I'm buying a marlin .44 today, and i'm putting a burris 3-9x33 timberline on it.
i've never handled a .44 lever gun before, but i'm familiar with 30-30's and 45/70's.
What can i expect performance wise? I plan to use it for hog killin. How far out would you expect it to be effective?
As someone said before, put a 1-4 scope on it if you buy one. Despite all the glowing reports, look at the ballistics of this pistol round in a rifle and decide for yourself whether it is what you need for your hunting. Because of the rapid drop in velocity and subsequent drop in energy I wouldn't use one beyond 100 yards.
I bought a new 1894 years ago, made in the late '70's. Worst rifle I ever bought. It was an honorary shotgun at 100 yards with the myriad types of ammo used in it. The barrel was so thin where the sight dovetail cut was that there was a visable dent from the sight. Wouldn't feed anything reliably, either, till I saw the carrier was not going high enough, took the carrier out, bent it up in a vice and then it would finally feed the ammo, at least. I sold it, gladly and would obviously not get another. I replaced it with a Marlin 336RC Marauder in .35 Remington which is shorter and lighter and vastly more powerful and accurate. So that is my 1894 44 Magnum story, not pretty.
