First Boolits Through Marlin 1894

[Ricochet]

Today I went out and shot up the first batch of loaded .44 Magnums with the 429-255-SWC boolits I lubed up with the 2:1 JPW-LLA mixture. Loaded them over 19 grains of WC820 (that behaves like AA#9) and a CCI #350 primer. Didn't chrono them, but it's a full power load for sure, with the powder fairly tightly compressed. I was about to shoot them all in my Super Blackhawk when I thought to go dig out the 1894 Marlin. This is one I bought with my paper route money back in 1970 when Marlin had just introduced the "new" 1894, and has a Marlin centennial medallion on the stock. The barrel is Micro-Groove. When it was new I tried cycling a dummy round with a #429421 seated to the crimp groove, found it jammed badly under the feed ramp at the nose and had to push it back forward into the magazine, then extract it through the loading port, and never tried any more lead bullets in it. This Lee boolit has a short truncated cone nose with a medium meplat and a small shoulder, and turns out to work just fine in the Marlin. I was plinking and not shooting groups, but it shot right where I aimed it every time out to 50 yards. The boolits were cast out of very soft scrap lead and weigh an average of 273 grains. (Nominally 255 grains, which I think Lee rates in wheelweight metal.) They're plain based. The metal initially was thumbnail dentable. I oven treated and quenched the boolits. From unscientific testing cutting into a reject boolit of this batch and one of air cooled wheelweights with a knife, I'd say the hardness is the same. There's a barely visible trace of lead on the tops of the lands at the muzzle in the Marlin. I'd left the Super Blackhawk's bore lightly leaded from shooting full power loads with Speer's swaged 240 grain lead bullets, and after shooting these loads through it, there was less lead in the bore than when I started. Had loads of fun blasting around at cups, cans and drink bottles, not to mention one golf ball. Accidentally holed the 3/16" steel base of a target stand with the 1894.

[imashooter2]

Pistol caliber lever guns are loads of fun and great cast boolit platforms. I have an 1894C that is one of my favorite rifles.

If you'd still like to give those 429421's a try, you can make a simple modification to the cartridge stop to get them to feed.

[Ricochet]

I saw that mod posted somewhere, but I'm not really interested. I have an old #429421 mould, just because everybody ought to have one, but it's not a boolit I use a lot. Besides, years ago when Mrs. R was interested in going shooting with me, I gave her the 1894. I was obsessed with my 1973 reissue 1895 Marlin, neglecting the little 1894, and it was just her size. She wouldn't be happy if she knew I was altering its innards, though she doesn't mind me shooting it.

[Dale53]

Sometime back in the 70's, I bought a nice, slightly used, Marlin 1894 (new issue) in .44 magnum. I, too, tried my favorite .44 magnum bullet, the Lyman Keith 429421. It wouldn't feed unless it was crimped over the first band. Didn't like that. Lyman, at the time had a mould cataloged for the 44/40 that was near perfect. It was the 429434. It is a gas check model and worked extremely well. However, it was not a Keith bullet, and at that time, for me, that was a "deal breaker". I sold the rifle...

At any rate, if you need a gas check bullet for your '94, I can recommend the 429434 for the purpose. You will have to find some other maker (or look for a used one at gun shows) however, as in their infinite wisdom, Lyman no longer catalogs this mould:-? .

Dale53

[Cloudpeak]

This topic takes me back. I bought a Marlin 1894 around 1972. What a well made, handy & good looking rifle. I'd shot a few deer with my Ruger 44 flat top by then and thought a rifle in the same caliber would be a good idea.

I never could get the rifle to group. In fact, at 50 yards, I could shoot a tighter group with my Ruger. (I had a peep sight on the Marlin, btw.) I worked up a bunch of different loadings, all with jacketed bullets and could never get a good group. I didn't use any cast bullets in the rifle, I think because it wasn't recommended? I'd cast a bunch of the Keith bullets for my handgun by that time but never tried them in the Marlin. I never went hunting with the rifle and soon sold it. It was such a quality rifle. I was sorry to see it go.

Cloudpeak

[Lightning Ross]

I have a newer marlin 94 in 45lc with 250gr big lube s and a case stuffed with 2f goex it will knock the snot boogers out of a Javelena.1-2 inches at fifty yards depending on how much the wind is shaking my rest.It is the first rifle I grab when I decide to do a little walkabout the place.

[Ricochet]

I'm going to have to try the Lyman #429244HP in it. It's a favorite of mine, if for no other reason than that it was the first cast boolit I ever saw. I had an uncle with an early Model 29 who cast those, and gave me samples of the unfired and mushroomed boolits when I was a little kid. I believe its ogive is a little shorter than the Keith, and if seated to the front of the top band I believe it would function in the Marlin's action OK.

But it seems to like the Lee 429-255-SWC as is.

Hey, speaking of Lyman boolits, the first boolits I bought back in 1972 when I got my Lee Loader were #429303, the 215 grain gas check spire point that looked something like the old 357 Magnum Metal Penetrating bullets. (And they would hole the heavy cast block of a 1952 Buick Roadmaster Straight 8 that I used to shoot up in those days.) I did single load and shoot a few of those in the Marlin, come to think of it. I knew better than to put them into a tubular magazine.

I went the other way with the .44 revolver/carbine combination. Got the Marlin first and later the Super Blackhawk as a companion piece to the carbine. I believe it was in 1971 that I got it. I think it was one of the later old model 3-screw ones, shortly before they introduced the New Model Blackhawk series. I let Ruger put the transfer bar mechanism in mine. Can't tell that it hurt the trigger pull in any way.

Buying ammo for the .44s was what quickly convinced me I needed to get into reloading.

[Lloyd Smale]

my favorite bullet in the marlin 94s is the 240 grain swcgc rcbs. Its been accurate in everyone ive tried it in and it feeds real well.

[leftiye]

Dale53, or those who might be interested in the Lyman 420 434. There have been several of these on eBay (I know that's a bad word, but you may appreciate the find more than you dislike the source) lately. I'm always looking for the old lymans there.

[leftiye]

That's 429 434

[Glen]

Ricochet -- the 429244 HP shoots just fine in my 1894, and is one of my favorites as well. You're right, the nose is just a touch shorter than the 429421, and that seems to make the differnce.

For details, go to:

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/fryxell/marlin_1894.htm

[Ricochet]

Thanks, Glen!

Nice article.

I've wondered why Marlin chose the 1:38" twist for the 1894 and the .444.

[Dale53]

Glen;
I especially appreciate the article as I have made an offer on a limited edition .45 Colt Marlin Cowboy.

Keep your fingers crossed that the feller will accept.

More to come...

Dale53