Marlin 1894 - 44 Mag..What Boolit?

[Char-Gar]

I picked up a good Marlin 44 Mag. levergun and am curious about your experience with cast bullets in this rifle. I find my sixgun ammo using a NEI clone of the Keith bullet too long to feed well.

I have an RCBS GC 44 cal mold that cast bullets about 235 out of WW (discontinued design) and I made up a dummy round and it feeds very slick. I will load up of these over 10/Unique and see what happens.

I also have good old 249244 molds (solid and hollow point) but don't have any cast up. Anybody have experience with this boolit in the Marlin?

Anybody has a couple of 249244s cast up, I could try, before I fire up the pot and degrease the mold?

Any and all wisdom and experience on this rifle/round with cast boolits welcome.

I nailed on my last Redfield 102OM. It is a neat rifle..pre-cross bolt safety, pre-checkering and have the straight pistol grip stock and lever. I think I am going to like this rifle.

[6pt-sika]

Charger , I've shot quite a few of the Lyman #429244 in my Marlin 1894CB, also quite a few of the RCBS 44-240 SWC GC . Couple years ago I got one of the Lyman #429640 HP GC molds and they worked pretty well.
All three of these bullets would make good deer or silhouette bullets in my rifle.

If I hadn't gone out of town this weekend I was gonna try my new Lyman #257325 mold [smilie=1:

[NVcurmudgeon]

Chargar, I use the RCBS 250 KT in an 1894 Marlin Cowboy and a S&W 629. To get them to feed in the rifle I have to shorten cases .010" shorter than "trim-to" length. Being lazy, I use the shorter cases in the revolver as well. Favorite load is 7.0 gr. Green Dot, 1200 fps (24") and 950 fps (8 3/8".)

[Bass Ackward]

Yep. I loaded a bullet in a dummy cartridge backwards and played with it until I got to 1.71. Regular bullets seated out I can get to 1.73 which is the longest bullets I own to date. The rifle fed the .... wide meplat at that length without fail so I should be good with everything else currently on hand.

[Char-Gar]

I have played with the rifle a little more and find that the Keith bullet's top driving band is catching on the edge of the chamber. This seems to be a fairly common problem.

I loaded some of the old RCBS 225 GC bullets and they feed slick, slick slick.

I will take the rifle down and file back the cartridge stop located on the top rear of the carrier. That should allow the round to sit farther back and change the angle of attack and hopefully allow the Keith driving band to avoid snaging on the bottom of the chamber. Should accomplish the same thing as shortening the cases. This seems to be the common fix for this problem. We will see....

[45 2.1]

This would solve your problem. A nice 200 gr. RNFPGC:

[Bigscot]

This would solve your problem. A nice 200 gr. RNFPGC:


45,

I like that one too. I have a Lee 200 gn rnfppb and am having leading problems with it. The gc would be nice.

BS

[C A Plater]

Oooh! Nice bullet design for the lever guns. I'd order at least one if it were available.

[Dale53]

I had an early .44 Mag Marlin ('94) and it wouldn't feed the Keith bullets as they were too long (unless I crimped over the front band). However, Lyman had a bullet that worked just fine "429434 GC". I see that they are also "out of print". If you can find a good used one that is a good bet.

Dale53

[Char-Gar]

I just remembered that I have a 434-250 mold from our group buy. With it's three crimp grooves and no SWC shoulder, I would think it should be just the ticket. It is plain base, but I don't intend to push em past 1.3 or 1.4K fps.

Any holes in this plan?

[45 2.1]

I just remembered that I have a 434-250 mold from our group buy. With it's three crimp grooves and no SWC shoulder, I would think it should be just the ticket. It is plain base, but I don't intend to push em past 1.3 or 1.4K fps.

Any holes in this plan?

The top crimp groove was set up to work thru the 44 mag rifles. All you have to beat is that 1:38 twist now. thats why I suggested the 200 GC.

[Char-Gar]

What do you think about this one for use in the Marlin? I have the mold and dummy rounds with this bullet feed very slick in my rifle.

[Char-Gar]

OK..Let's try this....

[Dale53]

That sure ought to work. However, if I were voting, I would vote for the one pictured by 45 2.1 (200 gr RFGC).

FWIW
Dale53

[Dutch4122]

This would solve your problem. A nice 200 gr. RNFPGC:

Is that the boolit we discussed last fall?

[Jack Stanley]

I don't have a picture of it but the one I use was made by LBT and has a rounded ojive and a large meplat on it . I doesn't have a SWC shoulder to catch at all and it feeds very slick .

Jack

[45 2.1]

Is that the boolit we discussed last fall?

Close to it with minor modifications after studying Keiths early boolits.

[45 2.1]

What do you think about this one for use in the Marlin? I have the mold and dummy rounds with this bullet feed very slick in my rifle.

Try it out!

[Newtire]

45,

I like that one too. I have a Lee 200 gn rnfppb and am having leading problems with it. The gc would be nice.

BS
Hi Bigscot,
I have that same mould & shoot a light load of BlueDot in a .444 Marlin with great success & no leading. It's just .430" out of the mould I have so maybe your problem is undersized boolits. Sounds like a large air rifle with the muffs on at the range.

[Bigscot]

Newtire,

I shoot the boolits unsized so I don't think that is the problem. I am wondering if the the booilts are too large and trying to have the gun swage them down too much. As I recall, they drop at .432-.433. I shoot a 250gn K at .431 with no real problems.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

BS

[lovedogs]

The Saeco #431 (listed as a 250 gr. but mine drops 240 gr.) RNFPGC was designed for the .444 and also shoots well in my .44 mags. According to Greenhill the 1:38 should stabilize it and it should feed well in your Marlin.

[Char-Gar]

I filed back the top end of the cartridge carrier and now the rifle feeds the big SWCs slick as you please.

I have some Ray Thompson 429244s cast up and will give them a try on Friday. Several folks report very good results with this bullet in the Marlin 1894.

I really could not ask for better performance than RCBS 225 GC/10/Unique. I am getting easy 1.25" 50 yard groups. I will shoot the heavier Thompson over the same powder change head to head with the RCBS and see what happens.

I hope the rifle likes the Thompson bullets as I have a four holer and a HP versions of this bullet. It would make life very nice. This bullet is also a steller performer in every sixgun I have shot them through .

[Bigscot]

This would solve your problem. A nice 200 gr. RNFPGC:

45 2.1

Is this a possible group buy? Do you know of anyone who makes this boolit? I am starting to look for the lightest gas check boolit I can find. Any ideas?

Thanks,

BS

[Char-Gar]

Well the Marlin 94 doesn't like 429244 at least a mid-range velocities. I shot them over the same powder charge (10/Unique) that did so well with RCBS 225 GC.

I fired t he load with some of the RCBS bullets and shure enought there were the nice round 1.25" 50 yard groups. I changed to 429244 and the groups opened up to 6"s. These heavier Thompson bullets weight 270 grains checked, lubed and ready to fly.

Other report good results with the Thompson bullet in the Marlin 1894s, so I will try it again at full snort magnum velocities. Maybe the extra 300-400 fps will make the bullets fly straighter. We will see.

It is all academic and I don't want to shoot the rifle on a regular basis with full snort magnums. I like the mid-range loads and if I have to use a 225 grain bullet to be good results in the Marlin then so be it.

The Marlin 1895 in 45-70 went to the range as well. I had changed the front sight to a lower Redfield Sourdough Patridge and want to get the sights set and locked down. Those RCBS 405 GCs are hitting about 2.5" high at 50 yards which will make them dead on to about 100 yards. The powder charge is 25/4759 for a velocity of about 1,250 to 1,300 fps. That rifle and load deliver phenominal accuracy with three rounds cutting clover leaf patterns every time. What a joy to have such a fine rifle and load.

[rmb721]

The twist in the Marlin .44 mag is 1 in 38 inches. With that slow of twist, it would probably shoot lighter bullets better.

[Marlin Junky]

How well does Lee 429-200-RF perform in the Marlin 44 Cowboy?

MJ