Recommendation 357 magnum

[Mike357]

Sandgroper took my very badly behaved Winchester 94AE and turned it into something pretty sweet that works well..well done that man.

I then bought a Marlin. Over the last year, I have seen Rossis spit their springs all over the place and other Winchesters suffer feed problems whilst the Marlins just keep going.

Buy a Marlin.

BTW there is an 1894P in Aberdeen too!

[Individual]

I shoot a Marlin 1894P

Well that's now two of that I know in the UK!! Yours and mine.......

Supposedly, the ten importer only brought in ten of each of the "P" and the "CP". I'm still hunting for a CP to go with it's big brother.

Mine is serial number 00056005. Only ten in the UK?

[Sim G]

Mine is serial number 00056005. Only ten in the UK?

Yes, allegedly. 10 "P's" in .44 mag and 10 "CP's" in .357.

They only made the "P" from 2000 to 2002 for just over 2500 units. The "CP" from 2001 to 1002 for 1500 units.

Your serial number puts it in the first year of manufacture. Mine is a 2001.

Mike, you got one as well?!!!! Three out of ten on the same forum?!

[Mike357]

Afraid not Sim, lovely guns but this one is owned by a chap in Aberdeen Full Bore Gun Club.

[phaedra1106]

Go mad, buy a Henry Big Boy :)

I looked at a couple of Marlins (in fact I have one) and the new ones are very poor build quality, in fact when I went to order one last year they were so bad they'd stopped production after transferring to a new plant. I ended up getting a s/h one from a local RFD I trust, as usual the trigger is fairly pants but it kept me going until I got the Henry. Abslout chalk and cheese difference!, don't think I've seen a better finished out of the box rifle, wood, fit and action are all superb.

[Porcupine]

If you want to really compete and take it seriously, get a used pre-Remington Marlin. Accurate and probably the most customize-able .357 levergun. The new Remington ones I have no experience with but have been widely panned as junk so why risk it? If you want it for fun and pride of ownership without spending too much, get a Henry Big Boy. A beautiful gun, one of the slickest out of the box actions you'll find on a levergun, and second to none build quality. If you want to spend a lot of money, get a Uberti. If you get a Win 94 or copy thereof I do recommend wearing gloves, they are more prone to bite you than some other designs. In fact I suggest always using gloves when shooting but particularly with the Win 94!

[johngarnett]

ENS

Go with a pre Remington Marlin. You may like to join / read the forums at http://www.marlinowners.com, Stateside, to see if there are any improvements in the new manufacture. That is sure to be current info.

I know, shouldn't tempt fate, but my .38 has done all the Phoenix's plus club shooting since the pistol ban, '97, with only one broken firing pin.

I Loctited all the screws from the start - no problem.

Good, very good, cheap shooting.

Enjoy it whilst we still have them :lol:

JohnG :cornwall:

[mr smith]

I Loctited all the screws from the start - no problem.


JohnG :cornwall:

The only screw i have problems with is the one on the loading gate,and only since i tweaked it to make loading easier.I use a little dab of clear nail varnish(my daughters i may add) to hold it in place.

[Steve]

I love my little Winchester 94ae.It might not be as slick as the Marlin,but in my opinion its the better looking,accurate and fun to shoot.At 100mtrs with homeloads (Dodgyrogs cast boolit specials) with 12grns of 2400 its spot on accurate.

[Dougan]

I started with a Winchester 94AE, and loved the look and feel of it - but had some of the usual cycling and feeding problems, it was also a PITA to clean (too many parts!), and it's not uncommon to break the ejector (which is brittle) when putting it back together again...

In the end I gave up and bought a Marlin - It is uber reliable...only 1 clean in well over 1000 rounds, and not a single jam