Winchester 94 vs. Marlin 336

[game4lunch]

Other than the obvious difference of side eject on the Marlin, what are the pro's & cons of buying one over the other?

[oldelkhunter]

[ol][*]Winchester is a little handier with a slimmer receiver[*]Marlin has a forged receiver[*]Marlin feeds ammo better[*]Marlin has a better trigger[*]Marlin is more accurate not that it matters that much[*]Marlin is still made [*]Remove lever and you can clean the rifle from the breech[/ol]


Forgot all about advantage 7

[c j]

oldelkhunter's probably right. Most objective evaluations I've seen usually come back saying the Marlin's a better gun.

I still like the Winny, though. Nothing warms my heart like a Winchester 94.

Hard to explain, I guess. To me, it's kind of like two old GTO musclecars. One has an automatic transmission and the other's a stick shift. The automatic probably cost more back in the day and was easier to drive and there were probably fewer made, etc. But which one is more fun?

No, Win 94's don't have great triggers. They are lighter, though, which IMO makes them more handy. To me, they just feel right, both carrying around and shouldering. I've never had any feeding issues with them, though, and with iron sights, the 94 with the new pointed Hornady ammo will shoot better than most hunters are capable of.

I believe it's going to be easier to throw a scope on a Marlin. The newer 94s have a side eject which makes a top mounted scope possible, and the old ones can be fitted with a side-mount scope. But to me, using a scope with a 94 (or any lever-action) kind of defeats the purpose and takes a lot of the fun out of it.

I'd say get your hands on both and see which one calls out to you. Good luck and happy shopping.

[RugerM77.270]

I have a Marlin and I think it is one of the best built deer rifles ever made. Mine is a deer killing machine.

The major pro I see is like okie said It is still being made.
It also doesn't have the straight grip. ("I" never liked them much).

Mostly though it will come down to personal preference.

[Rebel Hog]

Oldelkhunrer

[ol][*]Winchester is a little handier with a slimmer receiver[*]Marlin has a forged receiver[*]Marlin feeds ammo better[*]Marlin has a better trigger[*]Marlin is more accurate not that it matters that much[*]Marlin is still made [/ol]

Can't say it better!

[New York Hunter]

I've had horrible luck with 2 of the 3 Winchester model 94's I've had. I won't even consider them anymore. My 94 30-30 wouldn't shoot at all. No matter what ammo we shot in it just wouldn't shoot. Sent it back, had local gunsmiths look at it. No luck, just wouldn't shoot. I traded it for my 336CS 35 Rem. and haven't looked back. I had a model 94 Big Bore in 444 Mar. This was the singlebiggest piece of s#*t firearm I've ever owned. WhenI shot it,the action was very hard to open. The more I shot it the worse it got. I owned this rifle for over a year before I shot it and realizedthere was something wrong with it.Winchesterdidn't want to know anything about it. Traded it for myMarlin 444. I didn't have any trouble with my model 94356 Win.My friend wanted it, I didn't use it so I sold it.No more model 94's for me. [/align][/align]I've hadno problems at all with either of the2 Marlin's I've owned over the years. Still have my 35 Rem. I stay with what I've had good luck with, and stay away from I'vebad luck with. [/align]

[oldelkhunter]

I had a model 94 Big Bore in 444 Mar. This was the singlebiggest piece of s#*t firearm I've ever owned. WhenI shot it,the action was very hard to open. The more I shot it the worse it got. I owned this rifle for over a year before I shot it and realizedthere was something wrong with it.Winchesterdidn't want to know anything about it. Traded it for myMarlin 444.

I have a similiar experience with the444. A friend of mine at the time sold me a 444 Marlin 336. That rifle could just plain shoot. A week after I bought it home he received his new 444 and it was a Winchester timber carbine . He went out and shot it and a week later asked me if I would sell the Marlin back . I should have said no but I never let a gundeal go sour with anyone especially a friend so I let him have it back. Holding the timber carbine in my hand it felt superior to the marlin until I worked that lever and squeezed that trigger. Then I knew why he wanted the old Marlin back. I guess he finally got his wits back.

[8mm/06]

I have owned neither, however I do have an old Winchester Modell 55, take-down, which is mighty close (if not the same) as a 94, and it's a nice rifle. That said, and going purely by my grandfather's advice, ... he told me if I wanted to buy a lever gun and i was deciding between Marlin and Winchester that I should buy the Marlin. The only reasons he gave me were ...

1. great barrel for accuracy
2. stronger and better lock-up of the bolt
3. Smoother/tighter action on the lever.

I am not a smith, but pretty much took him at his word... however I have never researched it.

Everything else that was different, he said, was a matter of personal preference.

He always said that the Winchester was a good rifle, but that his preference was for the Marlin.
He used to fix all kinds, and he said there were far fewer issues with the Marlins that came in.

[Briman]

Marlin is a much better gun.

[millerhunter13]

well i think it is preference, and not to say 8mm/06's grandfather isnt right, but just because he worked on more win. then mar. dosnt mean that winchester isnt as good of gun, you never know how good the people treated their guns, me i am a winchester person, so i would say winchester, but i do know that marlin is also i very good gun company i would say it is all how they feel to you.