another lever-gun question

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JHZR2

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Hi,

One other lever gun question. I have and love my marlin 94 .38/.357. I like these to shoot, not necessarily to hunt. Being in that type of caliber allows me to use it at most any range.

What Im looking for is an octagonal barrel lever gun, that is not in a hunting caliber. Could be in a cowboy shooting caliber though, e.g. .44-40 or .45 colt.

Im having a tough time finding any besides maybe a 16" barrel winchester.

Im thinking that since my marlin 94 is fairly short, I'd like to go a bit longer in barrel length, maybe 20?

Not sure yet completely, I just like the lever guns and would be interested in an octagonal barrel version for the collection.

Thanks!
 
Marlin has made several octagon barreled 1894s over the years, including limited runs of the 1994CC41-LTD in 1999 (1001 pieces in 41 mag.), 2500 pieces of the 1894 Century Limited in 1994 (44-40 cal.), as well as the various 1984 Cowboy models (some of which are still listed on their website).

Many of the Winchester commeratives also had octagon barrels, but most were made over 30 years ago in small numbers and are mainly collector pieces.
 
If you can stand the price, Davidson's is selling a really nifty takedown version of the Winchester 1892 rifle with Octagonal barrel in 44-40 and 45 colt.

I have an Winchester 1886 SRC in 45-70 and the 1892 is basically a scaled down version of the same gun. It is a rugged and reliable firearm and a very strong action with dual locking bolts. It is one of John Browning's better designs.

If you like the 1892, but don't want to pay the extra expense, Cimmaron Arms offers some nice 1892's for $500-$600 cheaper including take down models. I don't know if any are octagonal barrel but they look nice.
 
The take down models you mention are the 16-18" barrel variants?
 
Just for kicks and giggles I requested an instant quote for the takedown 20" Winchester 1882 octagon barrel for local shops in Maryland with access to Davidson's. There were a couple that could get me the gun out the door for about $1350.00, which puts the Winchester in the same class price wise as the Cimarron (assuming no similar discounts on the Cimarron/Uberti).

I have purchased a few Winchester commemoratives through Davidson's. Generally the quality is first rate. The guns are made by Mirouku (spelling?), who makes a lot of the Browning arms. From what I have seen It is a step above your typical Winchester/Remington/Marlin firearm.
 
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Am I reading it right that winchester no longer makes their own guns? Marlin does, right?
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Am I reading it right that winchester no longer makes their own guns? Marlin does, right?


Winchester is owned by FN along with Browning. Its all the same company. The original Winchester plant was shut down in 06 and all Winchester guns are made by FN USA or FN in Belgium.

Marlin is owned by the same corporate entity that owns Remington, Bushmaster, and DPMS.
 
FN doesn't own Winchester. Well they have a licensing contract with Winchester, but Olin still owns Winchester Ammo
 
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FN owned Winchester prior to Winchester's plant shutdown in 2006. I remember when I first heard about the FN Winchester marriage I thought FN's approach to quality would rub off on Winchester. It was not to be. Back during the short magnum craze there were loads of complaints about accuracy problems with the Winchester Coyote.

I got a chance to look at three Coyotes at my local Bass Pro and the bedding of action to stock left a lot to be desired. A friend of mine bought a Winchester Model 70 in 270 Win about that time and it would not feed from the magazine right out-of-the box. The problem was a badly cut extractor which he fixed himself with a file. There was no way that rifle should have left the factory in that condition. The kicker was he paid as much, if not more, than the price of a Remington Model 700 for it. Again the rifle was made by Winchester in the USA.

On the other hand, I have purchased Winchester commemorates that were produced by Miroku that were smooth and well finished right-out-of the box. My 1886 and 1885 rifles were top quality guns. So the moral of the story is not all Winchesters are equal and if you have a choice get one made in Japan.
 
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