Yay! Marlin 1894 CSBL.
Drawn to this one like a moth to a flame - love all things .357 Magnum. Felt uneasy (and a little dirty, thanks Cerberus) about buying it though. Working part time at a gun shop, I'd seen a number of Marlins come through in the last year that looked & felt just fine, but was hard to get some of those early Remlin abominations out of my head. Even with employee discounting, it's pricey for what it is, too. Too different from the usual lever action fare to hold any nostalgic value. Even with reloading, it's a lot more expensive than .22LR if used for plinking. Would do just fine as a short range hunter for the local game, but already have other light, handy rifles that cover not only short range but anything out to 300 yards easy. Home defense? Sure but again, already have that covered with options that are probably better.
But it looks cool. I had a bonus check from my other job in my pocket. And I wanted it.
After shooting at least 100 rounds through it every week since February started, it's my favorite gun. Fit & finish are plenty good, action is slick as buttered snot, it's more accurate than I anticipated, and I have more fun with it than any other gun I own or have owned. Love to look at it, carry it, shoulder it, work the action, and shoot it. Hell, I even like cleaning it.
Oy!! Henry single shot in .357 Magnum.
Kinda hate listing this one here. Very well made, beautiful walnut stock with lots of figure, great bluing. Pretty accurate too. Was more about how it fits me than how it looks & works. Just never felt right when I shouldered it, like the weight distribution was cattywompus. The only thing really "wrong" with it is the trigger. Almost 9 lbs, gritty and just plain awful. I polished things & changed springs, but best I could get it without causing light strikes was 5-1/2 lbs, still creepy & gritty. Common complaint with their single shots, weird since all the Henry lever actions I've shot have had pretty good triggers.
