Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum 10+1 20.25 in. Walnut – Superb Accurate Lever Action

Description

The Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum is the rifle that a great many people picture when they hear the words lever action. Marlin part number 70401. A 20.25 inch satin blued barrel over a satin blued receiver, American black walnut furniture, a tubular magazine holding ten rounds of 44 Magnum, and an adjustable rear sight fitted from the factory.

Nothing about it is trying to be modern and nothing needs to be. The Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum is a side-gate lever gun with wood on it, six and a half pounds in the hands, short enough to carry through timber all day and chambered for a cartridge that will take any deer in North America inside the range you can hold the sights on one.

What the Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum gives you

• 44 Rem Magnum and 44 Special, 10+1 and 11+1 respectively
• 20.25 inch satin blued barrel
• Satin blued receiver
• American black walnut fixed stock and forend
• Adjustable rear sight fitted
• Tubular magazine, loaded through a side gate
• 1:20 inch rate of twist
• Recoil pad fitted
• Sling swivel studs fitted
• 37.75 inches overall, 6.4 pounds

Why a pistol caliber lever action still earns a place

• A 20 inch barrel turns 44 Magnum into something a revolver cannot match
• Ten rounds in the tube, topped up one at a time without unloading
• Short, light and fast to point in thick cover
• The same cartridge feeds a revolver, so one box of ammunition covers both
• Nothing about the mechanism is bothered by cold, rain or neglect

Marlin 70401 specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 70401
• Caliber: 44 Remington Magnum and 44 Special
• Capacity: 10+1 magnum, 11+1 special
• Barrel length: 20.25 inches, satin blued
• Receiver: satin blued
• Rate of twist: 1:20 inches
• Action: lever, tubular magazine
• Stock: American black walnut, fixed
• Sights: adjustable rear fitted
• Recoil pad and swivel studs: fitted
• Overall length: 37.75 inches
• Weight: 6.4 pounds

A 44 Magnum 44 Special lever gun, which matters more than people expect

Sports South lists the Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum chambering as 44 Rem Mag and 44 Special, 10+1 with magnums and 11+1 with the shorter cases. A 44 Magnum 44 Special lever gun is really two guns. Blazer 44 Special 200 grain JHP out of a twenty inch barrel recoils like nothing at all and is a genuinely pleasant afternoon, while full magnum loads are there when you want them. New shooters can learn on the Special and never feel punished, which makes the Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum an unusually good first centerfire rifle.

Ammunition for a 20 inch walnut lever action

Armscor 44 Rem Mag 240 grain JHP is the volume choice for the Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum and we hold over three hundred boxes. For hunting, Buffalo Bore 240 grain JHP and the +P 240 grain Deer Grenade are the heavy loads. A 20.25 inch barrel gets substantially more from a magnum case than any revolver will, which is the entire argument for a pistol caliber lever action rifle.

Sights, walnut and the tube on the Marlin 70401

Marlin 70401 leaves the factory with an adjustable rear sight, The Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum carries American black walnut furniture, a recoil pad and sling swivel studs already fitted. The magazine is a tube under the barrel, so it loads through a gate on the side and can be topped up without taking the rifle out of action. Six point four pounds and thirty seven and three quarter inches overall puts it in the handiest part of the rifle spectrum. If you want to change the trigger, Timney makes one for the 336 and 1894.

Cross-shopping a pistol caliber lever action rifle

The Heritage 92 in 44 Magnum is the less expensive 20 inch walnut lever action. The Rossi R92 with a 16.5 inch barrel is shorter and handier in thick cover than the Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum. The Smith and Wesson 1854 in 357 Magnum is the modern take, in a lighter cartridge.

Worth knowing before you buy

• 44 Remington Magnum is a SAAMI standardized cartridge, so factory ammunition is consistent across brands. See the SAAMI published standards.
• Tubular magazines and pointed bullets do not mix. Use flat or round nose ammunition in a tube gun.
• The magazine is not detachable. Unloading means cycling rounds through the action or using the loading gate carefully.
• Walnut wants looking after. It is the reason this rifle will still look good in thirty years, and the reason it needs an oiled rag now and then.

Buy the Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum as a deer rifle for close timber, a saddle gun, a companion to a 44 revolver, or simply because you want a lever action with wood on it and you want the one people have been buying for a hundred and thirty years. It holds value the way few rifles do.

MAG5 Firearms is a licensed dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Every firearm ships to your FFL. Ask us about ammunition, sights or slings for the Marlin 1894 Classic 44 Magnum before you order, and we will tell you which loads people actually come back for.