I quit on the Marlin 1894P .44

[beagle]

I went the same route with the Marlins and finally gave up in disgust and it went on a one way trip to the gun show.

I bought a new Winchester Legacy and have been a very happy camper.

Now, I know there's guys that say they get MG Marlins to shoot .44 Mag cast but I'm not one of them./beagle

[Bass Ackward]

From an educational standpoint, this kind of thing makes for interesting reading cause we generally only hear the good stories. Or the stories that turn out well.

Sometimes it's nice to let folks know that regardless of their experience level, there may just be a situation that won't work out no matter what you try.

[Old Ironsights]

I just took out a friend's M94 (dunno whether it is a P or what).

Shot some beauty ragged holes offhand with it... until I got the Dreaded Marlin Jam.

Absolutely locked up. Nothing moves. Now I have to figure out how to take the fool thing apart.

(edit - this is not a double-feed jam, this is one shell wedged into the carrier or somthing...)

Another reason I prefer the Win 1892 clones...

[44man]

You guys are tempting me big time.
Most of my boolits have been gas checked--- no difference. Like I said, it shoots most anything great up to 50 yd's but after that is when it just loses everything. I still say the boolits can't be spun fast enough to last past 50.

[willy]

Sell it and get a Rossi 92 .
I got the Rossi in 45colt with 20" oct. barrel with a peep sight that I shoot 255 gr. SWC bullets with 22 gr. of 2400 into a inch at 50 yards and under 3 inchs at 100 easy.
Also got a Rossi 92 in 44mag. with 20" round barrel that shoots just as good.



Willy

[Shuz]

44 Man,

Your results sound identical to mine when I had the same rifle as yours. I fixed mine by trading it off. Never found a CB load that would shoot worth a damn that was over about 1000 fps and then accuracy wasn't anything to brag about.

Very frustrating.

I had the same experience with my Marlin 44 carbine. I sold it and bought a Winchester Trapper. I'm a happy camper now!--Shuz

[longbow]

44man:

Since you seem to have tried most everything, I have one other suggestion if you haven't checked already - run an oversize ball or slug through the bore to check for tight spots.

I was having trouble getting my .44 mag Marlin 1894 to shoot well and not lead badly - even just one of those would have been good. Tried several things with only moderate success then read on the Marlinowners site that many (most?) Marlins have tight spots in the barrel under the dovetails!

I drilled a hole through a .440" ball and fit it to the end of a ramrod then pushed it through the barrel - sure enough, tight spots!

I hand lapped the tight spots out very carefully so as not to lap out the microgroove rifling. So far leading is no more and accuracy seems to have improved dramatically - at least from the buckshot patterns I was getting. I will have to do some serious shooting off the bench to be sure but I do believe this has fixed or at least improved the situation.

Longbow

[35remington]

Check the throat. I'm betting you don't have one, which is problem #1 I look for when cast of the proper diameter won't shoot.

If you have a throat that some of these leverguns are burdened with, nothing you do will improve things. Period.

Check it out, and decide if jacketed accuracy versus cast is sufficient for you to want to put in a proper throat which is not overlong for the gun, and does not compromise jacketed accuracy. Check OAL to see if the Marlin will cycle somewhat longer rounds first if the longer throat is the way you want to go.

[felix]

That's true. Most (winning) BR boolit guns have a small amount, say 100 freebore, before a 1.5-2.0 degree inclusive leade in. The freebore is what enhances centering, where the boolit is seldom seated long enough to mark the boolit unless required for the load that day. Now, that's an ideal throat. However, my Marlin in 41 mag has a cave for a throat which is 200 long before the lands strike the boolit (solid copper wadcutter). I have no idea what the the leade is. The same for my Ruger 44 lever gun, but I have no idea what the total throat is in that thing. Reason is that gun requires a nose not to exceed 300 to cycle, so there is no reason to know the internals. Both shoot very good now, after shooting antimony excessive boolits for a year's worth, say 1000 rounds for each gun. Now, I have a 22-250 Remmie VS that has zero freebore and fairly abrupt lands. I shot that thing for about 750 rounds with 60K cup condom loads. It now shoots boolits with great authority at 2400. So, to make these factory guns shoot, you have two choices (assuming the twist is OK). Mechanically fix them up front, or shoot the hell out of them. I prefer the latter. If the gun won't shoot after 1K rounds, then consider a mechanical fix or gunshow it. By the way, the older Rossi cowboy guns have 30 twist. The latest Winnie guns have 26 twist. Both work good for nominal length boolits. ... felix

[Pavomesa]

I had one and got similar poor results. Finally solved the problem by jacking the rifle up and putting a different mfg's rifle under it in different caliber.

[TxGunfighter]

My Suggestion is to send the gun back to Marlin with your complaints... Marlin will work with you. You might even get them to install a barrel with ballard rifling... Marlin has always treated me well in the past.

[dubber123]

Dang, I'm the only one who got a good one!

[Lloyd Smale]

I like mine too Dubber. Id actually like to have another one. 44man. dave clements is doing a custom 4570 for me right now and one of the things hes doing is changing the throat of the barrel in a way that is suppose to improve cast bullet shooting. I dont know exactly what he does as i never really checked into it because ive not had a problem with cast out of a marlin other then my 44p which like i said is finiky but does shoot some loads real well but maybe he has a cheap fix for you to try. He also is changing the way the mag tube is hung and glass bedding the but stock which he claims helps accuracy too. I know you probably dont want to sink more money into that gun but id look at it this way. there about as cute and handy of a 44 mag carbine as youll find and if 200 bucks thrown at it would make it become a gun your proud of instead of one you detest it would be money well spent. Ive also read paco kellys articles on accurarizing a lever and you may want to look them over. I think were all pissing in the wind if were looking for a 44 mag marlin to shoot moa but id certainly expect it to be a minute of whitetail gun at a 100 yards!! By the way my offer to buy it is legitimate. I really like mine and would be willing to buy it and continue your quest for accuracy with it.

Dang, I'm the only one who got a good one!

[WKAYE]

Dang, I'm the only one who got a good one!

No you're not. Mine was bought new about 5 years ago and shots very well with Saeco 431. Alloy is WW with 2% tin Babbitt and 2% Mag shot. Air cooled Bhn is 14.5 . A .432 sizer just touches the part lines. They average just over 2" @ 100 yards. The groove diameter is .431 and like 44man's, the lands are not very tall. I had to firelap it as the rollstamp created a tight spot underneath. It also shots various PB plinker loads with Unique. Luck of the draw with groove diameters , I guess.

[Lead melter]

44Man,
Being no expert on the topic, I cannot speak conclusively about what the problem is. I can, however, add a few suggestions to the thread.
1. My own 1894-P likes to have the forearm rested on the bag in the manner that the contact point is just ahead of the action.
2. Give the RD 432-265-RN/FP a try. I have shot them at both .430" and .432". My own rifle will not show a marked preference for either size, but will have a totally different impact point with the difference in boolit size.
3. Try the Hornady 300 grain flat point j-bullet over 20 grains of L'il Gun. The 300 grainer is made for a 444 Marlin, but works great in my shorty.
4. For any high speed loads, jacketed or cast, get rid of 296, or H110 and try the L'il Gun. I have been amazed at the difference this powder makes in just about any 44. My 1894, my Ruger BH, and three others that belong to a buddy, have all come around well with this powder. If you go the RD mold route, try 18-19 grains.
5. On a previous post I had trouble with a 240 grain SWC boolit at 100 yards. The 50 yard performance was great, but 100 yards left the group at about 6" left of the target. Sighted dead on at 50, but way left at 100? Never could figure it out, till I remembered the load was 10 grains Unique at about 1350 fps. This should be fine in this gun, but it sure wasn't fine enough for me. In short, try a heavier boolit, with L'il Gun powder and I would not be surprised if your rifle will start to behave a little better.

[Bass Ackward]

I think were all pissing in the wind if were looking for a 44 mag marlin to shoot moa but id certainly expect it to be a minute of whitetail gun at a 100 yards.

I'm sorta spoiled. Mine has never failed to shoot any design I have put through it up to 280 grains and that had to be a Keith type. Out to 50 yards, it'll handle anything. It's scoped to 9X and if she shot a 2" group at 100, trust me, I would be back to the reloading bench or servicing the gun to correct the problem. So it's piece of mind.

[44man]

lead melter, I am going to buy the RD mold next to try. I re slugged the bore and it is smooth with no tight spots. I also have some Lil'Gun. I will try what you say.
Big problem I have is the gun belongs to my grandson and he loves it. He lives with us so I use it when I want to. I don't dare sell it out from under him. I just mentioned it and he came apart.
I guess I better not give up yet.

[44man]

RD mold is on the way.
A question about it. Will it work OK with Felix lube?
I have a lapped out .432 size die and plenty of Lee LA if needed. I just never liked the stuff.

[felix]

felix lube should work fine unless the boolit grooves are sized too much to hold anything. If you have to, just make a special batch with a little more lanolin. That would mean two sizers, eh? ... felix

[44man]

Thanks Felix. I do have .432, .433 and .4335 sizers.