Description

Some rifles carry history.
Some carry power.
A few — like this one — carry both into the kind of country where every step is quiet and every decision matters.

The Marlin 1894 Guide Gun in .44 Magnum isn’t built to sit on a rack. It’s built for the places where old roads fade into timber, where brush crowds your shoulders, and where a rifle needs to come up fast, settle instantly, and anchor whatever moment is unfolding in front of you.

The longer 20.25″ cold hammer-forged barrel brings a different character to the .44 Magnum. You feel the extra velocity, the stability, the way magnum loads smooth out into a deep, confident push. This is where the Guide Gun earns its name — controlled recoil, steady follow-up shots, and surprising accuracy from a platform born in the 19th century and perfected in the 21st.

The black laminate stock, with its sharp checkering and weather-neutral resilience, keeps the rifle planted even when conditions turn slick. There’s a reason guides trust laminate: it doesn’t swell, warp, or get temperamental when Mother Nature starts testing your resolve.

Up front, the hooded brass bead pulls your eye like it has a mind of its own. Paired with the adjustable semi-buckhorn rear, this setup forms a sight picture that works at dusk, in shadows, and in the twisting shapes of the forest floor — exactly where a rifle like this belongs.

This is a magnum lever-action with heritage + modern precision, ready for ranch work, trail carry, cabin defense, or simply owning one of the most capable .44 lever-guns in production today.

Specifications

• Maker: Marlin Firearms (Ruger Production)
• Model: 1894 Guide Gun
• Action: Lever-Action
• Caliber: .44 Magnum / .44 Special
• Barrel Length: 20.25″ Cold Hammer-Forged
• Twist Rate: 1:20
• Stock: Black Laminate, Checkered
• Finish: Satin Blued
• Sights: Hooded Brass Bead Front, Semi-Buckhorn Rear
• Capacity: 10 Rounds
• Buttpad: Soft Rubber Recoil Pad
• Hand: Right-Hand
• UPC: 736676709175
• MPN: 70917
• Subcategory: Hunting Rifles

Gold Country Internal Technical Notes:
TN-01: Lever-Action Receiver Geometry & Materials (CNC-machined alloy steel fundamentals)
TN-04: Barrel Construction & Twist Logic in Pistol-Caliber Rifles (1:16 stability)
TN-05: Sight Systems in Lever-Action Rifles (brass bead, semi-buckhorn lineage)
TN-07: Walnut Stock Architecture & Recoil Management (straight stocks, era patterns)

Gold Country Compendium References:
Winchester 1894 Master Compendium: Chapter 21 — Technical Architecture of Lever-Actions (context on action behavior)
Winchester 1894 Master Compendium: Chapter 23 — Carbine vs. Rifle Handling Patterns (historical parallels)

Gold Country Compendium Index ~ Gold Country Technical Notes Index