New to me 1894S in .44 mag with JM stamp

[dieselrealtor]

Got something that has been on my wish list for a long time, it goes nicely next to my .357mag 1894 I bought new in the 80's.

.44 is a new caliber to me, I have no components except a little brass.

Long story short I have been gathering casting supplies & equipment for a few years but haven't started casting yet, looking at the cost of projos for .44 I think I am going to start.

Any suggestions on what these like or what I might expect?

It is a 1997 model with very low round count.

Thanks in advance

[bikerbeans]

Make up dummy rounds and check cycling before loading a bunch of live rounds. COAL and nose profile can cause cycling problems. The 94 i had would not cycle a cartridge longer than 1.61".

Can't help on boolit selection as i only shot jacketed in my 94.

BB

[danmat]

You will probaly need a mold to drop at least .432 those shoot well in mine, gas checks were way more accurate in my rifle but I'm driving them hard in my 1894 c.b.

[bmortell]

if i was new to 44 with rifle as my first i would order a mold at .433 if your lubing bullets, and buy a lee push through sizer and lap it larger with fine sandpaper wrapped around rod in a drill till recovered bullets in water don't have gas cutting up the sides of the base and leading is minimal.

as for bullet selection mine will only start feeding if the flat point is .300 or less, and .400 sticking out of the case or less. id consider these max dimensions where you might still have feeding problems if lever isn't moved fast, especially on the length part id pick a bullet with less out of the case.

id recommend picking a design from accurate molds since it clearly shows all dimensions and you can customize diameter easily. if it was me my selection would probably be, 43-245S, 43-265M, 43-280F or similar with gas checks if you wanna go real fast. my rifle loads plain base shoot good but im not going with light bullets at top speeds, im assuming plain base can do most loads fine in 44, i always preferred weight over top speed so to me its non issue. mine can stabilize a .820 length 300gr bullet even though it don't cycle, but others say 300gr wont stabilize for them.

a 2 cavity aluminum mold and sizer would put you about 120 plus shipping if you want a nice custom fit bullet for your gun. if you don't care about all that and wanna be cheap id get a 20 dollar lee mold, shake and bake powder coat, shoot unsized to make it bigger. could also shoot it lubed but leading may be pretty bad.

[dieselrealtor]

I think powdercoating is in my future

[Shuz]

Look for an MP-432-640L either from MP Molds or used. Mine throws boolits that measure .432, weigh 225g outta ww +1% tin,and I seat to 1.595". This boolit works in my Marlin(Remlin), 2 Winnie 94's and my Rossi 92.

[cwlongshot]

I think powdercoating is in my future

WARNINGS... Its addictive. :lovebooli

CW

[sghart3578]

I believe in keeping things simple.

I too have a 1894S, JM and microgroove. It is a terrific rifle and very accurate. With the twist rate I stick with a lighter bullet.

I'm not saying that it won't shoot a heavier bullet, I'm not saying that at all. But in keeping with my idea of simplification I went with a Lee 429-200-RF. This mold drops a bullet that is too small in diameter to be accurate as is so I "beagled" the mold.

I then size the bullets to .432". I lube with one very light coat of BLL or with a 50/50 mix of Alox and mineral spirits.

These bullets get loaded over 8.5 gr of Unique or 7.5 gr of Bullseye.

Out to 100 yards these loads will do anything that I want them too.

Best of luck,


Steve in N CA

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I agree with others, you will want a mold that drops a .432 boolit.
Most Leverguns prefer a RF style.
The Marlin's 1:38 twist does better with lighter boolits.
Those are all things I learned after buying all kinds of other molds :(
Yeah, I owned a early 1990s Marlin 44mag 1894s.

Anyway, if I were to buy a mold for that gun today, it'd be this one from NOE (434-234-RF).
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=37_418&products_id=4703&osCsid=f352ufrvrhtdrqgh4k9b40lin5

[kungfustyle]

http://www.rozedist.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=RZD&Category_Code=ZBJ-44MAG
Great company and good bullets. By the time you get a mold to fit your gun, size die, gas checks or check maker, top punch etc...
These are $.14 each and shoot great.
I bought a Rossi 92 44mag that slugged out at .432 had to buy a custom size die and a mold from NOE just for the rifle. The reloading dies don't like the bigger boolits so I have to seat with my 45 acp die and crimp with the 44 mag die. With the Roze bullets just use the 44 seat/crimp and up and running. Still shoot cast out of it but when you look at the cost of lead now and gas checks plus your time the $.14 each sounds better and better. You'll have to shoot up about 3000 before you recoup your $$ in molds and sizing die and a check maker.
By the way you can get custom size die here https://www.buffaloarms.com/

[Maine1]

The microgroove barrels can be tricky- some get them to shoot well, others do not.

Rule of thumb is a large bullet, ive been told 1) a diameter to fill the grooves and 2) A bullet to fil the throat.

I'll watch this thread with curiosity, hoping to add to my success with 45-70 and 44 mag microgroove rifles.

[Norske]

The rifling twist (1 in 38"?) is too slow for the heaviest 44 cal bullets. My Ruger Super Blackhawk shoots 300 gr bullets very well, my 1894, not so good, even at 50 yards.

[longbow]

Personally I like microgroove and have had no trouble with my 1894 or my now gone 1895 (I wish I still had it).

The 1894 will want fat boolits of at least 0.432". If you aren't aware the SAAMI spec for rifles is larger groove than for handguns in .44 mag., hence the need for fat boolits.

Also as BB pointed out most 1894's don't like longer than factory COAL. Mine didn't for sure! You can file the cartridge stop to allow longer COAL though and it is an easy job... if you want to.

My advice is to avoid SWC boolits and use RNFP. My gun wouldn't feed SWC's well at all. Unknowingly I bought the mould to cast the "best" boolit for a .44 mag. ~ the Lyman 429421 Keith SWC. It didn't go well at all! Turns out that the nose from crimp groove to meplat is longer than the 1894 likes and the SWC shape just didn't want to feed well.

I wound up doing a bunch of work to get SWC's to feed but also wound up with the dreaded Marlin jam! I think I have that fixed now.

Do yourself a favour and make sure whatever mould you buy is RNFP or TC and that crimping in the crimp groove gives COAL of 1.61" or less.

NOE has the Ranch Dog design in 240 gr. and 265 gr. Ranch Dog designed those boolits specifically for Marlins. They feed and shoot well and NOE are great moulds so win, win, win!

Longbow

[dieselrealtor]

I was thinking I should probably get a GC mold, I do plan to powdercoat & hoping to get a mold for hunting & plinking. Looking at the active group buy from MP. Think this one will be too heavy?

I saw the Zero bullets, I have some of them in .45acp & others I think. Will probably order some to have on hand.

Thanks for all the replies, very informative.

[cwlongshot]

I have had zero issues with the Micro Groove rifling. I don't remember doing much cast in the 1894 43 mag I had, but my buddy has it nad he shoots it allot with cast over the last twenty some years he has had it.

I'm a 45 man and the Three 45 Marlin's I have two are MG and all shoot just fine form 200g SWC I make for the ACP to 310G LBT WFN for hunting in my Black Hawk.

Lately I have been shooting some 250HP's and some Lyman 270g SWC boolits. I bought a 300G LEE mold and all but refused to use it cause its profile is useless in my 450Bushmaster and Marlins, but works well and is a large WFN for use on the Black Hawk!

Im liking this 270G Lyman allot more lately.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/CWLONGSHOT/Temp%20stuff/sporting%20pics/Bullets/Casting/7FA1EB12-F930-4BA8-BC0D-5250C0A89390_zpsxqy46pwj.jpeg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/CWLONGSHOT/Temp%20stuff/sporting%20pics/Bullets/Casting/843C089A-7095-4C83-B603-E12CEBB3A582_zpsesizsdui.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/CWLONGSHOT/Temp%20stuff/sporting%20pics/Bullets/Casting/Powder%20Coating/12FAB96E-34CA-4F14-B0ED-49EE2CDB1916_zpsftgl0qnj.jpg

CW

[Thin Man]

The first cast boolit I tried in my 1894 (44 Mag.) was the Ranch dog 265 grain GC design. It cycled well and grouped to hunting accuracy. The mold was a 2 cavity that RD sold directly from orders. I bought 2 of these and gave one to a friend who was trying to get a 444 Marlin to cooperate, but could not find the sweet spot with his boolits. After several conversations he allowed he was sizing these at .429. I gave him the correct diameter goal of .432" but he could not find a sizer in that diameter. Sadly his health faded, then he did also. His early Marlin had the raised Monte Carlo cheek piece that some like, and others don't. I fit that second group.