[mrmarlin]

just curious from people who own both, even tho i feel this thread on marlinowners.com may be a little partial to one brand

but comparing the two rifles....is the something that one rifle has, thats better than the other

just curious, found a smokin deal on a winny 94, i would like to keep my collection all marlins, but if the 94 is a good rifle (which i think it is)

let's do a side by side comparison of the two guns

 

[Tom in Arizona]

I own both (pre-64 Win 94 and a number of Marlins) and below are the things that come to mind at first.

- Top ejection on Win 94 precludes mounting scope there, excepting the new angle eject models.
- Easy to remove the bolt on the Marlins making cleaning from the breach easier and practical.
- More after market parts available from common suppliers for the Marlins, making things like trigger pull much better.

 

[Leverdude]

I dont have a 94 anymore but remember them well. I had two thru the years & still have a 92Win repro.

The two guns, beyond both being lever operated & chambered for the same cartridges have little in common.

As already noted the Win is top eject & the marlin side eject.

Marlins as noted are much easier to get the bolt out for cleaning. With a Win you pretty much clean from the front. Beyond that though the Win is a very complicated action in comparison to the Marlin. In other words most of the fixes we do ourselves to a Marlin may be much trickier to diagnose & fix on a Winchester.

Marlins FEEL much solider, thats what initially attracted me away from the Winchesters.

You can scope either one as long as the Win is relatively new and Win has a very solid following.

I wont say the Win 94 isn't a good gun, but I think Marlin makes a better one, and they still make them here,,,,,, for now.

 

[DWB]

I have both, though my 336C is in a .35 Remington. A buddy has a 336 in .30-30 and he will shoot rings around my Winchester 94 all day long. I can shoot rings around my Winchester 94, using his 336 as well. I think the 336 is an inherently more accurate rifle than the Winny 94, and so does he. And as long as we keep it apples to apples, using either my loads or his in both rifles we have proven that to ourselves more than once...

I think the Winchesters (especially the older ones) have a certain attraction to them that I can't really explain. When I was a kid, anytime somebody mentioned "High Power Rifle" or "Deer Rifle" or just plain, old "Rifle", it meant the Winchester 94, because that is what was always around the house, the truck, the barn, etc. I would like to track down my G'Gpa's old Winchester .30-30, but God only knows who has it - - hopefully, some cousin.

 

[gcs]

I went to buy a 30-30 in 1971. First handled the Winchester, I think it was an angle eject by that time? Next the guy handed me the Marlin.
The Marlin just FELT more solid, the action was smooth and didn't feel or sound like it was filled with bunch of loose parts. So I bought the Marlin.

Now I know there's nothing wrong with the Winchester, they only sold a jillion of them and I'll bet most of them are still working, but....

Go ask this question on Paco's sight, "there" the Winchester is King. ;D

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

The Marlin is much easier to clean and is setup better for hunting optics.

The Winnie is slimmer and trimmer than Most but not all Marlin 336's.

 

[mrmarlin]

ok guys, great, just found out that smokin deal on the winny, well its sold...which is ok, from the sounds of it, i will keep my marlin collection growing

thanks guys and gals
scott

 

[shawlerbrook]

Marlin is stronger and as said before easier to scope. The win 94 pre-64 may be the most easy carrying rifle of all time. I love them both!!

 

[mrmarlin]

just curious what the difference is between the pre and post 64 models?

 

[Abel]

In 1964, Winchester went to modern production techniques that put more emphasis on cost saving and less emphasis on hand fitting, hand-made parts. The pre-64's are generally condidered to be superior in quality. In Winchester's history, it has up to six different degrees of craftsmanship/quality, depending on the owners during each era and the pre/post 1964 cutoff. That's what I love about marlin's 336. It was made in a very very high state of craftsmanship from 1948 until 2009. There were all great. With a Winchester 94, you have to study a little bit or you'll end up with one of the lesser versions.

If I were shopping a Winchester 94, I'd learn up on the serial numbers and choose a rifle from the 1950's or one of the newer 94AE models.

 

[EKTucker]

I remember some years ago in Florida I had one of the plain jane 336s and a buddy had a plain jane (ranger model) 94 Winchester.
It was interesting to compare the two rifles. The Marlin had that solid robust feel to it, whereas the Winchester had a beautiful
light balance. This was a later angel eject model 94 and was a good solid rifle. The apparant looseness of the action, which some
attribute to poor production methods, is from what I understand just a characteristic of the 94 design.
When it came to shooting, the Marlin seemed to have a clear edge in accuracy, even when shooting my buddy's low power
cast bullet loads. However the 94 was certainly accurate enough for hunting with iron sights (at ranges appropriate to such sights).
Since those days I found a 94 angel eject in a pawn shop here in California that I bought for $100. The rifle, rather carbine, has had some
good honest use but functions just fine. My first shot with it nailed a gong off hand at 80 yards. I love how this carbine feels and handles.
No, the action is not so smooth, and it is not a tack driver, it doesn't have the machining and finish of my other rifles, but it is a darn neat little rifle. The 336 and the 94, both lever actions, both perhaps chambered for the same round, but they have vastly different characters and personalities. One cannot be seen as good and the other bad. Just some of my rambling thoughts.

 

[Brian in FL]

I have quite a few Marlins, and I used to have two Winchester 94's until I gave one to my Pastor. When all factors are considered, I think the Marlin is superior to the 94 in most ways. That having been said the 94 that I gave to my Pastor was a post-64 model that was a favorite rifle of mine for still hunting in the woods of NYS with a Williams receiver mounted on it. It felt very light in my hands and handled very well. The one I have left is a pre-64, and I tried a side mount to scope it, because Burris had stopped making their scout scope mount for the 94, but that was a disaster. I did stumble onto an old Bushnell mount/scope combo that I could have mounted on the 94 where the regular rear sight would go. I haven't had a chance to get it to the range since I had the Bushnell mounted, but I'm hoping to give it a try pretty soon. My previous experience with a scout set up was a good one on a Swedish Mauser carbine, so the Winchester scout thingie sholuld suit just fine. But the Marlin is still a much better rifle for most purposes IMHO.

 

[mario]

IMHO,

I LIKE the Winchester better, but not necessarily because it IS better. (Does that make sense?)

-The Marlin seems a bit more accurate.
-I don't mind top ejection because I don't use scopes.
-When living in Alaska, the 1894 Winchester was THE hunting gun for most people I knew, so it brings back some great memories.
-I use a BoreSnake for basic cleaning, so removing the bolt is not needed.
-I prefer straight grips and most Marlin 336s are pistol-gripped.

In the end, it's about what YOU like better.

Mario