the last year the lever action bug has bitten me. I first bought a marlin 1894 in 357 and just loved the thing. Then I thought lets try a 336, so I picked up a really nice 1980 336 in 30-30. its a very solid gun with a great trigger. but it wasn't near as handy as the marlin 1894. for the last several months I have been wanting a winchester 94. YES I know they are the most common deer rifle ever made. but living in utah where the dang thing was invented they aren't very easy to find. So I picked up a 1954, winchester 94 in 30-30 off gunbroker. It weighs 2 oz more than my marlin 1894c. The fact of the matter its just quite a bit handier than the 336, its at least a half pound lighter. The action seems to lever in those long 30-30 cases with less clunkiness than the 336 does. Don't get me wrong the 336 is beefier, more solid feeling. The 94 is looser fitting and less solid feeling.
to me the secret sauce of a lever gun is how handy they are. how fast can they swing on target. how fast can you lever in a new cartridge. the winchester 94, handles more like my marlin 1894, but shoots a much more potent 30-30 case. I have no intentions to ever hunt deer with any of these lever guns. To me they are funnest just going on a walk through the sage brush hunting jackrabbits and just plinking at stuff. I call the model 94 in 30-30 the high power option when it comes to jackrabbit hunting. I am so glad I bought a pre 64, model 94. the gun just has a soul to it. its got patina, the wood aint perfect, the bluing on the corners is worn a bit. all I gotta say is everyone needs at least one model 94 winchester.
Nothing wrong with that. Some of us just have better taste than others. Congratulations!
