As hunters, I believe there are phases. For me, the beginning revolved around a proficient and efficient hunt. Then it was honing the hunting style I enjoyed. Now, I am cultivating connection to the guns I take afield. I want what I have in my hand to possess a meaning and purpose beyond its application. Toward that end, I have been pursuing calibers and platforms that have strong ties to the past and intense relevance for today. With that, I give you the Marlin SBL in 44 Magnum.
There are two very important pieces to this particular ballistic choice. The first is the cartridge. The 44 Remington Magnum is an indisputable icon as a handgun caliber. A trifecta creation among Elmer Keith, Smith & Wesson and its namesake ammo producer, Remington Arms, the 44 Mag was developed to be the “most powerful handgun cartridge in the world.”
For a time, it held that title. While it has since been surpassed in raw power, its hold has only grown stronger on the hearts and minds of the classical gun lover. While originally purposed as a handgun cartridge, it has proven to be delightfully functional, as well as marvelously effective, in other platforms. It has appeared in a couple of bolt-gun platforms but is experiencing tremendous success in the lever realm.
Marlin, being a leader in the lever world – both historically and today – has brought the 44 Mag new life in the Marlin 1894 SBL. The SBL stands for Stainless Big Loop. With a gray laminate stock and stainless-steel metallurgy, it is an interesting blend of indestructible utility and classic lever gun.
There are a few features that up level this particular rifle from lever guns of yesterday. To start, there is a generous Pic rail along the top of the action/barrel. The gun comes factory equipped with a rear adjustable, ghost-ring sight. The front sight is green fiber optic with an integrated tritium ring. The barrel is threaded for use with either a brake or suppressor.
With this unique combination at hand, I decided it was the perfect ballistic blend for the upcoming whitetail deer season here in Northern Michigan. I needed the right bullet for the upcoming adventure, however. So, I turned to Hornady.
The boom in lever gun popularity in recent years can partly be attributed to ammunition selection. Hornady brought to market a line called LeveRevolution. This fixed an historical projectile problem inherent to most lever guns (the Savage 99 non-withstanding due to its rotary magazine).
It seems most lever gun constructs are predicated upon an under-barrel tubular magazine, giving a bullet point to primer relationship between cartridges awaiting their turn in the chamber. In order to avoid unintentional ignition of those cartridges when the rifle recoiled or was dropped, the rifles had to be fed cartridges with relatively flat-nosed projectiles. This narrowed ammunition selection and curtailed engagement distance due to air drag limits on the effective ranges of such bullets.
Hornady solved the problem by equipping higher ballistic coefficient bullets with a pointed soft flex polymer tip (FTX) in order to avoid accidental primer ignitions by neighboring bullet tips while in the tubular magazine. I decided on the 225 grain Hornady FTX for my fall whitetail pursuits.
This is where this ballistic combo gets interesting. The 44 Magnum is traditionally presented with range data from handgun platforms (test barrel for the Hornady load data was 7.5 inches). The 16-inch barrel plus the 8-inch Banish 46 suppressor I will use have a fantastic effect on muzzle velocity. This means that instead of getting 1410 at the muzzle, I’m getting just over 1700 FPS in muzzle velocity. For my end goal of a whitetail hunt, this is a great shift!
While most of my range time thus far has taken place with the factory-installed iron sights, I’ll be mounting an optic on the Model 1894 for my fall hunts. I selected a Leupold VX-3HD CDS-ZL in 2.5-8×36. This optical combo mounts to the factory Picatinny rail with Leupold 1” low cross slot Open Range rings. This will allow me a good cheek-weld with near-irons eye alignment on the sighting plane.
No matter what season you’re in of your hunting journey, there’s always something to learn. I’m in the season of connection – to the past. To the experience. To older concepts advanced to today through innovation and technology. This fall I look forward to taking my Marlin 1894 SBL in 44 Mag to the woods. I want to sit in the presence of Elmer Keith’s cartridge vision with a gun and bullet that carries his legacy with power, honor and integrity.
Andrea Bogard’s love for the range began at 12 with competitive handgun and expanded to encompass sporting clays a few years later. She became an NSCA instructor at 18 years old and spent the next 18 years getting married and raising two sons, ages 17 and 9 currently. Andrea started hunting six years ago and learned to shoot a rifle and a bow. She is now 41, a full-time writer, homeschool mom and business owner and has hunted three countries, three continents and 19 states. Her sons and lab (Mr. Moose) are the focus of her world. View all posts by Andrea Bogard
