[upnorth73]

Hi.
I am a very happy owner of 1999 (serial starts with 99) 1894 in 44mag. Great gun, cycles smooth and am thinking of getting a trigger from Wild West guns, but am very happy with the gun.
I have been thinking about getting my son a 1894 in 357. My question is, I am also thinking of doing some reloading for the 44. Would I be better off getting him a 44 and doing him some lighter loads or go 357 and as he gets older start really loading these up.
Hope this question makes sense. Cheers, Adam...

 

[SHOOTER13]

Welcome to the Marlin Forum upnorth73 !!

Depends on the rifles primary mission...would a .357 do it,

or would it take a .44 Mag to seal the deal...in which case you

could go with light .44 Specials till he grows up.

 

[upnorth73]

I guess the main type of hunting where I am is pigs. A 357 will do it, but a 44 would do it much better.

That said I am not huge into hunting although I'd enjoy the odd trip (haven't been for years), so he hasn't even been out. I guess I was figuring he would grow into the 44. But if a lightly loaded 44 is terrible for accuracy I will just get a 357.

 

[greyhawk50]

Welcome to the Marlin Forum upnorth73 !!
Depends on the rifles primary mission...would a .357 do it,
or would it take a .44 Mag to seal the deal...in which case you
could go with light .44 Specials till he grows up.

Welcome to the forum and I have to agree with SHOOTER13.
You'll have to make the choice based on needs.
With that said, I previously owned a Browning mod. 92 chambered in 44 mag.
Bought it at a gun show and purchased a box of Cowboy Action Re-Loads before I left the show. Actually, they were cheap and I wanted the brass. When I got home, I shot a few rounds just for fun. They were super soft with very little felt recoil. As I remember, it was kinda like shooting a 410 deer slug.
I would think that the 44 mag. would give you a wider range of loads where the .357 would be limited on the higher end.
Sorry, I didn't check them for accuracy.

 

[duster066]

I had a similar choice to make. I've owned a 357 single action for about 30 years. A year ago I bought a 44mag Blackhawk to upgrade my bear defense round. When I decided to go cowboy action shooting I had to make a decision and the rifle purchase would determine that choice. The 44 is a much better bear round, but the odds of a successful follow up shot (with the Blackhawk) at close range were proving to be not so good. Because I wanted a pistol/carbine combo to reduce hunting load out weight and cowboy action complexity and because I figured my odds with a bear were better with two or more 357 hits vs maybe no 44 hits I bought a 357 rifle. If a common pistol/carbine ammo is not an issue for you, or you have no need for a bear defense gun I'd think the 44 would be a better choice. I like my M94 so much in 357 I would buy one in 44mag in a heart beat if a deal comes along.

 

[upnorth73]

Well took my son out for a shoot a few days ago, had a ball.
Rather than take him to the range like I normally do, we went out to A hunting reserve, just for target practice. It was mid week so very few people around and we set a few paper targets up and some eggs on golf tees. Don't know how many people have shot eggs with a 22, but they are very visual and great for getting the kids excited.
Anyway I took my marlin 44 out as well to coach him through a few shots and I think I answered my own question about 44 vs 357. I'm a biggish guy and didn't think to much of the recoil, I gave him 2 shots. One with my hand between his shoulder, and the stock. The second without, while he was definitely excited it also hurt him, not upset, but I think with time it would intimidate him.
I think I'll get him a 357 and load the hell out of it when he's ready. Later when he's older we can look at a 44 or 30-30 or what ever we decide. Plus in the meantime 357 is a lot cheaper to feed.
Thanks for your input guys.
Adam...

 

[1894]

Sounds like a wise choice upnorth73 .
An early ( when starting out and moving up in recoil ) flinch is something that is very hard for a shooter to undo down the road.
A 357 with 38 spcl loads sounds like a great start for your son IMHO .
That 357 outta a carbine seems to be just one of those calibers that REALLY steps way up with that extra 14" + of barrel .
Easy and fun plinking to start and then a solid ( often underestimated ) performer on deer , hogs , even black bears if he decided to pursue hunting.
Just my opinion given freely and with a self addressed stamped envelope I'll send you my .02$ back.
I got thumped hard by the 1894 in 44 mag my dad gave me when I was around 9 years old. Crisp trigger touched off before I was ready . Didn't fire that rifle for a year after one shot.
By the time I was 10 , Dad lined up a 20 ga shell and said you've shot a bunch of full rounds of skeet with these right ? yep . 12 ga shell and you've shot a bunch of full rounds of trap with these right ? yep . Set the 44 mag case down next and asked if I wanted to try it again .
It was no biggie then , but that flinch persisted every time I moved up in recoil , especially when shooting off a bench as opposed to standing on my hind feet.
Again all just my 2 cents worth , given freely .

 

[1894]

And since you are reloading , a set of dies for 38 / 357 are not all that expensive