Cast bullet accuracy problem in Marlin 1895: Possible reason

[RG1911]

I have an older micro-groove Marlin 1895 in .45-70 that isn't happy with cast bullets. I tried .458, .459, and .460 (which worked the best, but nothing to get excited about).

Slugging the bore again, and using a micrometer at several points around the slug, I got measurements of .4589 to .4591. The .0002" variation could well be operator-caused.

So far, .460 diameter cast bullets are the largest I've been able to find. Does anyone have a source for .461 cast, or am I going to have to add those to my expanding collection of molds and sizing dies?

Thank you,
Richard

[Gtek]

Having Marlinitis may I suggest you check something before moving on from earlier attempts. I have ran across more than one that has reduced bore dimension under dovetail cut areas. The rear sight cut usually being the culprit, have seen it under both on end cap models. No real easy way out, fire or hand lap. Push a couple shy of cut from rear and push back out rear, run several all the way down pipe and compare. Mark base of slug and check, then rotation of 45 degrees and check again. This may explain your .002", Just a thought.

[wmitty]

My son's 95 is a 46-70 and it gave me fits trying to shoot a 457124 thru it. Results were no better with the 340 gr Lee. Finally found an accurate load with the RD 350 gr boolit, but by then I'd lost interest and decided a .375 H & H was the way to shoot boolits. Haven't looked back...

[JFE]

If you are not using a GC bullet try that and use a harder alloy.

Mine has a MG barrel and the groove diameter measures .4585. It shoots really well with bullets sized to .459 but they are GC-ed and hard cast.

[Grapeshot]

Start using a Hollow Based 405 grain soft lead,(30:1 lead tin alloy), boolit and don't drive faster than 1200 fps.

[rhead]

The chamber on mine was large enough that the base of the boolit was damaged before it got to the bore. It likes them at .462 . I got luck with my Lee hollow base 405 grain mould. It casts at a hair over .462 using PL and COWW at 50/50. I lapped a Lee push through sizer until i started getting some that I liked.

[Nobade]

Paper patching works beautifully for this. My own 1895CB loves .451" boolits patched to .462". It does have tight spots under the dovetails and where the caliber is stamped, and I have firelapped it a bit to help this, but the more I shoot it with PP the smoother and nicer the bore becomes. It has been getting more accurate and easier to clean over the years.

-Nobade

[bigted]

Nobade has the system that I used for mine as well. those paperpatched boolits really do the trick. I also made a slug outta a cast boolit that I had pushed thru the bore and used Clover valve grinding compound ... fine ... to coat it and push it thru the bore several times and when it got to those tight spots ... I pushed it past ... then back thru the other way and so on till I got most of the tight spots polished out ... mostly.

I stopped the coated slug thing tho when the lead had been engraved with the grit too much and then spent the rest of my bore smoothing time with the unlubed paperpatched boolits running them at around 1300 FPS with smokeless powder as fuel.

again ... Nobade is rite on the stick with the paperpatch and smoothing out a marlin barrel.

[Trinidad Bill]

Is there a good sticky/thread on Paper Patching? I have read about this numerous times but have not tried it. I have a notion to give this a try!

[winchester 71]

If you start slow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As a rule you will find a happy load........too many people think i'll start fast and save powder,primers,bullets and start past where the good shooting load area..........i have had 3 marlin micro grove 45-s0's and a 450 that everyone started over diagnosing the problems with the rifle and i stole all of them due to being bad rifles and they all shot good because the previous owner did not spend the time and effort to find the sweet spots the rifle liked
to shoot at................sell the rifle to me as it seems your sure it's a bad rifle and
you wont have to diagnose problems fixable....................

[Nobade]

Is there a good sticky/thread on Paper Patching? I have read about this numerous times but have not tried it. I have a notion to give this a try!

Sure is, just go on over to the smokeless paperpatch room above and read the stickies. They tell you most everything you need to know.

-Nobade

[Trinidad Bill]

Sure is, just go on over to the smokeless paperpatch room above and read the stickies. They tell you most everything you need to know.

-Nobade

Thanks, right in front of my nose and I did not see it!

[quasi]

.462 dia shot the most accurate in my 45-70 with a micro groove barrel.