New 1899 Marlin 1893

[mustanggt]

I just recently bought one in 32-40 and have been trying to clean a sewer pipe full of crud out of it. I'm thinking I can get it done but will of course require lots of time and elbow grease. I've been using Kroil and CLP foaming bore cleaning. Its doing the job. After a regime of cleaning I ran a bore scope down the tube and there are changes taking place each time. What they are at this point I have no idea but I'm going to get it clean come hell or highwater. Anyone have similar experiences or products that were MIRACLES!!! Thanks

[flyin brian]

I've bought a ton of old rifles with cruddy bores so I know what you're going through. I also have a bore scope and enjoy seeing the difference as you get through the layers.
I think the best thing I've found when starting on one of these sewer pipes is Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner. It's like ribbons of cuttings off a lathe and you wrap it around an old bore brush.
Once I get all the cap out I find JB not-embedding bore paste to be the best at getting a little some back to it... Although they rarely get shiny... But the difference is amazing.
I bought a Winchester 1892 once that I thought might have a bullet stuck in the bore, then I realized I could barely see a whisp of light from my flashlight held in the breech. I still work on that one when I get a chance and it looks a hell of a lot better.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[mustanggt]

Thanks for the reply. I have some of that steel cleaner that looks like a chore boy pad. Just cut off a hunk and thread it around a bore brush. It really loosens up the crud well. A gunsmith did a refurbishment to this rifle. I normally won't by a reblue and/or stock wood work done but the guy that did this did it very well and I took the chance on it. Price was right. Too bad the inside didn't look as good as the outside. Hahaha

[ATCDoktor]

I have a couple of 1893’s.

This one is a “parts” gun chambered in 32/40 I picked up for very short money last Xmas and the barrel used to build it was NOS (new old stock) and with properly sized cast bullets it’s an extremely good shooter.

As you can see the gunsmith that did work did a fabulous job on the build.





This is my other 1893 chambered in 30/30 with a serial number in the 400,000 range (I have no idea how old it is) and it’s a little rough as you can see and the bore is less than pristine.





Like the OP, I spent some time scrubbing the bore but corrosion and pitting conspired to keep me from sorting it out the way I’d like.

Here’s a few pics of the bore on my 30/30:







As ugly as the bore is on the 30/30 it is still a very fine shooter.



So if you can’t get the bore pristine, it may not be an issue reference it’s shootability/grouping potential.

[Norske]

I bought a used Savage 99 that had been carried a lot, shot some, and cleaned never. I scuffed the bore crud with a bronze brush and Hoppe's #9, then plugged the chamber with a size 00 rubber stopper and put it in a workbench end clamp (muzzle up), filled the barrel with Hoppe's #9 and let it set overnight. It took almost 2 weeks of soaking and brushing to get the barrel clean. Then it shot like a bolt rifle.

[mustanggt]

Thanks for the support fellas. I hope my barrel is as accurate as yours Dok.

[ATCDoktor]

You find a load they like and these Marlins will flat out shoot.

I bought my 1893 in 30/30 for the express purpose of converting it to 38-55 but it shoots so good (rotten barrel and all) I’m gonna leave it as is.

[mustanggt]

Fingers crossed Dok. thanks

[Win94ae]

My old 1917 had a sewer pipe bore that took days to clean, but it still shoots great.

[mustanggt]

Well I took the rifle to the range this morning. I could not find any brass initially so I managed to find some HSM ammo for the brass as much as anything else. Horrible accuracy. I think the bullet was grossly undersized. I finally was able to form 38-55 to 32-40 and also had some boolits made up for my 32WS and the boolit was actually originally for the 32-40. It is pretty accurate in my 32WS. It at least hit the paper consistenly but that was as good as it got. I did slug the bore and it is .3245 and the boolits were .324-.3245. So I'm going to order another mold from Accurate and size to .325+ I think that because of the sewer pipe bore that the some of the boolits shot ok and others would shoot to the opposite side of the paper. The crown looks fine so up next is the new mould plus taking down all the cartridges. Boooo!!!

[Shawlerbrook]

It never ceases to amaze me how an ugly bore can shoot pretty darn good. I always worry about in an effort to make it look good you actually makes it shoot worse.

[mustanggt]

My bore scope finally started to show that there were actual lands and grooves in the barrel. I stopped then just because I was tired of the PITA chore that cleaning it was. I think a fatter boolit will make it shoot at least better than it does now.

[turtlezx]

my 1893 32-40 had good looking rifling and would tumble a .321 bullet made for it
bought a lee 8mm 170 gr mold shoot as cast at .325 no more tumbling

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Plug the bore and fill it with ATF Walk away and come back in a couple days. Poor that barrel full in a container for future use. Scrub with brass..
It is amazing what ATF will cut through. If needed fill barrel again and walk away.......... let the ATF do the hard work.

[bigted]

Good morning
Plug the bore and fill it with ATF Walk away and come back in a couple days. Poor that barrel full in a container for future use. Scrub with brass..
It is amazing what ATF will cut through. If needed fill barrel again and walk away.......... let the ATF do the hard work.

So what happens if some gets on the finish?

[bigted]

Also ... how different are the 32-40 and the 32 Special. Seems that Winchester at least chambered their model 94 in both these cartridges.

Ballistics wise, I guess is what my question concerns. Seems they are both pretty close except for the sharper , more improved shoulder on the 32 special , while the 32-40 is a more gentle taper .