The powers that be here in OH have given the go ahead for rifles in handgun straight walled calibers for deer. That got me hankerin for a rifle, and after some research I have narrowed it down, and the first choice is an 1894 in .44mag for my needs. Any thoughts or further advice (microgroove or not, barrel length, JM stamp)would be appreciated.
Checked gunbroker- they got em but the prices are pretty steep for my wallet.

Thanks

You should be able to get one at a local gun show

If you don't plan to shoot cast bullets, any rifling type will do. Some people say the Micro-groove doesn't work well with cast. Unless you're prepared to spend a 50% premium for a longer barrel, 20" is the standard. According to many people, quality went down when Remington took over Marlin, so JM stamped Marlins (pre-Remington) bring a premium. Same with pre-safety. While I have no newer "Remlins", I think it varies rifle to rifle. If the price is too steep, well ya gotta pay if you wanna play. You can shop around, and deals are out there occasionally, but you might not be huntin' with one this fall.

Ohio went further than just pistol cartridges. They actually have a list of approved cartridges including 444, 45-70, 45-90,45-100,50-100 and many more. Obviously, the lawmakers don't know schitt about guns. MI approved straight wall cartridges with a case length of 1.9" or shorter.

I've only shot the ballard-rifled version, and the only thing I'd change on the barrel is the twist rate. It does stabilize 300gr cast slugs well enough though.

Haven't tried jacketed heavier than 250 Sierras, and in penetration tests with OSB and milk jugs, the bullet started to yaw. 240s of many flavors shoot very well, and perform very well on deer. The effective range with 240s is at least 2.5 times the 100yd shots that are the farthest I've taken on deer.

The crossbolt safety is not a huge issue, as long as you're aware it is there. The hammer still has a half-cock notch that I use, and I only use the safety occasionally, because of the possibility of a click instead of a bang.

My biggest gripe with the gun is the multi-piece firing pin assembly that requires an alignment and good oiling to prevent light primer strikes on my gun. Not sure if many others have this issue, but I know that there is an aftermarket one-piece assembly to solve it, so a few must have complaints. I've been wondering if a heavier hammer spring would work as a fix too, but haven't pursued it.

All in all, an awesome timber gun, and my favorite to carry when hunting. Plenty of power with proper bullets for anything on the continent.

You can fix the cross bolt safety by putting an O-ring in the grove of the cross bolt.

The microgroove rifling shoots cast bullets well if they're sized about two thousandths over bore diameter and fairly hard. Look up Beartooth Bullets and you'll find a wealth of information on shooting cast bullets.

The price of pre Remlin Marlins has spiked recently but you should be able to find a decent 1894 20" for under $500 without too much looking.

Good choice.
I shoot my meat Deer every year with a pre-safety. I use plain ol 240gr Winny white box. Drops em where they stand but my shots are never over 75yrds.
I bought mine for right at 400.00 with shipping and transfer 5-6 years ago.
Money well spent.

I picked one up a couple months back for 400.oo can't wait to knock a deer down with it been doing some hand loading and just like the way it shoots

44 Mag outta a good 1894, (I own an 1894P personally which I really like), makes for a heckuva whitetail rifle.

Winchester White Box 240 grain JSPs do very nicely BTW. Deer and pigs.

Don't overlook a Ruger 77/44, more of a brush gun than the best lever. Kicks pretty good though.

For off the shelf ammo (if u can find it), consider Remington 180gr JSP.

I was surprised the first time I touched my 77/44 off. Recoil, though not unpleasant, was noticeable for such a little cartridge. Very similar, if not a tad heavier, than my .30-30.

And it has been an unpleasant little cartridge for deer, too!

I sold my 1894. I liked the rifle a lot, but the limited cartirdge length wouldn't allow the cast bullets I use in my revolvers, so I sold it. Sometimes I regret that decision. Nice little rifle.

My 1894 kicks more than one would think too.
Course, I've become quite the recoil wimp over the years.

A leather recoil pad helped allot.

What an AWESOME photo.

Lemme know when you are done with that .44 Charlie.

The Buffalo Trace probably won't have quite as much life left in it when you are done, or I'd settle for it...........

Thanks Ken,,,, it was just a fun photo I took while I was packing for my annual Grouse camp.

Believe it or not, I was up there for five days and there's still some BT left.
The bacon, beans, and beer didn't fair so well though.

No can do on the Marlin,,,, my oldest friend and hunting partner already called dibs when I kick the bucket.

Glad to hear it is going to be in good hands. I think I will end up giving away more guns than I sell. I have WAY too many, and I get a certain satisfaction outta giving to others.

I was low on cash flow and hadda buy some Evan Williams after work today. It ain't great, but it did the trick

My work schedule is appalling right now. No play time whsoever. But I will be needing to talk to you about something soon.

Preferably over the phone.

Goodnight..........

OK,,, Can't remember if I sent you my phone# or not.

I'll PM it in a few minutes.

Never had Evan Williams but I'm not beyond slumming some Jim Beam.

God my keyboard sucks.

Ok Charlie, will call you soon......

It's 1.8"....there is a DNR officer that lives down the road from me he showed me his case length gauge that he will be using in the field

Just to clarify, MI law says straight walled case. 1.16" min and 1.800" max length Min cal. is 35 cal.

I just bought a 1894 44 Rem Mag. Recoil wasn't bad at all but I am used to heavy loads from my 1895 45-70 and 338 RUM.
Should fit the bill.

JD338

Re: new Michigan deer hunting CF rifle rule allowing use of straight wall cartridge w/max length of 1.8" in the shotgun zone.
Anyone have experience or good info on shortening the 45-70 to 1.8"? And reloading data? Should still leave room for a reasonable powder charge.
What about C.O.A.L.? Will the shortened cartridge still cycle in newer Marlin mod. 1895?
Thinking about 300gr hollow points; seems like such a rig should be plenty powerful enough for deer...

You can seat some bullets out to the same COAL as the factory 400 grain load. Case capacity is about the same because the bullet doesn't intrude. They cycle through my 1895 fine, however with the lack of a crimp I'm leery of loading more than 1 in the tube. A Lee factory crimp die would probably fix that concern. I'm more interested in using them in my Ruger No. 1 anyway. Left to right, Speer 400, Speer 350 and Rem factory 400. Don't know if you can seat a 300 HP out that far. The Hornady 325 FTX is pretty long so it would probably work okay.

20 minutes with a file would have fixed that. My 1894 now handles 1.78" ammo. I am not a gunsmith, either. Just a guy with files who can follow instructions. The instructions, BTW, are on the Beartooth Bullets website.

The 1894's are handy little rifles. I've got one in .41 magnum that has become my go-to for thick brush and cane breaks.

It does have less recoil than the .44 magnum's I've shot. Might be a consideration for anyone that's recoil sensitive.

I'm looking at one of these tomorrow. It's a pre cross bolt safety gun. Condition is good and the price is 450. Seem like a good buy if I want to shoot cast and jacketed?