The search for a rifle continues and the field narrows

[Bugscuffle]

So, I bought a Winchester 94 AE and it got drowned in a tornado and I am told that I was lucky in that id did, well, O.K. I was looking at Chaparrals and was told to avert my eyes from those brazen hussies they are no good to the bone. I am getting pretty good reports on the Rossi 92's, but they are just too darned ugly. I love the looks of the Uberti 1873 but I can't afford one right now, but then again they have the best reputation. Marlin has traditionally made a good product though nobody has recommended one yet. the 1894 Cowboy with the 24" octagonal barrel really looks nice. I seem to remember that the Taurus Lightning clones have a reputation for breaking often and in the middle of a shoot. No opinions yet on that rifle either. In that our family motto is "Indecision is the key to flexibility" I am still unsure of which way to go on this. A couple of you have already given me the "Hey stupid, buy the Uberti", but again I'm somewhat short of that monitarily and I have the patience of a three year old.
What does all of this mean? It means that someone needs to tell me, are the Taurus Lightning clones really that delicate? Is the Rossi mod '92 really a good choice? Is the Marlin 1894 Cowboy Special a good choice? What are my other choices in the $600-$650 price range? Come on there pards, give the newbie a break and make up my mind for me.

[Major 2]

Given the 3 you list...

skip the Taurus, that leaves the 92 Rossi and the Marlin 24" Oct.  , I've owned one of each

So, based solely on two guns I owned..I say Marlin (mine was 45 Colt )

I said owned, the Rossi was short lived I sold it after one match , the Marlin several matches, then kept as safe queen...I sold it to finance other Irons....

I shoot the Uberti 73 & Henry's

My Marlin pointed very nicely, liked that alot about it, but did/does not shoot the groups my 44 cal. 73 Uberti shoots.

[Pettifogger]

They don't make the Taurus Lightning anymore.  For every one person that says theirs works perfect there are 99 that say theirs never worked at all.  Taurus gave up trying to fix them and exchanged the guns if you complained loud enough.  There are one or two people that claim they have a "fix" for the Taurus but then they figure out what fixes one does nothing for the next one.  Skip that one.  If you intend to make CAS a hobby and plan on shooting a lot, putting in some practice and gaining some speed, then your choices are the Marlin and the Uberti 66 or 73.  The Marlin can be made to run at good speed and several top shooters use them.  No top shooter uses a Rossi.  They are an entry level gun.  The Uberti is the most popular and there are a lot of aftermarket parts to make them fast and smooth.  HOWEVER, a Marlin can be purchased for about half of a Uberti and with a few minor tweeks will run with the best of them.  If I were short of funds I would buy a used Marlin.  In other words, a Marlin than was made in the Connecticut factory.  The current ones are made by Remington in their New York factory and they haven't got all the start up bugs worked out yet.  Lots of complaints about poor quality and poor functioning.   I wrote an article about how to tune the Marlin for the Cowboy Chronicle.  Unfortunately, I don't keep copies of my own articles.  Maybe someone has a copy of the Chronicle article and can give it to you.  You can also go to Maruder's Website it has lots of good info on the Marlin.

http://marauder.homestead.com/irons.html

[Jefro]

Howdy Bugscuffle, again Pettifogger gives good advice, ferget the the Taurus. Marlins are great for the game, make sure to not buy a new one from the new Remingtion plant, bad juju. My suggestion to all newcomes to CAS is........before you spend a dime on guns, leather, gear..etc..etc..start going to as many matches as you can find. You will find folks trying to hand you guns to tryout faster than you can say "howdy", we're weird that way . Introduce yourself and let em know yer lookin to get started, call the match director, often they can arrange to have a set of guns for you to shoot the match. This way you get to try a bunch of different firearms before deciding what fits you. Good Luck

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

[litl rooster]

I have one of each of the 3..hands down the Marlin is the best. I do like shooting the Rossi and the Tarus, However the marlin has been the most reliable next to my 1860 Uberti

[bowiemaker]

I am pretty new to the game but for what it's worth, I have a Rossi Puma 92 that I bought used and I love it. I have shot it at one local match and at the NCOWS Nationals. It is extremely accurate and comfortable and the only problem I have had so far was it not wanting to cycle some ammo that I had left a little edge at the crimp. Mine is a 24" barrel that I would have expected to be a little heavy but this is the best feeling rifle I have ever owned.

I just picked up a new Uberti 66 yellow boy carbine but I haven't had a chance to fire it yet. I hope to put a few rounds through it this weekend.

[LoneRider]

A Marlin Marlin. Not a Marlin that says Remington anywhere on it! A 1894C will work good until you can afford a '66 or '73!

[Bugscuffle]

Well speaking of the Uberti's, how do the Mod. 1860 Henry 's by Uberti work?

[LoneRider]

Henry's are a good rifle just don't need to do a reload!!!
And watch out for the left hand "Pinch" from the mag follower

[litl rooster]

Well speaking of the Uberti's, how do the Mod. 1860 Henry 's by Uberti work?

there slow if you use Black Powder they can get very hot! short of that. They are authentic looking and they feel like what a cowboy would have carried.  Lone Rider mention a pinch it's not really a pinch but you will learn to do the Henry Hop. When the follower gets to your left hand or right depending on what hand you shoot

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I have been shooting an Uberti made 1860 Henry as my main match rifle for the last few years. I enjoy it, but Henries are not for beginners.

There are several issues with them. First off, you must be very careful how you load them. Never drop rounds straight down the magazine, always load it at a slight angle from horizontal so that the rounds trickle slowly down the magazine. Second, NEVER allow the follower to slip from your hand. Henries have been known to have rounds discharge in the magazine when these cautions were not followed.

One has to allow for the follower tab to slide past your forward hand or the magazine will stop feeding. Some do what is called the Henry Hop, repositioning their hand after so many rounds, to allow the follower tab to slide by. I went a different route and I use a spacer stick in mine. Since I keep my left hand back near the frame, the spacer stick keeps the follower tab from ever reaching my hand. The spacer stick also supplies a modest amount of safety, since if I ever lost control of the follower tab, the follower would not have enough space to build up full speed before it reached the spacer stick.

Unlike the Marlins and the '73, there is no lever/trigger safety interlock on a Henry, nor on a '66. So one must be sure to always keep one's finger off the trigger until the lever is completely closed. You might be surprised at how many cowboy shooters think they keep their fingers off the triggers, but they really don't.

Lastly, the Henry is heavy. This is because the barrel and magazine are made from one solid bar of steel, instead of a tubular magazine fastened under the barrel as with all the other lever guns. My 24" Henry weighs exactly one pound more than my 24" '73.

As far as hot, well yes, if you shoot Black Powder, it will tend to get hot. But only on a really hot summer day. I can shoot my Henry with Black Powder for a ten round stage and have no problem with the heat of the barrel most days. On a 90 degree summer day I wear a glove on my left hand to protect me from the heat. On a really cold day, it is nice to grab that warm barrel. It does not get all that hot.

Nothing wrong with shooting a Henry, you just have to be aware they require some special consideration. If properly set up, a Henry will be just as fast as a '73.

[Bugscuffle]

I had a little talk with myself and I said, "Self, what are you thinking? Are you thinking that you are going to start this CAS stuff and shoot (pardon thre pun) right to the top, aned because of that you need the almighty best that there is, faster than Superman, more expensive than a presidential campaign type guns? Is that what your thinking?" I replied, "Well, yes, I was sort of figuring it that way." Then I told myself, "Well get over it!!! You aint Wyatt Earp. This aint Tombstone. The Clantons are long gone dead and you had better be glad! Dang son!!! You are a silver senior AND a rookie. Just what do you think that your going to do out there? You haven't even shot your first match yet! Now, you have been told that the Rossi's are an entry level gun and guess what level you are on? RIGHT!!!! ENTRY!!! Now if you stretch your budget until your wife screams you'll have about $600 to invest in a rifle. You aint going to find a decent Marlin in the configuration that you want (24" barrel and in .45 LC) for that amount of money and you can forget even sniffing an Uberti for that. You will find a brand new Rossi for that and have some left over! So go out and buy that damned Rossi and quit whinning! Hells bells son, you aint gonna know the difference for the first few years anyway. By the way, just why do you insist that the rifle be 24" barrel and in .45 LC? You don't HAVE to have the '94 Cowboy Special you know. I explained to myself,"Because it lookes like what a cowboy ought to have in his hands and my pistols are in .45 LC (because that's what cowboys used to shoot. I know because i saw it on T.V.) and I already reload five other different rounds I don't need another.

"Well, I guess that settles it then "
"It does if that Marlin doesn't show up in the next few days."
"Well, thanks, it's been nice talking to me."
"Yeah, you too."

[wildman1]

I love loadin those 45 Colts up with BP and let the smoke roll, my wife sees me grinnin and she just laughs. Thinks I'm actin like a kid. WM

[Bugscuffle]

Wildman-1 Remember, it's never too late to have a happy childhood!!

[Willie Dixon]

Hands down, go for the Marlin!
1 - made in America still! the only one that is
2 - reliable as all get out
3 - ever seen those insurance commercials with that "hello my name is francis" and it's an old russian dude?  You DONT get that when something is wrong!  

I love my Marlins.  I have a Model 60 as my semi-auto varmint hunter, a 338 MXLR as my huntin season baby, and my 94 in 44.  The ol' 44 has been through the roughest and best times with me.  I love that gun.   Trust me, go Marlin.  I also own a Spencer that's great and "period correct" for my time period, and I want one of those high-maintenance 32" 73's Uberti makes.  But trust me, in a clutch, I go to my Marlin every time. 

Only problem with Marlin though, it gives you this aloof feeling towards anything I-talian,,, you look at the fit and finish of all the other guns in a totally different way.  Smooth as butter, 3lb trigger, and reliable after ten years and thousands of rounds (seriously I shoot probably 100 rounds out of mine a month right now)... go marlin.  Never been to a real gunsmith either, just basic upkeep done by me, a 28 year old who luckily listened to his uncle when he bought his first rifle. 

[wildman1]

Driftwood, I have a Rossi octagon 24 inch barrel in 45 Colt and I guarantee you the barrel is HOT after 10 rounds of 3f run through at even moderate speed. WM

[Driftwood Johnson]

Wildman

I shot my Henry yesterday. Six stages, 10 rifle rounds each stage. It was a pleasant summer day, temps did not get above 80 all day and humidity was low. My Henry never got hot enough that I need to wear a glove. On a hot summer day in the 90s it is a different story, but not on a relatively mild day like yesterday. Of course when the barrel of your Rossi gets hot, at least you have a wooden forend to hold. No such thing with a Henry, so when it gets hot, I really need the glove. I also have a 24" Uberti '73 and two original Winchester Models 1892. I shoot them all with Black Powder, and they all get hot in the summer. But as I say, at least there is wood to grasp on them.

Heat dissipation on a rifle barrel is slightly different than with a shotgun. The heat has to work its way out from the bore. I find that with any rifle, it takes long enough for the heat to reach the surface where my fingers are that I can usually complete the stage before the barrel gets too hot to hold. It is after I have visited the unloading table that the heat has had time to completely soak through the metal and start burning my fingers. With my shotgun on the other hand, the barrel walls are thin enough that anything more than four shots and the barrels are hot enough to burn my fingers as soon as I finish shooting. Most of my shotguns have little, old fashioned splinter stocks, and it is really easy for my finger tips to touch the hot barrels. Ouch!

[wildman1]

You are correct Sir, it is only after ya get done shootin that ya get ta appreciate the hot barrel.  WM

[Bow View Haymaker]

If you get a chance to handle a coupole rifles of the different types it might help you.  I started with a rossi and still shoot it most.  BUT you can't baby the 92 action. it has a long lever throw, 2nd only to the Winchester 94, and can be stiff. Mine has smoothed out after much use.  jsut work the lever like you really mean it.  A marlin has a different feal and a shorter lever stroke. Then the togle links (henry, '66, '73) have a different feal than that.  the toggles can be really smooth and there are the short stroke kits if your into that.  I still love my rossi and like the tough feel of it.  it has never failed me.  I have a uberti '73 and it  shoots nice but takes some getting used to after shooting the 92 for so long.  Whichever one you choose, shoot straight and shoot often and enjoy.