{"id":290021,"date":"2022-11-03T15:00:19","date_gmt":"2022-11-03T21:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/?p=290021"},"modified":"2023-05-22T14:00:30","modified_gmt":"2023-05-22T19:00:30","slug":"gun-marlin-1894-tactical-lever-gun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/gun-marlin-1894-tactical-lever-gun\/","title":{"rendered":"Tactical Lever Gun: Marlin 1894 CST"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note from the Author: This information was taken from a very reputable shooter and instructor Josh Shaw, Grandmaster in USPSA and Instructor for Green Ops. Every upgrade to the Marlin 1894 CST was installed himself and the build has been shot by his 70-year-old dad while shooting safely and effectively, not to mention with a big smile on his face.<\/em><\/p>\n

Take it away Josh…<\/em><\/p>\n

Why a tactical lever gun?<\/h2>\n

Well, why not? They are already cool rifles, why not bring them closer to the 21st century with optics, white lights, and suppressors? They are very capable firearms, with the additional benefit of being legal in states where other types of firearms are not. I can bring my Marlin rifle to upstate New York to visit my family without fear of breaking any laws. Unfortunately, I cannot do that with any of my semi-auto rifles.<\/p>\n

It’s also something of an insurance policy in the sad case of a federal assault weapons ban, in which nearly every one of my competition and self-defense firearms may become illegal. Manually operated guns such as lever guns are likely the last type of firearms to end up on a banned list, so why not build one that has as much modern capability as possible?<\/p>\n

The Build<\/h2>\n

I started with the Marlin 1894 CST model<\/strong>. The stainless steel rifle comes with a 16\u201d threaded barrel and screws on the receiver for mounting an optic rail, making it a great starting point for a tactical gun. <\/p>\n

The first things I wanted to do were to add a red dot sight, a lighter loading gate, and a white light in order to make the gun easier to shoot, easier to load, and be low light capable<\/em>. Ranger Point Precision makes a large number of excellent aftermarket accessories for lever guns, so I went with their flyweight loading gate, self-cleaning magazine tube follower, and their Picatinny rail for the top of the receiver. For the M-LOK handguard, I chose Midwest Industries as the Ranger Point Precision handguard was not out yet.<\/p>\n

The Marlin 1894 CST has a medium-sized loop that when running the gun fast can bruise hands. To mitigate this I looked up how to wrap 550 cord and installed that on the lever.<\/p>\n

\"Marlin
Self-installed 550 cord around the lever helps ensure that you aren’t pinching or bruising your hands. “Tactical” can also mean comfortable and easy to manipulate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For ammo holders, I added a Hoptic USA 6-round quiver to the MLOK handguard. For the stock, I put on a Triad Tactical Stock Pouch which will add 18 more rounds to the gun. All together with these installations, there are 24 rounds on the gun…tactical guns need to eat. <\/em>The ammo chosen for this gun is Speer Gold Dot 38sp<\/a> 125gr +P ammo. It shoots great and has an added benefit: I can fit more in the tube than full power .357mag.<\/em><\/p>\n

To get a higher sight picture for the red dot the Triad Tactical Stock pouch also serves this purpose by providing a cushy cheek rest and extra height on the comb which can be adjusted by adding more wrap on the comb if needed.<\/p>\n