Over sized bullets in a 1894

[161]

I know I need to slug my 1894 357. As you probably remember my rifle won't shoot .358 bullets unless they're under 800 FPS. I found some boolits sized .361 for the old 38 S&W. Anybody ever tried a boolit that big it a Marlin? I know I need to slug the barrel first just asking if anybody had to go that big. The guys I've been talking to say I'm getting to wrapped up in this one hole group thing for CAS. But I want to shoot more than a manhole sized target with this rifle. I'd like to take it squirrel an rabbit hunting also.
161
http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=5&secondary=29

[truckboss]

wrapped up?are you kidding me,thats what we do here and then beat it to death over and over again.this is how we learn.any ways i have a 1895 45/70 it will chamber a .462 easy but a little tight with a .463, haven't slugged the bore but assuming it's about .458-.459 this will be about .003-.004 over grove.i don't have a scope yet and little time to shoot right know but i hope this will shoot to it's potential.i think it's a popular thing to fill the chamber up.i hope one of the many fine guys here will chime in and help us out.

[BABore]

See what size boolit will just slip into a fired case. The case should be once fired and the remnants of the crimp should be removed so you don't get a false reading. Make up a dummy with this size boolit and see if it chambers ok. A very, very slight drag is usually ok. I like to ink up the case and boolit for this. If it chambers ok, use it. You will need to work up the load as pressure will be increased slightly from a smaller boolit. You may have to adjust your expander diameter for all this to work out. Too small and the boolits may get resized. Too big and not enough boolit pull. This all will set up the best posible condition for the boolit to enter the rifling square. From there it is the boolit design and load.

Several of us members had a chance to shoot 45 2.1's shiny, stainless 1894 this last summer. He designed the 360640 PB boolit used and it was loaded over 2400 powder. With stock opens it was grouping around 4 1/2 to 5 inches at 385 yards. Due to the OAL issues with the Marlin, cases were trimmed back a bit to get it to function. A bit of trimming on the carrier would allow you to use normal length brass.

[Bass Ackward]

Several of us members had a chance to shoot 45 2.1's shiny, stainless 1894 this last summer. He designed the 360640 PB boolit used and it was loaded over 2400 powder.

With stock opens it was grouping around 4 1/2 to 5 inches at 385 yards.


That's impressive.

Was that 3 seperate, 10 shot groups? Don't count without at least a 15 knot headwind. :grin:

I got new glasses, but I need to check if I can see 385 yards.

[BABore]

I didn't do the shooting, that was Dutch4122. Bob didn't let me shoot his 357 as I had an empty gun case all set to tuck it away when he wasn't looking.:bigsmyl2: IIRC it was fully loaded, so 9-10 rounds I guess. They were both taking turns. The target was a freshly painted orange, 24" buzz saw blade. The arbor hole was around 2 1/2" in diameter. Dutch and Bob jacked the rear sight elevator to the highest position and IIRC he 6 O'clocked the arbor hole. All shots clustered right around the hole on the blade. Strangley, I don't think he put a single round actually through the hole.

Dutch just got new contact lenses prior to that shoot so he could actually see that far. Myself, I had laser surgury about 10 years ago. I went from 20/200 to 20/15. On a good day I will test out at 20/10. On ground targets I could call shots at 385 yards faster than 357Max could do with a spotting scope. We were shooting down a 50 yard wide gas pipeline right-of-way that was surrounded by dense oaks. The 385 yard target area was a bright, sunlit hilltop which made target definition outstandingly crisp.

[Dutch4122]

Now for the crazy part that nobody will believe:

The orange painted concrete saw blade was suspended by wire from and old aluminum swingset frame setting on top of the sunlit hill. 357maximum had spray painted a section of the top swingset frame crossbar with orange paint; which was approximately 3 1/2 feet above that arbor hole on the concrete saw blade. I was aiming (obviously from the benchrest) at that orange section of the crossbar and the shots were dropping in all around that arbor hole. The load was 14.5 grains of Alliant 2400.

[Dutch4122]

The concrete saw blade painted orange suspended from the swingset frame is in the upper left of the shooting lane in this picture. IIRC the diameter of that saw blade was more like 30 inches.

The 1st target stand is @ 50 yards. The second target stand, and saw blade and knocked down orange bowling pins are @ 100 yards. The 3rd row of targets are @ 200 yards. The fourth row near the top of the hill are at 280 yards. 357maximum and myself set up this range and he verified these distances with a laser rangefinder.

[45 2.1]

Bob didn't let me shoot his 357 as I had an empty gun case all set to tuck it away when he wasn't looking.:bigsmyl2: Yep, you weren't alone there. I think ALL of you said something like "i'm gonna make that disappear". I watch quite well, so that didn't happen............and I still have it. Dutch did missplace a rifle though.... wonder how that happened?????

[Dutch4122]

The view from the bench. Without the benefit of the zoom cranked way up on the camera.

[felix]

I don't see any beer cans! Nothing for me to shoot, so I am going to take my toys and go home. ... felix

[45 2.1]

I don't see any beer cans! Nothing for me to shoot, so I am going to take my toys and go home. ... felix


The small fist sized rocks at 200 yards were a lot more fun than cans......believe me. You got a WHOCK every hit and they jumped some. Give it a try.

[txbirdman]

I have a '94 Marlin in .357 and it likes the 358429 sized to .3595. I also have to trim brass shorter than standard in order to get this bullet to function. This particular mould drops at .3605.

[BABore]

The concrete saw blade painted orange suspended from the swingset frame is in the upper left of the shooting lane in this picture. IIRC the diameter of that saw blade was more like 30 inches.

The 1st target stand is @ 50 yards. The second target stand, and saw blade and knocked down orange bowling pins are @ 100 yards. The 3rd row of targets are @ 200 yards. The fourth row near the top of the hill are at 380 yards. 357maximum and myself set up this range and he verified these distances with a laser rangefinder.

That dark, house shaped shadow that is about 15 ft right and 65 ft above the sawblade was my POA for my 357 plinker load that I was dueling it out with Bob for rock smacking supremacy. I found a little cup shaped patch of leaves in that spot and locked my reddot onto it.

[Dutch4122]

That dark, house shaped shadow that is about 15 ft right and 65 ft above the sawblade was my POA for my 357 plinker load that I was dueling it out with Bob for rock smacking supremacy. I found a little cup shaped patch of leaves in that spot and locked my reddot onto it.

Be careful, now. You'll get accused again of making erroneous claims that no mortal man can duplicate with any handgun & ammunition crafted by mortal hands!:roll: [smilie=l:


Felix-

I think beer cans were the only thing we didn't have to shoot at out there! Saw blade gongs, bowling pins, plinker metallic silhouettes, bells made out of old acetalyne (sp?) tanks, steel plate swingers, rocks spray painted orange, and even paper targets that I was the only one shootin' at! Bruce knocked chunks out of the 100 yard tempered steel gong with his .450 Marlin Guide Gun. I'm still amazed at how well Bob's .357 Mag 1894ss shot at those long ranges.

[BABore]

No Capes!

[45 2.1]

Be careful, now. You'll get accused again of making erroneous claims that no mortal man can duplicate with any handgun & ammunition crafted by mortal hands!:roll: [smilie=l:

Topic: Over size boolits in a 1894. Gee Matt, just how many times do we have to tell everyone how to get a micro groove Marlin to shoot? You have a fine shooting 44 mag and the 357 mags are no slouch either (put a scope on one and find out what it really does, it'll shock you with proper ammo). The real problem is what everybody feeds their Marlins. Maybe we need to have about 2000 people to witness us shooting. Everything we've posted is quite possible, but nobody seems capable of following directions to the end........... or it sure seems that way. The real point is: Get out there and shoot, not blast. Find out what works and improve your skills and loads. When you can't improve, find somebody better than you and learn from them.

[felix]

That is the real trick, Bob. Not many folks want to shoot without killing something, for real or for imagination. ... felix

[357maximum]

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l80/357maximum/Shoot10Knap002.jpg


A little pic of the range before any paint was removed.


There was more than one person wanting to steal that stainless 1894...I was very impressed with that BRP 357-640 boolit in that rifle.

At least one of us were actually hitting the 380 yard gong with the sights set for 100 yards using simple bead holdover......others had to adjust the sights manually. :kidding:


The next time this range gets used those trees on the left just beyond the 400 yard mark will be trimmed and we will seperate the men from the boys with some 800yard gongs. :lol:

[161]

Very nice range wish I had a place like that. I did get the Marlin to shoot. It likes the Lee .358 SWC TL 3.7 Unique and a WW Mag primer just because thats what I have for primers, in the 38 sp. I've found some jacketed boolits it likes for the 357 mag and I have some LEE 158 SWC with a Gas Check cast just need to load them. Going to try 2400 and H110. Fun little gun!! Not sure what I enjoy more shooting, casting or loading.
Warren

[crabo]

161, my Marlin would chamber a 362 boolit. I had the barrel set back and rechambered to 359. I am just now starting to retest everything. It is starting to show promise.

[161]

They're a sweat little gun I'm looking forward to finding a little faster load. The one I have is just a fun plinking rnd and thats what I wanted. Someone here told me to see how large a boolit will fit in a spent case from my gun so last night I tried my cast TL. They will almost start in the case. Also I took the gun and ran about 100 357 125 JHP through it. I think, it had some rough edges that needed smoothed up before it would shoot cast. But thats just a theory. I never had a 357 in a rifle before but I'm impressed with what a 18.5 in barrel does for that rnd. Had a lot of help from this board thanks. Also I wish I had that range and you guys had a nicer one we'd all be happy.

[45 2.1]

There was more than one person wanting to steal that stainless 1894..I know......but nobody got it. I was very impressed with that BRP 357-640 boolit in that rifle. I keep telling everybody thats its what is put in the gun rather than the gun that makes the difference (the shooter matters about the same). That rifle hasn't got any more capability than another like it. RPM limits is total BS. This site has its own share of "Old Wives Tales" that it keeps producing regularly.

The next time this range gets used those trees on the left just beyond the 400 yard mark will be trimmed and we will seperate the men from the boys with some 800yard gongs. Hee hee....yes we will. [/QUOTE]

[rintinglen]

Guys, thanks for this thread. Your bandinage made laugh for the first time this week. Tuesday, I finally had to put down my 22 year old chihuahua, poor thing seemed to have had a stroke, but was still muddling along. I admit it, I cried and felt like an axe murderer ought to feel. You guys helped me smile.Thanks fellas, I needed that.

[looseprojectile]

I am not having any luck in the search mode.
What the heck is the 640? The length? What is the nose shape?
My 190 grain Ranch dog boolit is over .750" length.
I believe that my Rossi can shoot that good just not by me. :roll:.

Life is good

[45 2.1]

I am not having any luck in the search mode.
What the heck is the 640? The length? What is the nose shape?
My 190 grain Ranch dog boolit is over .750" length.
I believe that my Rossi can shoot that good just not by me. :roll:.

Life is good

Try here:
http://www.brp.castpics.net/P1.html

Listed as the 360640 PB. The hollow point form is the best one.