.44 mag lever - Rossi vs. Marlin?

[teflon6string]

I can't ignore the difference in prices for brand new lever guns in .44 mag:
Rossi M92 for $419
Marlin 1894 (with checked stock) for $599.

If I go with the Rossi, will I wish later that I had coughed up the extra bucks for the Marlin?

I'll want to add an aftermarket rear peep sight and wonder if it'll be easier to accomplish on one rifle or the other.

Appreciate any/all input. Also open to offers if anyone has a used one (20" barrel, any brand) to sell/trade near Portland.

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[tomcat mv]

I would also suggest you take a look at Puma Rifles (google Legacy Sports). I have one in .357 mag and it is excellent). Stay away from Marlin's as their quality has really gone down since remington bought them.

 

[RedneckRampage]

I've not shot either, but I've looked at both a lot. Marlin's fit and finish looks much better to me. The Rossi looked pretty weak. I'd part extra, but that's just me.

 

[Burt Gummer]

The Rossi 44-mag lever-action pistol (looks more like a rifle) looks like a lot of fun. A couple have sold here on the forum.

 

[derrickd95]

rossi has issues with fit and finish but spring kits are cheap. Marlin has the marlin hitch. I own a winchester 44 mag lever and have never had a problem

 

[teflon6string]

An hour after I started this thread, I found myself in a mall with my sweetheart. She went to look at skivvies and I went to the gun counter at Dick's where they had the Rossi for $399.

Really, I'm no master craftsman, but how hard is it to make a metal plate fit a wooden butt stock? The plate stuck out on the entire length of the cheek side by a full 1/16". There were also some unexplained divots halfway up on both sides of the forend where the barrel beds in. Just a sub-par piece of wood it looked like.

So would either of those glaring blemishes affect the reliability and accuracy of the rifle? Who knows? It might be a tack driver and worth every penny. But my own Marlin 1894c (.357 mag) just seems a lot more solid and well assembled. A thing of elegant beauty. I only learned about the "Marlin hitch" a few days ago, online. Luckily, mine has fed over 1000 rds of mixed .38, .38+P and .375 (and empty brass, just to see if it would) without the slightest hiccup.

Bottom line? I suppose I'd buy the Rossi if I found a used one cheap. But new for 4 bills? It's just not something I can admire like the overall form and fit of the Marlin.

Does the Henry come in blue? I'm not a fan of the shiny gold business.

 

[derrickd95]

Henry actions are like butter...but they are heavy

 

[Throckmorton]

the metal inside is where the huge difference is between Rossi's and Marlins.the metal and the fit and finish of . I have an older model Rossi and I like it a lot,but a Marlin is twice the gun,imho.the Marlin is MUCH easier to take apart for cleaning,1 screw and the bolt is out.With a rossi,it's a nine-handed task to reassemble it almost.
I have several imported guns and american made guns,and on the lower-end guns like rossi and uberti,it'll take an american made if I can afford it.MY 30 year old Ruger has waaaay less wear than my Uberti sixguns.
If u make sure none of screws work loose on the Marlin,they run very very well.