My complaint with the Winchesters are:
1) lever safety (newer models) hate it!!! Wont by Mossberg levers for this reason either!!
2) disassembly......not near as easy as my Marlins

Other than that to me they are fine. Both of those however are deal breakers for me!!! It's a shame, there are some very nice Winnies out there.

 

I own a 1952 model 94 and think that it is a fine rifle. It is a little lighter than the 336 and is just as accurate out to 100 yards.

Now the 336 is easier to disassemble and has a flat receiver for a scope mount. But there is something to carrying the 94 that I like better than the 336. I just don't know what it is.

Andrew

 

i think the model 94 action is a little "springy" where as the marlin locks up pretty tight. i own 3 winchesters & 10 marlins. none of'em have the safety. the safety is the hammer down in the half cock position to me. they both are good short range deer stand guns, weather if your in a box, ladder or walkin'! it's hard to beat my 307win though...

 

i am with you 100% on the ridiculous push button safety on the marlins, i wont have one with it, the safety half cock is enough. i wont own a S&W revolver with a key to turn it on either. i do like a 94 but not as much as a marlin.

 

Depends on the year of the Winny. Had one made in the mid seventies that was no where near what the pre-64s were. Friends Marlin 336 was solid as hell. My 94 was a bit lighter but that receiver and lever felt inferior.

 

Have both brands and really like my Take Down trapper length Winchester 30-30 for small plane travel and as an easy to bring second rifle if I am going out to a cabin or camp for awhile. Will also take it for caribou when the bear are hibernating. The take downs are handy and easy to clean. If I found a Marlin trapper in Take Down, custom job at the right price I would likely buy that one but they are much more likely to be Winchesters.

I also like my TD as the threads are not interrupted, unlike a lot of others. Prefer the additional tight fit and insurance of the full threads. It does take a bit longer to put it together but that is a good trade off for me.

 

I have them both, a pre-'64 Model 94 and an older 336 Texan.

I like them both !!

Bill

 

My best friend has his Dad's pre 64 94. It is in near pristine condition and absolutely gorgeous to look at. The receiver has not a machine mark on it with nice smooth rounded corners. The walnut stock is also very nice.

I've always had Marlins I suppose because nearly everyone I hunted with at the time used Marlins. I'm not sensitive enough to prefer one over the other. I love my Marlin and see no reason to want a Winnie.

I'll add this. Of the 11 guns I own only 4 are what I consider to be top drawer quality, 2 of those are Winchesters. I've inherited both, both are model 12 shotguns - pre 64 of course. Both have lasted 2 lifetimes and will be handed down to last another or more. Every part of these guns is either machined steel or walnut (save the butt plate). There was no cost cutting in the manufacture. Things changed dramatically at Winchester in 1964 nearly everything they made went under the knife of the bean counters. The model 12 shotgun was discontinued, the 94 suffered in quality as did the model 70 and on and on. Here is my Dad's model 12 12 gauge.

 

I've had both, but only have Marlins now. I think the action is smoother on the Marlin. And I like the side ejection on the 336, especially if you want to mount any optics. I've sold a Winchester before to buy a Marlin. That's just my personal preference.

 

The win 94 is a fine rifle. A piece of American history. The story of us as Americans trying to feed ourselves and keep our family intact.
Take it all apart. Scrub the inerds with a toothbrush, and put back together. It's light , reliable and accurate. Do the same with a marlin, put optics on it, if need be. I think the choice will be very clear but then the choice is yours.

 

The win 94 is a fine rifle. A piece of American history. The story of us as Americans trying to feed ourselves and keep our family intact.

As a history buff, that is the appeal of the Winchester for me. A lot of people think the 94 was the "gun that won the west", which is not really true.....the west was already won by 1894. But, it is a direct descendant of the ones that did I guess you could say. Mechanically and functionally, the 336 is a better gun by a pretty wide amount IMO.

 

I like them both

 

The Marlin is easier to disassemble, clean and tune than the Winchester.

 

The reason I own BOTH the Winny Model 94 and a number of Marlin 336's in various calibers are they are all great rifles.

The Pre 64 works like a fine Swiss Clock, awesome American made quality. I like its compact weight and size, its deadly accurate and has never jammed as long as I was using FACTORY ammo. It doesn't become a burden when carrying for longer periods of time.

There are a number of reasons to love Marlins too. Marlins are heavier and a bit longer than a Model 94. I can get more models in 336, different barrel lengths and calibers. A sling goes a long way in carrying other than in the bush while on the hunt.

Buy both, they rock. :rock:


Mike T.

 

If you want a .35 Remington there is only one choice.

 

I always liked the pre 64 Winchesters. Until I got my first 336. The 336 is just a more solid gun to me. The 94's are still nice but I prefer the Marlin. Plus I scope most my rifles nowadays

 

the fore arm is skinnier

 

So thin that thing down, it's pretty easy!

Brocky

 

Win 94 feels like a BB gun in comparison.

 

Winnie is lighter (more recoil)
Marlin easy to take a part
Have both, shoot the same.

Pre 64 winnies are the bomb, 64-80 fair machines, I have and would again own one. 1980 and newer JUNK


Between the two, Id carry the 1949 Winnie 94, its lighter and faster
Besides I sold my 30AS to my hunting bud, and he aint giving it back

 

Heck I even like bolt rifles. It's all fun boy's and girl's!

 

I like both. They are two different interpretations that fit the same need.


The Marlin is a little more solid, simpler and easier to disassemble. The Winchester model 94 is after all a John Browning design and is in my opinion the best lever action he ever designed. No other rifle carries and points like a model 94. Like I said I have both and love them both for different reasons.

 

Have both and like'm both! IMHO the Winchester handles better and is quicker to shoulder than the 336. Both are comparable on accuracy with maybe a slight edge going to Marlin. The Marlin action is simpler and easier to work with than the Winchester and many seem to think the 336 action is slicker too. The 336 side eject and optics mounting is one area that Winchester finally caught up with when they went with the angle eject models but by the time they did, quality was falling off.

They each have their positive's and negatives. Probably my favorite lever of all time is the pre-safety Winchester 94 BB AE XTR in 356 Winchester. Love that gun! Nothing handles better than the Winny 94 (although the 1894 Marlin comes close) But my 1965 Marlin 336 in 35 Rem spends WAY more time in the woods with me.

As the eyes get older, optics get more important and the 336 just wears optics better than even the Winny Angle Eject models.

I'm a fan of the older Marlin 1893 and 36 square bolts with the thinner stocks. To me they are the best looking and handling rifle caliber levers Marlin ever made and are nearly on par with the handling characteristics of the Winchester 94's (I've never cared for the open "ejection port" in more modern Marlins even though I have them). I also didn't like how the Marlin stocks seemed to keep getting heavier and fatter each year with bigger "perch bellies" and thicker wrists.

I would have loved it if Marlin had made a modern truly thin stocked light weight carbine with a standard round barrel, a square bolt, factory drilled and tapped, with a button magazine and a straight buttstock before they were eaten by Remington. That would have taken away Winchesters handling advantage, IMHO. The Texans are the closest I've seen and all have the open port for ejection and most all have too much wood to allow them to handle as well as the Winnie.

If I could find a beater 36 in need of resurrection, I might try to put some of those theories into practice!

Both are great guns!

 

Your asking which I love the most between my two children. I just cant. One is well mannered and the other on the wild side but I love them both but for different reasons. :biggrin:

Regards

30-30 Man

 

"If I could find a beater 36 in need of resurrection, I might try to put some of those theories into practice!" I think you really need 2 beaters to confirm your theory….and after the design tests prove up one NEEDS a home in Alaska for some field tests…

 

From an early age (50s) I watched westerns on our black and white TV. The Win 94 was in all of them and I told myself one day I would have one. I scrimped and saved and finally bought one at our local Western Auto store. It cost me $84.00 hard earned dollars. I killed many deer with that rifle as a kid and it will always hold the number one spot in my favorite lever action rifles. But as the years passed, I moved up to a Win Model 70 .30-06 and then a Win Mod 70 .338WM caught up in the "bigger is better" theory.
Then, in 2005, my wife bought me an 1895GS. Well... after that it was all over. That little power house accompanies me on virtually every hunt now. Marlinitis set in quite quickly as I added a 336XLR .30-30 and another nice 1895GS I use with open sights.
While I don't use my Win 94 much any more, I get it out quite often to fondle it, cycle it, aim it, and just enjoy the feel, looks, and memories of my early days using it.

 

I have both and would take the Marlin over the Winchester in a Hart Beat. I would not even think about it.

 

Owned both over the years. The Winchester 30-30 and 25-35 I owned was a pain to break down to clean from the breach. The Marlin has a beefier receiver and, of course, is scope friendly. I long ago got rid of the Winchesters but still have Marlins in various flavors.