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I've been wanting a 45-70 lever action for a while. And I had almost made up my mind to get a Marlin 1895 SBL. But for a while now, I've been reading a number a of not so flattering reviews of these rifles. Apparently the venerable Marlin brand lost in quality as they were bought by Remington.
I was at Freddys at 26 in Hillsboro the other day. And they actually had three Marlin 45-70s in stock. Not the SBL, but one of them was the stainless guide guide version. I liked the way it felt in my hands, and sighting with it. But I'm not experienced enough to judge whether or not the craftsmanship was ok or not. I saw another Marlin in the rack and could see light coming through on the side where the stock mates to the receiver. I find that a bit odd. But again with my limited experience... If I hadn't read those negative reviews I probably wouldn't looked as closely.
Anyone with recent experinece of Marlins care to chime in? Are the quality issues hit and miss or is just bad alltogether? Should I look at another brand for that kind of rifle?
TIA!
I was at Freddys at 26 in Hillsboro the other day. And they actually had three Marlin 45-70s in stock. Not the SBL, but one of them was the stainless guide guide version. I liked the way it felt in my hands, and sighting with it. But I'm not experienced enough to judge whether or not the craftsmanship was ok or not. I saw another Marlin in the rack and could see light coming through on the side where the stock mates to the receiver. I find that a bit odd. But again with my limited experience... If I hadn't read those negative reviews I probably wouldn't looked as closely.
Anyone with recent experinece of Marlins care to chime in? Are the quality issues hit and miss or is just bad alltogether? Should I look at another brand for that kind of rifle?
TIA!