Oh the dilemma!

[Dantankerous]

For several years I've been hankerin' for a .444 Marlin 1895.  I have only ever seen one in a gun store and sadly that was at Cabela's recently and they won't of course let you try the action so no way in hell was I going to take that one home on that big of a Remlin QC chance. ( I know the Remlin thing has been another discussion elsewhere but it's a valid concern, I believe). Gunbroker prices are absolutely insane on these but ammo is at an all time scarcity so you'd think I don't need to get in a hurry. However, locally there's more .444 Marlin ammo available (literally several hundred boxes...) than almost any other caliber around. So... does one buy ammo for a gun they don't have in preparation for eventually getting said gun?  Normally this would be a silly proposition and question but in today's climate where ammunition is beyond impossible to get (and may be for quite some time) this becomes a valid question, I think. If a certain political party targets ammunition manufacturing, we're in big trouble. And don't think they aren't paying attention to public panic buying trends...

 

Ammo for 45-70, 30-30... no where to be found and I've looked recently in three states AND everywhere online. How much does one need for those caliber lever guns? Hard to say right now. But ammo is gold.  I am almost subscribing to the notion that now you'd better buy it when you find it.

 

 

[Hendo]

I'd buy it. If you don't get that dream rifle later, I'm sure you can sell it for at least a break even price.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I would buy the rifle and of course, lots of ammo for years ahead.

 

I've owned a couple 444 Marlins and although they didn't appease me as much as the 45-70, they were still great calibers

and great rifles.

 

Of the 1/2 dozen or so Remlins I handled during their last year of ownership, their 1894's and 1895's seemed like nice rifles.

Heck, I've been tempted myself to buy a 336 in 30-30 lately because it was a 20" Octagon barrel.   Great woods gun.

 

Good luck.

 

..........Widder

 

[DeaconKC]

One good thing about this half of 2020 is withRuger taking Marlin over, they should fix it right if it is a [G]remlin.

[Joke 'um]

This answer may be stupid.  Just bear with me.

I started SASS a few years ago with a new Remlin 1894 in 45 Colt.  It lasted about six months.  But, that was six months of cowboy shooting.  About 2400 rounds of 'fast as you can run it' operation.

Most folks will never run that many rounds through a hunting rifle like a 444.  When you do run it, you'll use a much more deliberate pace.

So what?  So, if the cosmetics are good, take a chance on the mechanicals.  It will probably last 'til you're old(er) and gray(er).

[Michigan Slim]

I reload .444. Holy crap those things sure do a job on deer. And moose. And charging trucks I imagine. 

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

Buy the ammo while you can.  Get the rifle later. 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

12 minutes ago, Michigan Slim said:

I reload .444. Holy crap those things sure do a job on deer. And moose. And charging trucks I imagine. 

There are charging stations for trucks?

[Smoky Pistols]

38 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

There are charging stations for trucks?

Talk about a multi-purpose rifle!  What will they think of next?!?!

To the OP--If you know you are going to own one at some point, then go ahead and buy the ammo when you find it.  With the current political and/or sociological changes that may come, you'd hate to buy the rifle and then find that you can't get any ammo for it down the road.

I was in the same boat with .45 ACP.  Had a gun stolen and knew I was going to get another, just had to find it at a good price.  Still stocked up on ammo and components when I had the chance.  Finally found what I wanted in a firearm and have plenty of ammo on-hand or ready to reload for it.

[Dantankerous]

What a bunch of POSITIVELY POSITIVE folks here on the wire! I love it! Excellent encouragement.

 

[Smoky Pistols]

9 minutes ago, Dantankerous said:

What a bunch of POSITIVELY POSITIVE folks here on the wire! I love it! Excellent encouragement.

 

Did you expect anything less?  I mean, honestly, did you really think that any of us would have said, " OH, NO--don't even think about buying a firearm or ammo"?????  You know us better than that!

[Michigan Slim]

Then buy some 300 grain jacketed soft points to reload with.

[Old Man Graybeard]

A friend of mine has a policy...he has to have at least 1000 rounds of ammo for a weapon he wants BEFORE he buys the weapon...

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

Suggest you go over to the Marlin  Owners website and look at the posting on their site. I believe they have an .444 owners section these guys are, for the most part, avid Marlin owners. They usually publish the straight skinny. 

[Mister Badly]

I have a 357 Remlin tuned by a Marlin Jedi.  Runs like a champ. Purchased it in 2019. 

[Dantankerous]

1 hour ago, Mister Badly said:

I have a 357 Remlin tuned by a Marlin Jedi.  Runs like a champ. Purchased it in 2019. 

 

I bought a Remlin 1895 GBL 45-70 9 months ago. Great rifle! The dealer let me fondle it as much as I wanted and I looked it over very closely. Very pleasantly surprised with the quality of this GBL. Cabela's on the other hand has the action totally locked down. Lever tied in place with a zip tie and a trigger lock on. They won't remove that stuff until after you buy it and take it outside. No way would I trust that crap given the hit/miss QC with Remlin rifles.