Marlin 1894 

Marlin 1894 Originally patented on August 1, 1893 by L.L. Hepburn and the Model 1894 features a revolutionary lever-fire system with repeat-fire capability. So The Model 1894 included a new locking bolt and two-piece firing pin, alongside an improved one-piece trigger and a short receiver that enabled cartridge compatibility with 1888 and 1889 models.

This was a big deal at the time because cartridges with improper neck tension

could have bullets slip back into the case a bit from recoil

There’s a lot of weight pushing against the bullet’s nose during recoil when all those cartridges are in a line.

Can a Marlin 1894 shoot 44 special?

Marlin made the decision to make their lever-action rifles eject to the side with the introduction of the Model 1889. So  This allowed Marlin to do a number of things because no one else was doing at the time.