sight and sight in at 50 yards?? .... i like this sight but little worried about how visibile it will be during the day time... most of my hunting is done in upstate new york woods so its pretty dark anyway..]
I can't speak to the Burris, but I had it's progenitor, the Tasco Optima - which did fine, although I bought one with the larger dot.


[2) Remove stock iron sights and replace with FIBER OPTIC SIGHTS for BACK-UP purposes and sight in at 50yds. not sure which manufacturer to go with I saw a few at brownells.com and realguns.com they were talking about a manufacturer that designs a pair of fiber optic sights specifically for 1895's... ????]
Williams Gun Sight Co sells FireSight sets for the Marlin 336/1895 (same sights)


[3) Laser/light mount from Wild West Guns] - I have no experience w/this


[4) Streamlight TLR-2 laser/LED light combo , mount onto wild west guns laserlight mount at the end of mag tube, sight in laser at 15-25 yards??? One thing i'm wondering is if the laser will be able to take the pounding... i think sighting the laser in at 15-25 yards is perfect for fast target acquisition for short range self defense shots either in a home defense scenario or against a bear charge/attack on hunting/camping trips.]
You might want to check with the NY Game Dept. Many states disallow lights/lasers on guns for big game


[5) Just ordered a pachmayr F990 triple magnum recoil pad, it's supposed to be the most recoil absorpbent pad on the market, used by .50 cal shooters. Looks pretty heavy duty. I ordered a MEDIUM size because I was a little confused with the sizing. I hope it's right..]
Just make sure it's long enough to continue the stock's top/bottom lines through the pad w/o interruption


[6) For the most part I will be shooting the standard remington 405 grain soft point. I'm planning a bear hunt this year.. black bear... they get big around here... like 600+ pounders are not un common. I think the 405 grain is powerful enough to stop a possible charging black bear?? If not was thinking about buying a few boxes of buffalo bore ammo... i don't have the time or money to start getting into hand-loading... would like to in the future son.. still college student so low on money for now]
Good luck - I switched long ago to 300-350gr slugs for all Eastern Seaboard game, to save my shoulder

[7) I also was thinking about getting a new magazine tube or tube extension??? so i can hold more cartridges like 6 or 7... in case some looters or local dirtbags screw with me when i'm at home or if multiple shots are needed at a large charging bear(s)!! not sure where to get one, been looking all over the internet can't find them!!! Suggestions please!!]

The only way to get one is to order a 26" Cowboy magazine tube & spring ( Marlin/Numrich/etc), and a forward dovetailed tube hanger, then shorten it to length and install the hanger under/near the front sight.

FWIW - I've been hunting/shooting Black Bears since 1968, and the only way they've "charged" was to get out of Dodge, once they detected my presence.
Of course - NOBODY has any business, getting between a sow & her cubs, which is asking for trouble.

.
Click to expand...
+1. The black bear is a wary & shy animal......I've hunted them, too, for the past 35 years in the Adirondacks. I live in the Northern Adirondacks and have access to 3,500 private acres (timber company holding) that is connected to my back yard. One time I was climbing down out of a tree stand and when I turned around, I was staring at a sizable bear about six feet from me. It looked at me kinda' like it didn't understand what was going on (sniffing the air all the time), then dang near fell over sideways trying to turn and stampede out of Dodge. As I watched it crash through the brush, I heard noise to my right (maybe 40 yds away) as the cub starting running toward the direction of the bear (sow). You are right, though, you don't want to put yourself in the position that the sow thinks that you're threatening the cub.....she will do anything to protect her cub(s).

Lights/lasers are a no-no in NYS.....class A misdemeanors.....and they will search your truck to look for these.

You've given good advise to Greg re:simplicity.

Best,
Dan
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G
Thanks for all the advice.. I can just take the light off of the gun when I am hunting!

Bears are still bears! I wouldn't underestimate them!! More people die from black bear attacks then grizzly attacks simply because people underestimate them. A few years ago a baby was attacked and consumed in someones backyard in the catskills, it was a big headline... it made the DEC look bad because they all ways downplay the bear population in the state, and downplay their danger
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I extended the mag tube on my Guide Gun with a 1895 Cowboy mag tube. The hardest part was working up the gonads to cut a new dovetail for the hanger! After you cut it to length you have to make new holes in the tube to mount the hanger. You cant cut it from the other end because it has the bulge for loading.


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G
that looks awesome. Nice recoil pad and scope. Mine will look very similar to yours. im gonna mount an xs lever rail and probably mount an EOTECH with the dot inside of circle reticle instead of the burris fast fire, just because I like the reticle its better for close range. I have the gun at the gunsmith now down in Connecticut. im gonna mount the eotech sight as far forward as I can so I can just bring the gun up quick. I had to drive like an hour to get to the smith. He's gonna do all the mag tube extension for me. My magazine tube came from Brownells sort of rough around the area where the bulge is, it had a lot of blemishes or excess blue, i don't know what it was, it looked like the blue-ing was messed up. I think thats how they all come, unless i'm wrong? I should get my rifle back soon. I will post pics of it with the magazine extension. I installed the pachmayr F990 recoil pad on my own, it looks pretty good on .45-70's in my opinion. Should be getting my xs lever rail soon and i'll post a pic of it after thats installed too
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G
I think I have the exact same shell holder as you.. I got mine at wal mart for 20 bucks, it's hunters specialties
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L
Greg all of the mag tubes I have seen don't have muuch or any finish where it's hidden under the stock I guess it's a cost saver. Can't wait to see your gun when it's finished be sure to post picks! I have since gone back to stock sights and scope mounts for a more traditional look. My cattaract surgery did play a role in switching back.
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G
Just got my gun back from gunsmith.. I paid 200 bucks for the magazine tube to be extended. I used a WildWest guns aluminum follower and Brownells chrome plated spring. Also had the guy soften the loading gate a little so it's easier to hold. Holds 8 rounds now, 7 in the tube. So I gained 3 rounds on the extension. Next order of business will be installing the XS leverl rail and eventually getting an EOTECH and mounting it on the rail. not sure how to u
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G
not sure how to post photes here, but if anyone wants to check out the rifle its up on my facebook page. Click on photos and go to the .45-70 album
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G
Lever Addict said:
Greg all of the mag tubes I have seen don't have muuch or any finish where it's hidden under the stock I guess it's a cost saver. Can't wait to see your gun when it's finished be sure to post picks! I have since gone back to stock sights and scope mounts for a more traditional look. My cattaract surgery did play a role in switching back.
Click to expand...
your rifle is sexy... I don't know how to post pictures.. but there on my facebook if you wanna look em up.
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Greg:

When I first got my Marlin 1895 it was the stock 22" barreled model just as yours.

I first scoped it, and then went about with my 45/70 load developements.

This way I was more self assured with the actual accuracy these loads were delivering.

I was having a ball up untill this one afternoon at the range when I discovered the reticle in my scope was half missing... He He !!

I then opted for the Williams peep-sight. Back then they didn't have red dot sights like they do these days. If they did I'm sure I might have concidered one, but as things worked out I'm completely happy with the more common every day peep-sights, beings there's no batteries required, and there less likely to take a disabling smack while out in booneys.

One key element I wouldn't want you to over look when shooting heavy loads in the 45/70 is a good recoil pad. For my money's worth there's no better choise than a Limbsaver recoil pad. They are literally heads and shoulders above all the rest in their ability to soak up the sort of recoil a hot loaded 45/70 can dish out.

As far as the rest of it goes with the customizing of your Marlin you could add a piccanny rail, and hang just about anything you like on your particular gun. Should you reach that point the sky is pretty much the limit.

If I could offer one bit of advice, I would first rather you get on board with reloading your own ammunition.
It's then when you'll be able to experience the full thrill of it all to it's full maximum.

It's all good !!
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G
Thanks reloading will be next on my agenda. But first is making this rifle into a dependable brush gun and home defense gun. Just bolted on my xs lever rail... I used PERMATEX RED THREADLOCKER... which is basically a permanent threadlock...its the highest strength threadlocker for car and truck parts, it says that its a permanent bond and would require heat or special tools to remove..the nice thing about Permatex threadlocker is that it doesn't bond unless in absence of oxygen, so if you leak a little onto the barrel or onto the rail you dn't have to worry about it leaving residue and wiping it up quickly like with super-glues
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unclenick
Yep. That's why methacrylics come in half-full bottles and tubes. They need some air to prevent them setting up in the container.

The red types (Loctite has a whole series of them for special purposes) are roughly ten times stronger than the removable types. They have to be heated to about 250 degrees to soften. A hot air gun will do that without putting the steel at any risk, but you'd best remove the stock before you do it.
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