Lever Guns - Winchester vs. Marlin?

I had a Rossi '92 in .357 some years back (mid 80's) Like I've seen on some the South American guns, some of the internal parts were a bit on the crude side, but it worked OK.
 
Hey Pack Wolf, I killed my first antelope with a M64 Winchester 30-30 some 48 years ago. Wow, when I did that arithmetic it sure scared hell out of me.

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I'd been looking around for a bargain on a marlin 44 mag & came across a Ruger 96/44 scoped & in almost new condition for $150. Couldn't pass that up & I like the he!! out it. Handy as a 10/22 in the woods. Killed 1 deer with it at bout 75 yards & coyote at bout 40 yds. My son also killed a doe with it now he thinks its his. Even got xtra magazine with it.
Now I'm not comparing it to a Marlin or Winny but I'm very happy with its performance.
 
I have had 94 pre 64 32 win speacial and 30-30 an model 71 in 378 win great guns but now days I have 44 marlin cowboy great gun , and 45/70 guide gun can't go wrong with marlin IMO.
 
I have a Marlin 1894P, which is a 16" ported barrel in 44. They are discontinued, but there are a few around. I found mine as a new trade-in, no scratchs on the loading gate. It is a great truck gun, defensive rifle for a street sweep. However you sit down at the bench to site in over bags and work up loads and you will take more punishment than shooting heavy mags calibers. I had a web sight owner tell me his wife shot this with out incident, he later recanted as the forum members had experience with the same. Shooting off hand is fine once your sighted in. I put receiver sights on mine, and plan on doing wild boar and close range white tail.
Jim
 
Claim buster,
My wife killed her first buck with the 1964 30/30 in 1973. I don't think it has been shot since. I give those Marlins hell though. I won the state CAS long range lever action shoot with the Marlin CB 30/30 last fall at Rifle, CO.
The actions are so different that the Winchester just doesen't lend itself to action work. You can cycle a slick Marlin without losing your sight picture. My Browning 86 SRC isn't as good as the Marlin 45/70 either.
I hear ya about the arithmetic!!! Har!
 
I've owned both a Marlin & a Winchester in 30-30. Marlin hands down IMB.

edit; If I were to buy a lever gun today. It would be a Browning 22-250. A tackdriver & a beaut! of a rifle.
 
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Pack Wolf, you got me started. Shame on you.

When I was a little guy, and that was a long, long time ago, my Grandpa would tell me about his deer hunting adventures in Wisconsin. That was when game laws were first coming into effect. He couldn't grasp that there would be "seasons" for hunting. If you needed meat, you went hunting. Anyway, he hunted with a Winchester 1886 in 45-70. Later he switched to an 1886 in 45-90. All I heard was how much better the 45-90 was at killing deer than the 45-70. Looking at it today a 45 caliber 400 gr. bullet at almost any velocity should be fairly effective on a small white tail.

When Winchester came out with its Japan made 1886's I had to have one. First it was a 45-70 TD. Then when they came out with the 45-90, I had to have one for Grandpa.
 
Claim buster,

I have some grandpa stories too. All have to do with Winchesters and Colts. Since this thread is about Marlins vs Winchesters,I'd better save them.
The 1886 Winchester is known as the gun that tamed Canada.

Pack
 
Last year, our gun club had a lever action shoot, 100 & 200 yards. I saw a guy at our gun club shoot very fine groups out of a Marlin 336 with a scope on it at 200 yards with Rem Core Loct ammo, 150g. It was very obvious that the Marlins on the line out shot the Winchesters by a pretty good margin.
 
Marlin for "go" and Winchester for "show" use to be the saying. Personally, I like em' all! I do prefer the Marlin overall for best shooting, strength of the action, better triggers, easy scope mounting if someone feels the need, ect. The Winchesters do carry well and as someone pointed out have the romance of the old west, though there were plenty of Marlins and others involved in taming the old west also.
 
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