Marlin 1894 44! how accurate?

[longuner]

Hey guys, I have a 44 mag Marlin and i was wondering what kind of accuracy yall get and with what kind of bullets. I may need to put a scope on it for a project and want to know if its worth the time or effort.

Thanks,

Longuner

[NickSS]

You need to slug the bore to know how fat a bullet you will need. I have owned several both with micro groove and ballard type rifling and all of them took bullets larger than .430". The one I have today shoots a bullet of .432" and it has ballard rifling. The only bullet I use is a RF Lee of 200 gr weight and I only load it to a max of 1300 fps. I use it for cowboy action shooting and it is plenty accurate for that sport.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Mine is a .41 so it should be about the same.
+1 on the throat slugging... Marlin throats are normally fat so the cast boolit must fill it. My .41 needs .412 slugs to shoot well. Even .413 fits and work a shade better.
I expect to have 1.5 " at 50 yards from a good load and less from the tweaked loads. Never got to 1" but 1.3" at 50 yards is not impossible. I have not tried but 1 GC boolit and that is a 265 Pushed with all the 1680 that would fit. That is one thumper and will shoot at the 1.3-1.4" at 50 yards.

[Ranch Dog]

In that it is a Marlin it is simple. You need a .432 bullet. I pay no attention to the rifling, as I have both and they shoot equally well. I shoot my rifles at max loads and see great accuracy. I'm shooting both my TLC432-265-RF and the TLC432-300-RF. I actually favor the heavy bullet despite the claims that the 1:38 doesn't favor it.

My little short "P", a carbine based on the Guide Gun sporting a 16 1/4" ported barrel loves the heavy bullet and I've killed quite a bit of game with it. I shot this spike in December with the rifle that sports a Bushnell Banner 1.4-4.5X32 at 100-yards. The bullet struck the point of aim and the deer went straight down.



Some of the largest hogs I've killed have been killed with this little rifle. This beast was at the feeder in the background, 100-yards from my back door. Another POA hit with the 300-grain bullet. He went about 25-yards but a hog has a lot of primal energy that a deer doesn't.



This combo has also deliver the greatest number of hogs I've killed with one shot. I put a string of corn in one of my food plots that the hogs were terrorizing and about 25 to 30 came in. I had them lined up line they were eating at a trough. I lined up the shot to maximize the hits through the lungs. At the shot 80-yards out, three dropped and I recovered a fourth about 65-yards away... dead. I killed two others as the group ran. The last of the two was a 100-pound hog running straight away from me at a later lasered range of 125-yards. The bullet entered through the top of his left hip, clipped the bottom of his spine about half up the body and exited his front shoulder. He rolled up in a ball.

Here is another hog I shot at 100-yards on a food plot above my house while my wife held a light on him. This is the impact side of that Flat Point bullet striking him. POA and impact was at the base of the "L" the bullet painted on him! Yes, it blew through him.



I've learned to fill the leade, throat, and step with lead and push it at a maximum pressure. The Micro-Groove or Ballard and 1:38 doesn't mind it a bit. I use 21.0-grains of H110 for 1535 FPS. I shoot .61" 5 shot groups with this at 50-yards and 1.5" at 100-yard. I've actually shot it on my range at 300-yards and it is very predictable.

[longuner]

Well guess that sums it up, I do have the 265 Ranch Dog mold. How about reduced loads say in the 1000 to 1200 range?

[1Shirt]

Michael, Thats for sure impressive! You da man by golly like they say in Minnisoota.
1Shirt!

[Ranch Dog]

Marlin uses a weird step on all their 1894s very long and shallow, approximately 6° 30", running from 5° to 7° depending on the cartridge. I assume this is to allow a cartridge to smoothly travel from the tube, up the carrier, and into the chamber. The bottom-line is it creates a lot of space that must be filled.

[Ranch Dog]

Well guess that sums it up, I do have the 265 Ranch Dog mold. How about reduced loads say in the 1000 to 1200 range?

I've never shot them but the reports back I have are the hotter the better.

[Ranch Dog]

Michael, Thats for sure impressive! You da man by golly like they say in Minnisoota.
1Shirt!

It's all in the spotter and I've trained her pretty good on how to handle the light! That big old beast landed right where he was shot. That field was just planted and he was out there sucking up seed.

I'm a 444 Marlin nut, I always thought the 44 in a rifle was weird. I mean why bust a cap when you can really bust a cap. That little "P" and I have really taken a shine to each other and it has become my ranch rifle, truck gun, and sits in a rack at the back door.

[76 WARLOCK]

I wonder if any of the above would apply to my 1894 cowboy limited 11in 44wcf I have not slugged it.

[Ranch Dog]

I suspect it would. Even the 336-44 is cut the same, a lovely rifle!

[EDK]

Didn't they change the rifling in the 444s? I would guess that MARLIN used the same twist barrels in any and all 44 calibers, sooo someday the 44 magnums will have a faster twist. Oh well, live with what we have for now.

Those little 1894s will a 16 inch barrels sure are handy little guys. I carried one cut down to 16.5 in a saddle scabbard for 20 years...only came out to shoot or clean it. (Gave it to my step son who promptly traded it for a .264 Win Mag bolt gun...one of his numerous bright moves!) Real seriously thinking about scrounging up another round barrel gun and having it set up like my old gun.

Love the TLC 432 265 at various levels in the rifles...shoots good in the revolvers, but gas checks aren't needed for my preferred loads. The NOE version fill that niche.

[kelbro]

21.0gr and 22.2gr of H110 behind the 265gr RD shoot 1.5"@100yds in my 1894 with Skinner aperture sights.

[Airborne Falcon]

Ranch Dog, I'm going to have to give one of your molds a try. I've downed many a deer and pig with my little 1894P as well. It is in the truck with me more than any other these days, although still with no glass, I recently put a set of peeps on it hoping to squeeze one or two more years out of these old eyes before being forced to mount glass.

[HEAD0001]

I have had a few 1894's. Two in 44 magnum. Both had low power scopes on them. Both would keep the bullets that i cast into 2" or slightly less groups at 100 yards. I was happy with the accuracy of all my 1894's. I had a feeding problem with one but I was shooting heavy for caliber bullets. When I switched to a lighter bullet that problem went away(300 grainer in 44 magnum). Tom.

[JesterGrin_1]

I guess I was never as lucky as Ranch Dog or the others. As the best I could ever get out of mine at 100 yards is between 2 to 2 1/2 groups. Do size them at least .432. My rifle did ok with the Ranch Dog 265Gr but never had a chance to try his 300Gr out. But did use the Lee 430-310 RNFP/GC sized .432 with good effect.

And by the way there is a group buy going on for the Lee 430-310Gr but I think sized .434 in either plain base or Gas Check and you can even get a hollow point mold.

[Lloyd Smale]

your doing better then me. The best 94 i had woud do about 4 inch at a 100 and my P will only do about 6 and thats on a good day. It is a very finiky gun and if it werent so cute and handy it would have gone done the road long ago. Ive just come to only take it out when i know the hunting range wont be past 50 yards. Like ranch dog said heavys are the way to go in it. With lighter bullets its lucky to stay on the paper at 50 yards.

I guess I was never as lucky as Ranch Dog or the others. As the best I could ever get out of mine at 100 yards is between 2 to 2 1/2 groups. Do size them at least .432. My rifle did ok with the Ranch Dog 265Gr but never had a chance to try his 300Gr out. But did use the Lee 430-310 RNFP/GC sized .432 with good effect.

And by the way there is a group buy going on for the Lee 430-310Gr but I think sized .434 in either plain base or Gas Check and you can even get a hollow point mold.

[AKtinman]

Great thread!

Last weekend I found a gently used 1894 Cowboy Limited 20” at a gun show and it came home with me.

Haven’t found a lot of info on the web about this model, but the serial starts with “93” and other than 2 minor wood dings, the gun looks about new. It does have “JM” stamped near the chamber.

I’ve got an order to be mailed tomorrow for one of the Ranch Dog 265 grain molds.

I also have an old NEI SSK 285 grain mold that I’ll have to dust off and try out.

This will be fun!

[robertbank]

This will be the dumbest question ever asked on this Forum do be easy on this old Canuck. Are those feral hogs suitible for eating or not? We obviously don't have them up here so I just got to ask.

Take Care

Bob

[Bodydoc447]

The feral hogs I have gotten were delicious! I generally just make sausage out of them, though. I grind them with a little extra fat since they are so lean and make mostly Polish sausage and brats out of them. I just got some "high temperature" cheese to make cheddar brats for the next time I am lucky enough to get a hog.

Doc