Accuracy load for Marlin 1895 CB

[Dragoon 45]

A friend has a Marlin 1895 CB is is having all kinds of trouble getting it to shoot. I have one also and have found my rifle to be very easy to load for using 5744 and 405 FP cast bullets. My load is 29 grains of 5744 over the Lyman 405 and have found this load to be very accurate out to 200 yards. But this load doesn't seem to shoot worth a hoot in his rifle.

Anyone have any other recommendations for a accuracy load for this rifle?

Thanks.

[Wally]

Size big---I size to .459~.460"....

With an RCBS 325 U I use 15.0 grains of Unique...shoots very accurately in my .45-70 Marlin.

[Nobade]

Take a look at the barrel. Mine had the dovetails cut all the way into the bore from the factory. I had them rebarrel it with one that had the hole in the center. After some firelapping it shoots great now.

[MDF99]

I'm also working with an 1895 CB. I tried dropping a pin gauge down the barrel and it hung up almost immediately. The three dovetails cut into these barrels make constrictions that cause leading and ruin accuracy. I can see leading at the muzzle end of my barrel after the front sight and mag tube dovetails. I'm planning to firelap soon but for the time being it's doing OK with heavy gas check bullets sized at 0.460". Your pal probably has leading in the barrel. I'd recommend he try the chore boy copper scouring pad barrel cleaning method to remove the leading and then try some gas checked bullets and see how it shoots; the load probably isn't the problem. There are good tech notes to read over @ Beartooth Bullets website, those guys have been through all this.

[Swampman]

Are the barrels with these constrictions all Ballard rifled barrels?

[lcclower]

Not necessarily all Ballard, just Marlins.

If it doesn't have constrictions at the roll-on labeling or at the dovetails (like my .44 magnum 1894) it should shoot like a champ, just slug the barrel, cast & size accordingly and load it hot.

[Gunlaker]

All of my Marlins liked these 2 loads:

405gr gas checked bullet ( similar to Lyman 457193 ) .459", hard alloy, seated to 2.53" oal.

Cci 200 primers

25gr SR-4759.
Or
40gr IMR-3031

These are both quite mild loads that are close to original black powder velocities and very accurate in my rifles at 100m.

Chris.

[ghh3rd]

Wonder why they done cut the bore after they do the dovetail(s) in order to avoid causing constrictions?

Randy

[Dragoon 45]

Thanks guys, I am going out in the morning with him to try to beat the 100 degree heat here. We will be using a 100 and 200 yard bench rest range to try to zero his Marbles Tang Sight. I also have a chronograph and will test his loads.

He did finally measure his bullets and they cast out at .4575, which I believe might be part of the problem as they seem a little undersize to me.

[crabo]

Thanks guys, I am going out in the morning with him to try to beat the 100 degree heat here. We will be using a 100 and 200 yard bench rest range to try to zero his Marbles Tang Sight. I also have a chronograph and will test his loads.

He did finally measure his bullets and they cast out at .4575, which I believe might be part of the problem as they seem a little undersize to me.

This is a big problem. I bet if you sized to 460, the groups would tighten up. Firelapping is also a good thing. I have worked up loads for 3 guide guns and all shot great with 40 grains of 3031, with a tuff of dacron, WLR primers and starline brass, with a 420 grain boolit. (both AC and WD)

I think it is pretty easy to make a 45/70 shoot well. There are a lot of posts on 45/70 loads. If the crown is good, the barrel has been firelapped, boolit sized .460, and you work around the loads that work well for a lot of others, you should have a shooter. (I am assuming that a good lube is used and good reloading practices are followed)

[pdawg_shooter]

Dont know about a CB but my 1895g loves this load:

After five years of trying I have finally found THE load for my Marlin 1895g. Does everything I want done and is still shootable. I started with new Remington brass, annealed the first ¾ inch using the melted lead method, belled with a Lee expander and primed with CCI 200. The powder charge is 52gr AA 2495. I started with 48 and worked up with no signs of pressure. This is a compressed load, even using a 16 inch drop tube. The magic bullet is cast in a Lyman 451114 mould. The alloy is 17 parts pure lead, 2 ½ parts linotype, and ½ part tin. The bullet drops from the mould .451 and is ready for patching. I make my patches from 16lb green bar computer paper, cut 2.750 long on a 60* angle 1.500 high. I dip in water and wrap twice around the bullet. They are left to dry overnight, then lubed with BAC. The next day the tails are clipped and the bullet is run through a .459 Lee sizing die. I seat them to an OCL of 2.580. These shoot clover leaf groups at 25 yards and into 1.75 at 100. This is with a Lyman 66 rear sight and factory front sight. Not bad for 58 year old eyes. Bullet performance on game is all one could ask for. I’ll not quit experimenting, but how does one improve on perfection?

[Dragoon 45]

Went to the range this morning. He showed up with a new load: 350 grn FP, don't know which mold it was from, and IIRC 11 grains Unique. Pretty quickly I figured out he did not have even close to a zero on his rifle. Finally got him on paper at 50 yards and then got him shooting 2" groups at 100. Moved out to 200 yards and his groups opened up to approx 6" but stayed centered on the bull. Not great groupings, but something to start from.

He is relatively new to reloading and does not cast himself. He buys his bullets from a local supplier so I don't know hardness or alloy on the bullets. I suspect the 350 grainers may not be stable past 150 yards or so as a couple of the bullet holes in the target looked like they keyholed.

[T-Bird]

My 45/70 1895 CB shoots the Ly 330 "Gould" into 2" at 100 (as good as I can shoot) all day long . I size .459 shoot this boolet over 29gr IMR 4198 /dacron filler.Load is about 1375fps. Shoot Straight , T-Bird

[rintinglen]

Not knowing the skill level of the shooter involved, I am hesitant to comment, but a 2 inch 100 yard group with store bought cast is pretty good in my book for an Iron sighted lever gun. I have on occasion done better, but not without a great deal of fineagling my own boolits, cast and sized to suit my gun. I'd look to refine that load a bit, but that load is at the limit of my shooting abilities. I use the RCBS 45-325U and the Lyman 457-192 340 grainer over 22 grains of 2400 with a Dacron filler. They shoot 2 inch groups at one hundred yards from a bench, which is as good as the Hornady Leverlution rounds do from my gun at that distance.

[Dragoon 45]

He is actually a very good shot. We used to shoot on a rifle and pistol team in the service together. He is new to shooting levers as he just started shooting SASS about a year ago. Give him a military rifle or pistol and he is very hard to beat.

I agree the accuracy was pretty good at 100 yards, but he is using this rifle to compete in big bore SASS side matches at 200-300 yards. The possible key holes and opening-up groups at 200 yards was a little disappointing.

On a good day I can get 1 1/2" groups out of my Marlin 95 at 100 yards, 3-4 " groups at 200. But I put a lot of load development into it and my rifle is an older one. His rifle was one of the last ones to come out of the Marlin factory.


Not knowing the skill level of the shooter involved, I am hesitant to comment, but a 2 inch 100 yard group with store bought cast is pretty good in my book for an Iron sighted lever gun. I have on occasion done better, but not without a great deal of fineagling my own boolits, cast and sized to suit my gun. I'd look to refine that load a bit, but that load is at the limit of my shooting abilities. I use the RCBS 45-325U and the Lyman 457-192 340 grainer over 22 grains of 2400 with a Dacron filler. They shoot 2 inch groups at one hundred yards from a bench, which is as good as the Hornady Leverlution rounds do from my gun at that distance.