Slugging a lever action?

[selmerfan]

I've slugged single-shots, bolt-actions, and revolvers, but never a lever action. I assume that I do it the same, but start from the muzzle? I'm concerned about this assumption in relation to damaging the crown. Any instruction as to how to go about this? I need to slug a .30-30 Win 94AE. Thanks!
Selmerfan

[duckndawg]

use a wood dowel that will fit the bore with ease, cut them to 8 or 9 inches and use them. you wont hurt the crown at all.

[Pepe Ray]

I've used the wooden dowels with success BUT I've also had some near tragic failures (one was enough ). You can never be assured that the dowel w/not split. Imagine what happens then. :groner:

Brass rods/pins are better but, I find that as long as you use the muzzle guard that you SHOULD BE USING WHEN CLEANING THE BORE, a steel rod is by far the best.
Pepe Ray

[docone31]

Take one of your .30cal castings, cut it in half.
Put the pointy end in the bore from the muzzle, and get it in the barrel. Use a brass rod around .25 in diameter. Drive it to the muzzle.
Yeah, I do not like putting things in the muzzle of a lever gun either. But you gotta.
Just have a casting that has at least one band.

[mooman76]

I use a plastic headed mallet so I don't damage the crown.

[thenaaks]

really soft lead slug...plenty of lube...hardwood dowels...good to go!

[Jon K]

Nope..........slug the breech end, just the depth of the slug, then drive it back out.

Muzzle end is small.

Jon

[Pepe Ray]

One more time!!
Awooden dowel can split and penitrate between the slug and the bbl.
Major grief!!
Pepe Ray AWTTW

[DeadWood]

I just did this on same weapon. i did it from muzzle end. learn from my mistakes, start slug with wooden dowl or other non metal, then once its fully engaged in rifling (alway in) then switch to metal rods (with tape). I put a nasty ding in my crown and will propably have to take to a shop to fix.

do a search lots of info on this even youtube

[44wcf]

NO NO NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I tried the short wood dowels . Ended up sending the rifle to a smith to remove them and the lead slug. They were the right size BUT the first one split and wedged beside the slug. I tried and tried but couldn't budge it. And brass rod the right size is the only way to go.
Of course this is only my opinion.
44wcf.





use a wood dowel that will fit the bore with ease, cut them to 8 or 9 inches and use them. you wont hurt the crown at all.

[mpmarty]

I opened the bolt (ask me why) and unscrewed the barrel. Then slugged from the chamber end. Unless you have a good supply of new extractors for that 94 don't try to unscrew the barrel with the bolt closed. Don't ask! I won't tell!

[RugerFan]

Nope..........slug the breech end, just the depth of the slug, then drive it back out.

Muzzle end is small.

Jon

Explain that trick with a lever.

[badgeredd]

Explain that trick with a lever.

Push it back out with a bore snake? :kidding: :bigsmyl2:

Just funnin'!

Edd

[MtGun44]

Use a plastic hammer and a steel rod, NOT A CLEANING ROD, and NOT wood. We have had
multiple people wedge a split dowel into the barrel, a REAL mess. Just because a few
people have gotten away with it does not make it a safe procedure. You risk serious damage
or paying a gunsmith to get this mess out of the barrel.

Steel rod with a few wraps of tape works great. Make sure you lube the bore, use a soft
lead ball. I use a piece of dedicated 1/4" steel rod with a .25 ACP case driven permanently
onto the driving end. Nice fit in a .30 cal bore, the case makes sure the leading edge CANNOT
scratch. Tape protects on the sides.

Bill

[selmerfan]

Guys, thanks for all of the tips. Looks like I'll be getting a steel rod for this purpose and using a .25 ACP case. I can't figure out any way to do this from the breech end w/o unscrewing the barrel, which I don't have the equipment to do.

[BABore]

Leverguns are notorious for bore constrictions, especially Marlin's. Even though the Marlin lever is easy to tear down to slug from the breech, I still slug it from the muzzle end. Whenever you slug any gun, you really need to determine if there are any bore constrictions. Why would those that harp on having a revolver's cylinder throat slightly above bbl groove size for best cast boolit accuracy ignore the same situation in a rifle. A bore constriction sizes a cast boolit down so it is undersized for the rest of its travel down the bore.

I use pure lead, hollow egg fishing sinkers for slugging. The hollow center allows for lead displacement so you get little to no springback. The slug is lightly oiled and started in a cleaned, lightly oiled bbl. I pound it into the muzzle flush with a plastic mallet. For the next inch or so I use a plastic sight punch (dowel) and again the plastic mallet. For pounding through, I make up a close fitting aluminum cylinder about an inch or so long. One end is tapped #6 or #8-32. This is attached to the closest sized piece of O-1 drill rod that is also tapped. A short section of threaded rod is used for the connection. The undersized rod is covered with electrical tape at appropriate intervals. The slug is pounded through using the rod and a 3-4 lb hammer. I use the inertia of the heavy hammer to drive the slug through rather than a series of light taps by a lesser one. This causes less slug distorsion where is contacts the aluminum rod end. The first slug is driven completely through. Usually you can feel any rough spots or constrictions along the way. Stamped roll markings, dovetail cuts, and bbl threads are likely spots. I measure the slug with a good 0.0001 resolution micrometer. A caliper is not accurate enough for a good measurement here. I do use a caliper to measure the bore diameter of the slug as I don't have a pin micrometer.

To determine if you have any bore constrictions, you need to pound a second slug just past flush with the muzzle, then back out the way it came. This is easy on the Marlin's assuming you left your piece of drill rod long enough. A Winchester has to be done just like a revolver as you can't access the breech end. For these, I use the same hollow egg sinker. I find a headed nail that I can get through the sinker hole even if I have to drill it out a little. The nail's head should definetly be well under bore size, yet not so small as to pull through the sinker upon removal. The nail's shank should stick out of the sinker by 1 1/2" or so. I use a hollow punch or fired case to drive the slug, nail head first, just below flush with the muzzle. I then grab the end of the nail with two pairs or pliers and bend it over at a right angle. A pair of Vise Grips are clamped on below the bend and a plastic mallet applied to the Vise Grips to tap/pull the slug back out. It sounds more stressful than it actually is. This is the same technique described in the Beartooth Bullet manual.

The muzzle slug is then measured and compared to the first, full bbl slug. The muzzle slug should always be the smaller of the two. If not, then you need to address the bbl problem before real cast boolit accuracy can be realized. Either fire lapping or hand lapping the bbl is in order. I don't fret too much if my bbl only shows around 0.0005" of constriction. A couple hundred jacketed bullets will take care of that. More constriction than that and I fire lap it for a tapered bore.

[selmerfan]

Thanks for the great post BAbore!

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Ba Bore, very good info for those that haven't worked with levers very much , well explained and to the point....great post.

[HORNET]

It's a PITA, but you CAN strip the action down and slug from the breech end on most. You should still check with a slug all the way through as well as one at the muzzle to check for weirdness inside the tube. Make sure that you have the take-down and reassembly instructions handy first, some get ......interesting.

[Jon K]

Explain that trick with a lever.

With a Marlin it's easy remove the lever, then remove the bolt...

With a Winchester it can be done with an pluged empty case to push the slug...use pure lead just over nominal bore size. You don't need excessive pressure to make things harder. You can also dis-assemble to slug.

I usually slug both ends, and call it good. If there are other constrictions in the barrel, you'll usually feel it when running a patch on a jag thru te barrel. Those will be found @dovetails or other typical points. If you have rough spots, its time to fire-lap, and if that doesn't work....you've got problems.

I believe Buckshot did a picture tutorial on slugging with a plugged case at one time.

Jon

[RugerFan]

I believe Buckshot did a picture tutorial on slugging with a plugged case at one time.

Jon

I'll have too look that one up. Thanks

[Irascible]

Veral Smith at LBT recommended using a heavy hammer with light blows rather than a light hammer. Be sure you round off and polish the edges of that steel rod!