Outpost75
Active Member
.....Numrich had brand new, unused Marlin 1894S .44-40 Microgroove 20" barrels in stock. I bought one and had John Taylor fit and chamber it to a tiny pre-War H&R .410 shotgun frame. A factor favoring the .44-40 chambering, thwarting any fantasy of choosing a .44 Magnum chambering instead, was the very light target weight of the gun. I wanted a 4 pound package. It is exactly that! Having fired a 4-1/2 pound .44 Magnum Cadet Martini years ago, I had no desire to repeat that painful experience. The .44-40 makes more sense.
I wanted simple, rugged iron sights which would withstand rough field use which would be easy to adjust. John fit TSR100 Tech Sights, adjustable front and rear post and peep, which resemble issue sights on the M16A1 rifle: both practical and tactical. I reamed the aperture of the short range leg to a .125” “ghost ring” to set up a basic 50-yard, woods, snap shooting zero. The finished barrel length is 19-1/2." The little gun weighs 4 pounds and is only 34-1/2" overall! A full 3 pounds lighter than my “Tactical Cowboy Gun” an 1894S Marlin equipped with XS Lever Scout Rail, ghost ring peeps, Trijicon RX09 reflex sight in A.R.M.S. double throw-lever mount with Lever-leather butt cuff carrying 8 extra rounds.
The purpose of my Bunny Gun Combo is as a traveling and backpacking companion when teamed with my sturdy, fixed sight Ruger 5-1/2" .44-40 Vaquero. Full charge .44-40 loads intended for the Winchester 92, Marlin 1894 and Ruger revolvers give from 950-1120 fps with the Accurate 43-230G grain bullet from the revolver and 1250-1450 fps from a 20 inch rifle, depending upon whether I use 7.2 grains of Bullseye, 18 grs. of #2400 or 24.5 grs. of RL7, which all shoot well in either rifle or revolver.
I wanted simple, rugged iron sights which would withstand rough field use which would be easy to adjust. John fit TSR100 Tech Sights, adjustable front and rear post and peep, which resemble issue sights on the M16A1 rifle: both practical and tactical. I reamed the aperture of the short range leg to a .125” “ghost ring” to set up a basic 50-yard, woods, snap shooting zero. The finished barrel length is 19-1/2." The little gun weighs 4 pounds and is only 34-1/2" overall! A full 3 pounds lighter than my “Tactical Cowboy Gun” an 1894S Marlin equipped with XS Lever Scout Rail, ghost ring peeps, Trijicon RX09 reflex sight in A.R.M.S. double throw-lever mount with Lever-leather butt cuff carrying 8 extra rounds.
The purpose of my Bunny Gun Combo is as a traveling and backpacking companion when teamed with my sturdy, fixed sight Ruger 5-1/2" .44-40 Vaquero. Full charge .44-40 loads intended for the Winchester 92, Marlin 1894 and Ruger revolvers give from 950-1120 fps with the Accurate 43-230G grain bullet from the revolver and 1250-1450 fps from a 20 inch rifle, depending upon whether I use 7.2 grains of Bullseye, 18 grs. of #2400 or 24.5 grs. of RL7, which all shoot well in either rifle or revolver.
