Rebarrel Marlin MG 1894

[theperfessor]

Has anyone rebarreled an 1894 Marlin microgroove barreled carbine with a conventional barrel for improved cast bullet performance?

Given that one had a good .358 barrel blank and the machine tools necessary to do the job, would it be worth the trouble?

Thinking about doing it, as it would also allow me to change the length and outside profile. Don't know how hard it would be, though. Have rechambered/rebarreled several Mausers.

Thoughts and/or comments? :-D

[Scrounger]

Unless you want to change something, twist, diameter, length, there wouldn't be much reason to do it. If all you want is Ballard Rifling instead of Microgroove, Marlin will rebarrel it for less than you'd probably pay for the barrel blank. Actually, I've never heard anyone complain about the twist in the .357, it's the .44 Magnum that catches all the flak. Rifles in both calibers were made with Ballard rifling barrels starting in about 10 years or so ago.

[yeahbub]

Actually, perfessor, I've done just that thing with a Marlin 1894 in .44mag. The MG barrel wasn't performing with cast or jacketed and the usual fixes weren't helping any, so a friend and I conspired to put a .429-groove 1-in-16 twist button-rifled double stress relieved blank on it, turned to the original profile and left an inch or so longer. This is a reasonably simple project, given access to a lathe and the incidentals to cut that square barrel thread. We tested it once the blank was threaded and chambered, and it shot beeyoootifully - it seemed I could do no wrong. Then we turned it down to match the original profile, which released whatever internal stresses remained from the button job even after being stress relieved. That's okay, a little minor pressure lapping and it was back to half dollar sized groups with cast at 80 yards, and now I have a twist that will stabilize those 300+ grain boolits without question. The one thing I didn't do was drill and tap the front sight holes in that thin barrel wall because I was afraid to go through it or raise a dent in the bore, but with the barrel sticking out past the mag tube, it can be soldered on (HiForce 44/Brownell's) at the end and still allow you to get the barrel band off the mag tube, then, up over the sight during disassembly. Now I have one that puts them where the sights point and I got an educational adventure into the bargain.