I thought I’d post a long, rambling and inexpert review of the Ruger/ Marlin lever guns that are out, as well as my own thoughts and observations. Your results may vary. Consult a physician before buying yet another firearm.
I now own one of the “trapper” model Ruger/ Marlin 45/70’s – inadvertently set up to be tacticool and a valued if wholly accidental addition to my gun collection. ( a collection which may or may not even exist- allegedly)
" .. WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS.." I’ve always wanted (continue to want, and still do not own) a very nice High Wall in 45/70 or a similar “Big Bore” cartridge. Add to that my own experiences with how much more enjoyable time in the deer woods actually is when carrying a small, light and handy rifle with a shorter OAL than with a big ol’ honking hunk of 10 lb steel with a barrel you have to flag to transport in the hardwoods, and I somehow decided that a High wall with only a 20 or 22’ barrel would be perfect. I thought I’d found one on a “broker” sight that I won’t mention, and even agreed on a price with the owner. However, AFTER I sent him payment and arranged an FFL transfer, the seller realized that it was actually a 45/90, and stamped “ Blackpowder only”.
Since I wasn’t looking for a safe queen – I got my money back along with a sincere apology.
But now I was on “tilt” ; and armed with both funds and an unscratched new gun itch. Many of us have been there. After what seemed like months of endless searching – and was probably about a week of calling and online searches in “ non gun shopper” time – I happened to be on the interwebs checking the inventory of a very large LGS in Charlotte late one evening with a bourbon in my hand; when a Ruger Marlin “ trapper” in 45/ 70 popped into inventory! I put down the deposit online to hold it, thanks to the grace of the magic money card – and showed up the next day to actually fill out paperwork and figure out what it was I’d bought. It was kind of the “mail order” bride version of getting a 45/70 in a handy package. She’s puurty… but it took us awhile to work out how to work together. 😊
The Good, the bad, and the noisy… an unfair- ish comparison
I like really nice guns. And I’m sure that after I die, many that I own will be sold by my bloodsucking heirs for a fraction of their value. But I’m no expert by any means.
That said, I thought since I’m seeing TONS of write up and comparisons calling the new Ruger/ Marlins a “premium” lever gun, I’d compare it to what I consider to be a true “premium” lever gun made under that same brand.
I happen to own a a JM stamped Marlin 336 XLR that was one of the first XLR models produced, when they were being designed and built specifically for the Hornady Lever Evolution ammo just coming out at the time. I often wonder if this gun is truly a “production gun” , or from their version of a custom shop since it’s far and away the best running most accurate lever I’ve ever run across. It’s a shame that I refuse to hunt with that Hornady LE crap … but that’s a whole other story. 😊
FIT AND finish on the Trapper model is GREAT … when compared to the Remington era marlins ( which I’ve owned but not kept) , and IMO better than the example of the Henry that I own – but not quite on par with the “Premium” JM stamped XLR I’d mentioned. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a NICE rifle, but when priced and marketed as a premium level gun…. It should be compared to such. For fit and finish- I was looking at the wood to metal fit- the depth and clarity of the checkering, the metal and wood finishes themselves – and the ‘side to side” slop in the action lever… which may not even be a thing to look at but annoys the p&* outta me with the Henry. 😊
Although both rifles are also stainless / laminate. I found the finish and the patterning in the XLR to be much better. In fairness, that may be by design with the darker laminate, but the finish itself is much “deeper” on the XLR. ( Not its not a gloss issue, I believe there’s a heavier film thickness on the clearcoat on the older XLR)
Action Smoothness was again, very good. It’s noticeably more mass to move that either the 336 or the Henry 44 ( in 44 mag) – but there’s a whole lot more of everything with the beefier 45/70 action. I will say that the other rifles have had a least a few hundred rounds through them each – and the Trapper has been fired exactly 22 times. .. so it may very well smooth out even more. Note that with the last Remlin 336 that I had my hands on, working the action made me imagine pleasuring myself in a sandbox while wearing welding gloves. So…. Much improved.
ON RECOIL … notice that I said it’s been shot 22 times. This is a rifle that you pay attention to how many times you pull the hook. I tried 3 different factory loads ( I don’t reload)- and sadly for both my wallet and my shoulder, what this gun LIKED was the Buffalo Bore “ lower recoil” 405 Gr JFN. NOTE that when BB says “lower recoil” – they mean lower than their other stuff. This is a lot like bacon that says “ lower fat” . No matter what you do – there’s fat in bacon… and there’s recoil in a 45/70 round. Especially one that happens to be moving (based on a borrowed chrono) at 1540 FPS from a 16” rifle, with a 405 gr projectile. That’s actually a tad “hotter” than Buff’s published numbers on paper work out to. 3 round group at 50 yards was .7” or so… .I’ll take it! Other rounds that I tried were the 300 Grain Federal Hammer Down loads – over twice the group size and slightly less felt recoil… and some Federal “Power Shock” 300 grain ammo… which seemed to me to recoil more “sharply” than any of the others. PICS INCLUDED are the 50 yard "sight in" ( red and black target) and the 100yard grouping AFTER sighting in... my "helper" started removing the target before I took the pic. Sorry! 100 yard "extreme spread" on the 3 shot string was just over 2" center to center... and I think I pulled one just a hair. I'm not sure why it was a vertical string? I think that was co-inky dink. From a 16" lever gun! That's MOD all day long ( minute of dinner) .
FOR ME – using the pretty darned good factory recoil pad, PLUS a Past slip on pad AND a fleece neck gator slipped over my shoulder to both reduce recoil and simulate the layers of clothing worn in the Deer woods despite trying to shoot during the Summer, it was very manageable so long as I wasn’t really down “ on “ the rifle. My theory is that I wanted to avoid any development of flinching, and I’ve never noticed the recoil when shooting at game. Without all that crap – I’m calling this my “ Cowboy QDMA rifle”. Knowing what’s going to happen when I pull the hook will probably save a “marginal buck” or two in the coming seasons. 😊 .
THE BAD: I like peep sites on a hunting rifle, even with my aging eyes. I’ve had a set of Skinner Peeps on my Henry for years, and have never felt cheated by using them hunting. That said- the white front post sight that came factory on this “premium” almost $2000.00 rifle was basically useless to me on anything past about 50 yards, unless shooting at a fully black backdrop in decent indirect sunlight. No waaay would it be usable for me in the woods.
So I contacted Ruger/ Marlin to make sure I was making the right choices – and the Hi Viz front site that THEY recommended and I ordered through them (1) doesn’t come with mounting screws and (2) was so far off that I ran out of adjustment room before getting POI within 12” of the target. It's not returnable since it was installed. That was another 100 bucks I wasted. So I gave up and scoped it – using the XS rail system that comes on the 1895SS , and a Leupold VX-3 HD in 1.5-5x 20. .. which has plenty of light gathering below 3x – can be shot with both eyes open on low power, and allowed me to mount it low enough for a good cheek weld very quickly.
Usability for this gun- with this 30MM scope in low rings - is pretty sweet from a shouldering and fast sight acquisition standpoint.
Also- I don’t know if muzzle brakes really help – it SEEMS to .. and honestly she’s shooting so well I’m afraid to even changed how the gasses leave the barrel. But there isn’t much clearance for a brake due to the shorter barrel. The one I installed is a Rangerpoint precision brake… but I wish it was available in brushed stainless rather than shiny. Ironically – there’s a great brushed stainless brake that comes factory on the Ruger #1 stainless in 450 Bushmaster that’s both very effective and would match… and it isn’t available as a part according to Marlin and Ruger? In fact there's a picture of it on their parts store - in stainless.. but it's only available in black anodized. That WAS returnable .. so 150 bucks spent and retrieved ( minus shipping).
So a good gun? Absolutely and one I'll carry in the Eastern Deer/ Beer and hog woods with 100% confidence. But a GREAT, truly craftsman level production firearm? IMO, that’s going to depend on how good your memory is. Id say it’s leaps above the junk that’s been coming out the last 15 years.. and ALMOST on par with what a higher end American made gun used to be. .. but isn’t that kinda true with everything now? There's a pic on here of the crown on my 336 XLR... that's craftsmanship!
I now own one of the “trapper” model Ruger/ Marlin 45/70’s – inadvertently set up to be tacticool and a valued if wholly accidental addition to my gun collection. ( a collection which may or may not even exist- allegedly)
" .. WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS.." I’ve always wanted (continue to want, and still do not own) a very nice High Wall in 45/70 or a similar “Big Bore” cartridge. Add to that my own experiences with how much more enjoyable time in the deer woods actually is when carrying a small, light and handy rifle with a shorter OAL than with a big ol’ honking hunk of 10 lb steel with a barrel you have to flag to transport in the hardwoods, and I somehow decided that a High wall with only a 20 or 22’ barrel would be perfect. I thought I’d found one on a “broker” sight that I won’t mention, and even agreed on a price with the owner. However, AFTER I sent him payment and arranged an FFL transfer, the seller realized that it was actually a 45/90, and stamped “ Blackpowder only”.
Since I wasn’t looking for a safe queen – I got my money back along with a sincere apology.
But now I was on “tilt” ; and armed with both funds and an unscratched new gun itch. Many of us have been there. After what seemed like months of endless searching – and was probably about a week of calling and online searches in “ non gun shopper” time – I happened to be on the interwebs checking the inventory of a very large LGS in Charlotte late one evening with a bourbon in my hand; when a Ruger Marlin “ trapper” in 45/ 70 popped into inventory! I put down the deposit online to hold it, thanks to the grace of the magic money card – and showed up the next day to actually fill out paperwork and figure out what it was I’d bought. It was kind of the “mail order” bride version of getting a 45/70 in a handy package. She’s puurty… but it took us awhile to work out how to work together. 😊
The Good, the bad, and the noisy… an unfair- ish comparison
I like really nice guns. And I’m sure that after I die, many that I own will be sold by my bloodsucking heirs for a fraction of their value. But I’m no expert by any means.
That said, I thought since I’m seeing TONS of write up and comparisons calling the new Ruger/ Marlins a “premium” lever gun, I’d compare it to what I consider to be a true “premium” lever gun made under that same brand.
I happen to own a a JM stamped Marlin 336 XLR that was one of the first XLR models produced, when they were being designed and built specifically for the Hornady Lever Evolution ammo just coming out at the time. I often wonder if this gun is truly a “production gun” , or from their version of a custom shop since it’s far and away the best running most accurate lever I’ve ever run across. It’s a shame that I refuse to hunt with that Hornady LE crap … but that’s a whole other story. 😊
FIT AND finish on the Trapper model is GREAT … when compared to the Remington era marlins ( which I’ve owned but not kept) , and IMO better than the example of the Henry that I own – but not quite on par with the “Premium” JM stamped XLR I’d mentioned. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a NICE rifle, but when priced and marketed as a premium level gun…. It should be compared to such. For fit and finish- I was looking at the wood to metal fit- the depth and clarity of the checkering, the metal and wood finishes themselves – and the ‘side to side” slop in the action lever… which may not even be a thing to look at but annoys the p&* outta me with the Henry. 😊
Although both rifles are also stainless / laminate. I found the finish and the patterning in the XLR to be much better. In fairness, that may be by design with the darker laminate, but the finish itself is much “deeper” on the XLR. ( Not its not a gloss issue, I believe there’s a heavier film thickness on the clearcoat on the older XLR)
Action Smoothness was again, very good. It’s noticeably more mass to move that either the 336 or the Henry 44 ( in 44 mag) – but there’s a whole lot more of everything with the beefier 45/70 action. I will say that the other rifles have had a least a few hundred rounds through them each – and the Trapper has been fired exactly 22 times. .. so it may very well smooth out even more. Note that with the last Remlin 336 that I had my hands on, working the action made me imagine pleasuring myself in a sandbox while wearing welding gloves. So…. Much improved.
ON RECOIL … notice that I said it’s been shot 22 times. This is a rifle that you pay attention to how many times you pull the hook. I tried 3 different factory loads ( I don’t reload)- and sadly for both my wallet and my shoulder, what this gun LIKED was the Buffalo Bore “ lower recoil” 405 Gr JFN. NOTE that when BB says “lower recoil” – they mean lower than their other stuff. This is a lot like bacon that says “ lower fat” . No matter what you do – there’s fat in bacon… and there’s recoil in a 45/70 round. Especially one that happens to be moving (based on a borrowed chrono) at 1540 FPS from a 16” rifle, with a 405 gr projectile. That’s actually a tad “hotter” than Buff’s published numbers on paper work out to. 3 round group at 50 yards was .7” or so… .I’ll take it! Other rounds that I tried were the 300 Grain Federal Hammer Down loads – over twice the group size and slightly less felt recoil… and some Federal “Power Shock” 300 grain ammo… which seemed to me to recoil more “sharply” than any of the others. PICS INCLUDED are the 50 yard "sight in" ( red and black target) and the 100yard grouping AFTER sighting in... my "helper" started removing the target before I took the pic. Sorry! 100 yard "extreme spread" on the 3 shot string was just over 2" center to center... and I think I pulled one just a hair. I'm not sure why it was a vertical string? I think that was co-inky dink. From a 16" lever gun! That's MOD all day long ( minute of dinner) .
FOR ME – using the pretty darned good factory recoil pad, PLUS a Past slip on pad AND a fleece neck gator slipped over my shoulder to both reduce recoil and simulate the layers of clothing worn in the Deer woods despite trying to shoot during the Summer, it was very manageable so long as I wasn’t really down “ on “ the rifle. My theory is that I wanted to avoid any development of flinching, and I’ve never noticed the recoil when shooting at game. Without all that crap – I’m calling this my “ Cowboy QDMA rifle”. Knowing what’s going to happen when I pull the hook will probably save a “marginal buck” or two in the coming seasons. 😊 .
THE BAD: I like peep sites on a hunting rifle, even with my aging eyes. I’ve had a set of Skinner Peeps on my Henry for years, and have never felt cheated by using them hunting. That said- the white front post sight that came factory on this “premium” almost $2000.00 rifle was basically useless to me on anything past about 50 yards, unless shooting at a fully black backdrop in decent indirect sunlight. No waaay would it be usable for me in the woods.
So I contacted Ruger/ Marlin to make sure I was making the right choices – and the Hi Viz front site that THEY recommended and I ordered through them (1) doesn’t come with mounting screws and (2) was so far off that I ran out of adjustment room before getting POI within 12” of the target. It's not returnable since it was installed. That was another 100 bucks I wasted. So I gave up and scoped it – using the XS rail system that comes on the 1895SS , and a Leupold VX-3 HD in 1.5-5x 20. .. which has plenty of light gathering below 3x – can be shot with both eyes open on low power, and allowed me to mount it low enough for a good cheek weld very quickly.
Usability for this gun- with this 30MM scope in low rings - is pretty sweet from a shouldering and fast sight acquisition standpoint.
Also- I don’t know if muzzle brakes really help – it SEEMS to .. and honestly she’s shooting so well I’m afraid to even changed how the gasses leave the barrel. But there isn’t much clearance for a brake due to the shorter barrel. The one I installed is a Rangerpoint precision brake… but I wish it was available in brushed stainless rather than shiny. Ironically – there’s a great brushed stainless brake that comes factory on the Ruger #1 stainless in 450 Bushmaster that’s both very effective and would match… and it isn’t available as a part according to Marlin and Ruger? In fact there's a picture of it on their parts store - in stainless.. but it's only available in black anodized. That WAS returnable .. so 150 bucks spent and retrieved ( minus shipping).
So a good gun? Absolutely and one I'll carry in the Eastern Deer/ Beer and hog woods with 100% confidence. But a GREAT, truly craftsman level production firearm? IMO, that’s going to depend on how good your memory is. Id say it’s leaps above the junk that’s been coming out the last 15 years.. and ALMOST on par with what a higher end American made gun used to be. .. but isn’t that kinda true with everything now? There's a pic on here of the crown on my 336 XLR... that's craftsmanship!
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