Marlin has re-introduced 1894's in 357

by jgt, Friday, February 09, 2018, 08:51 (2480 days ago) @ CJM

I can only tell you about my one experience. My sister-in-law needed a rifle. I thought a lever action .357 would fill her need. I believed a JM stamped Marlin would be just the ticket. Finding a JM marked Marlin proved to be unrealistic in my area at that time. I wasn't willing to wait the time it would take to find one had I been shopping for myself. A member on the Marlin board had bought one from Gander Mountain. It was suppose to be one of Remington's guns they had taken to SHOT and other outdoor shows. I think they had six at the time and he bought one. He claimed it was good enough for shooting. I took a chance and ordered one. When it came, I checked to see if the front sight was on straight and it was. The wood and wood finish was not very desirable and the wood to metal fit sucked in places like the tang but it was not chipped or split anywhere. It was a little proud in places but still for a hunting/shooting gun not any worse than guns from other companies I had seen in the past. The screws were not buggered and the metal was not scratched or marred. The blue was between a mat finish and nice quality. In other word not something to write home about. The trigger went about eight and a half pounds on my trigger pull gage and the action was gritty. There were no hitches in the action, just gritty feeling. I had been warned to take it apart and give it a good cleaning and maybe a fluff and buff. When I undertook that task I got sliced and diced by the razor sharp edges I encountered on the receiver and other parts. My first task was cleaning. I got a lot of metal dust and filings out of it along with some fairly stubborn grease. The big surprise was how nicely the action had been machined. It was actually much nicer than my 1979 model 1894 in 44 magnum. I did the fluff and buff along with using a deburring tool to dull the phantom razors. Then I polished the trigger and sear surfaces to get a better fit to the surfaces. It took three tries before I got the trigger pull weight down to a little over five pounds. I decided to stop there and let the parts wear in before attempting more. The action smoothed up nicely and with only a light lube inside and judicious application of grease to the friction surfaces the little rifle was surprisingly smooth. Next was to sight it in. I took it to a ranch belonging to an old gun buddy of mine because I knew he did own a .357 JM Marlin and I could get his opinion about it. Using Seller & Bellot .357 magnum jacked hollow points I measure off fifty yards and set up the target. Using his yard gate as a rest for my arm I shot the rifle. I had to drift the front sight over a tap or two and raze the rear elevator a notch, but that was it. The rifle shot a very nice group. Even my buddy was impressed and he is not easy to impress. So for the use this gun was intended, I called it "good enough". My sister-in-law would not know the difference if it was trouble free, shot where she aimed, and went bang when she pulled the trigger. She was happy, so all was well. I doubt she has shot it as much as one of us would, but she would bring it to me if she had any problems with it and it has been several years now. That is my one and only experience with the Remlin/Marlington .357 model 1894 rifles. All I can add is buyer be ware and look it over. Clean it good. Watch those sharp edges. And shoot it right away, so you can send it back if you have any problems. Doubt you will, but you never know now days. Good luck.