New Marlins or Rossi???

[Jeff82]

+1 with Hanleyfan's comments. I bought a Marlin 1894C new in box, but sold as used (paid too much), and it was in terrible shape. I was OK with that, because I intended to have is re-worked by a gunsmith. $350 later, I had skinner sights, and all the internals polished and tuned, had a lighter hammer spring installed. I'm very happy with it now.

For me the comparison was between paying $1150 for a Winchester or buying the Marlin and customizing it. The Marlin design is superb, very easier to field strip and clear with a very strong breach. It's a shame that the build quality control is poor. But, if you're willing to make the investment, a good gunsmith can make it right.

[Four Fingers of Death]

before you spend any time polishing that turd.

By finishing it I meant working the bolt, etc to get rid of the gritty bits, which weren't all that bad over three rifles, a 270W, a 375H&H shoulder climber (lotza recoil, 7lb rifle, she jumps, haha) and a 308W Tactical. Brass was not available (in my home town gunshop) when I bought these so I ended up getting a good deal on a passle of factory ammo. I am still running this stuff out and running the rifles in, but accuracy seems ok for hunting. I haven't done much at all with the 308, still running the barrel in.

No sense trying to make a silk purse out of these sow's ears.

[searcher4851]

The Rossi is a great little lever action. The '92 action is my favorite lever action. Strong, and simple. The only drawback is scope mounting, which is becoming more of a consideration for my old eyes. Older Marlins are pretty hard to come by around me, and I'm not interested in the new Remlins. The Rossi's can use some action smothing, but after you do your first one, it's not that much af a challenge.

[pricedo]

Own 3 x Amadeo Rossi M92s (357, 44 Mag, 454 Casull).
I stripped them down, cleaned the cosmoline, dirt out of the receiver housings and magazine tubes with dechlorinated brake parts cleaner & deburred (remove rough spots and blemishes in the metal) & smoothed the carriers, chamber throats and other action components with a jewelers file and fine grained emery paper and knife stones & relubed with Remoil while I reassembled them.
These 92 clones need a little TLC at the start but they are diamonds in the rough.........all 3 are now accurate, dependable shooters.

Of the 2 x Remlin Guide Guns (1895G & 1895GS) I bought only 1 is currently operational. You could bury a dead cat in the gap between the tangs and the butt stock of the 1895GS and it locked up on me during a range session last week with moderate pressure factory ammo.
The 1895G has decent w/m fit but the head of the tang screw that holds the butt stock on split a coupla days ago while shooting Hornady 325 grain FTX factory ammo at the range and I replaced it with the tang bolt from the 1895GS which luckily was still in the truck.
The 1895G (with the stainless steel tang bolt) is giving me tight groups at 100 yds with the factory LEVERevolution 325 grain FTX ammo.
I'm going to drop the 1895GS off at the gunmith shop cause I can't budge the bolt with the lever removed and a long list of upcoming spring chores leaves me NO time for anything else.

The Rossis cleaned up to be really accurate, dependable & smooth rifles and the jury is still out on the Remlins.

Cerberus/Remington should hang its head in shame for what it did to the legendary Marlin company. They don't seem to give a damn what kind of LEVERabortions go out the door at the new Ilion, NY factory.

[pricedo]

Reworking a new rifle to make it work properly is so wrong on many levels. I looked at a number of Rossi rifles and could not get to part with my money for such poorly finished products. I will bide my time and buy oldies that work the way they were intended to.

The work I did to get my 3 x Rossi 92s smooth & accurate was basic stripping, cleaning, polishing & lubing.
I rubbed some Tru-Oil into the jungle wood furniture and now all 3 look good & shoot great.
The Rossi fit and finish and bluing were fine for all 3 of my M92s.
If you want real walnut, case hardened receivers, and all the fancy stuff go see Doug Turnbull at Turnbull Manufacturing........bring at least $5000 with you.

I replaced the crappy Remlin Guide Gun factory triggers with Wild West Guns "Happy Triggers" and replaced the stock ejectors with the WWG ejector and installed spring kits in my 2x Remlin 1895s.
The w/m fit on the 1895G was OK but on the 1895GS there was 1/8" gap between the butt stock wood and receiver ............unfortunately it had the smoothest action of the selections on the rack and a couple of 1895GSs I checked wouldn't even cycle..........no excuse for that and no way those defective guns should have ever left the Ilion factory........obviously they don't give a damn.

[Rockchucker]

Seems Rossi is King now days and Marlin is taking the back seat. My Rossi is as smooth as silk and the wood is nice too, however it does need some sight work done.

[Ramjet-SS]

What about the Henry 45-70?

I just got a Remlin and it shoots well seems to function fine thus far.

Thinking about adding a Henry though I have a 45 colt it is really nice smooth fit and finish superb.

[Ranch Dog]

Looking into getting a new Lever Action. Need some opinions on which one as far as quality goes. Heard the new Remington made Marlins are not the same quality as the older ones. Calibers I am looking for are 454, 44 mag and 45-70.

Actually, with the 454 Casull there is only one choice. I love my little 200-yard big game killing powerhouse!



With the 44 Mag in a new rifle, only one choice, the Rossi R92. Owning both the Marlin and Rossi and being a cast bullet shooter my choice would be the Rossi. It is super nice to own a rifle cut to the SAAMI chamber spec! My Marlin 1894P remains one of my favorites, but to get it there made me a bit crazy.

The Rio Grande was my first dip into the Rossi products. After shooting my RG4570 for six months, I sold both my 1895G and 1895MR. It comes down to the same thing mentioned on the 44 Mag. It is nice to find a 45-70 that needs a .458 bullet and doesn't have a weird off spec throat that must be filled with lead. I really struggled with the RG at first because I couldn't quite figure out what it needed as I was trying to apply what I know about Marlins to it. I thought it must be really undercut until I compared the SAAMI spec to the chamber cast, it was exact. So, with that it only needs a tangent R1 ogive bullet for the caliber to fit. End of throat fitting story. I have shot bullets from 300 to 525-grains and all shoot great.

I will always be a Marlin guy but working with the Rossi's for two years now and being a cast bullet guy, I look back and look at how hard I worked to be a Marlin guy. It would have been easy to throw in the towel.

The good thing about the new Marlins are that they are being cut on chamber spec now but that is throwing old Marlin guys a bit. The bad thing is that Remington thought that they could throw everything into a CNC, spit out the rifle, and assemble it like they do their bolt guns. They didn't bet on the levergun needing a little precision slop to get the cartridge out of the tube, onto the carrier, and into the chamber.

There is a young man hunting on my place with a Remlin 336Y that nobody has been able to make right including myself and the factory. Youth rifles have a mission for the manufacturer, to ingrain product loyalty. Remlin has lost out with this rifle; this young fellow will never own another old or new.

[Ranch Dog]

The Rossi is a great little lever action. The '92 action is my favorite lever action. Strong, and simple. The only drawback is scope mounting, which is becoming more of a consideration for my old eyes. Older Marlins are pretty hard to come by around me, and I'm not interested in the new Remlins. The Rossi's can use some action smothing, but after you do your first one, it's not that much af a challenge.

I have scout scopes on my 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 454 Casull, and 480 Ruger. I've killed hogs from 5 yards out to 200 yards. After looking at the available scout scopes; including those from Burris and Leupold, I settled on the Weaver Classic K4 Scout and love it.



That little bitty 357 Mag with my 175-grain bullet sure knocks a big hole through a hog! This is the entry hole. One reason I scope shoot is I spend a lot of full moon nights out hunting hogs without lights.



It is also nice to shoot a 357 Mag that only needs a .357" bullet!

[vmathias]

Actually, with the 454 Casull there is only one choice. I love my little 200-yard big game killing powerhouse!



With the 44 Mag in a new rifle, only one choice, the Rossi R92. Owning both the Marlin and Rossi and being a cast bullet shooter my choice would be the Rossi. It is super nice to own a rifle cut to the SAAMI chamber spec! My Marlin 1894P remains one of my favorites, but to get it there made me a bit crazy.

The Rio Grande was my first dip into the Rossi products. After shooting my RG4570 for six months, I sold both my 1895G and 1895MR. It comes down to the same thing mentioned on the 44 Mag. It is nice to find a 45-70 that needs a .458 bullet and doesn't have a weird off spec throat that must be filled with lead. I really struggled with the RG at first because I couldn't quite figure out what it needed as I was trying to apply what I know about Marlins to it. I thought it must be really undercut until I compared the SAAMI spec to the chamber cast, it was exact. So, with that it only needs a tangent R1 ogive bullet for the caliber to fit. End of throat fitting story. I have shot bullets from 300 to 525-grains and all shoot great.

I will always be a Marlin guy but working with the Rossi's for two years now and being a cast bullet guy, I look back and look at how hard I worked to be a Marlin guy. It would have been easy to throw in the towel.

The good thing about the new Marlins are that they are being cut on chamber spec now but that is throwing old Marlin guys a bit. The bad thing is that Remington thought that they could throw everything into a CNC, spit out the rifle, and assemble it like they do their bolt guns. They didn't bet on the levergun needing a little precision slop to get the cartridge out of the tube, onto the carrier, and into the chamber.

There is a young man hunting on my place with a Remlin 336Y that nobody has been able to make right including myself and the factory. Youth rifles have a mission for the manufacturer, to ingrain product loyalty. Remlin has lost out with this rifle; this young fellow will never own another old or new.

I have been leaning more towards Rossi but wanted more info as I am very funny about buying "Non American" made guns. When spending hundreds of dollars I always want to go "Made in the USA". Some of these American made manufacturers are making it very hard though. Remington should be ashamed of what they have been putting out. Reading some of these comments I think I will give the Rossi a try in either 45-70 or 454 Casull.

[pricedo]

I have been leaning more towards Rossi but wanted more info as I am very funny about buying "Non American" made guns. When spending hundreds of dollars I always want to go "Made in the USA". Some of these American made manufacturers are making it very hard though. Remington should be ashamed of what they have been putting out. Reading some of these comments I think I will give the Rossi a try in either 45-70 or 454 Casull.

I'd prefer to buy made in America guns and all things being equal that's what I'd buy.
But all things aren't equal ............no American deserves to be saddled with the junk guns coming out of that Ilion, NY factory.
Zero toleration for junk regardless of where it is made.

Do you really think a corporate parasite like Cerberus has earned any-ones loyalty?.........they've done more damage to the integrity of the American firearms manufacturing industry than Sarah Brady, Bill Clinton & Obama put together.

Rossi wins this decision hands down.

[vmathias]

I'd prefer to buy made in America guns and all things being equal that's what I'd buy.
But all things aren't equal ............no American deserves to be saddled with the junk guns coming out of that Ilion, NY factory.
Zero toleration for junk regardless of where it is made.

Do you really think a corporate parasite like Cerberus has earned any-ones loyalty?.........they've done more damage to the integrity of the American firearms manufacturing industry than Sarah Brady, Bill Clinton & Obama put together.

Rossi wins this decision hands down.

It sickens me that made in the USA does not Guarantee quality the way it used too. BUT there are still many that do a fantastic job of keeping that promise. Ruger, Smith and Wesson etc are still very high quality. For the prices Ruger can not be beat.

[MBTcustom]

It sickens me that made in the USA does not Guarantee quality the way it used too. BUT there are still many that do a fantastic job of keeping that promise. Ruger, Smith and Wesson etc are still very high quality..

I think you are being extremely generouse with that statement. I would agree wholeheartedly
If we were talking about handguns exclusively, but there is not a major American branded rifle that can hold a candle to the most common offerings from CZ or Pedersoli.
I have to say, I know how to sweeten up both the Rossi and the marlin, but the Rossi is closer to being right from the factory than the Marlin would be.
However, last time I was in Cabellas, I held a Pedersoli 45-70 that pretty much made either of them look like they were hacked out with a wood rasp. They only wanted $1700 for it (LOL!) and I was severely tempted to find out if she loves as good as she looks, but at the time, I just couldn't clear the extra money. Lord knows I wanted it bad though. The fit and finish was superb.

[vmathias]

I think you are being extremely generouse with that statement. I would agree wholeheartedly
If we were talking about handguns exclusively, but there is not a major American branded rifle that can hold a candle to the most common offerings from CZ or Pedersoli.
I have to say, I know how to sweeten up both the Rossi and the marlin, but the Rossi is closer to being right from the factory than the Marlin would be.
However, last time I was in Cabellas, I held a Pedersoli 45-70 that pretty much made either of them look like they were hacked out with a wood rasp. They only wanted $1700 for it (LOL!) and I was severely tempted to find out if she loves as good as she looks, but at the time, I just couldn't clear the extra money. Lord knows I wanted it bad though. The fit and finish was superb.

Yes Although I have never held a Pedersoli I have looked at the CZ's. CZ knows how to build quality firearms. I recently purchased a Ruger American basically for a low cost hiking, take anywhere gun. I was blown away with the accuracy of this rifle for the money. 3 shot clover leaf at 100 yards was easily covered up by the tip of my pinky. That was with factory Rem Core lokts. I have never shot a group that small with any rifle I have owned or shot including Howas, Savage, Remington and Winchester. Actions is like butter from the factory and cycles perfect without a hitch. It isnt the most beautiful gun but quality for the price is very good.

[MBTcustom]

Yeah? Shoot another five into that group and tell me what you've got. If it still shoots a small group, hold onto it like grim death, because you found a good one.

[vmathias]

Yeah? Shoot another five into that group and tell me what you've got. If it still shoots a small group, hold onto it like grim death, because you found a good one.

It has a sporter barrel so multiple shots will cause some fliers. It was designed for 2-3 shots max. Have you seen a lot of bad ones come through your shop? I am yet to read a negative review on that rifle.

[joec]

I think you are being extremely generouse with that statement. I would agree wholeheartedly
If we were talking about handguns exclusively, but there is not a major American branded rifle that can hold a candle to the most common offerings from CZ or Pedersoli.
I have to say, I know how to sweeten up both the Rossi and the marlin, but the Rossi is closer to being right from the factory than the Marlin would be.
However, last time I was in Cabellas, I held a Pedersoli 45-70 that pretty much made either of them look like they were hacked out with a wood rasp. They only wanted $1700 for it (LOL!) and I was severely tempted to find out if she loves as good as she looks, but at the time, I just couldn't clear the extra money. Lord knows I wanted it bad though. The fit and finish was superb.

I actually have a Liberty 12 ga double hammer/double trigger shot gun that is made in Turkey. It originally was imported by Liberty in PA later by another company that no longer exist and turns out it is now sold by CZ. I love this shot gun and can get the parts through CZ today though mine was made in 1984.

[pricedo]

I think you are being extremely generouse with that statement. I would agree wholeheartedly
If we were talking about handguns exclusively, but there is not a major American branded rifle that can hold a candle to the most common offerings from CZ or Pedersoli.
I have to say, I know how to sweeten up both the Rossi and the marlin, but the Rossi is closer to being right from the factory than the Marlin would be.
However, last time I was in Cabellas, I held a Pedersoli 45-70 that pretty much made either of them look like they were hacked out with a wood rasp. They only wanted $1700 for it (LOL!) and I was severely tempted to find out if she loves as good as she looks, but at the time, I just couldn't clear the extra money. Lord knows I wanted it bad though. The fit and finish was superb.

They call it a Pedersoli 86/71 and it comes in 2 grades the fanciest of which is the Premier grade.
The gun comes in several calibers including the 444 Marlin & the 45-70 Gvt.
The fit & finish are better than anything I've seen except for perhaps a new Westley-Richards double rifle ($160,000) that I was allowed to hold in my hands for a few seconds at a gun show.
The Pedersoli 86/71 that caught my eye was the Premier grade in 45-70 Gvt. with the case hardened receiver and a 24" target grade barrel.
I was likewise impressed and willingly succumbed to its charms like a drunken sailor in a high class brothel.
The gun is slick as grease lightning and very accurate and is worth every cent that I paid for it.

[joec]

The Pedersoli I always lusted for was the Quigley Down Under model in 45-70 but couldn't afford it and settled for a Rossi Rio Grande in 45-70 instead.

[vmathias]

The Pedersoli I always lusted for was the Quigley Down Under model in 45-70 but couldn't afford it and settled for a Rossi Rio Grande in 45-70 instead.

What are your thoughts on that rifle??