I've been in hundreds of pawn shops and seen exactly one 1894 in 357. It had the 24" octagon barrel and they wanted $700 for it around six years ago. Probably a good price. And a really cool looking rifle.
With it's long barrel it would mostly just be a range gun for me. And I like rifles I would carry around in the woods and hunt with. The 18" 1894c is more my style.
Seen a few 44's but they're a lot chunkier.
Now I have seen quite a few of the 92 knockoffs in 357. They're pretty cool. And I imagine a blast to shoot. Compact and lightweight. Would make a great pack gun. But not really collectible.
The last Marlin I got was a JM gun, 30TK, and the first levergun I've had with a safety. I don't mind the safety. And this particular rifle was never offered without the safety. So sometimes there's just no way around it.
I do think that if you're buying it as an investment that the pre-safety adds some desirability.. But you might pay a premium for a real nice pre-safety model.
