Marlin 1894 to????

[TheGrimReaper]

Ok don't shoot me if this is stupid

I have a Marlin 94 in 44 magnum. Great gun, I am just not crazy about 44 magnum.
Could I rebore it to another caliber???
Is it even possible?

[Hickory]

Money can make it happen!

Sell the gun, you'll get money.
Now, take the money and you may have to add more money to it, and buy a 1894 Marlin in the caliber of your choice.

That's the cheap way.

[modified5]

+1 what Hickory said. There are plenty of people that would want a good lever gun in .44. Sell it and buy whatever caliber you want.

[TheGrimReaper]

I am thinking that too.
Really been looking at the Henry in 41 mag.
My preferred caliber
I just really like marlins

[dverna]

Why? Nothing wrong with the .41 Mag but what is not to like about a .44 Mag?

I sold my 1894 in .44 Mag as I was not shooting it much. If I reduced the load to a more enjoyable level, it wound up with the power of a .357...and I had four rifles in .357. But mine shot very well.

Rebarrelling it is going to be expensive. Anything can be done with enough money but it is worth it?

BTW, the .41 Mag must be one the most underappreciated offerings out there. I think it is a great cartridge but the limited availability of offerings keeps it down. If you really want one, the Henry is one path, but like you, I cannot seem to liked the Henry. Marlin made the 1894 in .41Mag so I would look for a used one.

[pietro]

I have a Marlin 94 in 44 magnum.

Great gun, I am just not crazy about 44 magnum.

Could I rebore it to another caliber???

Is it even possible?




Keeping in mind that a re-bore involves ENLARGING the bore, and the 1894 is a short/pistol cartridge action, the only re-bore option would be to a .45 cal (like the .45 Colt).

Goin to a smaller chambering, like a .357, .32/20, etc would involve re-barreling and changes to an appropriate forend, cartridge lifter & magazine tube (etc) - IMO not financially viable (aka: a money pit).

Sell it and buy what you want...……………… :happy dance:


.

[Kev18]

You sound like me, but I might be wrong. I like winchesters and I like MY gun. I like to modify MY gun. I dont want to sell it. Keep it, it might be a good project gun, or just get it re barreled to a similar cartridge.

Sometimes selling isn't in the near future ;)

[Shawlerbrook]

Ranger Point Precision used to do conversions to 45acp . Since economics is never a winning issue with these conversions I would think 10mm or 454 Casull would be cool. Also the 460 and 480 handgun rounds.

[lar45]

I read an article several years back about modifying the 1894 Marlin. They said that they largest case that could fit was the 50AE. The case it'self just barely fits in the frame window. The 50AE has a 44 mag rim, so no change to the bolt face would be required.
I don't know how much room there would be to rebore the original barrel, or if you would have to have one turned down for it. Sounds like an interesting project. You might talk with JES and see if the original barrel could be rebored to .500".
If it was me, I'd be real tempted to get a new octagon barrel and have it fit to the action. It would probably be expensive, but a 50 cal in a light and handy levergun would be great.

[osteodoc08]

Sell it and buy what you want. I’ve been asking Henry to make an all weather 41 mag since the others have come out but no dice. I’d love to have a factory 480R/475LB without paying Big Horn Armory prices.

[MrWolf]

I am thinking that too.
Really been looking at the Henry in 41 mag.
My preferred caliber
I just really like marlins

I took me a few years but I just picked up my Marlin 41 lever yesterday at my FFL. Like you I always wanted one. The 44 is on my list of missing calibers. Good luck

[Nobade]

I have an early 70's 1894 in 44 mag with a gouge in the chamber from the factory. Looks like a chip got between the reamer and the barrel. It works OK with moderate loads, but not with full power ones. I'm thinking it needs to get rebarreled to 38-40 with one of the Green Mountain octagon blanks, and an octagon front end. Another one of those some day projects when I feel motivated...

[beechbum444]

475 linbaugh , just saying

[Doubletap]

The cheap route would be what Hickory said, sell it buy what you're really looking for. With the dearth of 41 mag Marlins out there, I've thought of converting a 44 mag to it. The bolt face is a little sloppy, but in testing empties in a 44 mag it extracted. I've ran this buy a friend who happens to be a barrel maker and got a luke warm reception. He's skeptical, rightly so, that when you run the pressures up to 40K psi it may not extract as positively as you'd like with the bigger bolt face. Finding a 41 mag bolt to replace it is like finding an honest neo-marxist Democrat politician. Like many, I don't like the Henry. I have no need for a heavy pistol calibre lever gun, and dislike the tube feed, eliminating the "shoot one, load one" option.
The 454 isn't a possibility in the Marlin action because of pressures, and the 475 I believe is problematic in length and the loading port size. The good news is find a couple of good moulds that throw a .432" or a bit bigger and enjoy the Marlin .44 mag. I'm not a .44 guy either, preferring the .41, but I've got two .44 Marlins that shoot well, cycle well, and really like the Lee 430-310 slug, so that's what I use.

[Nueces]

If you go the rebarrel route, another idea would be to make it a 357-44 Bain & Davis, just the 44 case with a short neck to 357. No action mods required and, with 160 grain bullets, you could approach standard 30-30 ballistics in a shorter carbine that holds more in the magazine.

I enjoy noodling this sort of project and have seen some of them through, mostly revolvers.

[hpdrifter]

if it is true that the 45 Colt in the Marlin 1894 has a twist of 1-38, then re-bore would be my option.

Who, I wonder, was responsible for the 1-38 twist in 44 mag and 45 Colt?

[Shawlerbrook]

Love the Bain Davis conversions.

[cwlongshot]

If you go the rebarrel route, another idea would be to make it a 357-44 Bain & Davis, just the 44 case with a short neck to 357. No action mods required and, with 160 grain bullets, you could approach standard 30-30 ballistics in a shorter carbine that holds more in the magazine.

I enjoy noodling this sort of project and have seen some of them through, mostly revolvers.
EXACTLY MY THOUGHTS!!

Find a smith to spin off that 43 Bbl and install and chamber a 357 barrel.

First on your block to have a B&D!!

Great caliber!!

CW

[John Taylor]

Just got done on two 94s from 45 colt to 45 ACP. Set the barrels back, cut one dovetail and shorten the mag tube. Then change the timing of the carrier.

[Greg S]

I'll play... 1894? .431 is too close to .451/452 to completely cleaned up all the way and I think the barrel might be alittle thin to go 480 special and I believe the receiver is too weak for 50K+ or whatever the establish SAAMI pressure is. Easiest as recommended above is to sell and reinvest.

[smkummer]

I have a mid 1970’s 1894 44 mag. that i bought in the later 70’s. It’s shot a few deer in its lifetime then I hardly used until cowboy action. That brought it back to life. I almost ordered a 45 colt barrel from numrich when they had them. Now I am glad I left it alone. Lee’s TL200 RF bullet unsized comes out at about .4305. 4.5 grains 700X in a magnum case is my cowboy load. Maybe 900 FPS out of the rifle. Very sweet pop gun.
I am for selling as is or leaving it alone and finding a bullet/ load combination that works for you. In reality, not much difference between a 43 caliber and 45 caliber bullet.

[arlon]

I have a mid 1970’s 1894 44 mag. that i bought in the later 70’s. It’s shot a few deer in its lifetime then I hardly used until cowboy action. That brought it back to life. I almost ordered a 45 colt barrel from numrich when they had them. Now I am glad I left it alone. Lee’s TL200 RF bullet unsized comes out at about .4305. 4.5 grains 700X in a magnum case is my cowboy load. Maybe 900 FPS out of the rifle. Very sweet pop gun.
I am for selling as is or leaving it alone and finding a bullet/ load combination that works for you. In reality, not much difference between a 43 caliber and 45 caliber bullet.

Interesting, I just bought a Winchester in 44 mag. I was thinking it would be perfect to download for. I like the lee bullet and 700x idea. I have a LOT of 700x and a few moulds but not the Lee, cheap enough to get though.

I'd have much preferred a .41 or .357 but I think at the end of the day, the 44 just has a LOT of latitude for a caster/reloader. More than the other two.

[murf205]

if it is true that the 45 Colt in the Marlin 1894 has a twist of 1-38, then re-bore would be my option.

Who, I wonder, was responsible for the 1-38 twist in 44 mag and 45 Colt?

OR..who, at Remlin doesn't know that the twist should be tightened to 1-20. The outfit is run by bean counters not handloaders. The twist is a throwback to the 44/40 black powder days.

[John Taylor]

OR..who, at Remlin doesn't know that the twist should be tightened to 1-20. The outfit is run by bean counters not handloaders. The twist is a throwback to the 44/40 black powder days.

The 1 in 36 twist rate is what most of the old 44-40 black powder rifles had. Rifles have a higher velocity which means the bullet is spinning faster also. Most factory rifles in pistol calibers are going to have a slower twist rate than pistols. Also rifle designed for high velocity with black powder and light bullets will have a slow twist. The 50 Express is a good example with it's 300 grain bullet and a twist rate of 1 in 56". This was to get the highest velocity possible with black powder. Trying to spin the bullet faster robed some of the velocity. The 45-90 ( express) had a twist rate of 1 in 30" when the 45-70 had a 1 in 22 twist rate. The difference was bullet weight and velocity.

[Plainsman]

I agree, sell it and reinvest. What year is it and how much are you asking?
:)

[elmacgyver0]

Keep it and buy another! You won't regret it.

[dogmower]

327 federal looks interesting in the henry lever action