Long guns: fall is a peak buying time for customers seeking shotguns and rifles

Shooting Industry, Oct, 1994 by Russ Thurman

At the top of the line is the 600 Series including the ZKK602 that is chambered for the .375 H&H, .300 Win. Mag. and .458 Win. Mag. Built tough to handle the heavy calibers, the 602 has a three-leaf express sight, hooded front sight, cold-forged barrel, single-set trigger and the security of a controlled-feed claw extractor.

The custom-designed rifle is the Mountain Eagle, a limited-edition, big-game rifle. The bolt-action is a bench-rest rifle in six calibers from .270 to .338 Win. Mag. The action is from Sako of Finland and the match-grade barrel from Krieger Manufacturing. The trigger is adjustable. The stock is a fiberglass composite.

Marlin

The lever-actions from Marlin are irresistible. Yes, Marlin has self-loading semi-automatic rifles, bolt-actions and even a new slug shotgun, but the lever-actions seem to demand to be taken out and shot.

To celebrate the 100th birthday of the Model 1894, Marlin is offering the Model 1894 Century Limited chambered in the famed .44-40 cartridge. It has a 12-shot tubular magazine, a squared finger lever, side ejection, hammer block safety, adjustable Marble semi-buckhorn folding rear sight and a Marble carbine front sight. The receiver, bolt and lever are engraved and case-colored. It has a 24-inch tapered octagon barrel and the stock is of American black walnut with a brass crescent butt plate.

The standard Model 1894s are chambered in .44 Rem. Mag., .44 Special, .357 Magnum and .38 Special.

For deer hunters, the Marlin Model 336CS is an ideal fun gun. This lever-action has a 20-inch barrel, weighs 7 pounds and is 38 1/2 inches long overall. It is chambered in .30-30 and .35 Rem. Other lever-actions in the series include the Model 30AS in .30-30 Win, the Model 444SS in .444 Marlin and the Model 1895SS in .45-70 Govt.

Beyond the lever-actions, the new Marlin Slugmaster Model 512 is a 12-gauge that will handle up to 3-inch shells. The bolt-action has a two-shot detachable box magazine, a thumb safety, adjustable folding semi-buckhorn rear sight and a ramp front sight with a brass bead and removable Wide-Scan hood. The receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounting.

The Slugmaster has a 21-inch rifled barrel and is 44 3/4 inches long overall. The stock of checkered Maine birch has a pistol grip, ventilated recoil pad, swivel studs and Mar-Shield finish.

Mitchell Arms

The High Standard shotgun and rifle lines at Mitchell Arms continue to grow. The line of 12-gauge shotguns begins with the Model 9104. It has a 20-inch barrel, five-shot capacity and a bead sight. The Model 9105 features an adjustable rear rifle sight and is ideal for slug loads.

In .22 rimfire rifles, Mitchell Arms has the Model 9302 .22 Magnum Deluxe. The Monte Carlo stock of American walnut has a cheek piece with a Rosewood grip and forend cap. It has a groove to handle a scope mount.

Mossberg

The shotguns from Mossberg are some of the best dressed on the market. The variety of camouflage finishes means there's one for any hunting environment. There's OFM Marsh, OFM Woodland, Realtree and Mossy Oak.