Remlin vs. Marlin chambers

[Maximumbob54]

So I got all enamored with the Lee Loader and thought I would try one in .30-30 since I don't load for that cartridge that often. I wanted it more for the novelty than anything and already have everything to reload on the press anyways. Long story short I didn't think about the fact that the Lee Loader only neck sizes and that's fine for a bolt action (usually) but on a lever it might not let me close the action. Well I loaded six cartridges up and just like I thought they wouldn't feed into my newer production 336Y. At all. As in I didn't want to slam force the lever but they stuck pretty back with just a little hand pressure. Well, shoot. On a whim I tried them in my older JM marked 336 and all six when right in and spit right back out like normal. I don't know what to think. My older model has never been shocking in accuracy and I always figured that might be more me than the rifle. But if the chamber is so sloppy maybe that is part of this issue as well. But if that's the case then the newer Remlin with its tight chamber might offer better accuracy. Or at least more accuracy potential. Maybe.

Thoughts?

[Dr. A]

i've got 6 30-30's with one Remlin. The Remlin comes close to being as accurate as the 336CB, but cannot match it. The rest of the guns with 1 to 10 twist and microgroove are not as accurate. All chamber .311 sized boolits with ease. The twist rate seems to be more important to me in shooting cast with 30-30's at least.

[hpdrifter]

I sold a JM marked 3030 a couple of years back because it had a "generous" chamber which was readily apparent with the spent cases. Had I not been a reloader, it would probably never bothered me nor probably even noticed.

I tried my luck on a short barrel, straight stock 3030(some callem Texans) last year and the chamber is much better in it. It is also a JM marked unit.

I think it's just the luck of the "run". As for the accuracy; don't really know. All of mine shot about the same. None were scoped and shooting with "old" eyes, I could still get an inch or so at fifty yards propped against a tree. Good enough for my deer hunting forays. I'd like to test some out at a 100 or even 200 one of these days, but my trips to a bona fide range usually entails larger calibers with glass attached. Some day I'll just take the levers and have some fun.

[starmac]

Not at all unusual when loading with a lee loader. I doubt your brass was fired in the remlin to start with, it usually works in the one it was originally fired from, but may not in another, including bolt actions.
At least that has been my experience.

[TXGunNut]

Interesting observation, Bob. I'm pretty certain the answer lies in a chamber cast but I'm more of a piddler so I'll never know. My rule with leverguns and semiautos is FL resize, every time. I don't know which rifle the ammo will be fired in and a FL resized cartridge will fit any rifle, any time and I won't worry about trading a little accuracy for reliability.

[W.R.Buchanan]

If the brass came from that rifle it will probably go back in once or twice before you have to FL size it. Different rifle, not likely.

The Chambers are obviously not going to be exactly the same even if they were made by the same company. Reamers wear and they get resharpened. Also since the company probably made all it's reamers in it's own toolroom, they probably varied.

People don't realize that Cro Moly Steel is pretty hard on tools. You might get 25-50 barrels out of one reamer before it needed to be resharpened.

Everytime the reamer is changed, the setup changes, and by extension the chambers change. This is just standard OP and that's why there are "tolerances" on machine drawings.

Randy

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Keep brass separated by rifle when only neck sizing. With light to moderate loads (170gr- 1600 fps?) I've gotten 4-8 loadings without full sizing from a Marlin 336Cin .30-30. Same with Savage 99's in .300 and .308.

[OverMax]

As read it sounds like you fire formed the brass in your JM Marlin prior to their neck sizing and intended use in your Remlin. There lies the problem. Having two rifles made by the same manufacture and both chambering the same caliber. Simple resolve: Hang one on the wall > shoot the other.

[Maximumbob54]

I guess I just didn't realize the difference in chamber dimensions would be so wide. In the Remlin the case doesn't come close to seating before the lever starts to hang up. As I said, I don't want to force it closed and risk jamming the cartridge in place. But in the JM there is zero resistance. It's like feeding virgin factory ammo into the action. There is zero effort to close the action to the point if I didn't see it heading in I would think the tube was empty. For these being fire formed after having been loaded with RD's 165gr cast and his posted load data I just figured they might be tight. They sure are in the Remlin.

[MT Chambers]

Obtain proper reloading dies, pref. Redding, or use a bigger hammer.

[Maximumbob54]

Obtain proper reloading dies, pref. Redding, or use a bigger hammer.

Huh? No comprendo.

[44man]

Lever guns can be cantankerous. Yes, all said about chambers differing is true and it is so with any gun.
I shoot 3031 and 4895 from mine and at 1900+fps there is enough bolt flex so I can't chamber without near FL. I set the die up enough so brass just chambers, Hornady dies. Not wise to neck size only even if light loads are shot since eventually you will need to FL. The lever gun needs a FL die in the box in any event.
My brass does not fit other guns so I lower the die to the shell holder for them.
One thing I found with the 30-30 is neck thickness variations that gave me gross run out, so bad rolling a case on the bench had a lot of wobble. I turned my necks to just even out and got to .002" or less. Accuracy went way up.
Another thing is brass stretches and should be trimmed after every sizing so crimp is even.
You need to flare for cast so I made my own tool out of an old RCBS seat die. Lee should sell a good flare tool.
I have had my Remlin to 1" at 100 and had one group of 3/16" with a home made mold for a 187 gr boolit but the lever gun is very fussy about how it is held. It shoots best with your hand under the forearm but sucks with the forearm on a bag. Drives me nuts with the extra movement brought in.
I tried every powder I have, Unique, 322, AA powders, 4759, Varget (shows promise but I ran out.) 3031 seems best right now.