marlin model 1895 guide gun

marlin model 1895 guide gunIntroduced in 1965 with the .444 Marlin cartridge, the Model 444 was the most powerful lever action of its day. It originally had a 24-inch barrel, straight-grip Monte Carlo stock and double barrel band, but by 1976 those features had been changed to what we see today in what Marlin is calling the Model 1895–.444 Marlin: 22-inch barrel, pistol-grip stock and steel fore-end cap. The current version retains the maligned but easily ignored crossbolt safety that was inflicted on the rifle in 1988.

The most significant change, the one that caused the stop-and-start reintroduction, involved the Ballard rifling. Designers decided to change it to a 1:20 twist to improve accuracy with current loads.

The long-awaited return of the 444 Marlin is finally here and more reliable than ever before. This hard-hitting big-bore rifle will shoot a lighter bullet, faster, with a flatter trajectory, more energy (inside 200 yards) and with less recoil than a 45-70 Govt. The 444 Marlin is perfect for medium-sized, thin-skinned game like whitetail deer all the way up to the big brutes like moose and elk.

I’d intended to do the accuracy testing with the iron sights, but I discovered I simply can’t shoot semi-buckhorns anymore. I thought I’d hedged my bets correctly by ordering a Lyman 66 aperture receiver sight for the gun, but I discovered when it arrived that the .444’s receiver is not drilled and tapped for such a sight.

That surprised me, so I contacted Marlin fan Layne Simpson. He told me both of his older Marlin 444s are drilled and tapped, so apparently Marlin decided this extra machining step wasn’t worth the expense anymore. I have to disagree, but I understand the reasoning.

I bought an EGM rail for the receiver top and mounted my trusty Nikon Monarch 3 2-8X for the accuracy test. Depending on where and how you hunt, this would be a great combo. But I was thinking about elk in dark timber, and when I was done shooting groups, I removed the scope and installed an Aimpoint Micro H-2.

I shot it at 50 and 75 yards from offhand and sitting, and, man, is that the ticket. The red dot is super-fast to acquire and easy to hit with, and it doesn’t add weight. Plus, it allows me to carry the rifle in one hand, which is indispensable when maneuvering in tight cover. I can grip the rifle just at the front of the receiver, where it balances perfectly.

Even brand-new the Marlin’s lever works relatively effortlessly, although the trigger pull at five pounds, 14 ounces is heavy. That’s to be expected, but judging from the groups I got, it didn’t affect accuracy much.