Black Powder in a Marlin 1895CB

[Remmy4477]

Picked up an early JM Marlin 1895CB today.

Planning on using it for a few local silhouette matches.
Will run it with black powder.

What would be a good choice for bullets? I currently have both a lyman 385 grn and 405 grn mold. Lightest 45 molds I have on hand.
I use the 405 grn in my rolling block with 68 grns of black powder, that rifle likes that load.

Never tried the 385 grn, wondering if that might be a better one for the marlin with the silhouettes? Longest shot would be out to 200 meters.

New to the rifle and the silhouette game with a lever gun.

[Dan Cash]

Shooting black in my 1895, I have had reasonable results with the 325 gr Gould HP and better results with the 405 bullet. Your powder charge you are using for your other rifle is fine if it is producing the accuracy you want.Either one will knock your silhouettes over with authority. The lighter bullet is much more pleasant to shoot as the 95 backs up with authority.

[longbow]

If that Lyman 385 gr. is the 457124, my old 1895 liked it with smokeless or BP. I shot a lot of them. Wish I still had that gun! It was a 1970's vintage Marlin and was a victim of my need for money to go to college.

It shot well and liked that 385 gr. boolit. It seemed to shoot flatter and better than the 405 gr. FP, for me anyway, though I didn't really do any side by side comparison.

Longbow.

[Remmy4477]

If that Lyman 385 gr. is the 457124, my old 1895 liked it with smokeless or BP. I shot a lot of them. Wish I still had that gun! It was a 1970's vintage Marlin and was a victim of my need for money to go to college.

It shot well and liked that 385 gr. boolit. It seemed to shoot flatter and better than the 405 gr. FP, for me anyway, though I didn't really do any side by side comparison.

Longbow.

Yep, an old Lyman Ideal 457124, just picked up a set of handles for it. May cast a batch this coming weekend and give them a run.

[rintinglen]

That is good boolit for your application. Enough room in the lube grooves for plenty of grease to keep fouling soft, not so heavy as to rattle your teeth, accurate enough for rams. The only problem comes in during 60 or 80 round matches where fouling can be a problem. I gave up on black powder due to the difficulty buying it here in California. It is only slightly easier to find than honest politicians.