Any Big Bore Lever Gun Fans?
 

Here's my Marlin 1895 LTD IV.
45-70 cal.
24" Oct bbl.
8 rounds in the mag and one more in the tube.
Williams rear peep sight and Williams 1/32"red-glow front bead.
300g Sierra HP, 57g H4198 for 2350 fps. She's a mean ol' girl!!
It will tip over anything that walks on this continent.

Here's another look. You should see how hard this knocks down
Whitetails.

P.S. I just had the crap scared out of me! Do you see that brown
on the bolt? I thought it was rust. After checking out the rifle,
it turns out to be a bad case of photography. WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's my "Big Bore" Lever. It's a Marlin 1895M chambered in 450 Marlin. It's outfitted with a Leupold Scout Scope in Leupold QRW rings on an AO mount along with AO ghost rings.

It hurts and it's LOUD! :D

Big bore lever guns
 

My favorites are a Winchester Model 71 in .348, a Marlin .444 and a Marlin 1895 in .45/70. All the best...
Gil

BIG BORES
 

I also have Pre war M-71 deluxe and a Marlin 1895 in 45-70 Love that ol Marlin...but she'll stomp ya with any heavy loads. That steel butt on the M-71 ain't too forgiving either. I've been looking for an old 86 Winchester in fair condition to redo into a 50-110. Had one(38-56) at an auction one day that brought 550 bucks but by the time the 86 came up I had already bought 11 long guns.. Overspent my budget. One I should have bought was a Hall rifle with the original bayonet. Only went for 900 bucks. DUH! sometimes I is stupid! Want to try to knock off an elk with the 45-70 up in the black timber sometime:D :cool:

Does a 375 Winchester qualify?
Got a Marlin 375 with a peep sight.
I've always been a bolt gun/single shot guy, but the 375 may convert me to the dark side....:D

I shoot a Marlin 1895 45-70 and a Win. 94AE in 356, both excellent rifles.

I reckon I can put my 2 cents worth in to the lever question! Yep, love them Marlin levers I do. I must say that the "Triple Deuce" Marlin 444 mag gets more use than the Marlin 45-70 but nonetheless they are a fun time in the outdoors hunting or shooting.

I also have found that the Beartooth hardcast bullets have turned both those lever rifles into a couple of real shooting long guns at the range. Now both those rifles shoot groups at 100 yards off the bench at under 1.5 inches, thanks to those great bullets.;)

Win fans may not like this; But there is an old saying:
Winchester had a name but Marlin had a rifle!
Even though I'm not a 94 fan, Win is offering a version of their
94 "Timber Hunter Octagon" in 25-35 cal. Always wanted a 25-35.
Probably one of the finest fast-action coyote rifle/cartridge combos
ever created.

mines gotta be something more than a name just had a fellow offer me 2000.00 for it!!! i said no thanks shoots to good:D
88 in a .358win caliber...
yote that is a sweet marlin yah got there for sure!!!!
OBA

I always wanted a big bore lever gun. I really would like to have something like Treedocs.

Several calibers would work. 45-70, 444, 450, ect.... Just a short saddle gun. Dont care how good of shape its in, as long as its not trashed and will shoot. It will get banged up in a scabbered anyway.

I shopped a little bit and couldnt believe how much these things cost!! I was thinking they would be about like a Marlin 30-30 or so.

Well, another one for the wish list.... :)

Andy

i hear yah andy kinda pricey for sure im debatin between a winchester 94 timber 450marlin and a marlin 1895m 450marlin just gotta have one...now be honest with me yote is the marlin that much better of a rifle???? i kinda like the ghost ring sight that comes standard on the winchester but yall give me your thoughts please i'll listen for sure..
OBA

ONEBADAPPLE, just go and handle both rifles. Check out how much more solid the Marlin feels. Look at how much more steel
is in the receiver. Everyone of my Marlins has out shot every
Win-94 that I have ever owned or shot against. As far as sights
goes, go back and look at the pics of my 45/70. That Williams
sight goes for about $35-$40. Plus, if you want a scope, you can
bolt it right on the receiver. The Marlin comes factory tapped for
the Williams sight. Here's a look at the other side of the Williams
peep.

P.S. I would skip the 450 Marlin and go with the 45/70.
True, the 450 beats the 45/70 in FACTORY loadings. That is
because the factories don't know what kind of old gun that
their ammo is going into. The Marlins are modern, strong guns
and I have been able to match factory 450 loads without too
much trouble.
Three of my favorites for my 45/70:
300g HDY HP, 59g H4198 for 2400fps.
350g HDY JRN, 53.5g H4198 for 2175fps. * This load beats factory
450 loads by 75fps.
400g Speer JFP, 50g H4198 for 2020fps.

Just because they add a belt to the case doesn't always make it
better.

opps a new liking
 

yote i messed up and went to a local gun show kinda took a liking to the jap made 1895 in 405 win new in the box also while i was there a fellow walked through had a reloader box with 50 factory 405's w/300 grain fp's and sold them to me for 25.00 didn't think i could beat that..now im still considering all three guns well four since that stainless guide in 45/70 is on the list now after reading your post...gotta imagine all will kick like a mule but if little ol teddy could do it i guess anybody can, i just dig levers anyhow...
thanks for all your info yote and pics
OBA

yote i bought the 405 win 1895 now asap its off to williams gunsight (only 40 miles from home) for the peep and drilling not to keen on the buckhorn sight plus im gonna shoot it...anyhow ought to make a nice hole through the lungs:D
OBA

hey yote,

how much did that 1895 go for? thinking of one for myself.

That one is 1 of 1000. I believe that I gave about $575 in 2000.

I have two Marlin big bores an 1895 in .45/70 and an early .444 with the 24" barrel. The both have peep sights - A Lyman 66 on the .45/70 and a Williams FP on the .444. I put a Wild West trigger and their Bear Proof ejector on the 1895. The trigger is a real improvement over the factory one.
John

hmmmm, not bad. i wonder how much they go for now?

If you own the Marlin 1895 you owe it to yourself to try the WWG Happy Trigger kit and the Bearproof ejector. Wonderful parts and a different gun with the trigger improvement. Good letoff and NO trigger wobble! That's the only thing I hate about the Marlin. They are built like the fabled brick outhouse otherwise. Good shootin'. Quigmy

I like the Marlins too. I first bought a 1895 in 45-70 (blue with curved stock and 20" barrel). I really liked it. Next came the ss Guuide gun in 45-70. It was great, but not enough firepower. Only 4 rounds in the mag. I then bought a 1895 Cowboy with the 24" octagon barrel and straight stock. 9 rounds in the mag + 1 in the spout!

I just got it back from Accurate Plating and Weaponry. I had it industrial hard chromed, trigger/action job and a recoil pad! It looks just like ss. I now have my Alaska back up bear gun! I plan to go with my son (stationed in Fairbanks @ Ft. Wainwright) as back up on his bear hunt. I like the big lever gun.

I also have a Savage 99 in 308 that I plan on having bored out to 338 Federal and hard chromed.

The only thing better than a big bullet going fast is a bigger bullet going faster!

If your eyes don't rattle when you shoot it, you need a bigger gun.[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...5CBcropped.jpg[/IMG]

I'm taking it to the range tomorrow to zero it with the new Hornady Leverevolution 325 grain loads. I guess I'll take the Crony to see what it gets with the 26 " barrel.

I have a Winchester 94 Timber Carbine in .444 (the model before the .450 with peep). I love this rifle, and it is far more accurate than I expected. With Hornady 265's I can get 1.5" groups at 100 yards......plenty good for it's intended use. I also really like the Marlins and plan to buy a guide gun in .45-70. On average, I have heard the Marlins are more accurate. Both guns feel great in my hands but they each have a different feel alltogether.

Love em.
I shot a marlin .444 for years. I got
into hotshot rounds and handloading
and like a fool I sold the thing. I miss
it now.

I have an original winchester model 95
in 30-40 craig. Not really a big bore
but a nice lever gun just the same.
I don't carry it afield much.

my marlin 1895 shot the best fo three rifles today. the hunting load will 50 grs. rl7 in winchester brass and win primers.
still amazes me how well these marlins shoot. i might even sell off a couple of pieces so i can get a new 45/70 with ballard rifling.

yup love them.

Also love my 45 LC lever and my 30-30 lever

GoodOlBoy

one bad apple, what part of michigan you from i'm in the royal oak area.i am going with the 45/70 opening day,and probably for the rest of the season. iknow she's dead nut rite now no need to tinker with any further.

I went to the range this week with my Cowboy 1895 (see above) to try out the new Hornady Leverevolution ammo. The blurb in their ad shows the 45-70 325 grain @ 2050 fps. Over my Crony I got 1960 fps average. That's a bit less than I expected with the long barrel (26 inch). The stuff groups fairly well with groups running about 2 inches. Not bad when you consider the size of the round, thats actually 1 1/2" CTC. It will certainly do for me. Recoil is not that big an issue with the 8 lb weight. I'm ready for the season now, sighted in to go.

I think I will start looking for a 444 XTR next.