New marlin levers

[Mainiac]

I went to a gun show today,saw a few 44,s and 1 357 marlin 1894.
Very nice upgrade in black walnut,,and these have better bluing then any standard marlin,that ever came out of CT.bravo ruger!!!
Forearm is a little fat,,but a very nice rifle.
1100-1300 bucks,,,pricey,but what isnt..

 

[JWinAZ]

I succumbed to the temptation at the first of the year for a 44. As mentioned the workmanship is very good. The bore is very smooth. Took it to the range to shoot, starting with factory JSPs. The lever has a hitch just as it contacts the locking block, requiring a little more force to close. Probably would ease with some use. The big problem was that the lever would get really stuck in the back, that is fully open, position. A good thump with the fist was required to close the lever. This seemed to happen after the last shot.

I contacted Ruger and they asked to have the rifle returned and provided a pre-paid FedEx label. I packed it in the original box and dunnage and made an over-box to put it in. Shipping went fine and it arrived in Mayodan, NC on Friday. I'm very curious to see what Ruger says and does with this. They seem to have a good reputation for customer service.

I also shot a few 429421s and they worked fine, bore was clean except for some tiny streaks of lead.