New to the forum, marlin 1894 questions

[guntechholsters]

Like the title says, I am new here. In my state they made hunting legal with straight walled cartridges during shotgun season. So I picked up a Marlin 1894 in 44 Magnum, my reasoning for that is that I currently own a 44 Magnum revolver and I wanted to use the same cartridge. Soon as I purchased it I worked the action about a thousand times between me and the kids lol. After that I tore it apart polished everything up inside, I cut a link from each side of a hammer spring, I still need to cut down the lever plunger spring which I plan to do when I get back to town.

I've read several different things online regarding different ammunition and different cast bullets, what I find interesting is that it seems we can push the cast a little bit harder than we can push the jacketed. One load called for I believe 25 grains of h110 behind 140 grain cast bullet.

My question is those of you that may have this specific model firearm, end use it to hunt deer, what style and weight cast bullet do you run?

Thank you.

[MyFlatline]

140 gr. from a 44 is not a hunting load IMHO, most shoot a 240/250 in the Marlins and some get lucky going up to 300. I have never found the need to cut any spring on any 1894 or 336 to make it function ( I do have more than a couple) be very careful when you start chopping from something some one on the web recommended.

Hope it all works out for you.

[GunnyJohn]

I don't have that rifle, so not much help there, but there are a lot of really sharp guys here to help you out. Just want to say welcome to the site, and to the addiction.

[trapper9260]

I have that rifle and I bought it used and what ever I put in it I have no problems and did nothing to the gun or springs. Why you need to cut the springs for? I shoot 240grs up to 310 grs cast in it. I do not have any problems with it.Also it is a micro grove. I have shot .430 size boolit and dose good. i am going to see how .431 will work in it. In my RH I shoot .430 in that one and also I have shot 200gr cast i it also and my Redhawk.Why you want to shoot such a light boolit in it.

[Outer Rondacker]

I have one and I cast this for it. https://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-c-430-310-rf.html Sorry I do not have my load data handy.

[brewer12345]

Mine does not like anything heavier than about 250 grains. Fortunately, deer and hogs will snuff it with 240 grain boolits quite readily. With a 44 I tend to think expansion is nice, but not necessary. That being the case, I would go for the biggest meplat you can cycle and see how hard you can run it with accuracy.

[guntechholsters]

That was a typo, LOL. It was supposed to say 240 grains not 140 grains, I apologize for that.

[guntechholsters]

I did what was recommended for the widdermatic, the cas and SAS guys usually do that to theirs so I figured if it was good enough for them it's good enough for me LOL.

[guntechholsters]

I believe in the state that I am in they require a hollow point bullet be used. Elsewise I would go with a very wide FP.

[MyFlatline]

I did what was recommended for the widdermatic, the cas and SAS guys usually do that to theirs so I figured if it was good enough for them it's good enough for me LOL.
The CAS and SASS normally shoot low recoil loads, you are talking about hunting, big difference. But I will say no more

[guntechholsters]

You are correct.

[Outer Rondacker]

I believe in the state that I am in they require a hollow point bullet be used. Elsewise I would go with a very wide FP.

I have hollow pointed many a bullet with a drill bit in my case trimmer. Lead drills easy. Once you get the weight you want set the stop on the case trimmer.

[knifemaker]

If you are going to shoot cast lead, I would look for a round nose flat point bullet for smooth feeding from mag to chamber. I prefer around 240-260 gr. in weight. Also you may find that you will have to size your cast lead bullets to .432 or .433 for good accuracy. The Marlin 94 in 44 mag has a groove dia. that is larger then the .429 you see in revolvers. I had to go to .433 in mine in order to get good accuracy at 100 yards. If you want to shoot jacketed bullets, try the 240 gr. XTP hollow point. Will do great damage to the lung-heart area in a broadside chest shot. I would not use it on a shoulder shot as it will destroy a lot of meat.

[brewer12345]

I believe in the state that I am in they require a hollow point bullet be used. Elsewise I would go with a very wide FP.

In that case I would go.With the smallest hollow on the biggest point.

If you end up going factory, try the hornady leverevolution. It is the bee's knees in my rifle.

[guntechholsters]

I've seen the leverevolution, it is definitely an interesting around, but it is a little bit lighter of a bullet, I think somewhere around 225 grains? Have you used it on deer yet, and if so how well did it work for you?

[guntechholsters]

Typo, that was supposed to say definitely an interesting round, not around LOL.

[Outer Rondacker]

I have not used the hornady round yet. I cast my own to keep price down and to be honest other then 223 and shotgun shells I have never bought a factory round. I have always loaded my own. Used to load my own shotgun shells too but with prices around 1-2 dollars a box of 25 bird shot you can not beat it.

I have heard good things about it in other cals. I know I will give you a warning. If you come across the brass and I am not sure in 44 if it is the same thing but it is shorter. I have found this to be true in 45-70 and 30-30.

I would trust the hornady LR would work well. Easy enough to test. Grab a box and a roadkill. Give it a go.

One last thing. Any round within reason will take down a deer with correct shot placement. Everyone in my area thinks I am weird since I shoot my deer in the head. I tell them I can not eat the horns.

[sac]

I believe in the state that I am in they require a hollow point bullet be used. Elsewise I would go with a very wide FP.

What state do you live in? Iowa just started it and it states expanding, DNR said that they don't want fmj.

[trapper9260]

What state do you live in? Iowa just started it and it states expanding, DNR said that they don't want fmj.

I had talk with my county game warden about this before the season and told me cast boolits are ok to use did not say why type or anything or if they have lead nose from what my understanding. Check with your game warden of what you can use in your state.I was also going to ask what state the OK was in .

[guntechholsters]

I use to shoot BR, and I think a head shot would be optimal, quick kill, no meat loss.
Of course a lever action vs a bolt action is a huge diff and I will be getting in a lot of practice over the next few months. I'm going to approach load development the same as I did with my BR guns (for the most part)..

Sac, yep, I am an iowegian..lol..

[brewer12345]

I've seen the leverevolution, it is definitely an interesting around, but it is a little bit lighter of a bullet, I think somewhere around 225 grains? Have you used it on deer yet, and if so how well did it work for you?

I used the 35 rem version to take a couple of hogs at 75 and 90 yards. Nice expansion, put the hammer on them and complete pass through. Would not hesitate to use the 44 version on deer

[sac]

I had talk with my county game warden about this before the season and told me cast boolits are ok to use did not say why type or anything or if they have lead nose from what my understanding. Check with your game warden of what you can use in your state.I was also going to ask what state the OK was in .

That's what I did when they past the law, I contacted Des Moines to get there definition of a expanding bullet. The gave me the number of my DNR officer and ask them since they had no real definition. The officer said no FMJ or hard cast. Hollow point, jacketed soft point and lead was suitable.

I heard another little tidbit that I hope is true, that they are wanting to do away with the party hunting or driving deer. I hope they do.

[dverna]

I had the same rifle and it would group (10 shots) about 1 1/2" with cast bullets at 30 yards. I bought it for CAS and decided to sell it as .38 was more competitive.

Quite a few reports of poor accuracy in the .44 Marlin so it may take a bit of bullet/load development but if you shoot BR that will not be a challenge for you.

Making the action smoother and easier to cycle is never a bad thing but can be over done. I have one lever gun that will not fire anything but Federal primers as the hammer spring was lightened too much. Not a big deal to change out if you go too far. BTW, check how the gun functions in the cold before use it to hunt. JIC.

I hope you reconsider your decision to take head shots. It is not a big target and can produce a horrible wound that kills very slowly. Remember you are shooting a cartridge that has more of a rainbow trajectory and range estimation can be tricky in the woods. If stand hunting, you can range kill spots ahead of time so less chance for an error.

Nothing wrong with the 240 gr bullet and good advice already given above by others.

[Jeff Michel]

432-640 Milhec, 270 grain, small HP, G/C 50/50 alloy, lube with 50/50. 21 grains of 2400. I have yet to recover a bullet, properly placed, a deer will not go far.

[Leslie Sapp]

I killed my first deer with a .44 mag, 240 gr Federal factory hollowpoint out of a marlin 1894. It went right through the heart and exited the off shoulder. When I cleaned him, the heart was turned into a 5" doughnut shaped ring. I have every confidence that a good stout 220-240 gr cast load would have the same effect.

[trapper9260]

That's what I did when they past the law, I contacted Des Moines to get there definition of a expanding bullet. The gave me the number of my DNR officer and ask them since they had no real definition. The officer said no FMJ or hard cast. Hollow point, jacketed soft point and lead was suitable.

I heard another little tidbit that I hope is true, that they are wanting to do away with the party hunting or driving deer. I hope they do.

I have not hear that one yet. But like they do.but from someone I had talk to that it been that way for as long he had know and was brought up and born here. It would not matter to me because so far I got the early muzzler season. But if it come to a time I am not able to I would go with this of the rifle. I also have the 357 rifle also beside the 44mag.

[Surfdog]

I’m shooting a .432 sized 260 gr WFGC over 18.3 grs of 2400 in my 1894. Search a bit in this forum and you’ll find a picture of this years deer.

Surfdog

[winelover]

I've seen the leverevolution, it is definitely an interesting around, but it is a little bit lighter of a bullet, I think somewhere around 225 grains? Have you used it on deer yet, and if so how well did it work for you?

I took a doe with Hornady's 44 Mag Leverevolution the first year it was introduced, with my Marlin 1894 carbine. Shot was about 40 yards and deer dropped with a behind the shoulder shot. That was the one and only time I hunted with it. I'm currently using NOE's 265 RNFP solid cast from air cooled CWW alloy. I push it with 2400 at 1540 fps. It and other cast bullet combinations work but never produced very good blood trails, when shot just behind the shoulder. Even with two holes, one in and one out. Yes, I recovered all the deer but it involved long tracking and sometimes even a bit of luck. I have never purposely aimed to break the shoulder.......must be the bow hunter in me. But I 'm seriously rethinking that option. The last two bucks I shot with the 265 RNFP traveled almost 200 yards....with little or no blood trail. The last one, I didn't find till well after the meat had spoiled.

This off season, I working on load development, for a HP version of RCBS 300 SWC.....in hopes of better blood trails and quicker kills.

Winelover

[725]

guntecholsters -- Welcome aboard. You'll get lots of good info from the folks on this site. Some conflicting, but then, of course, there are several ways to skin a cat. You will learn that the bore size in the .44 will be slightly different from a revolver to a rifle. You can make cast loads work for each, interchangeably, but it might take a little work. As you are looking for a good mold for your .44's, there are many good ones out there. Any of the "RD" molds (stands for Range Dog ~ he was the designer / promoter of the type) should be top shelf for your purposes. Also, I like the Lee 310 mold. Have fun in your search.

[Iowa Fox]

That's what I did when they past the law, I contacted Des Moines to get there definition of a expanding bullet. The gave me the number of my DNR officer and ask them since they had no real definition. The officer said no FMJ or hard cast. Hollow point, jacketed soft point and lead was suitable.

I heard another little tidbit that I hope is true, that they are wanting to do away with the party hunting or driving deer. I hope they do.

That would be great news if the state does away with party hunting.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

guntechholsters,
Welcome to the forum.

I had a 1894 in 44 Mag.
The slow twist rate that Marlin uses isn't the best for heavier boolits, and the larger bore size (.431) requires larger sizing than pistol boolits. I used the NOE 432-421 HP (a Keith style SWC), with standard HP pins, the boolit drops at 234gr and worked well in the Marlin sized to .432

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Head shots work really well, UNTIL you shoot one through the jaw or through the eyes and the they run off or fall down then get up. The brain is a small target that moves around a lot. A center shoulder shot is my preference, break the shoulders, maybe catch the spine, down they go, lots of room for animal movement and shooter 'error'. I have at least half dozen Marlin's including a an 1894 in 44 Magnum. I DO NOT lighten mainsprings in any firearm. I want to hear BANG when I pull the trigger with any ammo/primers in any weather. I load for my lever guns using 'benchrest' techniques and expect very good accuracy from any rifle in decent shape. Depending on caliber, well under 2 MOA, with 'rifle' calibers much less usually, Marlin 336's usually go close to MOA. A good trigger, 2.5-3 lbs helps a great deal and can be done with the Marlins, WITHOUT weakening any springs.

[43PU]

I have the Rossi and 44 magnum it has a 20 inch barrel and I shoot only the lee 310 grn over 21 grain of Winchester 296 it is accurate out to about 150 yards and about five years ago I killed a nice little seven point with that at about 85 yards it was a bang flop

[Duckiller]

As pointed out you are hunting not playing cowboy games. I would go slow on modifying your gun. I too have a marlin 1894 and a couple of revolvers. My revolvers enjoy long (1.7+) boolits . The carbine requires boolits that do not exceed 1.6+" If you plan on making multiple shots without reloading. The Lyman Keith SWCs are too long for my rifle. 240 gr RFN that load to 1.6col work great and will kill Bambi.

[guntechholsters]

Wow.
So much info, were to start to respond.
THANK YOU ALL...
Dvema, thay makes me feel better, I currently have a 310 lee mold that perhaps I can run soft...

Jeff, anyway I can buy a few of this boolits off ya, lol.....

725, thank you..

Duck, taken to heart and I thank you..

I'm going to reread comments and take it all in.
Thank you all very much, yall are awesome...

[centershot]

If you are going to shoot cast lead, I would look for a round nose flat point bullet for smooth feeding from mag to chamber. I prefer around 240-260 gr. in weight. Also you may find that you will have to size your cast lead bullets to .432 or .433 for good accuracy. The Marlin 94 in 44 mag has a groove dia. that is larger then the .429 you see in revolvers. I had to go to .433 in mine in order to get good accuracy at 100 yards. If you want to shoot jacketed bullets, try the 240 gr. XTP hollow point. Will do great damage to the lung-heart area in a broadside chest shot. I would not use it on a shoulder shot as it will destroy a lot of meat.

I could not have said this any better! The Marlin '94's usually have a VERY generous bore diameter (mine is .432"), you may have to beagle your mould to get the boolts large enough.

[guntechholsters]

Some hvac alum tape to beagle the mold?
Hopefully I get a chance to slug the bore tonight.

[Rick R]

I have quit using anything in my .44 guns other than the NOE version of the Ranch Dog 265gr FN. It was designed to work in a lever gun and feeds perfectly. Accuracy is great. NOE’s pin system makes it easy to cast hollow point boolits nearly as fast as flat point.
It is boring and all my other .44 molds get lonely but neat little one hole groups out of my 1894 at 50 yards are worth some sacrifice. :bigsmyl2:

[jmort]

I use a Ranch Dog design in every gun I own. They just work

[Rally]

I have quit using anything in my .44 guns other than the NOE version of the Ranch Dog 265gr FN. It was designed to work in a lever gun and feeds perfectly. Accuracy is great. NOE’s pin system makes it easy to cast hollow point boolits nearly as fast as flat point.
It is boring and all my other .44 molds get lonely but neat little one hole groups out of my 1894 at 50 yards are worth some sacrifice. :bigsmyl2:

x2 and sized .432