One Cartridge, Two Guns

It is no surprise that for many years folks have favored rifles chambered in the same cartridge as their handguns. This peaked during the Old West period when Winchester lever actions and Colt Single Actions ruled the plains. While those times are long past, the relevance of sharing ammunition between a rifle and a handgun has not changed. In fact, one could argue that there is a resurgence of this practical idea. With the advent of pistol caliber carbines in matches and in the market, there are plenty of AR-pattern rifles chambered in 9mm and a wide variety of other carbines in 45 Automatic and even 10mm Automatic. This speaks volumes to the practicality of having an interchangeable cartridge that can be fired in both a handgun and a rifle.

The tricky part of this whole process is picking a cartridge that provides a balanced combination of power, recoil and ballistics, both terminal and external. Thankfully, we live in a day when there are plenty of options to choose from. One cartridge that always seems to have widespread appeal is the 44 Magnum, which can be easily housed in both single-and double-action revolvers, as well as a wide variety of lever actions.

It allows for both guns to be balanced in terms of weight, size and recoil while not sacrificing too much in terminal performance. The lever action can be light and easy to wield, handy for in-the-field use and not too much of a burden to have in the vehicle or on horseback. While the handgun is a little larger than most, it can still be carried comfortably on the hip, and recoil can be tamed by custom modification, such as porting or tailor-ing handloads or ammunition for the task. Should a larger four-legged foe be encountered, there would be few situations where you would be undergunned. The best part is that you can feed both guns with a single cartridge, thus eliminating the need for multiple gun belts, setups and ammunition boxes. It is a versatile and practical logistical solution for someone who spends a lot of time in the field. 

Over the past year, there have been two guns that have found favor in the field with me, so much so that their companionship has become a regular occurrence while out riding, scouting or going out with a hunting party. The first is a Marlin 1894 Trapper lever action – the general design is hardly new, being well over 130 years old. Since Ruger acquired Marlin after the Remington/Freedom group bankruptcy, they have given the model new life and some purpose-driven improvements to the legendary lever gun. The second gun that is finding its way into the field more and more is the Colt Kodiak with the 4.25-inch barrel. Many folks are familiar with Colt revolvers, and, like Marlin, Colt revolvers have recently had new life breathed into them. The Kodiak is no exception, featuring porting, an unfluted cylinder and what appears to be slicked-up internals – at least compared to the single other Colt Annacoda I’ve personally handled. Upon first handling the gun, it was extremely impressive how smoothly the cylinder closed and locked, as well as the smoothness of the action in both single and double action. Both of these firearms are chambered in (you guessed it) 44 Magnum, and both are a pleasure to carry and use in the field. While it may seem like a conceptual incongruity, the two make quite a pair when it comes time to put in the work. 

Let us start by addressing the levergun, it weighs in at a handy 6.3 pounds empty, and has a nice trigger that breaks at 3 pounds 10 ounces with no creep but a bit of overtravel. The trigger also can “wobble” back and forth, which is most noticeable while riding on horseback, creating a rattle-like sound. Whether that information is relevant remains to be seen, but it was something that was observed and noted. One really nice thing about this rifle is the threaded barrel which allowed me to thread a suppressor onto the barrel and quiet down the rifle. This is especially useful if hunting or shooting off horseback or working around livestock. While the addition of a suppressor or even an optic is seen as profane by some, the Marlin 1894 is easily capable of handling both. For the purests out there, the factory sights are excellent and made by Skinner Sights that features a blade front and a peep rear, which accepts replaceable apertures. I did replace mine with a slightly smaller aperture for accuracy testing. The rifle also came with a nicely fitted thread protector if you prefer the clean barrel look. However, for both my ears and my horse’s ears, a suppressor is preferred. The one used throughout testing and field work was an Anechoic AnechoX 45 (compact), which measures only 6.6 inches long and is rated up to 458 Winchester Magnum. Thanks to its titanium construction, it is also rugged and lightweight (8.3 ounces), which makes it a natural choice for suppressing lever actions. 

The test period for this gun, while technically still ongoing (mostly because I continue to use this rifle) started a little over a year ago, around the time this will be published. During that time, accuracy and reliability testing was conducted, as well as spending many hours in the field with it, under normal conditions and on horseback, which always seems to be a good durability test. 

Starting out with the accuracy testing, the first order of business was to see what this rifle was capable of as well as what it was averaging for group size. A full load development was conducted and the video of that is available for viewing on our Handloader TV YouTube channel. The rifle performed well with some loads, poorly with others and exceptionally well with a select few. The resulting conclusion is that this rifle seems to be a little bit picky. In particular, it seems to be picky when it comes to powder selection. This makes some sense given its longer barrel and its desire to burn powders like Hodgdon H-110/W-296 or Hodgdon Lil’Gun, which are slower in burn rate. This, unfortunately, makes it difficult for someone who does not handload to take full advantage of the accuracy this rifle is capable of. If it was fond of a particular bullet, the appropriate bullet could potentially be found in factory offerings, but since the vast majority of ammunition makers do not publish what powder they are using, the task of matching the gun’s preferred ammunition becomes a process of trial and error. As shown in the factory load table, the results were mixed to say the least. Perhaps there is some correlation between the velocity and the accuracy with factory loads but more testing would need to be conducted. 

The rifle performed flawlessly without any malfunctions other than what we’ll call operator error, shortstroking, or failing to work the lever with cadence and authority. This only occurred with 44 Special ammunition. The 44 Magnum ammunition fed flawlessly, no matter the cadence or how gingerly the lever was operated.

While the rifle may be a little picky it more than made up for that by performing well with loads it did like. The results are reflected in Table I. Thankfully, I have a good supply of Hodgdon H-110 on hand and countless rounds already loaded with that powder. 

Now, for the other side of the coin the Colt Kodiak. Colt originally introduced the Kodiak around 1993 as a limited run. It was never made in mass numbers and for some reason faded away, until now. In 2024, the Kodiak was reintroduced with six ports (three on each side) to help reduce felt recoil. Currently, it is offered in two different barrel lengths: 4.25 inches and 6 inches. It also features an unfluted cylinder to add weight and reduce recoil as well. The revolver weighs in at 3 pounds 0.7 ounces, which sounds heavy but is still readily carried in a holster on your hip, and the good design keeps it from being too cumbersome. The holster used for field carry and testing is made by Simply Rugged Holsters and is their Sourdough Pancake Surf & Turf, which features reinforced black shark skin over tan, beef leather, making it as attractive as it is practical. Another nice feature of this holster is that it can be easily worn on the belt, and it can also be used with the Simply Rugged Chesty Puller shoulder rig, making it a nice chest rig, giving you more options to carry your gun in the field. 

The Colt Kodiak was thoroughly tested and run through a full load development, proving itself to be much less picky than the Marlin. Thankfully, this meant that finding a load that would work well in both guns shouldn’t be too much trouble. The Kodiak has also proven to be 100 percent reliable with no issues or malfunctions in over 650 rounds put through this revolver at the time of this writing. The revolver is a whole lot of fun to shoot thanks to it’s added weight and porting the recoil is very mild for a 44 Magnum wheelgun. Some folks also prefer to have a double-action sixgun for self-defense situations. Without swaying you one way or another in that debate, the double-action trigger pull on this particular Colt is very good. There is little to no discernible stack, and the trigger breaks clean and crisp with no overtravel at 6 pounds 7 ounces double action. The single action breaks like a glass rod and measures in at 3 pounds 8 ounces, making it an absolute pleasure to plug away at steel targets past 50 yards. 

Another nice feature of the Kodiak is that it is drilled and tapped for mounting optics if so desired. Since we already addressed how folks feel about that on leverguns, I’ll refrain from diving into it again wth revolvers. Suffice it to say that it is done with taste and as seamlessly as possible, with two small screws barely noticeable on the top strap. So, if desired, the option is there but it does not take away from the overall sleek and attractive look to the Kodiak.

Both guns have no doubt proven themselves through testing and time spent in the field. Carrying both of them is a pleasure, the slightly shorter barrel on the Kodiak makes it small enough for me to carry on my hip and remain comfortable. There is no need to echo and repeat the praises of the 44 Magnum on game and in dangerous situations, but for my purposes, I know I will never be undergunned, especially for my adventures in the lower 48. Both guns boast impressive yet functional features that add to the overall practicality of these guns. Thanks to their shared chamberings, they pair well together despite how unorthodox it may seem. 

This rifle is always my go-to choice especially with the suppressor, I have not yet adopted the practice of wearing hearing protection while in the field or hunting. The Anechoic suppressor is a most welcome addition for field work. Whenever possible in the field, I shoot the rifle, however, if need be, there is no substitute for having a handgun on your person. It’s there when I step off my horse or out of my truck and I don’t have to pull it out of the scabbard or case. My only complaint is how loud the Kodiak is, thanks to its shorter barrel and porting. I highly recommend wearing earplugs and over-the-ear muffs when practicing on the range. However, in my eyes, the reduced recoil allows for rapid follow-up shots and more than makes up for that. Plus the same load can be run in the rifle with the suppressor if there are concerns about noise. Finally, and I am likely being nitpicky about this one, the trigger rattle on the Marlin is a bit annoying, and if the trigger was not already so good, I may have replaced it with a Timney trigger or something like that. However, the trigger is quite good for a factory trigger, so I live with the minor inconvenience.

All in all, as unlikely as it may be, these guns do make quite a pair when working in the field. Whether working cattle on horseback, spending a day hiking through the hills or simply completing projects off the to-do list, I never feel undergunned or overencumbered with this unlikely collaboration. 

If you would like to watch the accompanying videos to this article, check out the video titled “Testing the 44 Magnum in a Colt Kodiak Revolver” and/or “Marlin 1894 – 44 Magnum Load Development” on our Handloader TV YouTube channel.