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336 vs Winny 94

4K views 33 replies 28 participants last post by  Sweetwater 
#1 ·
So I kind of want to get my dad a 30-30. He loves the 336 I just got. However, I cant find any right now for a decent price. The pawnshop I got my 336 at has a handful of Winchester 94 in 30-30 for decent to good prices. They're also in good condition. I know everyone here is going to take a 336 over the 94 but what are the positive and negatives of the 94s. Are the accurate and reliable? Lets discuss.
 
#4 ·
I disassembled and cleaned a 94 Winchester for a friend of mine. It wasn't fun in the least. It shot great but not as good as my Texan. I didn't like the flat metal buttplate either and I'm not recoil sensitive. On the other hand there is something about a 94 that makes it cool and fun to shoot. ;) Oh, and my 92 Rossi .357 sucks to take apart as well but I still like it.
 
#6 ·
You have to look out with some of those cheaper model 94's. I think the "ranger" models were the low budget ones, not sure. They have a lower quality finish and metal. You'll know the good ones right away by the depth of the bluing and even with quite a bit of abuse will either patina or be bare metal with no rust. The good ones really don't pit either. We have a guy here that will blast the blue off those things and ruff up the stock and if it weren't for the butt plate, you'd think it was a hundred years old...They never rust.
 
#7 ·
I like the Winchester 94 but I love the Marlin 336. I think the Marlin has a better design to start with and if you cycle a Marlin action a few times and then cycle a 94 you will wonder how they ever sold any of them, because what dummy would want on if he can get a Marlin for about the same money. (Oh, No!!! I have three 94's!!!) ;D But I still have more Marlins. 8)

Cedar Creek
 
#9 ·
If you can afford it, Walmart has the 336W for $369. It just doesn't have a walnut stock.
 
#10 ·
You can order from Wal-Mart what you want, ask to look at there order book at the sporting goods counter. Only 3 I have bought at Wally World have been ordered in. DP
 
#13 ·
If this is a rifle that will be scoped, be aware that until Winchester went with angle eject (AE,) which was in the mid-'80's, I believe, you need an offset mount for the 94, so you definitely want AE on the 94 if he plans on scoping it. I like both the Marlin and the Winchester, either one should serve him well.
 
#14 ·
I have two winnie,s , one pre [AE] and the other is a ranger. Both shoot and group fine, the ranger doesn,t have walnut stocks, but the finish is good. Don,t get the side mount scope, it,s goofy. I went with williams peepers on both, their my bad weather go to guns. Their actions are clunky compared to my Marlins.
 
#15 ·
Both have good points with few negatives. I like my cheapo 1989 "Ranger" AE because it's light and easy to carry. It also shoots well. My Marlin 1987 336CS/.35 seems a lot more "rock solid". They're also scope ready if you want to use one. The only thing I don't like about mine are the triggers. The 336 is too heavy/rough and the Ranger is too light. One thing that stands out for me is the half cock hammer safety that the Marlin uses. The squeeze the lever in method of the Winchester takes some getting used to.
 
#16 ·
They feel and handle very differently. I personally love the 26" octagonal barrel 94, which is way easier to find than a 30-30 336 Cowboy. Friends love the 20" for the handling qualities. Me, not so much. I like the top eject, when I want to shoot it as a singleshot (weird reloads that don't feed.)
 
#17 ·
94's carry very nice!!! 8)
They compliment a levergun collection well!!!

.....But the 336 is a better rifle!!!

If you get a '94 avoid the a/e ranger with hardwood stocks..
Get one with a nice walnut stock it's worth the extra price..
 
#18 ·
I had a 94AE in 30-30 for many years.
The big plus for the Winny is that they are slim and light for carrying in the field.
For years I hunted deers and hogs in the thick brush/swamp with mine and it was a great rifle for close shots.
Once you add optic on it they feel off balance.

A lot of people say Winnys are not accurate but mine would hold 2" group at 100 yds after I put a scope on it.
The secret is to keep the barrel from getting hot. I would shoot one round every 2 minutes or so and it would get get groups but if I fired it quickly the barrel would get hot and groups would open up.
 
#19 ·
I owned and Hunted with Winchester 94's for Year's. I also shot some nice Deer under 75 Yard's but the Marlin 336 is a SUPERIOR Weapon, just my humble opnion. The main disadvantage of the Model 94 is the Receiver's design.

The Marlin 336's has a Solid Top Receiver where the Win 94 is open which can present many problem's especially in bad Weather.

Secondly, Mounting a Scope for True accuracy on a Model 94 be it "Top Eject" or "Angle Eject" present's nothing but problems.

About the only good thing I will say about the Regular Model 94 (not talking about Winchester's upper end Gun's) is there a little lighter/slimmer then a 336 and easier to carry for a the young, seniors, and Women depending on their size/strength. If your willing to give up some max killing range the Marlin 1894 in .357 Mag will equal the 94's size/weight.


Web Sites like Gunbroker, Gunsinternational, Gunsamerica and Shootersexchange have ton's of Marlin 336's. If your patient many times you can get a NICE used or like new 336 for a fair price. Don't wait too long becasue prices start going up as Hunting Season approaches.
 
#20 ·
The two biggest drawbacks of the Winchester Top Ejects are the inability to mount a scope on top of the rifle like they're supposed to be and the inability to clean them from the breach end like Marlins. I used to have two of the Winnies (until I recently gave my post 64 to my pastor), but now I just have the one pre 64. I solved the sighting problem on the post 64 by mounting a Williams 5D receiver sight on it quite a few years ago. I always found that it handled quite well and was quite sufficiently accurate for hunting deer at woods ranges. As for the pre 64, I rigged up a scout scope setup for it to replace the side mounted scope I had mounted on it. Those side mounts are even worse than see-thrus.

To make a long story short, I never found the Winchesters to be inaccurate or poor handling rifles, rather the reverse, but they just don't compare to Marlins in any respect.
 
#21 ·
The only Winnie '94 I really like is my current BB in 356. It has the solid heft of the Marlin 336 as well as very similar balance. The '94s in 30/30 (I've owned 2 some years ago) were fine, but not rifles noteworthy enough to survive in my gunrack.
 
#23 ·
wreckhog said:
Many (most?) levers, pumps and semis cannot be cleaned from the breech end without major disassembly. Not terribly problematic for most.
But, we're comparing Winchester 94's to Marlins here, and Marlins are very easy to clean from the breech end unlike Winchesters.
 
#25 ·
Brian in FL said:
But, we're comparing Winchester 94's to Marlins here, and Marlins are very easy to clean from the breech end unlike Winchesters.
Depends what you are cleaning from the breech end and what you are using to clean it. Opening the action on a 94 and sliding in a Bore Snake is easier than on a 336. Using a knife to pop out a reload that is too long (OAL) to chamber or not sized right is easier on a 94. Feeding a single weird pointy reload is easier on a 94. On 336's I tend to remove the lever, and bolt for cleaning because it is so easy, not because the gun needs it.
 
#26 ·
The down side to the Winchesters is scope mounting and cleaning. The cleaning is realy not a problem get a bore guide and you have no problem. I feel the Winchester carrys better, the rifle is slimmer and just feels right. I might add my 2 winchesters are pre 64s so they are not cheep cast guns. That said 2 winchesters vs 7 Marlins? If the rifle will have a scope on it I would have to get a Marlin. I shot a Winchester with the off set scope at a range last year just was weard.
 
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