Mossberg 464 on the way

[FergusonTO35]

Today the fun store had a like new Mossberg 464 .30-30 on the rack with the standard blue finish and straight grip wood stock for $300. You aren't going to find a Marlin or Winchester in this condition at that price around here so I layawayed it.

I had a 464 awhile back. Nice rifle that liked boolits and I think an actual improvement over the late model Winchester 94. I ended up selling it to pay off some bills. When I bail this one out I am going to have it properly drilled and tapped for a receiver sight, probably a Lyman 66.

[Hick]

That's a fine price for a fine 30-30!! Enjoy!

[Texas by God]

Let us know how it does. I've only seen the dumb tacticool version. But the blued& wood one looks great in pictures. $300 sounds like a deal to me.

[kungfustyle]

Just a heads up. Soft primer strikes and likes to be shot dirty. I had one and couldn't figure it out. Several soft primer strikes with no bang, both commercial and handloads. Figuring a load up for the gun was very challenging. I would get a load dialed in and make up 50 rounds or so for the next trip to the range. Shot all over the place, till it had about 20 rounds through it and then it would settle down. Just a pain. There is a reason that you are getting it for $300, I tried to sell mine for that and no store would give me more than $200 for it. Had to sell it on our local gun trader site for $280. Maybe you will have better luck, I've heard they like the Hornady Leverrevoution ammo, but at a buck or more a round, not for me.

[jmort]

I love mine
Want another

[braddonovan67]

Mine loves ftx handloads. I put 30g of IMR 8208xbr in that case and shoots 2" groups at 100yds, with a williams peep.

I cannot figure out my cast bullets yet. I was all over the place with the lead. Like 18" right. Not sure why...

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[richhodg66]

I have liked what I've seen of these, though have never shot one.

[Bookworm]

I have one myself, the SPX (plastic) model. I still can't decide if it is the ugliest thing I've ever seen. Picked it up for $280.
I haven't shot it a lot, but with what I've done it shoots well.

The plan was to get it for Mrs Bookworm, as she is small framed, and the adjustable stock could be made to fit her better than her Marlin 336. And I want my 336 back.

Unfortunately, the plan is progressing slowly. Mrs Bookworm is suspicious of my intentions.

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks everybody. I'm really looking forward to bailing it out. I love the 94 design but not with Winchester's horrid quality control. This is a humble Mossberg but looks and feels like they took pride in making it, as does my 500 20 gauge.

Braddonovan67: What kind of Williams sight are you using? Got any pics?

Kungfustyle: The late model 94's had problems with light strikes so it's not surprising that the 464 would also. The bore is very shiny and the finish is a conservative 98%. I really doubt the rifle has been fired much at all. Not to say the rifle couldn't have problems, but I believe the reason it went for $300.00 is because it's not a Winchester or Marlin and my local guy sells used guns at very reasonable prices. In any event, if it does have problems Mossberg's customer service is really good and my dealer stands behind every gun he sells.

[northmn]

Bought one this year and have mixed feelings about it. Trigger pull is not the best and its lever safety is a bit awkward as the gap can pinch some skin on occasion. I has some problems with a couple of handloads on light primer strikes but none with factory. Only load plinkers in the 30-30 as factory loads are inexpensive and work well on deer.
I have a Rossi 357 and feel the 464 is a better rifle in all respects as the 30-30 is more versatile as a knock around rifle and it can take a normal scope. Why neither can come D&T for a receiver sight as the lever goes with a receiver sight like potatoes and gravy. I put a 1-5 power scope on mine and will likely use it in that manner as my other 30-30 is a waffle top and untapped. Most think its sacrilege to D&T them for a scope. There is a U-tube tutorial for trigger work on the 464. Its a good rifle for the money and should be more popular than it is.

DP

[FergusonTO35]

I don't know why it is not drilled and tapped either. I am planning to mount my receiver sight with double sided tape first and then shoot it to make sure it is in the location I want. Then, have it drilled and tapped for permanent installation. I may try to do it myself as I have cut alot of threads in my time, we'll see.

[braddonovan67]

Thanks everybody. I'm really looking forward to bailing it out. I love the 94 design but not with Winchester's horrid quality control. This is a humble Mossberg but looks and feels like they took pride in making it, as does my 500 20 gauge.

Braddonovan67: What kind of Williams sight are you using? Got any pics?

Kungfustyle: The late model 94's had problems with light strikes so it's not surprising that the 464 would also. The bore is very shiny and the finish is a conservative 98%. I really doubt the rifle has been fired much at all. Not to say the rifle couldn't have problems, but I believe the reason it went for $300.00 is because it's not a Winchester or Marlin and my local guy sells used guns at very reasonable prices. In any event, if it does have problems Mossberg's customer service is really good and my dealer stands behind every gun he sells.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161101/23aa10b6bf861c73588bf53d0e1d4331.jpg

This is the 12/37 f5 with a peep apeture. I ordered it from western gun parts in Edmonton. Good service and help. You will have to drill and tap the receiver for the 12/37. I ordered the drill and tap (6-48) from fastenal. It took a week to come in. Love it, shoots great. All in I spent 45$ on the sight, and 55$ on the tap and bit.

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[FergusonTO35]

Excellent! Currently bidding on a 12/37 on Fleabay. Did you use a drill press to make the holes? Nearest gunsmith I would trust to do it is more than an hour away and I would have to take off work to bring it to him. I used to be a car mechanic and still have my big SAE/metric tap and die set. It saved my rear many times!

[braddonovan67]

Excellent! Currently bidding on a 12/37 on Fleabay. Did you use a drill press to make the holes? Nearest gunsmith I would trust to do it is more than an hour away and I would have to take off work to bring it to him. I used to be a car mechanic and still have my big SAE/metric tap and die set. It saved my rear many times!
As long as you have a 6-48, you're good. Use a drill press. I didnt. :)

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[Treetop]

Ferguson, I bought a Mossberg 464 last January and didn't have chance to shoot it until yesterday. Mine shot as well as any of my other leverguns and functioned perfectly. The trigger may need a little work, I'm guessing it's a good 6 lbs. maybe more but crisp, it's just a little to heavy for my tastes. I mounted an old, old steel tube, 3X, Weaver on it using Kwik-Site rings and mounts http://www.kwiksitecorp.com/c-292-combo.aspx They were about $25 with shipping and arrived in 3 business days.

In all, I shot about 30-35 rounds of factory 150 gr. and 170 gr. My groups were from 2 1/2" to 4" at 100 yards. The loads that I will carry Saturday morning (the opening morning of the whitetail season in Texas) are the Federal 170 gr. They shot 4 rounds into about an 1 1/2". the fifth round opened the group to 3". Plenty good for the thick, dense oak and youpon thickets down here in the lower Brazos river bottoms. All in all, I really like this rifle. It's not a pre-64 Winchester or a JM marked Marlin but it looks good to me.

Now that I'm finally retired and moved to the country, I look forward to slugging the barrel and working up a cast boolit for it. Semper Fi, Treetop

[dverna]

I don't know why it is not drilled and tapped either. I am planning to mount my receiver sight with double sided tape first and then shoot it to make sure it is in the location I want. Then, have it drilled and tapped for permanent installation. I may try to do it myself as I have cut alot of threads in my time, we'll see.

Goop is another way to temporarily mount a sight and it comes off fairly easily

Don Verna

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks Don, will remember that.

Treetop, my experience has long been that the .30 WCF is most accurate when it is downloaded a bit from factory, around 2000 fps. 30 grains IMR 4064 and a 150 grain Sierra averages a bit more than an inch at 100 yards from my Marlin Glenfield 30. The 336 Texan likes it too, although that one usually eats boolits. This load is easy to shoot and usually produces one shot kills on deer with entry and exit for me.

I got to looking through my gun junkyard and found a perfectly good Williams 5D 94-36 receiver sight. It fits the 336 and 94 with mounting holes on the side of the receiver. It looks to me like it would work on the 464 too once the holes were drilled.

[CPL Lou]

Before you drop a bunch of money on a trigger job try doing this:
Make sure the rifle is UNLOADED !
Cock it, Push on the back of the hammer with a considerable amount of pressure, then pull the trigger while maintaining that pressure.
Do this a couple of times, 4 or 5 does it.
Trigger pull will smooth out and it will feel lighter.
I've done this with several exposed hammer rifles I own and seems to always do the trick.
Hope this helps!

CPL Lou

[FergusonTO35]

Cool, will give that a try!

[OverMax]

Good for you. Everyone should have at least one 30-30 in their closet. Good idea to have drilled & taped and try the trigger Tip commented by CPL LOU.

[northmn]

When Teetop mentioned the 5th round flying I ran into a bit of that with mine. These barrel ring carbines can do that. I let mine cool down a bit before continuing. I have an old Marlin that has taken deer and it will start going South as the barrel heats up. AS its 4 shots for 4 deer I don't get excited about that. WE measure accuracy by 5 shot groups. With some rifles you may wan to rethink that. Down loading to get 5 shot groups may not be as wise as just trying 3 shot groups. Old saying, one shot we eat, two shots maybe, 3 shots nothing.

DP

[sparky45]

I have a Marlin 336 30-30 I purchased new in 1976. Shot her a few times (still have original partial box of ammo) and put her up. I got the gun out just last week and started tinkering with "down loading" some plinking ammo and I'm falling in love with it all over again. Loading cast 115gr flat nose plain base and she's a hoot to shoot.

[FergusonTO35]

.32-20 level loads in .30 WCF are just too much fun!!

[richhodg66]

For a while, they made a variant of these with a matte chrome finish and laminated stock with a very shor barrel and fiber optic sights. I'd like one of those.

[FergusonTO35]

That was the Marinecote version, wasn't it? Mossy also made a stainless version for awhile. The 464 seems to sell well enough to stay in the lineup but it's not setting any sales records. Strangely I have never seen a 464 in a big box store even though the 500 is a longtime staple.

[Texas by God]

I love my Williams 5D on my pre 64 94. I sometimes want to have a blade front sight for shooting groups- but that brass bead hunts good. Mossberg should get them out there in Wally and Academy etc. Best, Thomas.

[quilbilly]

I have been very happy with my 464 for years. It has shot every CB I have tried from 113 to 180 gr. very well. Recently I put on a Skinner sight and that sight really has made it shine with the long shank aperture. My fun load in it has been the Lyman plain base 130 gr boolit over Trail Boss (85% load fill) for 1300 fps which rings the gong at 200 and rolls coyotes at iron sight ranges. For a very short period Mossberg made a stainless 464 30/30 and if they brought it back or one in a 35 cal., I might own two 464's.

[FergusonTO35]

I just bought a Lyman 66 from another forum member to put on the 464. It fits the Winchester 94 and Marlin 336 but I see no reason why it wouldn't fit the Mossy if I get the receiver d&t'd.

[Treetop]

I just bought a Lyman 66 from another forum member to put on the 464. It fits the Winchester 94 and Marlin 336 but I see no reason why it wouldn't fit the Mossy if I get the receiver d&t'd.

It should work fine, FergusonTO35. Check out this thread from the Mossberg owner's forum. The poster is mounting a Williams Foolproof on his 464, Semper Fi. Treetop

http://mossbergowners.com/forum/index.php?threads/putting-a-williams-fp-receiver-sight-on-my-464-spx.9004/

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks, that is what I am going to do except I will have the aperture holder over the locking block behind the rear bridge.

[Treetop]

Thanks, that is what I am going to do except I will have the aperture holder over the locking block behind the rear bridge.

Could you post a picture of your rifle with the Lyman 66 after you have it mounted? I would sure like to mount a receiver sight on mine someday! Thanks, Treetop

[richhodg66]

I bet Williams makes something real close that would work on the rear two scope mount holes. Anybody looked through their list to see what might be similar?

[FergusonTO35]

Williams does not make any receiver sight for the 464, I've called and asked. Currently they recommend the 12/37 which fits flat sided receivers and still requires d&t. Hopefully I can bail it out of layaway tonight and get the sight installed this week. Will post a pic when it is done.

[FergusonTO35]

Bailed out the 464 today. I put the Lyman 66 on the receiver and it looks like the rear contour of the receiver interferes with mounting it as far back as I would prefer. I could just have it mounted more forward so the sight is over the rear bridge but that is not what I want. So, I'm going to get the Williams 12/37 for it.

The rifle appears to be unfired or fired very little. I notice it also has a Williams rear sight and a fairly tall (around .550) front sight. Not sure why that is the case, unless that is what Mossberg is installing nowadays. Hopefully I can try out the rifle with some boolits here soon.

[FergusonTO35]

Turns out the Williams sight is factory, Mossberg used those and a more fancy one from Marble's on these rifles. I've always wanted to try the Marble's Bullseye rear sight so I went ahead and ordered one from Midway along with a .450 ivory bead front sight. Figger I'll try that out before I have the rifle drilled and tapped. If it gives me decent accuracy out to 75 yards I'll be happy.

[curioushooter]

I bought a NICE 464 (meaning walnut stock and checkered pistol grip) this fall for Deer hunting in Indiana, which now allows 30 Caliber (and 6mm for some reason) on private land. I think this may be my favorite long gun purchase of all time! These things are just so much better made than Rossi, Winchester, or Marlin. They rival new Henry rifles for quality, and are nearly half the price! When I received it, I took it apart and just marveled at how much better they are. Even part is well made, de-burred, and finished! After cleaning it of packing grease and applying a small but of high quality lube, I was amazed at how smooth cycling these are.

Then I took it to the range. I broke it un using Hornady (American Whitetail) 150 grain roundnose factory loads. Three shots to put the scope on. Then some hoppe's, then some Hornady first firing (which speeds the break-in supposedly). Then another three shots. It took 24 before I was satisfied. This is good ammo, but expensive, and the Mossbergs shot well with it, but with the short OAL of these, there were some sticky attempts at closing the action. The Mossberg definitely prefers oversized OAL (2.665 I found works best) loads. I had no problems feeding when I was using 33-36 grains of BL(C)-2 under a Speer Hot-Cor 170 grain flat point (which is an excellent bullet) loaded to 2.665. I noticed that these bullets, because they are pointy and longer always are directed into the chamber instead of pushing up against the shoulder of the barrel below the chamber like the Hornady factory loads do. Accuracy was better than what I would consider practical for hunting. My best group was a 1 inch 4-shot group at 50 yards. This of course was done with a scope off a rest. At 100 yards, it opened up to a 2.5 inches. This was with the Hornady factory loads. The Speer bullets will be my future hunting load.

Now that I have the barrel smoothed up some, I plan on trying cast bullets in it for some fun. There are so many great ones to choose from, and I am looking forward to the narrow land 6 groove barrel instead of Microgroove barrels or the junk they attach to Rossis. You wouldn't believe the look on my brother-in-law's face when I told him what I paid for the Mossberg ($403, new, off Bud's). He's hasn't been able to get his Rossi to shoot for a year now, and paid more than $400 for it.

I must say, after only hunting deer with 12 gauge slugs (Ithaca 37 deerslayer) or a 44 Mag (Marlin 1894) rifle for a long time, a real intermediate rifle-cartridge is a vast improvement. Much better effective range, kicks less, and is has about the perfect balance of power and minimum meat damage. Yea, I could have gone out there with a 30 caliber high-powered rifle, and honestly considered hunting with some ancient US Krag this year, but these Mossbergs are lighter (6.7 lbs. with scope), handier, and readily mount scopes or sights (mine has 2 threaded holes in both receiver bridge and ring). The mount I used was the Warne M827 with Weaver Grand Slam Medium Steel Rings. I think any Weaver-style steel ring would work that is the right height. The screws that the M827 comes with are really not as long as they should be. They don't go as deep into the factory drilled holes as they should. I've told Warne about this. I hope they fix it, because the bases are very good, and the only steel ones out there. I see that Skinner makes some really nice sights that mount to the same holes, even ones with ears on them. To me, this is vastly better than those Williams sights (semi-buckhorns) that come with it, or the Williams Receiver sights that mount on the the side.

Some bad things about it. 1) I think it would have been nice to put swivel studs on it at the factory. 2) The forend checkering job could have been a lot better. The butt stock was done well. 3) When will lever action rifles actually come with sights that don't stink? Why is it necessary to buy sights or an optical sight? 4) Unlike Henrys, the bolt is not easily removed from these. It requires removing two screws and drifting two pins, so I think it is worth getting an OTIS pull-through type cleaning cable. The 30 caliber rifle kit is perfect for this, and it is $13.

4) The sight bases admit no movement of the rings. They are in a fixed position, so you must find a scope that will fit it. I have found that the best fitting scopes are small, have small ocular bells, straight tube-width optical lenses, and are of low magnification. The Leupold FX-II 2.5x20 Ultralight works well, but I think the VX-I 1-4x20 works better and offers 4x for long shots. They heavy duplex reticle in this scope is great for dark woods, too. The VX-1 2-7x does not fit with eye relief and the bell interferes with the rear sight. 5) I appreciate the visibility offered by a florescent orange magazine follower, but it is plastic. It is the only plastic on the rifle (they even use a real brass bead for the front sight). But it is plastic, and I think plastic has no place on a rifle.

Things I really like about it vs. the competition. 1) The TANG safety. Really, all long-gun safeties should be this way. They are ambidextrous (did I mention I shoot lefty), fast, secure, and allow you to cycle the action with them applied. These are great for in field unloading. Put the safety on, point it at the ground, and unload. 2) the passive safety lever system. Some of you seem to not like this, but when you let go of the lever, it springs out and the firing pin is blocked. This makes it drop safe. With it and the tang safety, you can walk around "cocked and locked" safely. You can do this with the cross-bolt safeties but they are right-handed. 3) The tigger. While the trigger is on the heavy side, it has no creep. It is a nice clean break, and is broad and long (and NOT gold plated). With some concentration and practice I was able to learn to control it well despite its slightly excessive weight (in my opinion).

One inch squares there.

182058

[FergusonTO35]

Excellent, glad to hear it. My 464 is way nicer in terms of build quality than the awful 2002 Winchester 94 I used to have. Like most of the Marlin model 30's the 464 is an inexpensive but quality rifle. I'm looking forward to trying my favorite .30 WCF boolit load of 28 grains IMR 4895/Lee C309-150-RF. My Marlin 336 shoots it really well despite the tight throated microgroove barrel.

[shoot-n-lead]

I was thinking of trying one...but I keep coming across nice, clean 94's...my a favorite lever gun...so I guess I will hold off for a while.

[FergusonTO35]

No clean 94's to be had around here, at least not under $400.00. Heck, awful ones from the 70's are always over $300.00. For $300.00 I'm quite happy with my 464.

[curioushooter]

I honestly think the best Winchester 94 Angle Eject isn't as good as a Mossberg 464, and it is because of the design. The solid rear receiver bridge, the round bolt, and smoother action, the tang safety, the trough-the-buttstock bolt--these are all improvements. There may be Winchesters with nicer triggers out there. But that is about the only advantage they may have, and I think that if one wanted to could improve the Mossberg's. The Marlin 336s I sold weighed a pound a half more and isn't made as well.

[braddonovan67]

I just took my 464 out and shot some cast boolits. Wow. Love me some lead! 29g IMR 8208 with lee 160g rn gas checked bullet, 2.600 coal. Nice groups. Need more practice next days off!

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[KMac]

I may have to pick one up. The Cabela's by my house has had a couple of them and they stayed in the rack a long time
till they marked them down to $300 each and then they both sold. They were both damned nice rifles, made the brand new Marlins look downright awful. But I kept thinking maybe something is wrong with them since they sell for so cheap.
Now I wished I had picked one up. Will be on the lookout for one now.

[FergusonTO35]

Sounds good, have to remember that!

[curioushooter]

I think they are cheap for three reasons.

1) Mossberg has a pretty bad reputation, and there are some negative reviews for 464s out there, mostly I think because people are using too short OAL factory ammo. These things are made for max OAL!

2) The initial introduction had butt-ugly wood. Now, for about 40 bucks more, you get really nice walnut and OK checkering. But the original stigma of being butt-ugly is still there.

3) It isn't a Marlin or a Winchester. People pay more for just names sometimes, not necessarily value.

[FergusonTO35]

My 464 is no worse in any way than the multitudes of economy grade 336's and 94's that have been turned out over the years. Actually, my example has better parts fit and finish than alot of more expensive rifles. Looked at some new Savage 110's the other day and see they are still free floating the barrels so much that you can see the grain detail in the bottom of the channel. I completely agree that no one is ever going to look at Mossy as a premier gunmaker, or even in the same vein as Remington and Winchester's better efforts. Making cheap guns that work is in the company's DNA and there's nothing at all wrong with that. It does mean that the ATR/4x4/Patriot/whatever Mossy calls it nowadays may be a very good rifle but no one is ever going to covet it like a pre-'64 model 70 or even a nice 700 BDL.

[FergusonTO35]

Thought I should post an update. I finally had the chance to try some Lee C309-150-RF slugs in the 464 and discovered the throat is awfully tight. Chambering rounds is pretty tough and the rifling is engraving the boolits. Jwords chamber and shoot just fine. On the upside, the bore is very shiny and has quite well defined rifling, it may have in fact been unfired when I got it.

I'm thinking maybe I should run a hundred or so jwords through it and then try boolits again. Maybe the rifling in the leade will be compacted enough to allow easy chambering. These Lee boolits seem to be a bore riding design, they shoot well in my Marlins but do chamber snugly.

[quilbilly]

I just got that mold for my 308 so will have to try it in my 464. The boolits from my new mold drop right at 156 gr (about 160 with GC) using my own alloy. My 308 certainly has liked them so far after only one trip to the range but I still prefer the Lyman 130 PB over TB for gong ringing and coyote rolling in the 464 30/30.

[FergusonTO35]

I tried some 150 grain jwords over 30 grains Varget in the 464 today. They shot as well as my pet loads for my Marlins, at least offhand at 40 yards in fading light. Hopefully I can try them again this weekend. The factory front sight was way too tall. I replaced it with a Marbles .450 white bead prior to shooting today.

I have the Lee C309-113-RF which also works great in .30 WCF. That one is just too much fun, heck mebbe I'll make it the dedicated boolit for the 464.

[Texas by God]

I finally handled a walnut/ pistol grip version the other day. For the same price ($375) next to it was a Marlin 336W. Had I bought one it would have been the Mossberg. If they see fit to offer it in .444 or .450 Marlin I will get one. I don't care for the extra safety but such is life.
Best, Thomas.

[shoot-n-lead]

I finally handled a walnut/ pistol grip version the other day. For the same price ($375) next to it was a Marlin 336W. Had I bought one it would have been the Mossberg. If they see fit to offer it in .444 or .450 Marlin I will get one. I don't care for the extra safety but such is life.
Best, Thomas.

I have the 464 with the pistol grip.

That rifle is so light...that it would be brutal to shoot in .444 and .450...I would not have one in either of those cartridges.

[Texas by God]

I have the 464 with the pistol grip.

That rifle is so light...that it would be brutal to shoot in .444 and .450...I would not have one in either of those cartridges.
Shoot-n-lead; I didn't say I would shoot factory loads in it! If I did, I would use the Lead Sled on the bench and a slip on Limbsaver for field positions.
A 12 gauge single shot with 3" loads and a plastic buttplate- now you're talking recoil!

[shoot-n-lead]

A 12 gauge single shot with 3" loads and a plastic buttplate- now you're talking recoil!

I grew up shooting the very type gun you are talking about...H&R Topper 48...so, I know what you mean.

But, I can tell you, the .450, in particular, would definitely rival the old Topper.

[FergusonTO35]

The 464 is way nicer than the 336W, you got that right. I hope Mossy continues to make it. The Winchester 94 has a lively feel and natural pointability like a fine 28 gauge shotgun, an attribute which the 464 continues. Another thing I like is OEM rubber butt pad on the 464 works suprisingly well. It feels comfortable against my bony shoulder and actually does absorb some recoil. The tang safety doesn't bother me at all, in fact I like the extra margin of safety it provides when I'm crossing a fence or climbing in a tree stand. It takes a fair amount of effort to engage and I can easily tell whether it is on or off by feel. It's nearly the same as the safety on my Mossberg 500 so I am already accustomed to it. For $300.00 I am very happy with this rifle and the fancier version might join it someday.

[FergusonTO35]

Bought me a can of Unique today and already have a bunch of Lee C309-113-RF slugs ready to go. Any load suggestions for the 464?

[Texas by God]

I grew up shooting the very type gun you are talking about...H&R Topper 48...so, I know what you mean.

But, I can tell you, the .450, in particular, would definitely rival the old Topper.
I know. I loaded 405grs to 2100 fps in my custom P14 and shot most of them from offhand!

[FergusonTO35]

Rolled up some Lee C309-113-RF with 10 and 10.5 grains Unique and gave 'em a try last night. To my surprise, the elevation was almost identical to a 150 grain Sierra Pro Hunter over 30 grains Varget. The light was fading and I was having trouble determining the relationship of the front sight to bullseye so the groups were pretty wide but still well within minute of coyote at 50 yards. I'm going to try 11 grains next. If I can develop loads with 150 and 113 grain boolits that have the same POI I'll be a happy man for sure!

A bit of weirdness: these rounds had previously been full length resized, trimmed to length, and then fired with the aforementioned jword loads in the 464. I just used my RCBS neck size die to load the Lee 113's. When shooting I discovered that about half the rounds were too fat to easily go into the chamber, they took some effort. None of the boolits were being engraved by the rifling, and the fired shells still didn't want to chamber easily. I reloaded the box of shells when I got home and full length sized the troublesome rounds, after which they slid right into the chamber no problem. What gives here? Do some rounds just need to be full length sized more than once before they take to neck sizing?

[nekshot]

Sometimes that happens in our desire to keep as close as possible to chamber and throat. I take the full length resizer and pull the deprimer shaft and lube the offending cartridge lightly and run up till i feel resistance. Give a alittle more shove and then see if it chambers. repeat till it chambers. I then shootem and try remember not to get in that predicament again!

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks for the tip, will remember that. Yesterday I tried out 11 grains of Unique and got some pretty bad accuracy. Also experienced some leading, which has never happened before. A few of the cases had sticky extraction so looks like I need to back off on the powder charge. Admittedly these boolits are a few years old and were only lubed with a single coat of LLA so they may be pretty marginal. I'll probably cast some fresh boolits lubed with Tac-X and start at 7 grains Unique and work up to wherever the best accuracy happens. My Lyman manual lists some pretty high charges of Unique for 170 grain boolits, like up to 11 grains. Unless Lyman knows something I don't that just doesn't sound safe at all.

[GARD72977]

This thread is the first time i have seen the safey that everybody complains about. I think i like it.

[FergusonTO35]

It doesn't bother me a bit. I like the option of turning the safety on when climbing a tree, crossing a rocky creek, or riding in a vehicle and I can tell by feel whether it is engaged or not.

[Mgderf]

I bought one of the Davison's Gallery of Guns exclusive offering 464's with the laminated stock and Marinecote finish about 2 years ago.
Last year, my state opened up the center-fire rifle rules to allow .30-30's, .308's, .30-06's, and a handful of other calibers for a 5 year trial period.

My 464 took a 3 point buck in November. It was the only deer I saw all season.
It was taken at the last possible light of the day, an over-the-shoulder off-hand shot, at approximately a 50 degree downhill angle at roughly 60 yards.

My buck was laid over sideways, never taking a step.
Hornady's 150gr LeverEvolution is powerful deer medicine.

I absolutely love the 464. So much so that I sold my Marlin 336 .30-30 to my younger brother.

I am waiting with baited breath now for Henry to ship their new Big Boy steel's in .327 Federal magnum.
My FFL has one on order for me. They're due to ship in "March 2017".
It's March already! I'm ready Henry! Start shipping...

[FergusonTO35]

Sounds good. What kind of scope or sights do you use on your 464? One of those Henry .327's would be sweet, essentially a .32-20 that can use four different types of brass.

[Mgderf]

Sounds good. What kind of scope or sights do you use on your 464? One of those Henry .327's would be sweet, essentially a .32-20 that can use four different types of brass.


The property that I have permission to hunt on is small, and relatively dense with flora.
Because of these limiting factors, my longest available shot is generally less than 60 yards.
My 464 came stock with Williams Fire-Sights and I used them with great affect. Those Fire-Sights are fantastic in low light situations.
I'm don't object to a scope, but really don't find it necessary for my hunting needs.

I have high hopes for the new Henry .327.

[FergusonTO35]

Fired the 464 after work some today. I shot up some old 170 grain jword loads just to use them up for brass and hopefully help the leade open up a bit. Wow, these things impact like ten inches above my usual 28 grains IMR 4895/150 grain Lee boolit load. Recoil is a lot stronger too, the action will open a bit on firing if you don't keep the lever squeezed tight. Don't know if that is from the lever hitting my fingers as the rifle recoils or if the rearward thrust of the bolt encourages the action to unlock like an automatic pistol does.

Anywho, I think this rifle is going to be winner once I get used to it. It seems that the leade needs to open up just a wee bit for the perfect fit with boolits. If you work the lever quickly you don't really notice but if you work it slowly some rounds require a fair amount of effort to chamber. Once all the jwords are used up I'll give it a good cleaning and reevaluate.

[nekshot]

I have a 336 that even when the reload is perfect according to chamber and throat it will close hard at the last 1/8 inch of lever travel. I simply seated the boolit a little deeper and it closes fine. I found sometimes we need to let the rifle tell us what works rather than over think the problem! Sounds like you are getting a winner.

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks. I did a bit of work to the 464 last night to correct some minor defects. Like the 94, the 464 tends to suffer a loose forend. I found that the forend band is somewhat oversize and allows play even when the screw is tightened as much as I dare to. You can actually move the band and forend back and forth a little. I applied a small strip of rubbery automotive molding tape to the inside of the top of the band where it goes over the barrel. This fills the yawning gap in this area and snugs the band into the forend more, now the forend and band seems to be as solid as my Marlins. The trigger block lever safety was pretty stout, as it was on my 94. This means that if you don't have a firm grip on the lever the safety can protrude a little bit and partially block the trigger, making a much harder pull. I removed the stock and bent the trigger safety spring up a bit to relieve the pressure. Now I can keep the lever completely closed with my normal grip and not have to consciously squeeze the lever, which is much better for accuracy.

Overall I think Mossy did a good job rethinking the 94 design. I really like how the rear tangs of the receiver are solid and use a horizontal wrist bolt to secure the stock. The bolt even has a 1/2" hex so you can use a socket and extension instead of a screwdriver. The tang safety also positively blocks the hammer when engaged, but moves well clear of the hammer when disengaged. I know the late model tang safety 94's had trouble with the safety catching the hammer even when disengaged, this design appears to preclude that possibility. I'm planning to shoot the 464 alot this summer, and make it my main go to/ready to roll long gun.

[FergusonTO35]

I fired the 464 some more today and have decided I am going to send it back for service. When firing, the bolt is nearly unlocking all the way on it's own. That is not ok in my book, smells like a headspace problem and/or tolerances in the action. My old 94 was loose as a goose but never did this.

[jmort]

Better safe than sorry
Your updates are appreciated

[FergusonTO35]

You bet. I really like this rifle, hopefully Mossy will get it straightened out.

[FergusonTO35]

I sent Mossy an e-mail last night explaining my concerns and got a reply back this morning saying to send the rifle in and they would have the lead tech handle it. Dropped off the rifle at my dealer with a note explaining what needed to be done. He asked if I had bought the gun there which I replied in the affirmative. The dealer said not to worry, he would make sure it was taken care of and immediately got the rifle boxed up and printed a shipping label for it. Wouldn't let me pay for the postage even though the rifle was used when I bought it. So I just spent that money on some reloading crack.

Two for two on getting the rifle fixed, we shall see how it goes.

[jmort]

So far, so good

[FergusonTO35]

Ok, finally got the 464 back today. It actually arrived back a month ago but the shop owner forgot to call me. Honest mistake, I'm not worried about it. The rifle arrived with only a receipt stating it was serviced under warranty and test fired with 10 rounds of Winchester ammo. No mention as to what they did to it, however the bolt looks new and it seems to close more tightly than it did. With a little luck I will be able to try it out tomorrow.

[Treetop]

Be sure to let us know about the bolt lock up problem. Sure hope they fixed it! Treetop

[leveraction 45 colt]

I hope he tells us as I am interested in one as well! I wonder if it has ballard rifling as I shoot cast bullets?

[Treetop]

I hope he tells us as I am interested in one as well! I wonder if it has ballard rifling as I shoot cast bullets?

Yes, they are conventional, Ballard, button rifled. Twist rate is 1:10". Mine loves cast boolits. Welcome to the forum, leveraction! Treetop

[FergusonTO35]

I put a box of 8.8 grains Unique/Lee 309-113-RF through it yesterday and am happy to report the problem seems to be fixed. Previously, even these mild loads would cause it to unlock. Did have some light strikes though. Not sure if that is due to the new parts or some hard primers. Will shoot it some more with different primers this week.

Yes, the 464 has conventional rifling and does great with boolits. Aside from some irritating QC issues which are endemic to all low cost lever actions it is a great rifle, certainly no worse than the department store grade Winchester 94's were.

[leveraction 45 colt]

Yes, they are conventional, Ballard, button rifled. Twist rate is 1:10". Mine loves cast boolits. Welcome to the forum, leveraction! Treetop thank you for the invite and yep glad to know it has ballard rifling i'll be lookin at one soon!!

[FergusonTO35]

Be aware that you may have to send it back, so buying from a local place that will take care of you is a very good idea. Just honest opinion!

[Mgderf]

I've only put factory offerings through mine so far, and not a lot of them.
I took it to the range when I bought it for sighting in procedures.
I don't think I put a full box of 20 rounds through it before I was satisfied that it was zeroed to at least minute-of-deer at 50+ yards so I stopped there for the time.

The next shot, a single shot, took a 3-point buck at about 50 yards.

Mine seems to lock up tight and I don't have any issue with the lever safety.
I did notice that it does require some effort to keep the lever properly engaged, but my normal grip suffices, and I've had no problems with the bolt kicking open upon shooting.

All in all I'm VERY impressed with the 464.
So much so, that I just bought another Mossberg rifle.
Found a good deal on a new Mossberg Patriot bolt gun in .30-06. It looks to be a keeper too!

[FergusonTO35]

Glad to hear it. If you ever want to make the lever safety a little easier just take the stock off via the through bolt under the buttplate. You will see the little finger that engages the lever on the bottom tang of the receiver. Bend it up slightly to reduce the downward pressure and you're done. I adjusted mine so that gravity will engage it, and gripping the lever with a bare minimum of strength will disengage it. The trigger pull on mine is a fairly crisp 8 pounds or so and I'm going to leave it as is.

[FergusonTO35]

Thought I would post an update. The 464 is doing great with 8.8 grains Unique/Lee C309-113-RF. This is supposed to be a .32-20 boolit but it loads and shoots like it was made for the .30 WCF. I don't even use a separate flare die when loading, the Lee resizing die opens it up enough for the boolit to slide right in. I do finish with the FCD as I do all my rifle loads.

This rifle and load is more accurate than I can hold, one of a very few centerfire loads I have ever tried that I can just pick up and start shooting offhand and get respectable accuracy like my Henry H001T .22 LR. Previously my 1894 .357 served that role, now I'm not so sure. I was amazed at how well these things penetrate. They have no problem going all the way through a 10" log of somewhat mushy and homogenous wood at 35 yards. The same log has no trouble absorbing .38 Special and 9mm slugs at 7 yards. Should be effective for varmints, on four legs or two if the need arose. Looks like it's mass production time!

[Ramjet-SS]

I have one the tacti-cool versions of the Mossberg 30-30 awesome gun reliable and very accurate Loves the FTX bullets.

[FergusonTO35]

I applaud Mossy for trying to do something different with the levergun, but it just ain't for me. I do think a .223/5.56 lever action that used M16 mags would be pretty cool. Henry, are you listening?

[Ramjet-SS]

I like that idea but the utility of the lever gun in those states that prohibits or greatly prohibit the ownership of so called black guns this fills a really nice nitch. Plus it makes such a great truck gun. I have AO sights on it and a muzzle break that takes the 165 grain down to 22 mag recoil levels.

[FergusonTO35]

Long overdue update. I still have the 464 and shoot it quite a bit. Most of my shooting nowadays is with the Lee 150 grain. Seems easier to get an accurate load with this one than the 113. 27 grains IMR 4895 is pretty accurate, at least out to 65 yards. I know my limits and don't shoot at anything without a scope beyond that distance.

I have had two annoying problems with the 464. It could use a stronger hammer spring. Some lots of primers will produce light strikes, and with all of them you can tell it doesn't hit with the same authority as my Marlins or 1978 Winchester 94. I have disassembled the bolt and cleaned all the crud out of of the firing pin channel, of which there was very little. I really can't find anything wrong with the parts and everything seems dimensionally correct. So, I'm going to experiment with different hammer springs when I get a chance.

Second, extraction and ejection has always been quite marginal. The 464 uses a Marlin style extractor, a piece of spring steel that clips to the bolt body and has a hook formed on the end to catch the cartridge rim. I experimented with bending the hook inward and outward, which can easily be done with taking anything apart. After some bending the problem seems to be resolved, however the steel of this extractor seems more thin and malleable than that of a Marlin. So, it may get bent back out of shape again. I wrote Mossy and asked nicely if they could send me a new one. If not, I'll look into modifying a Marlin extractor.

Otherwise, I have been pretty happy with the 464. My particular example is a bit of a lemon, however every low cost lever action is at risk of being one. They just aren't as easy to produce for a low retail cost with consistent quality as a synthetic stock bolt action is. Given that the problems have been relatively minor and I'm just using the rifle for practice mostly, I am willing to deal with it.

[northmn]

I have never had an issue with factory cartridges in my 464 and carried it with Hornady 140 grain LE's last fall. As it is not D&T for a receiver sight I just scoped mine with a 1.75X5 Vortex. Deer did not cooperate when I carried it. I think it would be a worthwhile rifle to do some of the modifications you mention. The main rifle is fairly solid. Look at all the mods they do on cowboy rifles.

DEP

[jmort]

Mine has been 100%
Like it a lot
But it has not gotten heavy use
So far, so good
My opinion, it that it is a great deal for the $$$

[FergusonTO35]

Mossberg got back to me. They politely suggested that I call the parts department and order a new extractor for $6.50 or so. I bought the gun used and they have already fixed it once on their dime so I think that is fair enough. For the average hunter using nothing but factory ammo it probably would work just fine. I will admit that most of my cartridges have been reloaded to death and the rims are pretty beat up. As is, it would probably extract new factory cartridges no problem. The 464 is a fun gun to shoot and certainly no worse than a Remlin 336A for the same price. Hopefully I can shoot it some more this weekend.

[FergusonTO35]

'Nother thing: The factory magazine tube spring on these rifles is not particularly strong. Every now and again, a cartridge will get stuck halfway out of the mag tube onto the lifter. I deburred everything when I had it apart and made sure the cartridge stop on the front of the link is not too long and dragging on the cartridge. I bought a universal .30-30 tube spring from Fleabay which comes about 40" long so it can be trimmed to the necessary length. The original spring is about 26" long. I decided to purposefully leave the new spring longer so as to put more force on the cartridge follower. After comparing the two, I trimmed the new one to about 32" and tried it. Getting the last few inches into the tube was a challenge for sure!

That done, I cycled some rounds to see how it did. Wow, takes a noticeable effort to get all six in there now, and the magazine pushes new cartridges onto the lifter with authority no matter how fast I cycle the action.

[FergusonTO35]

Also ordered a couple of new extractors from Mossy today, they are only like $7.50 each. Was messing with the original one and the hook on the end of it is too flat to reliably grab the rim of the cartridge. I fiddled with bending it to different positions to no avail, it just needs to be replaced. I have read that at some point Mossy did change the design of the extractor slightly to improve extraction.

[FergusonTO35]

New parts showed up today. The extractor seems sharper and more angled than the original, hopefully that solves the problem.

[FergusonTO35]

Got my new parts installed and gave the 464 a try with 17 grains SR4759 under a Lee 170. At 65 yards I was making a 2.5" group which is as good as I can do off a bipod with my eyesight and no scope. The rifle now extracts and fires as good as any of my others. This rifle has taken some effort but is turning out nicely, I'm quite happy with it.

[Texas by God]

This would be a good time to show us a picture of your rifle [emoji16] been waiting 2 years to see it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[richhodg66]

I want one of the brush gun versions with the short barrel, satin stainless finish and laminated stock. I'll have one someday.

I wish Mossberg would make some other variants of it. If they made a long barreled, version with a checkered pistol grip stock and a two thirds magazine tube, I'd buy one in a heart beat. A .35 Remington of .375 Winchester chambering would be nice too, but it'll probably never happen.

[FergusonTO35]

This would be a good time to show us a picture of your rifle [emoji16] been waiting 2 years to see it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Sure will, unfortunately this forum is not taking my pics right now.

[FergusonTO35]

I want one of the brush gun versions with the short barrel, satin stainless finish and laminated stock. I'll have one someday.

I wish Mossberg would make some other variants of it. If they made a long barreled, version with a checkered pistol grip stock and a two thirds magazine tube, I'd buy one in a heart beat. A .35 Remington of .375 Winchester chambering would be nice too, but it'll probably never happen.

I would like to see Mossy make some other variants, however I concede that the market for them is probably quite limited outside of people on this forum. I think the biggest problem is that nobody is going to pay a huge amount for a lever action rifle with Mossberg stamped on it. When you start getting close to a grand, or even in the $600-700.00 range, it has to be a Marlin or Winchester or a quality replica thereof. I like my 464 and would take it over the current Marlin 336A or the average 94 Ranger. I really hope Mossy continues to produce it, more affordable lever actions are a good thing.

[northmn]

I want one of the brush gun versions with the short barrel, satin stainless finish and laminated stock. I'll have one someday.

I wish Mossberg would make some other variants of it. If they made a long barreled, version with a checkered pistol grip stock and a two thirds magazine tube, I'd buy one in a heart beat. A .35 Remington of .375 Winchester chambering would be nice too, but it'll probably never happen.

They make a walnut stocked pistol gripped version that would fill the bill as described above if made.

DEP

[quilbilly]

Day before yesterday I tested a "new" load in my 464 on my 45 yard front porch range. It was a 182 gr RFGC from an old 31141 Lyman single cavity mold I recently bought at a garage sale. The powder charge was 18.8 gr of RE-7. This is the heaviest boolit I have tried in it and I think that mold was a custom since even the older books say it is supposed to drop at 170-173 gr. The ten shot group was 1.75 inches using the Skinner sight and the rifle hand held. Once again my 464 consumes anything I have fed it in the last 8 years.

[FergusonTO35]

Nice!

[northmn]

Day before yesterday I tested a "new" load in my 464 on my 45 yard front porch range. It was a 182 gr RFGC from an old 31141 Lyman single cavity mold I recently bought at a garage sale. The powder charge was 18.8 gr of RE-7. This is the heaviest boolit I have tried in it and I think that mold was a custom since even the older books say it is supposed to drop at 170-173 gr. The ten shot group was 1.75 inches using the Skinner sight and the rifle hand held. Once again my 464 consumes anything I have fed it in the last 8 years.

The molds drop weight is based on #2 alloy. I used softer alloy in a mold rated 175 grains and got 188 with gas check. See that a lot.

DEP

[FergusonTO35]

I use range scrap for everything, including warm .357's and .30-30's with no leading. I have come to find that boolit fit and lube is way more important than bhn. In fact, they can make up for an alloy that is on the soft side.

[T.R.]

https://oi26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/rushmoreman/Marlin%20amp%20Mossberg_zpsdggy1o1x.jpg (http://s26.photobucket.com/user/rushmoreman/media/Marlin%20amp%20Mossberg_zpsdggy1o1x.jpg.html)

This photo illustrates just how short and handy a 16 inch barrel can be for hunting all day long. My Mossberg 464 shoots Power Points and Core-lokts into the same clusters at 100 yards. 30-30 is a keeper!

TR

[FergusonTO35]

I am diggin' that Marlin! Is it an XLR?

[FergusonTO35]

Gave the 464 some more exercise last night. Still shooting great, I have discovered something that really helps. Normally I shoot off a set of Polecat shooting sticks, with my weak hand holding the sticks and the forend just resting on top. This often results in pulling the rifle high when the trigger breaks, made worse by the light barrel and heavy trigger. Last night I tried gripping the forend as if shooting unsupported. This instantly improved my groups, keeping the barrel from moving when the trigger breaks.

[quilbilly]

Gave the 464 some more exercise last night. Still shooting great, I have discovered something that really helps. Normally I shoot off a set of Polecat shooting sticks, with my weak hand holding the sticks and the forend just resting on top. This often results in pulling the rifle high when the trigger breaks, made worse by the light barrel and heavy trigger. Last night I tried gripping the forend as if shooting unsupported. This instantly improved my groups, keeping the barrel from moving when the trigger breaks.
I will keep this in mind when I take my 464 to NCBS. Monopods and bipods are now OK for the practical rifle standup shoot.

[FergusonTO35]

Glad to hear it. I do most of my shooting from the bipod nowadays. You aren't going to have a benchrest handy when hunting!

[quilbilly]

I was just looking for something on the Sportsman's Warehouse website and noticed they are running a sale on 464's. $299.99. If it isn't a mistake and it includes the 30/30, I have seen this price since I bought mine almost ten years ago.

[FergusonTO35]

Wow, good deal. And, I'm broke!

[jmort]

Agree, fantastic deal, a new, nice, 30-30 for $300

[FergusonTO35]

Still shooting the 464 with 17 grains 4759 under the Lee 170. This load is fun to shoot and more accurate than my shaky hands can take advantage of, so I'm going to stick with it until my 4759 is gone. Probably go with Reloder 7, 4198, or 3031 when that happens.

[curioushooter]

I like mine. I have the delux version with pistol grip and walnut. Cost $406. Didn't need d&t either, just bases. Good trigger.
It did have excessive bolt face counterbore, and so it had excessive headspace. Action would pop open. Sent it to Mossberg and 4 weeks later got it back and it is tight. It is my only 30-30 and I neck size the brass mostly. Accurate and I get 2500 fps with 150 grain Speer hot cor, basically low end 308 performance. have a Leopold 1-4x mounted on it.
It just doesn't fit me as well as my marlin 1894c, 357. Since refocusing on public land deer hunting, my mossy has been neglected. But it is still my go-to gun if I need a little more reach than 357 mag can deliver on private land.

[FergusonTO35]

Nice. Mine had the same problem with the bolt unlocking on firing. Sent it back to Mossy and they fixed it, I think they replaced the bolt and locking block.