Lee 300 grain RNFP in Rossi 92 and Marlin 1894

[Gray Fox]

I've got this boolit mold and these two rifles. My question is do any of you know if either rifle will feed the boolit with the case crimped in the lower of the two crimp grooves? Both handle it using the top crimp groove. I don't want to make a dummy round and then learn I have to pull the mag tube to clean up a jammed round.
Thanks, GF

[Mk42gunner]

Make up a dummy to check chambering before trying to feed it through the action.

Robert

[indian joe]

Make up a dummy to check chambering before trying to feed it through the action.

Robert

YEP! when you have done that - next step is see if you can feed it in from the top down onto the feed ramp and lower the feed ramp - 92's are flexible with max OAL but they have their limits

[bigboredad]

My experience in my guns using my reloads my over all length maxed out at 1.60. How ever your guns and your. Bullets could different in your experience. Good luck

Sent from my SM-T377V using Tapatalk

[bigdog454]

use in my rossi 92 454Casull works like a sledge hammer on deer, don't need to track them.
BD

[Prairie Cowboy]

Stick to the SAAMI cartridge overall length shown in reloading manuals as your maximum. Measure your test round with a dial/digital caliper to be assured that it isn't over-length and then see if it will chamber freely singly before attempting to run it through the action.

[Point452]

I’ve been able to load the Lee 300 in my Rossi to 1.65”, the longer crimp groove on the Lee boolit.

[NITROTRIP]

Gray Fox,
I have used a very easy to check Max feed length and different nose shapes for years in 92/94win actions. My Dad showed it to
me before 1980 "RIP" when I stuck an over long reload in a 1894win. Here go's.

Open lever to the point it is ready to kick up the lifter but don't. Take unloaded case with bullet pressed in to desired length.
Insert rim first thru guide notches so rim is on lowered lifter-(bullet up). Lifter needs to be down so you can see mag
button in front of it. 94-30wcf I use pencil eraser and gently push bullet down on top of lowered lifter, little finger
works on 92-45colt. If it will go down and rest on lifter in line with mag button without hitting/kissing just above the mag
tube or action, 99% chance it will feed. Push the lever forward to raise lifter up if it is on lifter in line with mag tube in
bottom of action, Cycle step 1, passed. Cycle step 2,lifter into chamber. If bullet hits above lowered lifter/mag tube even
lightly it will never feed. If when doing this,
it hits just turn rifle upside down and shake or pick cartrage out bullet first. No chance of getting stuck in mag tube,
if you don't push it down.If the bullet so much as kisses the front of action above mag tube, pushing down just kissing, it
might as well loaded thru the gate and take your chances.

Rossi 45colt for example, I have had 5 over the years. Every one was was different for over all max length of 1.600
Of the 5 rifles, shortest +1.630 to longest 1.710 for small flat nose to 1.680 wfn in that longest rifle. That one with the
LEE 300gr would feed in the long crimp groove but just makes the chamber.

I hope this helps you, and others as I have never seen this method in print or in conversation untill Indian Joe's post.
Just added more detail to his great post as every gun is different, and you have options. As alway's, change length start
powder charge low and tune.

Take care,
Rick

[SierraHunter]

Your marlin will shoot that bullet? I bought a brand new one last year and it would throw that 300 grain Lee sideways at 50 yards no matter how hard I pushed it.

Yesterday, I picked up a JM stamped 44 mag with Ballard cut rifling I’m hoping to have better luck with.

[NITROTRIP]

I am guessing the Marlin is 1in38" twist? My Rossi 92 is 1in30". My Uberty Henry 1860 and 1866's are 1in16".
All 45colts. The Uberty's will shoot the Lee down to 700fps, the Rossi to around 1000fps and then start getting
the sideway's holes mentioned.

Rick

[GBertolet]

I didn't see any mention if your rifle was a 44 or 45 cal. If it's a 44, I gave some NEI 310.429 bullets to a friend who had a 1894 Marlin in 44 mag. I bought this mold directly from J.D. Jones. He claimed in the 44 magnum, it will shoot through a 300 lb hog lengthwise. I used them in a Ruger SBH, with a faster twist. Turns out, they were too long to feed properly in his Marlin. The 1-38 twist is very marginal for these heavy bullets in the 44 cal. Many 44's with this twist, will exhibit tipping or tumbling. Ironicly, the 45 cal guns with the same twist, seem to be able to handle these heavy bullets ok. It's amazing what an extra 23 thousandths in diameter will do.

[SierraHunter]

Yeah, the JM stamped 44 mag I just picked up shoots the heavy bullets phenomenal. My old one wouldn’t stablize them no mater how hard I pushed them, and showed significant accuracy loss with 270gn instead of 240gn

[Norske]

The Lee 300 gr shoots very well in my Ruger SBH's (1 in 18 twist) but isn't stabilized in my Marlin 1894. The bullets began key holing even at 25 yards, and got worse and less accurate at 50 and 75 yards. It's a long bullet, so measure the twist rate in your rifles before loading up a bunch.

[Jparr]

My 92 didn't like 300 Grn, key holed. Not sure what profile it was, old stuff I had laying around.

[Fishman]

My 1894P 44 mag shoots the 310 gr Lee just fine and no problems with feeding. I saw no evidence of keyholing all the way out to 100 yards which is the maximum at my range. However, I changed over to the 265 gr Ranchdog and use that bullet in both the rifle and the handguns simply because of the slightly reduced recoil in my handguns. I was perfectly satisfied with the Lee bullet though, and killed a few hogs and a deer with them.