Tumbling Boolits

[TXGunNut]

My sweet little Marlin 336 30-30 is going to drive me to drinking. :???: Keep thinking there's something not right, terrible groups and occcasionally a missing hole or two in the target. First I shot my 32WS 94 w/ open sights @ 50 and got a group I could live with. I'm not very good with peeps and my aging eyes didn't make it any easier. 10 shots into 2.5", 8 into just under 2. :drinks:
Then I decided to shoot the Marlin on the short range and the problem was immediately clear after 10 rounds. Best I could do with a scoped rifle over sandbags was 3"....as long as you don't count the two oblong holes about 5" below the rest of the group. :( On closer examination three other rounds appeared to be yawing a bit.
Guess I'll uncase it in the morning and give it a good cleaning and going-over. It also developed feeding issues tonight as well so Project Thutty-Thutty has taken a bad turn, sure hope it will recover.

[TXGunNut]

Cleaned and checked things out a bit closer, still puzzled. Bore is an 11 groove Microgroove and best guess is .307 groove/.305 land diameter. Bore seems to be very smooth with minimal tight spots, if any. Slug went thru nice and smooth. Crown is very smooth and seems a bit deep, makes me wonder if it has been recrowned. Serial # is 10004XXX.
Disassembled the action and didn't find the cause for the feeding issue, did find a pretty crappy trigger/sear engagement but I'm not going to address that.
I'm stumped but that doesn't take much sometimes. Thinking I'll reassemble and rename "Project Thutty-Thutty" to "Tradebait". She's a pretty thang.
Any suggestions?

[uscra112]

Ask what boolit your are using? Long-nose types that do well in .30-06 do terribly in the Marlin Microgroove. Ditto spire points like 311414. You need a boolit that's got a nice long body section and short fat nose. The old 311041 does well, as does the Ranch Dog 165 GC. Wish I had bought that RD mold when I could have done! Bought a couple hundred as a sample from another CB member, and they work very well in my 336, but RD is no longer in business.

[TXGunNut]

As a matter of fact they were RD 311-165's. I have a new 311-041 from a recent GB but haven't even cleaned it up. Lee is offering select RDO moulds on a special order basis and may even catalog a few in 2014.
Loading gate issue cleared up after a good cleaning. Trigger and action even seemed a bit better after cleaning, lubing and reassembly. Old girl was a bit dry. Seems last guy to pass that way didn't believe in proper lubrication.
I don't know what was wrong with that rifle, now I never will. I traded her for a NIB early 3rd generation Colt SAA in 45 Colt, 4 3/4" barrel a few hours ago. I seem to have more leverguns than I need and this one seems to have issues w/ CB's. I've been looking for a "shooter" SAA for years and my local Cabelas bought a nice collection recently. I went in to trade for what turned out to be a weak 95% gun but it had poor fit & finish in some areas I had issues with. There was a NIB revolver nearby and the fit & finish was much better, only $100 more. It's here on the table in front of me, Project Thutty-Thutty has concluded. :(:mrgreen::drinks:

[uscra112]

Hmmm. I'd have made that trade in a heartbeat.

Case closed.

I'll keep an eye out for that mould - I'm pleased with the ones I bought, even though I had to pick the crummy aluminum gas checks off 'em and replace 'em with Hornadys.

[TXGunNut]

I'd have made that trade in a heartbeat.-uscra112


Mmmm....welllll.....there was a fair amount of boot involved, of course. Michael has links to Lee on his Ranch Dog Outdoors site to express interest in a mould. I was contacted by a nice gentleman from Lee soon after I e-mailed them, if there's enough interest or special orders we'll be able to order RDO moulds direct.

[pls1911]

I don't know how hard your bullets were, but I'd bet they were stripping in the rifling yet leaving a clean bore due to the cleaning action of the gas check.
I've never found a MG barrel that wouldn't shoot a heat treated HARD gas checked bullet sized .311 very nicely.

[TXGunNut]

It's
I don't know how hard your bullets were, but I'd bet they were stripping in the rifling yet leaving a clean bore due to the cleaning action of the gas check.
I've never found a MG barrel that wouldn't shoot a heat treated HARD gas checked bullet sized .311 very nicely.


I agree, up to a point. Something was wrong with this rifle. I shoot the same alloy in a .35 Rem 336 of slightly later vintage with good results. Also seems to be doing well in my W94 32WS. Someone has been in this rifle before and I suspect they re-crowned it and got things a bit out of square. I can't find anything else wrong with it, suspect they couldn't find anything and simply recrowned her. The crown was deeper and smoother than other Marlins and it just didn't look right. I shoot HT 50-50 alloy so I'm pretty sure they were hard enough. They left a bit of lead near the muzzle @ higher velocities but that wasn't present when I slowed it down a bit. She had a pretty slick action with a nice trigger when I traded her in, hope someone figures her out. She did fine w/ j-words, best I can tell. I just don't have much use for a j-bullet-only rifle these days.
You are probably right, pls1911. I may have given up too soon but I've seldom had a rifle so promising yet so frustrating at the same time. Another 336 will follow me home soon enough, mebbe even a Remlin. It's quite likely I overlooked something on this rifle and traded off a "keeper" but somehow I doubt it.