Got my first rifle/carbine!!!

[Savago]

Gentlemen

It is been a little while since I've last posted anything in the forum, have been pretty busy with work and life in general.

Since I like stories with a closed end, I decided to provide an update on my search for a good first rifle (http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,108148.0.html).

I've spent near 5 months trying to locate a Marlin 1894 CSBL in my neck of the woods, but since I never managed to find one, decided to go the gun shop and order a Henry All-weather (http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,111242.msg1118290.html#msg1118290) mostly because Remington had announced their bankruptcy and I realized it would be hard to find a new Marlin rifle.

Whenever someone announces a 1894 CSBL for sale in Calguns (http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/forumdisplay.php?f=92) it is gone in 1 or 2 days (kinda crazy, really!).

When I made to the store, to my surprise, they had not just one, but two Marlin rifles in stainless steel: the CSBL (357 magnum/38 special) and the SBL (44 magnum/44 special).

What other choice did I have but to buy them both in the spot?
:-)

Ruger has made public the announcement of acquiring (https://ruger.com/corporate/marlin.html) the Marlin brand (and I expect tools/designs) from Remington but it is unknown if the first batch of 'rugerlins' won't suffer quality issues like the first few batches of 'reminlins' made a few years back.

The rifles have basically the same weight and dimensions, so in normal times I could train with the CSBL (38 special) using cheaper ammo and those skills should be transferrable to the bigger brother SBL (44 magnum).

I recently learned that Henry has announced plans to deprecate most of their rifles (including the All-weather) and release an update with a side loading gate *while* keeping the tubular magazine loader.

The side loading gate was one of the reasons that made I prefer the Marlin, in retrospect, I would be really pissed off if I've ordered the 'legacy' Henry All-weather (without the gate) and a few months later they released the new model (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIivkvZrjBM).

[Savago]

For a review of the Marlin 1894 CSBL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AkSqdpwjRM

[Bighead]

Great purchase
Dont give up on that Henry though. Great rifles and better customer service. I own 6 Henry’s myself. 

[Savago]

Range report: shooting 38 special from a rifle is truly amazing. Basically no recoil/muzzle flash, pretty pleasant and I guess a good way to introduce firearms to a new shooter.

Shooting 357 magnum has a bit more recoil but nothing compared to shooting my Remington 870 Magnum marine with 2 3/4 in cartridges (http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,109568.0.html).

The 44 special/magnum experience is pretty similar: precise, predictable.

Both rifles cycle fine with special and magnum ammo and seem to be fine.

Overall, pretty happy with these lever action rifles.
 

[Savago]

Great purchase
Dont give up on that Henry though. Great rifles and better customer service. I own 6 Henry’s myself. 

I'm eyeing an All-weather with the side loader in 45-70, just got wait a few months to justify to my wife the expense.
 

[Bighead]

The 45-70 is on my list but expensive to shoot.  $1.75 a round or there about these days

[Savago]

A day in the range is a good day!
a) It pairs nicely with my S&W 686 Pro (http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,110836.0.html):


b) If you do your part, the rifle will put holes where it is needed:

[Savago]

Now I'm starting to look for either a red dot or a scope to mount on top of the rail on my Marlins.
 

[MarkT]

I picked up a Henry .45-70 some years ago.  That was a concern at the time, no loading gate.  Not a big deal as I don't plan to use it for combat where one would want to be able to top it off w/o taking it off line with the feeder tube loader.  However I would like the gate now that they make it.  Meanwhile I did some mods to the gun - removed the buckhorn sight and installed a custom Lyman tang peep sight.  They didn't make one for the Henry so I had to do a little gunsmithing work on it.  ( I was an armorer in the service ).  I really wanted a ladder peep sight like Matthew Quigley's Sharps Shiloh but couldn't find it - not gonna be shooting my .45-70 like he did his .45-110-500 anyways.  Also installed a picatinny rail so I could use other sights like a red dot.  Had a leather sleeve made for the stock to hold more rounds and the taller Lyman sight posts.  Not like a .45-70 NEEDS more rounds unless you want to change the load type. It will take any game on the continent within 200 yds or so.  But more weight on the rifle is a good thing considering it's recoil.  It kicks more than comfortable for me.  But who cares except when you're on the range.  Knocks deer down RIGHT NOW with Hornady Leverevolution 325gr rounds, boileroom or neck shots. Generally no tracking.

Another favorite brush gun for me is the Ruger .44 mag autoloader.  Put a Weaver 1.5X scope on it way back when.  My first new deer rifle.  Taken deer with it in the WI northwoods.  This is the rifle Ruger modelled the 10-22 after - looks just like it.  Of Course the .45-70 hits much harder but .44mag rounds out of a rifle are PLENTY for deer in woods country.  Works great for varmints close-in too.  Like skunks.

[98valk]

https://gundigest.com/rifles/357-rifle

Pistol-Caliber Rifles: Does The .357 Magnum Reign Supreme?

[Jess from VA]

Nice buy, and I like the decision to just get both.  

Hope the family is happy too.  (hey this is 1800s technology; no one fought a war with lever guns since the Spanish American War in 1898)  

Dots are good (and I highly recommend the Trijicon MRO (with 2MOA dot), though you really don't need combat level durability with a sporting rifle, as that durability comes with a price) (so does quality of the dot in all conditions, esp bright direct sunlight, or pitch dark without blur)

My favorite bargain red dots are the Primary Arms Advanced Microdot.  (But see their torture tests on video.)  Primary Arms sells from other companies too, but I'm talking about their own proprietary red dots.

Edit:  The thing to keep in mind with red dots is this:  Many who have a rifle/carbine intended principally for self defense want a larger (MOA) dot for quick acquisition of center of mass shots on a bad humans (called reflex sights, also called the donut of death), but if your principle use of the rifle will be to shoot tight groups at the range (perhaps benched), then you really want a smaller dot.  They all get brighter and dimmer, it's size of dot I'm talking about.  

Finally, depending on the mount you choose for the dot sight, you get either a dot that co-witnesses parallel with the rifle's iron sights, or a lower third co-witness so the dot and iron sights (looking through the sight) are not perfectly aligned.  I prefer co-witness.     

Now for scopes, I would look for a quality straight 4 power (4X) (or 1-4X), there is really no reason for big heavy variable power scope on pistol caliber carbines (out to say 100 or 150, but maybe zeroed at 50).  Though there are some pretty light 2-3 X 7's.  I just prefer a straight 4 power for simplicity and lightweight.

Leupold makes some nice light 4X (or 1-4X) scopes.  And they have some with the Firedot (with illuminated red dot at the center of the scope cross hairs, a tiny dot)

This is really the best website extant for optics of all kinds.  They carry about everything and have generally good prices.  And will price match anything you can find cheaper, and it's better to buy from them with a price match so if something does go wrong, they are far more reliable to deal with than  some fly by night seller with the lowest price.  Just send them the link to the best price you found.

https://www.swfa.com/optics/riflescopes.html

Good luck finding ammo.  It's nuts out there.