Sluggin' a Lever Action

[fishnbob]

Getting ready to slug my Marlin 336 in a .35 Rem. Any precautions that are different from other firearms that I might need to know? I welcome all comments. You might remind me of something that I have forgotten.[smilie=1:

[ksJoe]

If you have a hollow base or hollow point bullet, that makes it easy to slug. It will hold the rod well and you don't have to worry so much about scraping the bore.

[KirkD]

I clean the bore, then lube it with case lube (castor oil and lanolin). I do not place the butt on the ground when I hammer the bullet into the bore to avoid cracking the stock at the wrist. Instead, I suspend the rifle by its barrel and tap the bullet in with a plastic mallet, then continue with a wooden dowling. This usually requires three hands, so I have someone else grip the barrel while I do the tapping.

[ReloaderFred]

On the Marlin, remove the lever screw and take the lever and bolt out, as you would for cleaning. Then drive the slug from the breech end and place the muzzle on a scrap of carpet, leather or something else relatively soft and tough to keep from damaging the crown. And don't use a steel rod for driving the slug. Use either a brass rod or wooden dowel that just barely fits the bore.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[smoked turkey]

+1 on the wooden dowel. I have found that cutting the long dowel into shorter pieces such as 10" or so will let you drive the dowel down without so much bowing as you get on the full barrel length dowel.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I have been toying with the idea of loading a boolit with primer only and firing it, making it stop in the bore. Then push it out from the muzzle with a long dowel to see what the breech end measures. This is not necessary with the Marlins of course, but I think it would allow me to measure the throat area on my 1873, etc.

I have had the odd pistol round stick in the bore and these have provided good slugs for sizing. I didn't plan it that way, just goofed while loading. What do you guys think of this?

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Some years ago an old shooter advised me to take an empty cartrige, place a wood dowl into the cartrige so a fat seated boolit stuck out a bit long. Chamber round and close the bolt completely by tapping lightly on bolt rear with a plastic or wood mallet. Eject cartrige and with wood rod tap out boolit.
I have never found a barrel that was not fat throated or in the rarest case same throat diameter to the barrel. Start with a throat filling boolit & you are on the way to pleasant shooting.
Mike in Peru

[fishnbob]

Thanks for all the comments! I must have every lead sinker known to God & mankind in my boat & tackle box but I can never find one to fit the bore. I may have to cast a fat boolit.

[ksJoe]

You don't have to cast a fat bullet. Cast a regular one. Then put it in a vise. Check the diameter as you very slowly turn the vise handle. When it is squished to the diameter you want, stop.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Thanks for all the comments! I must have every lead sinker known to God & mankind in my boat & tackle box but I can never find one to fit the bore. I may have to cast a fat boolit.

The staff at K Mart were confused when they saw me measuring the sinkers with my vernier calipers. I don't suppose they ever realised how critical accurate fishing was, ha, ha!

[Four Fingers of Death]

Slowhand, I don't know if I made myself clear, but what I meant that I have had a few squibs while learning how to drive progressive presses. These were driven out with a rod and were subsequently used as a slug to measure the shooter end of the pistol barrel.

When you are shooting and it happens, it is a sickening sound, all goes quiet on the range, :)

I experimented many years ago with cat's sneeze loads, just kept backing off until the boolit sttuck in the bore, then removed it, cleaned the bore and went back up a tad and was good to go.

I was thinking it might be a way (Boolit and primer only) to get a slug into the bore (of firearms that it is awkward to start a slug into the breech end) so you can knock it back out and measure it.

[Dorf]

FFoD,
You aren't the only one who has loaded a few "short rounds" (unintentionally). I also learned about using very light loads of "flake" powder into pistol cases with a progressive press. As for the range going into a VERY quiet mode after one of those goes "poof"-- been there, done that! Pulling 200 rounds of .38Spl just reenforced the lesson. Just a note of sympathy---Stan.

[Four Fingers of Death]

FFoD,
You aren't the only one who has loaded a few "short rounds" (unintentionally). I also learned about using very light loads of "flake" powder into pistol cases with a progressive press. As for the range going into a VERY quiet mode after one of those goes "poof"-- been there, done that! Pulling 200 rounds of .38Spl just reenforced the lesson. Just a note of sympathy---Stan.

Yep I had tp pull a few hundred 9mms when I first got ont of the new Lee auto disk powder throwers on my new 9mm Lee1000. I didn't realise that theI had forgotten to twist the reservior back. Taught me a good lesson, previously only the odd case here and there, that was the first time a heap of them were questionable. Won't happen again (leastways, I am more informed, more careful, etc so it shouldn't happen again- never say never rule I think it is).

I have a new Hornady LnL I don't want to give up a station to a powder cop, but I think it might be a good idea. The presses are on sale here, but try and get shellplates, grrrrr.

What I think we need is a ten station progressive with the station after powder drop right in front of you so you can see inside the case and put a boolit in the mouth of the case easily!

[uscra112]

I have been toying with the idea of loading a boolit with primer only and firing it, making it stop in the bore. Then push it out from the muzzle with a long dowel to see what the breech end measures. This is not necessary with the Marlins of course, but I think it would allow me to measure the throat area on my 1873, etc.

I have had the odd pistol round stick in the bore and these have provided good slugs for sizing. I didn't plan it that way, just goofed while loading. What do you guys think of this?

I unintentionally discovered this method while firelapping my .25-21 Stevens barrel. Very light load, had three of 'em stop 1 to 2 inches from the muzzle. It does make a very nice slug. Very little distortion from impacts of a rod.

It works so well that I do it every time now. About 1/2 grain of Bullseye usually does it for rifles. More or less to get the boolit to stop where you want it. Of course you have to live on a farm where this is safe to do, both physically and socially. :roll: Anytime it's possible, I use a hollowbase wadcutter for the slug.

When I can find one the right size, I always prefer a steel rod to drive the slug out. Ask any gunsmith about the guns brought in with a wood dowel broken in the bore, and wedged tight by the owner's attempts to drive it through ! Sometimes a small rimless pistol case can be found to act as a "cap" on the end of the rod, to assure that the end of it can't scratch the rifling.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I unintentionally discovered this method while firelapping my .25-21 Stevens barrel. Very light load, had three of 'em stop 1 to 2 inches from the muzzle. It does make a very nice slug. Very little distortion from impacts of a rod.

It works so well that I do it every time now. About 1/2 grain of Bullseye usually does it for rifles. More or less to get the boolit to stop where you want it. Of course you have to live on a farm where this is safe to do, both physically and socially. :roll: Anytime it's possible, I use a hollowbase wadcutter for the slug.

When I can find one the right size, I always prefer a steel rod to drive the slug out. Ask any gunsmith about the guns brought in with a wood dowel broken in the bore, and wedged tight by the owner's attempts to drive it through ! Sometimes a small rimless pistol case can be found to act as a "cap" on the end of the rod, to assure that the end of it can't scratch the rifling.

Thats what I meant, I talked my head off, but didn't express it so well. Thanks.

[Pb&j]

You don't have to cast a fat bullet. Cast a regular one. Then put it in a vise. Check the diameter as you very slowly turn the vise handle. When it is squished to the diameter you want, stop.

:Bright idea: So simple yet affective. Even imperfect boolits can still serve a purpose. Thanks ksJoe.

[Canuck Bob]

One word of caution. I have read that sometimes a dowel will split in such a way as to create two perfect wedge faces in the bore and be almost impossible to remove once wedged hard.

If you use punches to slug from the chamber or to start at the muzle be very careful not to smack your chamber or crown. I used electrical tape to bush the punches and polished the edge of the face to remove the sharp edge.

I used 1/4 rod wrapped with electrical tape at the driving end to just about caliber diameter then every 5 inches making sure I had tape just inside the muzzle. This kept the steel from touching the bore and eliminated most of the flex.

[Suo Gan]

I just have a brass punch, I run some thin gun oil down the bore with a patch, I set the larger than bore diameter egg sinker or pure lead ball on the muzzle and tap the punch with a hammer until I get a small lead donut as it enters the muzzle. Then I have a piece of oak dowel I have cut into about six inch lengths and drive the ball through. Yes, I know. I drive 60 in the 55mph too. Breaking the boundaries and living on the brink of disaster all day every day.

[Suo Gan]

:Bright idea: So simple yet affective. Even imperfect boolits can still serve a purpose. Thanks ksJoe.

Boolit, hammer, whack...even simpler!

[felix]

For the throat, the fattest boolit that can be chambered using magic marker around the case neck where the boolit is seated. Any marks on the neck, size one thousands smaller, per iteration, until none. Use the hardest aged boolit. For the barrel, use a swimming pool or the snow banks across a frozen lake. 2.5 grains of BE next to the primer will take care of most case sizes and boolit weights. Again use the hardest boolits in stock. You can find alterations in the barrel with soft lead using a soft and slow moving touch. ... felix

[bearcove]

Good morning
Some years ago an old shooter advised me to take an empty cartrige, place a wood dowl into the cartrige so a fat seated boolit stuck out a bit long. Chamber round and close the bolt completely by tapping lightly on bolt rear with a plastic or wood mallet. Eject cartrige and with wood rod tap out boolit.
I have never found a barrel that was not fat throated or in the rarest case same throat diameter to the barrel. Start with a throat filling boolit & you are on the way to pleasant shooting.
Mike in Peru

Good advice. Won't stick something in bore and saves a bunch of beating.

[TXGunNut]

Boolit, hammer, whack...even simpler! -Suo Gan


Damn, and I thought I was the only one who did it that way! Anvil portion of my vise and a ball peen hammer make a round ball into a nice little slug without tool or other marks. I use a round ball and start it with...drum roll please....a brass short starter!

[Mk42gunner]

I just slugged a .35 Remington Marlin yesterday, a .375" roundball, rawhide mallet and a length of 5/32" brass rod worked well. I have also used a cleaning rod to push the slug through the bore.

I would not use a wooden dowel, when it breaks it will be a PITA to get out if you jam the pieces together. I have broken one of the 5/8" wooden shotgun rods with a tight patch, it was a severe PITA to get it out.

Robert

[Suo Gan]

I just slugged a .35 Remington Marlin yesterday, a .375" roundball, rawhide mallet and a length of 5/32" brass rod worked well. I have also used a cleaning rod to push the slug through the bore.

I would not use a wooden dowel, when it breaks it will be a PITA to get out if you jam the pieces together. I have broken one of the 5/8" wooden shotgun rods with a tight patch, it was a severe PITA to get it out.

Robert

I always thought about why muzzle loaders do not have steel or brass tamping rods. I just have not run into a slugging job that was all that difficult. Hopefully my luck holds out.

[Keith429421]

My dad actually built a ram rod out of brass. He didn't trust the wooden one. Haha. Works great though. Adds a little weight, but works.