Home Forums Lever Action Central Cowboy Levers Which is the stronger action and why?

Which is the stronger of the two actions? The Winchester 1886, or the Marlin 1895. Seems I keep hearing people when talking about building custom levers, suggesting to use the Winchester 1886, curous and was just wondering why?

Phil

I have a Winchester 1886 Takedown in 45/70 (Miroku '99), a Marlin 1895G in 45/70, and a Marlin 1895 Cow Boy in 45/70. Both the Win '86 and Marlin 1895 are really strong actions, and should be able to handle whatever you'd want to do.

Most of the Win 1886's available cost twice as much as the Marlins, and you don't see as many, so I guess if you're building a custom, there might be a bit more snob appeal with the Winchester. There probably are a lot more commercial parts available for the Marlins, however, like Wild West triggers and extractors which could make a Marlin project more economical to do.

I'd be quite pleased and proud to have either.

IMO the 86 locks up stronger than the 95. It will also handle longer cartridges.

I concur. The 86 is a lot stronger action with their particular lock up. And I'm a Marlin Guy. And they do have a longer actions so is a better way to go for custome stuff. But for the price Marlin is tough to beat and is plenty strong.

Hmmm...

I'm not sure.

The '86 is a great action, and will take longer cartridges.

But, a '95 can and does take the .450 Marlin, which is certainly hotter than anything the '86 ever did.

Personally, I'd take the '86 if I wanted a longer round than the '95 can handle; otherwise, it'd be a '95, 'cause I can get them easily, and parts for them cheaply, and I wouldn't feel bad about butchering up a new Marlin 1895 the way that I would about messing with a Winchester 1886.

YMMV...

VA I think the '86 can handle the 50 express, 50 Alaskan etc. You can get the Japaneese Winny 86's for project guns a fair bit cheaper but I don't expect it's nearly as much fun as having the real deal. Personally I'd like to have an 1895 Winchester redone in 9.3 x 62 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Now THAT is an idea...

I wish it were mine but is been done. Have you ever seen the Z-hat website? This guy makes hot rod 1895's that shoot cartridges based on the '06. The 375 Hawk is mighty sweet. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
I contacted him about building a 9.3x62 on an 1895 Browning copy. The brownings didn't come with all the BS rebounding hammers and safeties like the Japanese repro Winnies did. He had done it before and his prices are reasonable for top quality work. Then you would have a reliable lever gun chambered in a caliber that would be legal in most african countries for DG.

www.Z-HAT.COM

You, sir, are a very bad influence... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Right back at ya friend. Those #1 photos had me thinking bad thoughts fer my wallet. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

First off, there is no Marlin 1895 action. Every big bore Marlin uses the same action as the rest of Marlins centralfire line. They cn call it a 95, but its really a 336.
the 336 is rated at some 43.000psi. with todays steels.
The Winchester 1886 action was designed at a time when the 45-70 was a 2.8" cartridge. In those days, cartridges were big to jam in as much black as possible.
The 50 Alaskan is not based on the old 2.4" cartridge cases that the three big 50s originally were, an as such, the extra capacity of the 86 is moot.
In the days of the .450 AI, .450 Alaskan, 45-90 smokeless, boys just grabbed a fistful of IMR smokeless an loaded em up to 40,000 psi. It was no big trick to push a 400grain pill to 2,000fps, with enuf recoil to boot.
In those days Marlin didn't make any big bores, so it was Winchester or punt. Folks knew that those nickel steel 86s could handle these loads, the old Marlins were a question mark.
Today, its all changed.
Its the Marin 336 that is plentiful, affordable compared to the Winchesters, an strong enuf for the most recoil insensitive types.
Strength? Toss em both in the air an catch the one that falls first.
Good luck n good shootin.

Here's my 411 Hawk that Fred (Z-Hat) built for me a few years ago. It is a hoss.

That is MIGHTY nice! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I bet it recoils just a titch. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Recoil is stiff, but manageable with practice.

Yours certainly has the African flair. Looks like a gem. I'll take its baby sister in 9.3x62. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Fred does good work at reasonable price. You won't go wrong with him doing the work.

I don't know which is actually "strongest" but think about reloading manuals. My old Lyman manual has three levels of 45-70. One is for weak Springfields, etc. The next is for original 1886 Winchesters. The final level is for the Ruger #1 and Marlin 1895's. Before the advent of the Jap '86s, the Winchesters were a lot heavier than the 336-based Marlins. This with the exception of a few 1886 takedowns. And yet, the 1895 would take a whole different level of handloads. My best guess is that the 336-based '95 is the stronger of the two, on this basis.

The original 1895 Marlins were a different gun. I have owned both the original and the 336 45-70, as well as the original 1886 Winchester and shot them all quite a bit. I think the original '95 was stronger than the original '86. I liked the '86 better, as I think it was a better, if not stronger, gun. The '86 has the classic Winchester look to it also. I shot a 1000 lb. cow with my '86 in 45-70 (it was a converted .40-82), and she dropped in her tracks.

Out of them all, IMO the 336 45-70, in the "Cowboy" configeration, is the best gun. Strongest of them all too.

The Marlins still aren't chambered in high pressure cartridges like the 1895 Winchester (30-06, 270 Win) or the BLR or S99's. Not that the Marlins aren't strong, I bet they would be stronger than the '94 Winchester, but the new replica 92's are holding up under 454 Casull rounds. Makes you wonder...

The comparison was the '95 Marlin vs. the '86 Winchester. The '95 Winchester is a completely different animal.

Close...I had one built up in .35 Whelen which is Yankee for 9.3x62. Just figured something as American as a 95 ought to have a cartridge as Ameican as the Whelen.