Boolit choices for marlin 1894, 44mag.

[Remmy4477]

Need some ideas.
Marlin 1894 in 44 mag, ballard rifling, Slugged at .430.

Looking for a boolit .431, 225-255grn with a crimp groove to function in the rifle as intended. Really have no interest in modifying the action to feed swc's.
Don't have much faith in crimping over the oglive and then suffing the tube with 9-10 rounds.
Not sure I want to invest in a mold yet? Already spend too much time casting for my 45-70.

Looking on the net it seems most boolit suppliers have some choices but mainly sized at .430, not much for .431 plus I don't want to buy 100-500 peices only to discover they don't do well.
Probably over thinking but then??

[skeet1]

Just wondering why you would need to modify a SWC for the Marlin 1894? Mine shoots SWC's just fine. Do I have something unusual?


Ken

[Remmy4477]

Just wondering why you would need to modify a SWC for the Marlin 1894? Mine shoots SWC's just fine. Do I have something unusual?


Ken

I have a lyman and rcbs molds, forget the #'s but both have a very long nose so you must crimp above the oglive or shoot them loading one at a time. There just to long if you use there crimp groove.
Might just be these two molds?

[trapper9260]

For my rifle What ever I use in my RH I can use it also in the Marlin. just size a little bigger.I use SWC and feed with out any problems. Just the WC is that I need to feed like a single shot.

[sghart3578]

I hope this helps.

I have a microgroove 1894 from the 70's, a great rifle. I don't push the loads very fast.

I use the Lee 429-200-RF and the Lee 429-240-2R. I beagled both molds and size the bullets to .432".

I load them over 8.5 gr of Unique or 7.5 gr of Bullseye. Both very accurate to 75 yards, even 100 yards if I am having a good day.

Good luck,


Steve in N CA

[Outpost75]

Accurate 43-230G is a wide flat nosed, double-crimp-groove design for .44-40, .44 Magnum and .44 Special.

My two 1894S Marlin rifles will not feed SWCs, but run this bullet like butter.

Accurate, stone killer with compressed case full of RL7 in the .44-40 or 4198 in the .44 Magnum.

229498229499229500229501

[Salmoneye]

Both my 2003 1894PG and 1990 Marlin 1894S will eat anything (almost), including SWC and my flush loaded rat shot loads in .44 Mag cases...

Only time I have a hitch in my git-along is if I try to load full wadcutters or rat shot in .44 SPCL cases...

I guess I am lucky...

For store bought cast, my guns love the Penn 240gr TCBB (Truncated Cone Bevel Base) @.432"...

[Walks]

I have a ACCURATE mold; TL-432-243-RF.
It's a tumble lube that drops at .432 when using #2 alloy. My mold is actually marked at 240grs, exactly as I asked for.
I've crimped in the top lube groove or just use a TAPER CRIMP Die, for a shorter OAL. The LEE Factory CRIMP Die will also work extremely well.
This bullet does have a decent sized meplat. Feeding is flawless.
Works in MARLIN 1894CB, 1894C, BROWNING 1892, WINCHESTER 1892 & 1894 and a number of ROSSI'S.

I've been crimping over the OGIVE for a 1873 UBERTI 24 1/2" bbl RIFLE in .44-40 using the old LYMAN #42798 for almost 30yrs. And I'm able to load 14 rounds in the Mag tube instead of only 13 because crimping over the OGIVE allows for a shorter OAL.

I also load the LYMAN # 454190 for my MARLIN 1894CB 24" bbl.
No problems with crimping over the OGIVE in that rifle or a 19" bbl 1866 UBERTI. I've been loading that bullet in the MARLIN CB since they came out in 1996.

Can't seem to remember how many rounds will fit in my 1873 UBERTI Carbine, but I think it's 10rds. Same with the old Yellowboy Carbine.

Ya just hafta pay attention to case length and die adjustment. I also crimp separately from bullet seating. I bell the case mouth the minimum amount using a LYMAN m-die, and use only FLAT BASE Bullets.

[longbow]

You guys that have 1894's that feed SWC's are lucky! Or I am unlucky like Outpost75.

I started out with the Lyman 429421 because it is simply the best SWC ever designed... right? Well, maybe in revolvers.

The 429421 has a long nose so OAL is beyond what Marlin will feed well. That's one problem. They fed but not well so I wound up crimping over the front driving band which helped but they still jammed up a lot.

So did the H&G #503.

So, I did some mod's to get the SWC's to feed and in the end was successful.

But back on topic. Any RNFP that is under the recommended OAL when seated and crimped should feed fine. I have several moulds now and so far all RNFP's have been fine in the gun including the Mihec 434640 which is about as heavy (long) as the 1:38" twist seems to want to stabilize. Lighter is better. 225 to 25 grs. is a good weight for the 1:38" twist.

I'd go larger than 0.431" if you can get them though. The SAAMI spec is 0.431" groove for rifle and as best I can measure mine is slightly larger. I generally shoot 0.433" to 0.434" as cast and tumble lubed.

You might do okay with 0.431" but I think larger is better.

I've never bought cast boolits so not much knowledge there on various suppliers but I do go to Beartooth Bullets site fairly often as they have lots of good info and I see they have what you want at up to 0.432":

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/bulletselect/index.htm

You might try some of the 240 or 250 gr. WFN's.

Also, if you do buy a mould the Ranchdog designs are specifically for the 1894's. NOE has a couple of Ranchdog designs and Tom at Accurate will make a mould for you with conventional lube grooves or tumble lube grooves. Ranch Dog no longer supplies moulds but NOE has a version of his 265 gr. moulds:

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=37_212&products_id=3412

and Tom can make it whatever length/weight you want. The nose and length from crimp groove to meplat are specifically for Marlins.

That boolit Outpost75 shows looks like a good one too.

Longbow

PS: Missed this one which is what I was looking for: http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=37_478&products_id=3690

[winelover]

My 1894 will feed just about any bullet but a LFN. However, it prefers bullets of at least .432 diameter.

Winelover

[Airman Basic]

The 429-240-2r works slick in my 1894. It's a roundnose but no primer to nose mag problems. Get the 6 cav.