Marlin 94 CL 32/20

[Euan]

I had just bought a wee Marlin 94 CL in 32/20 in very tidy condition. Yesterday I got a note from the mail man to say there was an oversized parcel at the post shop to pick up. So as I was going to a job, I picked it up on the way.
While on the job I got the opportunity to try a shot with it at a rabbit at aprox 35 yards, which was succesfull (maybe lucky shot). I was a very happy camper, so it is definatly a keeper. had been looking for one of these for a few years.
I think it will end up with a low profile Skinner peep and HiViz glow green foresight.

cheers Euan

[missionary5155]

Greetings from my side of the Big Blue.
The 32-20 is one fine cartrige. Sadly there are too few rifles made nowadays.

[Hickory]

I see the unlucky rabbit met the lucky dog.
Nice rifle, you lucky dog.

[Flash]

Cool find. i have one in both 32/20 and 25/20 and love them.

[6pt-sika]

I had a a pair of CL's in 32-20 , a 25-20 and a Bee !

They all did very well with cast bullets !

Also had a Davidson's Limited run 1894CCL in 32-20 that was very nice shooter !

[excess650]

I bought one of those when they first came out. Mine took a bit of fire lapping, but now is a great shooter! The 32-20 is a great small game cartridge. The projectile is large enough to get the job done without a lot of velocity, but can be warmed up in a strong rifle like the Marlin. Its a near perfect cast boolit cartridge!

[btroj]

The 32-20 is about the perfect plinker to me. It is the 22LR of the reload able cartridges.
So cheap on lead and powder, quiet to shoot, no recoil, and darn accurate.

What is not to like about a good 32-20 rifle?

[northmn]

The 32-20 would be a great gun for me. Most I see go for a bit more than I want to put out. Too bad Marlin don't keep them in their CB line. They used to be considered a small game gun you could shoot deer with. Some have done so under ideal circumstances. One individual I know likes them to shoot furbearers with as they do tear up like hv loads.

DP

[robertbank]

Nice purchase and a better shot.

Take Care

Bob

[Marine Sgt 2111]

I have one of them also. I really like the fact that you can load the cartridge down so that it just drills .30 holes through "eating" type animals or load it up and take bigger animals (this reads deer). No recoil and a 120gr FPGC at 1800-1900fps is more than enough to harvest venison at 50yds with.

[HEAD0001]

I hope Marlin brings back a few of the cartridges they made 1894's in. I think they will in the next year or so. I would really like to have a 218 Bee and a 32-20. Personally I believe when they get their new plant up a runnning we are going to see alot of good things from Marlin. Including a 22 magnum levergun. Lets hope!! Tom.

[Newtire]

I have a couple of .32-20 rifles and they all shoot great. If you can get a Lyman 311316, that thing will really shoot those. I lucked upon a 4-cavity and I guess that's why I like that boolit so much-easy to cast up a bunch.

[Old Goat Keeper]

I have the same 4 CL's 6pt. The only difference is that I still have all 4!

Tom



I had a a pair of CL's in 32-20 , a 25-20 and a Bee !

They all did very well with cast bullets !

Also had a Davidson's Limited run 1894CCL in 32-20 that was very nice shooter !

[9.3X62AL]

I have a CCL in 32-20, and it is an utter delight.

[6pt-sika]

I have the same 4 CL's 6pt. The only difference is that I still have all 4!

Tom

The 25-20 I had came from a little shop close to Hamlin PA and the 218 came from a gunshow in Dickson City PA [smilie=1:

[gewehrfreund]

I had a 32-20 CL and had a lot of fun with it. Now I have a Marlin 1894 (made in 1911) TD, half magazine, half octagon barrel with a period Marbles tang sight.
Good to see that some of the Marlin CLs made it Kiwi-land!

[Abert Rim]

Sarge: Which 120-grain FPGC??

[threedflyer]

Anyone have load data for the Lyman 115 FN cast bullet?
I am going to try 6.6 grains of 2400 (1043 FPS) first.
Tom

[9.3X62AL]

I've run as much as 11.0 grains of 2400 under Lyman #311316 in my Marlin 94CCL. Its sweet spot seems to be 10.0-10.5 grains, accuracy-wise. 10.5 grains gives just shy of 1700 FPS with pretty small SDs (8-12 FPS). Starline cases--Rem #6-1/2 primers--gentle crimp--boolits @ .313".

NOTE--THESE LOADS MUST NOT BE USED IN MOST REVOLVERS CHAMBERED FOR THE 32-20 CARTRIDGE. Only the Ruger Blackhawk/Buckeye Special editions so chambered are capable of handling these pressures, AFAIK.

[Marine Sgt 2111]

Amen to that 9.3, while Lil Gun shows promise with full throttle loads, 2400 @ around 10 grains in the Marlin...it is the hammer of Thor on woodchucks hiding in ditches.

[Jeff H]

The 32-20 would be a great gun for me. Most I see go for a bit more than I want to put out. Too bad Marlin don't keep them in their CB line. They used to be considered a small game gun you could shoot deer with. Some have done so under ideal circumstances. One individual I know likes them to shoot furbearers with as they do tear up like hv loads.

DP

Even the .357 Marlins are scarce here and go for a pretty penny.
Sure wish Rossi would see fit to chamber it in their 92.
For now, my .357 will have to pretend to be a 32-20, with some thoughtful handloading, of course.

[northmn]

Looking back I see my original posting was before I broke down and bought a Marlin I found. Mine is the CL Ducks Unlimited version and has made a great little rifle. It is more accurate than my 357. I keep the loads hotter than factory but still modest at about 1500 fps.

DP

[mainiac]

i also picked up a ducks unlimited 1894cl,,bought it a couple monrths ago.1990 model,brand new in the box. I have about 600 rounds threw it now,,,its no longer new!

The gun shoots the tightest between 7.5,and 8.5 grs of 2400. Any load ive tried so far,that goes over 1300 f.p.s.,,doesnt shoot very tight,,bad fliers. 8 grs of 2400 gives 1080 f.p.s.,,and will shoot about an inch group @ 50 yards,with receiver sight.

Im thinking i can get this gun down under 1 inch,with time.
Most accurate boolit is the 311316,,the rcbs98,,a close second.

I also have a nice 1.5 pound trigger now,,very happy with how it turned out. Originaly,the gun came with a trigger pull,that surely was one of the worst marlin ever put out.Know it was 10 pounds,and full of creep.

Bore is .312,with 2 tight spots.

I went from a .312 sizer,to a .313 sizer,and cut my fliers at least in half.

Dont know why i just wrote all this stuff,,,,,,,,guess some of you fellers might find it useful.

[Canuck Bob]

I have one of them also. I really like the fact that you can load the cartridge down so that it just drills .30 holes through "eating" type animals or load it up and take bigger animals (this reads deer). No recoil and a 120gr FPGC at 1800-1900fps is more than enough to harvest venison at 50yds with.

I agree but I'm a bit surprised nobody jumped on this. The deer I've shot have almost all been overgunned. In the bush a 32-20 is a deer catridge. I would say that the hunter must be two things, a hunter and discilpined regarding kill range.

We have a doe season and I may do some scouting and ambush a sweet eating doe next year. I figure a heart or head shot, 50 paces max.

[northmn]

Since MarineSGT2111 is from MI I gues he is shooting a fair sized deer. While I do not want to put anyone down. Southern deer and Northern deer are almost two different critters. Here in the Midwest and the Northern states some deer field dress at nearly 200 lbs. Even the does go over 150 pounds on the hoof as compared to some areas where they hit at about 90-100 pounds.
I had a Lee 120 grain mold before I bought the 32-20 and have used it with very good results. Has not been worth getting another mold. I have used as cased bullets with and without gas checks with good results. I have a tendency to use my 30-30 instead of heavy loads in the 32-20. Also have a 38-55 and a 99 300 Savage. Too many guns and not enough deer.

DP

[9.3X62AL]

What is not to like about a good 32-20 rifle?

Not one bloomin' thing, sir.

These Marlins--the CL and CCL--go to the range with me EVERY trip. Not always to punch paper, either.......there's 12 miles of prime coyote and jackrabbit country between my doorstep and the range gate, and no finer calibers exist for such quarry as the 25-20 and 32-20. My trips to and from the shoot site are best described as wide-range ramblings, one or both ways.

[robertbank]

Not one bloomin' thing, sir.

These Marlins--the CL and CCL--go to the range with me EVERY trip. Not always to punch paper, either.......there's 12 miles of prime coyote and jackrabbit country between my doorstep and the range gate, and no finer calibers exist for such quarry as the 25-20 and 32-20. My trips to and from the shoot site are best described as wide-range ramblings, one or both ways.

Darn-it Al I just got to get down your way. I am afraid Seattle is as closest I will get this year.

Leave a yote or two around for your Northern neighbour.:mrgreen:

Take Care

Bob

[9.3X62AL]

Lots of song dogs hereabouts, and all that rain and snow last winter meant a bumper crop of jackrabbits. I like to strafe the jacks on the way to the range, then re-run the areas where the jacks got hit while enroute home, and jump the 'yotes off the snacks I left them. My batting average on running coyotes is about rookie ball to Single-A level, but it's still a hoot. The local coyotes get shot at A LOT--kind of a cottage industry. Dirt bikers chase them, too. A tough job, being a coyote around here.

[mpbarry1]

dangit. I want one now! :killingpc

[Old Goat Keeper]

Not one bloomin' thing, sir.

These Marlins--the CL and CCL--go to the range with me EVERY trip. Not always to punch paper, either.......there's 12 miles of prime coyote and jackrabbit country between my doorstep and the range gate, and no finer calibers exist for such quarry as the 25-20 and 32-20. My trips to and from the shoot site are best described as wide-range ramblings, one or both ways.

Al you need a 218 Bee or a 219 Zipper, scoped of course, to reach out an touch them yotes! Yeah I got both but no jacks or yotes for me to work on. I gotta move where there are more tagets of opportunity!

Tom

[Jon K]

i also picked up a ducks unlimited 1894cl,,bought it a couple monrths ago.1990 model,brand new in the box. I have about 600 rounds threw it now,,,its no longer new!

The gun shoots the tightest between 7.5,and 8.5 grs of 2400. Any load ive tried so far,that goes over 1300 f.p.s.,,doesnt shoot very tight,,bad fliers. 8 grs of 2400 gives 1080 f.p.s.,,and will shoot about an inch group @ 50 yards,with receiver sight.

Im thinking i can get this gun down under 1 inch,with time.
Most accurate boolit is the 311316,,the rcbs98,,a close second.

I also have a nice 1.5 pound trigger now,,very happy with how it turned out. Originaly,the gun came with a trigger pull,that surely was one of the worst marlin ever put out.Know it was 10 pounds,and full of creep.

Bore is .312,with 2 tight spots.

I went from a .312 sizer,to a .313 sizer,and cut my fliers at least in half.

Dont know why i just wrote all this stuff,,,,,,,,guess some of you fellers might find it useful.


My DU 1894CL shoots real accurate w/5gr Unique @1357fps with Saeco #322/Lyman 311008/311316.
I size to .3135 & BAC lube. The barrel slugs .3115-.312 @ the chamber end

Jon

[Marine Sgt 2111]

Since MarineSGT2111 is from MI I gues he is shooting a fair sized deer. While I do not want to put anyone down. Southern deer and Northern deer are almost two different critters. Here in the Midwest and the Northern states some deer field dress at nearly 200 lbs. Even the does go over 150 pounds on the hoof as compared to some areas where they hit at about 90-100 pounds.
I had a Lee 120 grain mold before I bought the 32-20 and have used it with very good results. Has not been worth getting another mold. I have used as cased bullets with and without gas checks with good results. I have a tendency to use my 30-30 instead of heavy loads in the 32-20. Also have a 38-55 and a 99 300 Savage. Too many guns and not enough deer.

DP

I was lucky enough to become friends with a young Cpl some 30 years ago when we were both on the Wing Shooting Team together. Over the years while we always chat about ballistics, shooting in the wind, calibers and competing, Randy has brought up his fathers shooting skills and killing deer. That man fed a family of 6 with a Ruger 10-22. No special trigger, match barrel or fancy stock...not even a scope. While not legal, he kept his shots to 30 yards or less, aimed for the eyeball or the ear hole and kept the family fed. He took his share of woodchucks, possums, coons, rabbits and squirrels and came home with 9 shells still in the magazine. He knew the target, he knew what the cartridge would do and he waited for his shot. These are words for every hunter to not only memorize...but live by.

When I was over in Iraq as a DM (Designated Marksman), ball ammo was useless in my rifle, 3.5" groups at 100 yds. If I used M262, 77 HPBT match ammo...1 1/8" to 1 1/4" groups at 100yds. I knew that those projectiles were terrible at going through windshields, dorrs and just about any other part of a car. I also knew that instead of just zipping though a body that those bullets "yawed" between 3"-5" of flesh (I tested them on wild dogs before I bet my life on them.) I kept my shots restricted to "soft" targets, always watched the wild, focused on sight picture and let the trigger take care of itself. I knew the cartridge, what it's limits were and took precise shots. Even in the worst of firefights, you had to focus on the target.

While I have .45-70's, a .38-55, .35 remington, .32-40, .30-30's ...etc, etc, etc...if I can put 3 boolits on a nickel at 50 yards and that same load will go through an 1 1/2" thick of pine (2x4 scraps) then I will wait for my shot, I will calmly look through that 2x scope, let half a breath out and hold my breath, squeeze that trigger and unless God stops the boolit, that deer will be venison.

I remember back in the '70's reading Guns and Ammo (when it was worth reading) and a man from one of the deep souther states had written in asking for guidance. He had inherited his grandfathers Model 92 Winchester which was chambered in .44-40. He stated that he always hunted on the edges or in swamps and that shots were never more than 50 yards. He also stated that he could put 5 shots on a playing card at 50 yards. He asked this so called gun scribe if .44-40 was enough cartridge to kill a deer.

Oh my God, this nit wit writer told the man writing in that it was way too weak to kill a deer and he needed at least a .30-06 or a 7mm mag. What an as* gasket! A 200grain boolit floating along at 1300 fps that can hit a playing card at 50 yards...can hit a deers skull or heart. I would have told the guy, "Your grandfather knew what he was doing when he bought that rifle, call you shots and make him proud."

If I was shooting distance, then I would pick a caliber to give me the desired results I wanted and practice, practice, practice. It seems we (as in shooters and hunters) have tried to make up for poor marksmanship with more power calibers and just blasting away. What's the deadliest on the battlefield.....one well aimed shot.

[Shootist]

Picked up a unfired Davidson's 1894 CCL 32-20 today....
Anyone have load data from a Lyman 1960's book?

[9.3X62AL]

Not sourced from Lyman.......but there is some data in this thread from earlier.

The single biggest upgrades I've made to my 32-20 rifle reloading......

1) Use of Starline brass. Much stronger and far less stretching.

2) Use of Remington 6-1/2 primers. These seem optimized for rifle applications in this case size range, and made flyers largely disappear. Small pistol primers can be OK for lighter loads, but lack cup strength to withstand higher pressures. The 6-1/2 primer seems to combine pistol primer brisance with rifle primer cup strength into the ideal cap for 25-20, 32-20, and 30 Carbine.

[Hiwall55]

I have the 1894CL ducks Unlimited in 25/20 and 32/20 , both shoot extremly well. the 25/20 loves a 90 grain lyman round nose loverin design with 12.0 gr. RX and the 32/20 115 FN lyman with 5.2 gr. Unique. I just bought a Shiloh Sharps,so I might have them for sale.

[.45Cole]

I hope you all don't run me out of here, but nobody has given a shout out to the Browning levers. My model 53 is the best finished lever I have, and it shoots VERY well. The marlins are going for about 4/5 of a Browning, and the marlins I have have a horrible trigger.
Plus the model 65 is a great looking .218 http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=314018836

[9.3X62AL]

Those Browning leverguns are EXCELLENT examples, sir. They are scarce as can be, though--and pricey when found.

I'm inclined to think that levergun chamberings in the Winchester '73 and '92 repros/Marlin 94 are largely driven by CAS demand, and a lot of shooters favor straight-wall pistol calibers for ease of reloading. I'm not active with CAS, but it occurs to me that a Vintage Caliber class in which original chamberings from the 1870-1899 period were fired could have some appeal.

Another example I get all drippy about are the Cimarron 73s in 32-20. I can't comment with knowledge as to their metallurgy, but the example I saw at SHOT 2011 was very well-made.

[jlchucker]

I bought one of those very molds several years ago, and I don't remember why. Nowadays I use the boolits from that mold, sized to work in some family 30-30's. Nowadays I wish that Rossi would begin offering that caliber in their 92's. Wouldn't a 32-20 Rossi with a 20 inch octagon barrel be nice to have? :-)


I have a couple of .32-20 rifles and they all shoot great. If you can get a Lyman 311316, that thing will really shoot those. I lucked upon a 4-cavity and I guess that's why I like that boolit so much-easy to cast up a bunch.

[ammohead]

I picked up a sweet little 1894CL in Elko last week while on the way to deer hunting. It is in great shape...about 90+% and at $505 all in the price wasn't bad either. $49.95 for a box of 50 was a bit steep so I haven't shot it yet but I have been loading up some for this weekend with SR4759 and a 115 gr NOE flat nose gas check that looks like it will do the trick. I ordered the brass from Black Hills Shooters Supply while out hunting and it was waiting on the porch when I got home. Gotta love cell phones! I will update as info becomes available.