The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Marlin here for me and around 10 others in the club

like the Henry but they are more expensive

Well just to be different I'm going to say buy a Henry :)

Superb fit and finish, hits what it's pointed at and for the larger calibres that bit extra weight soaks up the recoil nicely.

Nothing wrong with my Marlin, works faultlessly now it has been tuned and fettled. It's a competition gun and they are the only choice for competition.

As you are wanting a fun gun, I'd go Rossi or Winchester but be prepared that they may need a bit of work to get them running faultlessly.

Ah yes, what GRCF. A question that ranks up there with ".177 or .22".

Essentially, Marlin/Rossi/Henry/Winchester/Uberti will all be fine for what you want- but the fan boys will be arguing for weeks (and it usually gets fairly nasty- your rifle is s***, you moron, it'll break every round- that sort of thing). It comes down to what you like, what you need (scope or opens?) and your budget.

Personally, I have a Winchester 94AE in .44 and I love it- I can't justify or rationalise the silly (IMHO) money Marlins now are. That said, I'd love an Uberti as they are a real piece of art- I think when I 1 for 1 my 44-40 slot for a .357/38 I will go for one.

Winchester picked up a dodgy reputation after a batch with cast lifters suffered many breakages- although oddly enough someone was looking for a Marlin lifter the other day and everywhere has sold out of them. If you're unlucky enough to break a Winchester lifter (which is the only part I've ever heard of someone breaking) they are easily available online and if you're buying secondhand it's easy enough to check if it's machined or cast.

It does amuse me when guys at the club are complaining their rifles are ammo picky (LSWC/crimp issues)- my "crap" 94AE has digested everything I've put through it, aside from when I f*** up reassembling it and it ejected a live round out the top every time I operated the action. As mentioned up thread, despite every part breaking on them every 30 minutes, I know people who have shot them since the nineties with no problems. I've not "fettled" it either. However, it does only shoot possibles in the right hands.

That all said, the 94AE isn't great for scope mounting, and they really need a williams peep sight (again, fairly easy as they have pre drilled and tapped holes).

Marlinspares have them, I bought one this week.

zanes wrote:although oddly enough someone was looking for a Marlin lifter the other day and everywhere has sold out of them.

HALODIN wrote:Marlinspares have them, I bought one this week.

zanes wrote:although oddly enough someone was looking for a Marlin lifter the other day and everywhere has sold out of them.

Not in .357/38 when I checked the other day

zanes wrote: I'd love an Uberti as they are a real piece of art- I think when I 1 for 1 my 44-40 slot for a .357/38 I will go for one.

IMO, that would be a mistake. Get an Uberti in .44-40!! If it's an 1873 you get, it's a replica in its original calibre!

Uberti barrels are cut to .429 as well, to utilise modern production cast bullets which are freely available. A 200gn RNFP with 5.0gns of TightGroup gives a cracking plinking/gallery round.

zanes wrote:Not in .357/38 when I checked the other day

Sim G wrote:

zanes wrote: I'd love an Uberti as they are a real piece of art- I think when I 1 for 1 my 44-40 slot for a .357/38 I will go for one.

IMO, that would be a mistake. Get an Uberti in .44-40!! If it's an 1873 you get, it's a replica in its original calibre!

Uberti barrels are cut to .429 as well, to utilise modern production cast bullets which are freely available. A 200gn RNFP with 5.0gns of TightGroup gives a cracking plinking/gallery round.

Unfortunately, much as I would like to get an Uberti in 44-40 (probably an 1860), it falls on the wrong side of the pistol-versus-rifle calibre* debate at the range I do most of my GR shooting at nowadays. So I'll probably end up with an 1866 in .38 special**

**Being bottlenecked and introduced for the 1873 rifle :(

**Not an 1860, as that's only in .44-40 and .45 LC, and the same range is limited to "no bigger than .44".

You say that Winchesters are crap have you ever owned one

Yes, and it was always a mediocre rifle until it broke, repaired, broke again, broke, repaired and now it's simply garbage. You can keep replacing parts until the cows come home but you know at some point in the future the gun will break again if you're running the gun quickly. It was not designed to take this kind of punishment.

The cheaper Rossi 92 is vastly superior. If money was no object I'd build a competition spec 1873 with parts from Pioneer Gun Works.