Oh, happy day!

[lovedogs]

That's what it was. A really happy day! For a long time I had been looking at a Marlin 1894 CB at the hardware store. One day it disappeared. I knew I couldn't afford it anyway so, in a way, I was relieved someone had bought it. It removed my temptation. But I missed handling it whenever I'd go to the store. I yearned for that gun though I figured it'd never be mine.

The wonderful lady I've been going with for about a year and a half has gotten to be quite a shooter in her own right and she knew how badly I wanted that rifle so she understood how I felt.

Yesterday was my birthday and Joyce had invited me to town to celebrate. We did all the usual stuff, chocolate cake and all that. We needed to go to the store to look at some new door locks Joyce wanted to get for her house. And, as usual, we had to go by the gun section just to see what was new while we were there.

You can imagine my surprise when I saw that .44 I'd been looking at before. Only this time it had a ribbon on it and a "Sold" sticker with my name on it. I was so excited I could barely fill out the papers. "Happy Birthday", she said. Boy, was it ever!

I haven't taken it apart to clean it up before shooting it but will get that done real soon. No real hurry due to the lousy weather. It's cold and blowing. But you'll all probably be hearing about it soon.

[Jon K]

Well. post a pic with or without ribbon, we wanna see it too.:Fire:

Jon

[woody1]

You'd better snag that one for good before she gets away and I don't mean the rifle! Sounds like a "keeper" to me. Regards, Woody

[dragonrider]

Congratulations on both the rifle and your lady friend.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Sounds like you have two keepers, Joyce and Marlin.

[hpdrifter]

lucky, lucky dogs.

[arkypete]

Congrats on finding a smart lady.
Before any one else asks does she have any sisters? There's some guys here that will want to know.
My wife does not let me go out and play with other girls.
Jim

[Four Fingers of Death]

Like Curmudgeon said, both keepers, look after her! It sounds like she will surely look after you.

[mtngunr]

Rifles come and go, but a woman that will look after you is another thing entirely....she done her man proud, I warrant....

[Bass Ackward]

Oh boy ..... leave it to me to have to be the realist.

That purchase was intended to invoke that reaction. A woman is a whole lot more expensive than a gun. And harder to trade off too.

Before you get too excited either way, see how the gun shoots first. :grin:

[lovedogs]

Got some sad news, fellas! That beautiful new Marlin is on it's way to Conn. When I began cleaning it up getting it ready to shoot I began pulling rust out of the barrel. After the rust it looked like lead fouling. But it didn't act like lead. I scrubbed for seven hours, used ten (10) different types of solvent, wore out 4 new brushes, and even used the Foul-Out machine. I barely made any progress in removing the fouling, whatever it is. By then I was pretty well PO'd so I ran some Kroil in the bbl. and let it sit overnight. In the morning I got still more rust out of the bbl. The lead-looking fouling still wouldn't be removed. I called Marlin and then sent it to them. If any of you have an idea of what that junk in the bbl. might be I'd like to hear it. Now I'm about to find out how good Marlin's warranty is. All this trouble and I haven't even got to shoot the thing yet! I sure hope they put a new bbl. on it! If any of you have any pull with Marlin please twist an arm for me. A rifle should have a good bbl. when new. This isn't some sort of cheap Saturday Night Special! It shouldn't be full of rust and horrible fouling. I'll keep you all posted. My Lady Joyce isn't too happy about it, either.

[Hanz]

lovedogs,

I've never used Marlins warranty but I have used their service department. They've made me very happy and I hope they please you as well.

For what it's worth, I've never heard anyone describe what you've experienced with your Marlin. Is this a new levergun or a new-to-you levergun?

[lovedogs]

Brand new, Hanz. I know they fire them at the factory and they leave them full of metal filings and goop so I always strip a gun down and give it a thorough cleaning before firing it. On this one I'm sure glad I did that. Otherwise, they could claim I did this to the rifle. I'm sure hoping they'll just put on a new bbl. and not try to return it to me with just a good cleaning. If they do and I have problems with it I'll send it in again, and again, and again. It's a new rifle and it should be right. To me a rusted bbl. that won't clean up any better than that one isn't acceptable. That's supposed to be their top-of-the-line cowboy competition rifle.

[9.3X62AL]

Sorry to hear about this condition in a NEW rifle. A grave disappointment, for sure.

That lady sounds pretty squared-away, though!

[Hanz]

Brand new, Hanz. <snip>

Well that makes it a headscratcher doesn't it? :confused:

I have a feeling they will treat you right and you'll get to enjoy that rifle pretty soon.

Best of luck to you, your lady friend and your rifle. Oh, I almost forgot the dogs, I can't leave them out. ;)

[lovedogs]

Yes, I think the dog is as anxious to get out for some shooting, too. The last calm day I've had here was Jan. 1st. It's been blowing 15 to 50 m.p.h. ever since. My dog is weird. If someone else is shooting she's gun-shy. If it's me, she's looking for fallen critters. You oughta see her in a prairie dog town after I quit shootin'. She runs around checking all the destruction until she's worn out. I think she enjoys it more than I do.

[lovedogs]

In case anyone is watching and wondering how Marlin is going to handle this problem I'll tell you how it's working out.

I called Marlin yesterday and spoke with a guy in their service dept. His final words were, and I quote, "I'll make sure they put a new barrel on it." He also said it'd be done in just a couple more days. So, if all goes according to plan I'll have the gift rifle home soon and will be able to see how they did with it. I'm praying and keeping my fingers crossed. I'll surely let you all know what kind of work Marlin did.

[Hanz]

I've been wondering!

Glad to hear it! :drinks:

I knew it wouldn't take them too long. Like I said, they did right by me and I wouldn't hesitate to use them for warranty or paid labor. Their prices aren't too bad either and there's something nice about sending a rifle back to the folks that made it (if not for warranty work, that is).

[9.3X62AL]

So far, it sounds like a happy ending is pending. Events like this make one wonder why there's always time for a "do over", but never enough time to do it right the first time.

[lovedogs]

I've wondered the same thing, Deputy. I'm trying to have faith that it'll come back with a top-notch fix. It's just that I've seen some other factories really not do what they should have, even on a redo. I've never had to send a Marlin in before so I'm a little worried. Probably all for nothing. It'll probably come back a super tack-driver with a great tube. That's what I'm hoping, anyway.

[JudgeBAC]

My local Marlin dealer has had some similar experiences lately. A recently received CB .357 had so many bad tooling marks that the lever would not close after opening. He sent it back. The next one he received had the front sight flopping around in the box. The dovetail was so big the sight would literally slide in and out of it. He was able to fix that. Apparently, the demand for CBs is so high that production is up at the expense of quality control, a sad state of affairs indeed.

[jdhenry]

In case anyone is watching and wondering how Marlin is going to handle this problem I'll tell you how it's working out.

I called Marlin yesterday and spoke with a guy in their service dept. His final words were, and I quote, "I'll make sure they put a new barrel on it." He also said it'd be done in just a couple more days. So, if all goes according to plan I'll have the gift rifle home soon and will be able to see how they did with it. I'm praying and keeping my fingers crossed. I'll surely let you all know what kind of work Marlin did.

Sooooooo Did they get it back to you yet????????? My wife and I Each have a Marlin 1894c .357 and we LOVE them. I Couldn't imagen having to send them in to be repaired. I'd go crazy without mine., I shoot it all the time.. I do know a guy that had to send his in and he was very happy with the service they did..

Jeremy

[lovedogs]

Well, folks, here's the skinny on the outcome, so far, with the Marlin. It came home wearing a new barrel and a new butt stock. They even replaced the follower. The stock was noted as having a hairline crack so was replaced. I don't know what was the problem with the follower. Maybe it malfunctioned when they test-fired the rifle.

I was very well pleased with the speed of their service. And I'm very glad they replaced all the bad things. But they're not quite perfect yet. There were a few problems yet. I think I've got most of them handled; time will tell. But there is at least one that just isn't right and probably never will be. I'll probably find a solution and just live with it.

The new barrel also had rust but it appeared to be only surface rust. It also had some of the same fouling crud that the first barrel had. It looked like lead fouling but wasn't, it was EXTREMELY difficult to remove. After working on it several hours using normal cleaning methods I called Marlin to ask what this junk was and what to do about it. Their explanation was that it was a residue left from a bath in a neutralizing solution after the bluing process. I imagine it gets ironed into the steel when the rifle is test-fired. Anyway, it was really a bear to get out. Marlin said that both the surface rust and the residue would shoot out, to go ahead and shoot it. Shoot it lots and clean it lots.

I still soaked and scrubbed on the barrel. After a lot of futile work I figured I'd either fix it or ruin it and got tough on it. I wrapped some Chore Boy around a worn brass brush and loaded it with J-B paste and made a kazillion careful passes throught the barrel. The blue/gray residue finally came out. But with each successive soaking and scrubbing I was still getting microscopic rust.

At that point I gave Steve Young a call. Some of you may know of Steve. He agreed with what Marlin said but also voiced his opinion of how poorly some people finish their products. Steve's advice was to shoot and clean a lot; whatever was still there would eventually come out.

I swabbed some Break-Free into the barrel and headed out to shoot. I took some really mild jacketed loads with me to burnish the barrel and break it in faster than lead would do.

The first shooting was really dissapointing. The best 50 yd. group was at 4 inches. The worst was at 6 inches. This is wearing a proven scope! I couldn't believe it. I had looked at the barrel very carefully and knew I hadn't damaged it with all my scrubbing.

What I discovered when I got it home is that the loads were very, very mild. The case measurements revealed that there wasn't even enough pressure to make the brass fill the chamber. The powder hadn't burned well, either. Why? Well, a slugging of the barrel revealed that instead of having something like a normal .429 groove diameter this barrel slugs .4315. The .429 jacketed bullets were rattling down the tube.

I knew they'd fired the rifle before shipping it back and it must have shot alright or they'd have been real dumb to return it if it hadn't shot well. They for sure shot factory ammo of some sort through it. And most factory .44 ammo is on the warm side. So next time out I added a few more grains of 2400 and a magnum primer. I figured if I kicked those bullets hard enough maybe they'd obturate up to fill the grooves and maybe it'd shoot. I also took along a few of some hot pistol loads using that same jacketed bullet and a lot of H-110.

The wind was still blowing and it was only 35 degrees so I only shot 50 yds. again. But things looked better. The loads using 2400 shot between 1 1/2 and
1 3/4 inches. Still not what I'd call real good at 50 yds., but a definite improvement over 4 to 6! Then I had at it with those hotter H-110 loads. Viola! The first fouling shot (with that powder) went a little off-group, but the next two went through the same hole.

When I came home and did measurements I found that both of those loads are still cold in this rifle. Probably due to the very loose barrel dimensions. But they still showed improvement. I'm not sure if the 2400 will ever keep up with the H-110 in this rifle. Some have preferences, and it really doesn't matter to me. If it shoots I don't care whose brand is on the can.

I don't like working up loads or accuracy testing in cold weather so I'm going to wait for the warm-up and then try both powders to see if I can get some good warm shootable loads. Seeing the improvement by upping the pressure is encouraging. I think it's going to work out. My plan is to shoot plenty of jacketed bullets to smooth this barrel and get all Marlins crud out of it. It's already cleaning easily and looks mirror-smooth. Then I'll start working up a good lead bullet load. That's what I intend to shoot in her once I get her squared away.

The oversized barrel at .4315 is sort of a problem. I've never run into a barrel that big before. My .44 mould is a Saeco that's supposed to be a 250 gr. RNFPGC but drops them out at about 243 gr. using a #2 alloy. My other .44's work well sized at .430. They drop from the mould at .4335. I could shoot them from this rifle as moulded, without sizing. But I like lubing them with the sizer and it also installs the GC. I'm afraid if I size them at .430 they're going to lead. But Mr. Young says maybe not. If I smack them hard and fast they may obturate up and seal the bore and not lead, especially with the GC on them. I guess the only way I'll know is to try them that way. If they do lead even when kicked hard I guess I can get another sizer die and size them bigger. Saeco dies only go to .431 though. So I may have to get a .431 and send it off to (Stillwell?) to get it lapped out to, say, .433.

Anyway, that's the story up 'til now. Any input or advice will be welcome. Best regards to ya'all. Mike

[Frank46]

I have a marlin 1894 in 44mag. Only having ammo loaded for my redhawk that's what I used. At 50 yards I was getting 4" groups and these were with H110. I have cataracts and sometimes I don't see through the iron sights well. Why don't you try some of the Berry bullets?. These are only copper plated lead and should slug up easily with H110, these were the same bullets I shoot out of my redhawk. You'd probably only need a few hundred and I think they sell them in 250 bullet packs. Their ads are usually in handloader or rifle magazines. I don't quite buy into the "residue" thing. Maybe with the demise of winchester and the lever actions Marlin is working overtime to keep up with the demand. But their quality control folks should have picked up on the rust. Sending out bbls with rust inside is not to my way of thinking giving what the buyer paid for. Not to get off the subject but winchester was having problems with some of the bbls on their model 70's developing pits in the bore. I read that the steel had inclusions and during the hammerforging process these inclusions were forced into the metal. Then when they were shot, the inclusions would develope into pits. I had a very accurate M70 heavy bbl in 308. Had numerous pits near the muzzle. Sent it back and when I got it back still had the pits after cleaning then shooting. They had told me that they had replaced the bbl. Frank

[Bass Ackward]

Lovey,

I figured that they would take care of you. They did for me, well sorta.

Larger bores are are all the rage for cutting pressure. My barrel lapped out to .431 after it had removed all the constrictions from their work on a thin barrel. I shot quite a few jacketed too to try and push the bore back out first before I lapped and cut it round. My bore still looks like it was machined with a chain saw, but it don't lead, if you can figure that one.

It won't be just the barrel either. You will have a .... generous chamber most likely. Mine had to be sent back because it was so rough that firing factory ammo locked the case in the chamber.

Today, I shoot .433 so the cases can seal the chamber. It also helps to have a good, soft anneal on those cases. Otherwise .435 does better. So you are going to need big molds, big sizers, and big seating dies. My Lyman's will seat .435 with no problem. My RCBS seater chokes with .433 until I polished it out.

One BIG factor in what diameter you will need is going to be what OAL will cycle through the action. The longer the better. Because in a tapered throat you can make contact by either reaching forward or you will need to go big to seal the bore. Fortunately, mine will cycle and chamber up to 1.73 OAL with my designs which allows .433 to work quite well. The .435 (low pressure) stuff is seated to 1.65 to chamber freely. The action was not modified in any way.

But when you do all these things, 10 shots at 50 yards can be covered with a quarter with any desin I have tried. Just so you don't get .... disappointed during the load development process.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Lovedogs, my 1894 CB in .44 Magnum is about five years old. It has never been a great shooter with cast, but is OK for the 100 yd. maximum plinking I use it for.
The barrel slugs .4305" and my RCBS 240 GC and RCBS 250 KT cast right at that size, so I use a .431" sizer and lean on the handle, hoping for a bump up. This is a case of Marlin's fat barrel meets RCBS' skinny moulds. One of these days I'll maybe get around to Beagling my moulds and getting a bigger sizer. The short-nosed RCBS 240 GC feeds like a champ. The long-nosed RCBS 250 KT (PB) that I use the most will not feed out of the magazine unless the cases are shortened .010" less than nominal trim-to length, then all is well. Anyway, I consider the Marlin CB to be a real fun gun within its limitatons. A famous former member here, known for one-hole groups, disagreed with me.

[lovedogs]

Thanks for all the input, fellas. It's nice to hear what has worked for others. Gives me ideas what to try if my own don't work out, and sometimes that happens. I'm waiting for better shooting weather to try some things. It wouldn't be fair, or even wise, to try things under questionable conditions and pass judgment on it without a fair chance to perform. So I'll get to it when the weather permits. Keep talking to me, folks. I will listen to any ideas you may have.