The Devil Made Me Do It

[shaman]

I was trolling through Gunbroker and snagged a rat-bag Marlin 336RC at a good price.

234867
I've already got a nice one in 30-30, so this one is going to be a donor for a project. The problem is, I'm trying to decide what to do.

#1 Option is to send it off to JES and get a Ohio-legal deer rifle built. I currently don't have a rifle that fits the bill.

From the Ohio Regs:
Straight-walled cartridge rifles in the following calibers: All straight-walled cartridge calibers from a minimum of .357 to a maximum of .50. Shotguns and straight-walled cartridge rifles can be loaded with no more than three shells in the chamber and magazine combined.


It's silly that in Ohio you can hunt groundhog with a 30-06, but not a deer.

I'm thinking 38-55 or 375 Winchester. For a reloader doing either cast or jacketed loads, is there any plusses to either? As I remember 38-55 is cheaper and easier to find, but you can make 375 WIN brass out of 38-55.


#2 Option is to get it re-chambered to 307 Winchester and hunt with it in Kentucky.


#3 Option is whatever y'all can come up with that looks better.


I'm also wondering what to do with the outside finish. It looks to be in the white in its current state. It's too old to be a stainless. I think it's just had the bluing removed.

1) I've got a local smith that does excellent bluing, but it's going to cost me.
2) I kind of like it as-is, in the white. Is there a good way to put a clear finish on it?

[oteroman]

357 Maximum ?


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[Texas by God]

Nice buttstock. Throw those rings in the trash or use them on an AR. The 38-55 is fun and would be a good choice. Aerosol clear coat will protect the white metal from rust if you go that route. Lots of potential to that rifle.

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[beechbum444]

I. Had that one on my watch list on GB forgot to bid....small world ...I vote 50 Alaskan

[725]

.38-55. I'm lovin' this cartridge. I had 2 94's done in .38-55 (mine & a friend's) by JES. Fantastic. Of course, it's really up to you and what you want, but I'm very glad I'm shootin' a .38-55 now. Highly recommend JES.

[NoZombies]

I like the 38-55 a lot...

[gwpercle]

One .thing ..the first thing actually , is to shave down that pregnant looking fore end . Why Marlin makes them all fat and proud like that is beyond me. Make it slim and trim like the old Marlin's .
Refinish in Tung oil or True Oil and 38-55 ...Oh Yeah...
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner !

[ole_270]

My Jess 38-55 is one of my favorites. Deer sure don't like it though

[garandsrus]

Have Jess chamber it in 375-1.8” so that it is legal in Ohio. I think they have the case length restriction like Mi does.

[Tom W.]

I thought a Shaman was supposed to drive out devils, not listen to them.....:bigsmyl2:

[cwtebay]

I second the 50 Alaskan! But 50-95 would also be awesome!
I also agree with the for end comment.

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[shaman]

I thought a Shaman was supposed to drive out devils, not listen to them.....:bigsmyl2:

Well, the problem is that the devil only has to work with that which we desire already. It didn't take much influence this time ;)


Thanks all for the quick come-back.


I'm guessing it's going to be 38-55. 357 MAX sounds interesting, but I already have an 1894 in 357 MAG.

375 WIN? What I gave you was the current quote out of the Ohio regs. I believe it was IN that had the 1.8" restriction. From what I understand

a) JES normally bores out to fit the length of the longer Starline brass
b) I'll be able to load 38-55 and 375 WIN loads pretty much interchangeably in this rifle. I'll just not be able to shoot the resulting loads in an older 38-55 rifle.

Which bring me to my next set of questions: Which bullet?

There seems to be a dearth of good jacketed bullets out there, so I guess I'm going to be limited to cast. That's not a complaint mind you. However, this would be the first rifle in the collect that was lead-only. If you know of a jacketed bullet, please let me know.

So which mould? My personal preference would be the lightest bullet that would shoot accurately. This will be deer rifle, so I won't need that much mass. Is the Lee offering any good?

[WheelgunConvert]

I was hoping that this would be a Flip Wilson related discussion.

[T_McD]

I’m going to be the stick in the mud and suggest a more common caliber. Or does one not exist that meets the regulations?

[Tom W.]

The RO at the sheriff's range has a single shot 38-55. He buys his bullets and his rifle is a beautiful old falling block. He seats then out far enough that one has to push the cartridge into the chamber with a little force. It's his rifle and he knows it well, and it shoots wonderful groups, although I only shot it @ 50 yards after everyone else had gone home....

Check w/ 50target about his loads.....

[ole_270]

Quote: Is the Lee offering any good?

I started out with the Lee mold in my Jess re-bored Marlin. Bullets shot great, maybe slightly better than the one I settled on. I ordered the Accurate 38-250B after seeing the results many were getting on another website. Much easier to cast good bullets with than the lee, I ordered it for plain base bullets and use it up to 1600 fps with PC, sized .377 with the NOE push through sizer. I settled on Universal Clays powder for plinking loads, H4198 and 3031 for hunting with the 2.082 length Starline cases. The plinking load, 10 gr Universal, I pan lube with Winds Wonder Wax. Just seems to fit the whole scenerio.
Don't think you'll find anything to complain about in the shooting of either bullet. The Lee just needed the typical fine tuning a lot of their 2 cavity molds need.
Three shots with the Lee bullet and 21 gr H4198. 50 yards with a scope while developing loads. I will readily admit this doesn't happen regularly, but not far off.
https://i.imgur.com/RAccvvH.jpg

[Bigslug]

.38-55 seems the no-brainer to me. Given equal actions, you've got a bigger boiler room than the .375 Win. Currently helping Dad through the load workup phase on his 336 Cowboy in this chambering (shoulder surgery - guess who gets to pull the trigger on the chrono tests?[smilie=s:). It's looking like we'll end up in the ballpark of 2000 fps with (I believe) the Accurate 38-296D grains, which seems to work very well with the Marlin's feed geometry. We're hoping for a point-blank arc of 4" up and 4" down across 200 yards. Might be a tad ambitious, but should learn more Friday if we don't get rained out.

I can't give you a whole lot of guidance on molds, because he's got three rifles for the round and all are running custom molds. All three more than cut the mustard on accuracy, including the original 1885 with the frosty bore and the oblong chamber. It's a great round!

EDIT: For finish, consider something like Armoloy or Robar NP3. These are basically matte silver finishes that are CRAZY durable. The best decision I ever made regarding hunting guns was to go stainless steel and synthetic on the bolt actions. Good hunting weather is nasty weather, and it's nice to be able to sit in your stand and not think about having to wipe down and dehydrate your rifle when you get home.

[jdfoxinc]

The new 35 Winchester?

[shaman]

I’m going to be the stick in the mud and suggest a more common caliber. Or does one not exist that meets the regulations?

You can use 44 Mag, 45-70, and 357 Mag, but as best as I can tell 38-55 gives the best punch vs. recoil numbers without getting into exotic Europeans. It's also a cheap way in if you can find a donor rifle to do it. I'm open to more suggestions if you can think of one.


Question for Ol 270: I think I'll start with the Lee mold and see how far I get. Are you sizing the bullets? If so, what works for you?


Thanks everyone for the help so far. Keep the comments coming. I'm mailing the mail order over lunch.


BTW: I had my last conversation with my best friend, Bob on Tuesday. He died yesterday. I was able to drag him out of his delerium by telling him about this rifle. He stayed lucid long enough to tell me he was impressed with the deal, and then gave me a good lecture on 38-55 vs 375 Winchester. Renal failure may have been poisoning his mind, but his firearm knowledge was intact to the end. He said 38-55 for sure, so 38-55 it is!

[Texas by God]

Shaman, I'm sorry for your loss. Name that rifle Bob when you get it lined out- he'd approve I bet. I carry a Savage .243 in my truck 24/7 and I call it Jimmy after my brother who passed in December- it was his truck gun.

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[T_McD]

Well after thinking it over, 38-55 seems to be the best choice! Good luck on the build, and keep the good memories.

[yeahbub]

I vote for the 2.08" .38-55 chamber, which will accommodate the 2.02" .375 Win without much boolit jump. Full power .375 Win in .375 Win cases, milder loads in .38-55 brass so no hot ones find their way into a vintage .38-55. I paper patch, size and tumble-lube the Lyman 375248 which does very well in micro-groove barrels. The whole powder coat thing has my attention, though. That seems like an experiment worth trying.

An inexpensive finish for yours would be Van's Instant Gun Blue (actually black) which is a true room temperature black oxide which can be very pleasing to the eye and simple to use. I use it to finish new, re-finish worn and for touch-up on edges, corners. Useful on steel tools as well.

[truckjohn]

Check it out and especially test fire it before you chop it up. From the pics - it looks like an early 1950's model.... Could be Ballard rifled. Probably carried a ton and not shot much.... Could well have a pristine barrel... Those early guns were laser beams and often shot well under MOA.

Now - if the barrel is rotten - send it off.....