On the 45-70 thread ,I got to wondering if the 1895 ,or the 1895 Guide would suite me better.I shot an 1895 many years ago,one that belonged to a friend.I shot it at a Crisco can set up at about 30 giant steps in a dumping area, and rolled the can about 5 times.It was my buddy's one and only deer rifle,and he'd been tearing deer's azzs up with it in Alabama.He could do very well with it as far as I could tell at 100 yard + distances with only the factory open sights.With all the threads about the 45-70,I'm about ready to break down and find one.Guide Gun,or plain old 1895?That is the question.I have 2 Marlin .444s,my Son in Law has the 1971 model,and I kept the 1978 model.

I am thinking around buying a 45-70, in a toss up between an 1895 and a Ruger No 1. If I do buy a Marlin, it will be the standard 1895 with the 22" barrel. I really cant see myself enjoying the 18.5 inch ported barrel. Buddy of mine had one and that SOB was LOUD!

I sorta figured that ported model would ring your ears pretty good.I was looking at the unported model in the Guide,but I'm leaning real strong towards the 22" barrel,as you are.The one I shot ,had the straight grip stock like the Guide,but had a 22" barrel.If I ran across one of those at a good price ,I'd try for it.

I think either the pistol grip and 22 inch barrel, or if you want a straight grip, go with the Cowboy with the 26 inch barrel. I have the Cowboy, and it is a very light rifle by my standards, 26 inch barrel not withstanding. The longer barrel gives you more sight radius which translates into a better sight picture with iron sights, and also gives you NINE rounds at hand. Eight in the magazine and one up the pipe.

Either rifle is a great set up. If you shoot irons, be sure to change out the standard barrel sights for a rear ladder and a blade.

Might also want to consider the 1895 GBL, and 1895 SBL. 18.5" bbl, full length 6-round magazine, pistol grip, lami stock, big loop, and decelerator pad. GBL is blue, brown stock, open sights. SBL is stainless, grey stock, XS rail/sights.

I picked up a GBL recently, still learning the ropes with cast bullets.

GBL out of the box,


GBL modded to my whim,

Well,since they don't make the ported Guide Gun anymore,that leaves you with the un-ported Guide Gun or the standard 22" unless you want the 24" LTD or 26" Cowboy.

My personal preference is the Guide Gun, and I have both the Guide Gun and the standard SS and a BFR in 7.5".The Guide Gun is a handy little compact firearm getting you into bad places better than the 22" version.in my opinion..

But you can't go wrong with either unless an average velocity drop of 26.66 fps per barrel inch bothers you.

Good luck with your choice..

Jayco

Where do you find the ladder sight?

I am going to be brave here and disagree with Sharpsguy.If you can't see the target you can't hit it and when we age our eyeballs don't work right.How many people can hit an Elk in the vitals at 400 yards with open sights?Hell,the sights cover up alot of it...

I much prefer a scope over open sights especially shooting over 100 yards with any caliber.Unless you have zoom lenses in your eyeballs,your asking for a less than deadly first shot unless your of the elite in open sighted targeting which most of us are not.

Just an opinion..

Jayco

if i was buying new i would prolly go with the new GBL....basically its a guide gun with a pistol grip, 2 extra rounds in the mag, no ports and a bigger lever which would be nice for gloves......i like the easy packing of the 18-1/2 inch barrel to much to go with a longer one....if im gonna pack that much barrel and weight ill get a Sharps.........

I suggest you handle the different versions of the Marlin before making the jump. To some, like me, the pistol grip is a non-starter, preferring the open-grip on the cowboy series. For me the open grip offers quicker target acquisition. But that's just me...obviously not the case with others. Which is why you should snap different models to your shoulder.

The lever loop on that GBL looks good, but one can get an after market one and put it on the Marlin of choice easily, so don't let that sway you.

I mentioned earlier that I had a couple of .444s,and I really like the way they handle.They both have pistol grip stocks and 22" barrels.It's been a long time since I fired that .45-70,is there that much difference between the two in handling?I think I like 'em all,I guess I need to shoot 'em to find out.I need to track down somebody who has them that'll let me try them out.I know for a fact,those .444's can do a number on a deer.

I have a standard model 1895 with a leupold 1X4.
It is an excelent rifle. Shoots better than many a bolt gun at 100.
I love #1s to but I can see no advantage over my Marlin, you can load a Ruger a little hotter, but to ballance that with quick follow up shots and I will stick with the lever gun.
I like that GBL version. The mag extension is good.I may end up with one of those and put a good ghost ring with a tritum front on her... ...tj3006

All right now,you gonna get me in heat for a Ruger #1 as well,and that won't take a lot of doin'.I've been eyeballin those for a mighty long time.

With an aperture and blade or double apertures, the bulls eye is never covered with a proper sight picture. Never thought I'd have days where I would shoot MOA 3-shot groups with iron sights. With my recently purchased 45-90 Sharps, it happens quite regularly, and I'm still working my way through virgin brass and have not really started tuning a load yet. Those iron sights have finer adjustments than any scope I've ever owned.

I have a XLR & like it a lot. It will shoot 1" groups and the 24" barrel works fine as long as you aren't in really close cover. I'd pass on the guid gun, shot 1 & really didn't like the way it handled.

I've also got an 1895 XLR, but I had the barrel cut back to 17".

I added a Williams "guide" peep and a fiber optic front sight.

This combo really works great for short range brush hunting here in western Oregon.

It's my own "trapper" virsion.

Virgil B.

I had a first-year-production Marlin 1895 (modern, 1972) with the Ballard-rifled Douglas barrel and B00nnnn serial number. It had a straight lever and the crescent-shaped hard buttplate. It was a beast to shoot with anything but popper loads, so I sold it (to a campfire member). It was about the ideal configuration except for the buttplate. It was in such nice shape, and a bit more valuable than commonly-available 1895s, that I could not bring myself to cut it and install a soft pad.

The next best thing IME is the 1895G. I agree that the first ones with the ported barrels were LOUD. I traded mine for a newer, non-ported one. It's action is super smooth, it shoots really well, and it is extremely handy. Velocity gains in longer barrels are minimal with this caliber.

I once killed a deer at 30 yards, then cycled the action real slowly so as not to spook the second deer standing beside the first one. The second deer didn't hear it so I shot it too - a two-fer. Both deer were shot with 350 grain Hornady RNs at moderate velocity. The first one was hit at the base of the neck at the front of the shoulder. It travelled two feet - DOWN! The hooves were still in the tracks it made when it was standing. Off like a light switch, DRT, and all that good stuff. I know some of you appreciate that kind of performance, and some don't. I do.

The second deer took one in the ribs and ran 50 yards. Plenty of blood though. A second shot to the head finished the deed.

45-70s are fun.

I like it when the deer falls right down between it's front legs,you know,just BUMP..straight down.

The "Talo" 1895G is one of my all-time favorites.......especially once I added some XS Ghost-ring sights!!

http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/2,231.html

Pulled this pic off the the Marlin site and is representative of what mine looks like although mine is the earlier 1895 SS version with Micro-Groove rather than Ballard rifling.Carries and shoots well. 1 1/2 inches @150yds.

PM me and I'll give anyone the load.

284


http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/bigbore/1895.asp

I have an early, ported, guide gun. I always use muffs at the range so didn't realize how loud it was until the first time I shot a deer with it. First time I ever noticed how loud a rifle was when shooting game. Now I wear ear protection when I hunt with it. I've seriously considered getting it rebarrelled with a non-ported barrel. That's the only thing I don't like about it. It is very accurate. 400 grain Speer FNSP's over 54 grains of Varget kill deer as dead as I want them killed but are not much fun for plinking, etc.

Dang, go outta town for a few days and miss all the 45-70/Marlin threads.....

I've got a guide gun. It's a ported one that I bought in 2003. I love it, and have shot a lot of game with it, including plains game in South Africa. That being said, if it were me, go handle both. I personaly think the pistol grip is easier to deal with, from a control standpoint, on the bench, with top end loads. My go to load for the guide gun is the 300 gr. nosler partition @ 1950 fps. Matter a fact, this is what I was doing last week with the ole girl...



maddog

Dang, maddog, is that an Indiana hog?

- Tom

Nope, the boy and I went to Wilderness Hunting lodge, down by Monterey, TN. We had a ball.

maddog

maddog--That is an outstanding hog! Congratulations.

I am probably not too objective since I bought my 1895 in 1972 (with the 22" Ballard barrel an a straight stock). I've loved it from the first day.

I've hunted with and carried other versions since then and never found one I like better.

I tend to like longer barrels on almost all of my guns and never found the 22" barrel to be any harder to use or a handicap than an 18" version (except when used in the cab of a truck.....but most can't hunt fron a truck like we can here in Texas on private land).

I'd personally never own any rifle with holes in the barrel (ported) as I don't find it helps with recoil at all and DOES add much more muzzle blast.

As far as the straight grip.......I just don't find the pistol grip Marlins to be as comfortable or fast to mount. That is a bit strange since I normally "like" a pistol grip on other lever actions such as the Savage 99. Maybe that's because the typical Savage pistol grip is more "laid back" than the newer Marlins (haven't tried the Cowboy series that seems to be the most "gentle" curve like the Savage 99).

To me, the pistol grip is better because I can use it to hold the butt against my shoulder firmer. The "Savage" style allows this without "constricting" my hand or getting in the way during recoil. The "original" style Marlin lever (1972) is the perfect length to allow holding the buttstock against my shoulder with my little finger, but recoils away with heavy loads so it doesn't jar me.

As far as the straight grip and hard, curved buttplate with heavy loads....I never have seen a problem with "normal" loads (405 grain @ 1500 fps) but with some of the newer loads from Buffalo Bore (405 @ 2000+) I am beginning to think a buttpad might be in order......not too surprising since those loads are almost within spitting distance of a .458 Mag.) The straight lever, however is not a problem even with the heaviest loads.

So......maybe I got lucky or maybe I'me just used to it, but if I was going to get a "new" Marlin lever gun in .45-70 it would be with a 22" barrel (definitely non-ported), straight grip and....if it were me....an older model before they stuck that ugly, useless button through the action that some call a "safety" (what the hell is half-cock if not a safety).

Ladder sights on a light hard kicking rifle is not a good idea.

If I didn't have this one I'd be all over an SBL, may not be abel to resist anyway. I'd like to run a pistol grip to see how I like it.