Any thoughts on a new Marlin vs a Henry in 44 Mag? Looking for thoughts on accuracy.

Thanks

QC I've heard has been a real toss up on Rem produced Marlins.........post 2010 ish......

But older 'real Marlin' 44s are out there....more available than 357 or 45 Colt......

You can expect to pay as much for a good used Marlin 44 as a new Henry 44.........

$600-700..........pre 1983 are the good ole ones..pre X/bolt safety.......

Henry builds quality rifles.......pic...'78 Marlin 44 mag..........

I had one of the pre safety Marlins. Loved the look and the way it handled but mine never shot that well with anything. About 3 - 3.5" for 3 shots at 100 was the best it could ever do with anything. Not even close to the accuracy of my 30-30 and .35 Rem. Marlins or my Win. 94 .30-30 so I sold it.

I recently bought a brand new Marlin .44 completely on impulse. The store was going out of business and it was so cheap I couldn't walk away from it. After adding a Skinner sight and removing the stupid safety, I really like it. I am still working on load development, but so far have had good results with both cast and jacketed bullets. As far as Henry goes, you will find that most people either lover them or hate them. IMO, they're a gimmick. They're heavy, ugly, expensive, and I hate the tube-loading. Are the actions smooth? sure. But I took my Marlin apart and with a little 800 grit sandpaper I had it cycling as smooth as a Henry in about 10 minutes.

As far as accuracy, I think you will find either one to be decently accurate as long as you don't expect too much of it. The .44mag is a 100yd brush cartridge, you can't really expect it to shoot MOA. Sure it's deadly at longer distances, but accuracy will suffer.

Thanks for the info. I don't expect MOA accuracy but plan on using it from my bow stand during gun season. 45 yard max shot. Looks like a new Marlin may be the way to go for my needs.

I flipped a coin and it stood straight on its side, so I bought a 92 Winchester.

Marlins have a $100 dollar rebate going now as well. I have both in the shop daily and would choose Marlin for the price.

If the Henry has a 1in20 twist,that is a big plus if you plan on shooting any bullet heavier than 240gr.

Beautiful.

According to the website they have the same 1:38 twist as the Marlins, which is a bit of a disappointment. Marlins were known for having somewhat loose bore dimensions coupled with tight spots under the barrel stampings. But the latest Marlins are made with Ballard rifling and apparently after a rocky start the new production models seem to be pretty good, so it's really a toss up these days.

Do Henry rifles have that God-Awful crossbolt safety abortion?

No, no safeties, Henry's have a transfer bar in the hammer. "Safe" position is the hammer fully down, like a Ruger SA revolver. Now chamber hot or cold under that hammer, I ain't gonna touch...

Jim, yesterday the Henry web listed the 44 mag. as 1in20 twist,yet when I emailed them a couple of months ago they told me 1in38? So who knows if they don't!

I just checked the web again and the lever 44 mag. is listed as 1in38 and the single shot 44 mag. is 1in20! Go figure?

Apparently they are showing two different twists for the .44. The single shot rifle specs show 1:20, but specs for various versions of the Big Boy are all showing 1:38. I had emailed them back in February as well and they replied that the .44 mag. twist was 1:38. Guess someone who buys one will have to measure it for us.

I sold all of my Marlin 94's after wringing out the Henry Big Boy Steel 44 Carbines.

Good post and spot on ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I love my Henry octagon Frontier model in 22WMR but their Big Boy rifles don't compare to a JM Marlin IMO.
Can't speak for the Remlins other than to say I wouldn't take the chance.

My 76 44mag......it shoots Winny white box into 1" at 50yrds and hammers Whitetails out to 100.
I'm pretty much a purist when it comes to lever guns but I run a Williams peep and fiber optic front bead on this one .

I used to shoot lever action silhouette. Maybe 75% rifles at the matches were Marlins. I think the new Marlins are as good or better than my old JM Marlns. I like the new rifling, the new stocks and the checkering.

I think the Henry's look like they'd be pretty good too. The price difference -- I just bought two new Marlins.