fatelk
09-08-2014, 10:45 PM
I have an old Marlin .44 mag rifle that I've been tinkering with off and on for many years. A couple years ago, thanks to you all's help, I figured out the severe accuracy problem (mag tube binding on barrel), and got it shooting a lot better. As I recall, it went from dinner-plate accuracy to coffee-cup accuracy all at once.
Back then I also worked up a load for both myself (I don't hunt) and a good friend who hunts a lot. He is a government trapper and carries both a Marlin 1894 and a model 29. We found a load that worked great in both and he says it's a sledge hammer on bear. It was a Saeco bullet from a borrowed mold, as I recall a TC style plain base sized to about .432", with a healthy charge of WC820 (#9). No leading, good accuracy, sledge hammer on bears- what's not to like?
Fast forward to now. The borrowed mold has been returned, and I have acquired a Lyman 429421 and a 429244. I worked up a good 429421 plainbase load in my S&W 629 (255gr @ .432") that shot good with a stiff charge of H110 (ran out of WC820). I naively thought that since the other plain base load with 820 shot well in the Marlin, this one should too. Wrong! I tried it out recently and it's back to dinner plate sized groups, and a slight trace of leading.
I'm assuming that I'm pushing them a little harder with the H110 than I was with the WC820, and that's just a bit too much for a plain base in a rifle. Of course other factors are alloy and lube. The lube is a good one and the same as the others, and I think the alloy is close but I'm not super scientific when I mix my wheel weights and range lead with a little lino.
I tried a few gas checked 429244's at the end of the day and the one group I shot at 50 yards showed a lot more promise, and the bore was clean and shiny like a mirror. I think I'll stick with gas checks only in the rifle.
I also tried a few light 185gr H&G WC loads, but the rifle didn't like them at all. No leading, but accuracy was terrible.
I'm not a newbie, but I don't have the experience and haven't spent the time to really understand what I'm doing with this rifle. I know just enough to be dangerous at this point. I'm appealing to the wisdom of the gurus who have been able to coax good accuracy from lever guns. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong or what I can do better?
I also think my bench rest technique can use both improvement and practice. I can shoot nice tight little groups with a bolt action on solid sand bags, but I noticed that I tend to get some vertical stringing with the lever action. My six shots at 50yds with the 429244's was 4 in about an inch, with the other two touching each other about an inch directly below them. I know I need practice, but any thoughts?
Back then I also worked up a load for both myself (I don't hunt) and a good friend who hunts a lot. He is a government trapper and carries both a Marlin 1894 and a model 29. We found a load that worked great in both and he says it's a sledge hammer on bear. It was a Saeco bullet from a borrowed mold, as I recall a TC style plain base sized to about .432", with a healthy charge of WC820 (#9). No leading, good accuracy, sledge hammer on bears- what's not to like?
Fast forward to now. The borrowed mold has been returned, and I have acquired a Lyman 429421 and a 429244. I worked up a good 429421 plainbase load in my S&W 629 (255gr @ .432") that shot good with a stiff charge of H110 (ran out of WC820). I naively thought that since the other plain base load with 820 shot well in the Marlin, this one should too. Wrong! I tried it out recently and it's back to dinner plate sized groups, and a slight trace of leading.
I'm assuming that I'm pushing them a little harder with the H110 than I was with the WC820, and that's just a bit too much for a plain base in a rifle. Of course other factors are alloy and lube. The lube is a good one and the same as the others, and I think the alloy is close but I'm not super scientific when I mix my wheel weights and range lead with a little lino.
I tried a few gas checked 429244's at the end of the day and the one group I shot at 50 yards showed a lot more promise, and the bore was clean and shiny like a mirror. I think I'll stick with gas checks only in the rifle.
I also tried a few light 185gr H&G WC loads, but the rifle didn't like them at all. No leading, but accuracy was terrible.
I'm not a newbie, but I don't have the experience and haven't spent the time to really understand what I'm doing with this rifle. I know just enough to be dangerous at this point. I'm appealing to the wisdom of the gurus who have been able to coax good accuracy from lever guns. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong or what I can do better?
I also think my bench rest technique can use both improvement and practice. I can shoot nice tight little groups with a bolt action on solid sand bags, but I noticed that I tend to get some vertical stringing with the lever action. My six shots at 50yds with the 429244's was 4 in about an inch, with the other two touching each other about an inch directly below them. I know I need practice, but any thoughts?