Marlin 62 Levermatic .256 Winchester

[Newtire]

The other day, I put the money down on a Marlin 62 Levermatic in .256 Winchester Mag. I had a M57 in .22 s,l,lr before and really liked the thing so this was a real find in my mind. I have grown quite fond of the .25 caliber anyway.

I need to make some brass up and wondered if anyone had any actual hands-on doing this. I sent for a form die(Redding) from Midsouth and now I see that Redding sells a #1 & a #2 form die. Hoping the one I bought does the job! This thing forms the cases from .357 mag. I also heard you could fireform .22 Jet cases after snizing up the necks to a .25 cal.

Any advice?

This is absolutely the last rifle I'm buying...this month.

[EMC45]

Saw on years back in .30 carbine. Neat gun.

[beagle]

Newtire....I have made a bunch of .256 Win Mag brass from .357s back in my Contender days. I have the Redding form set and it's pricey. The first die is an intermediate step and takes it down to about .30 and the next takes it down more and sets and forms the shoulder. You finish up with a FL size die. Of course, a trim job is in order.

I used unplated .357 Mag brass for all mine and R-P seemed to work best.

You have to take things in very small steps and clean frequently as lube wrinkles happen.

I ran across a fellow at our range one time and he was shooting nickel plated formed .357 Mag cases....with no wrinkles. He left before I could ask how he formed the nickel plated cases. I'd like to know how he did that.

You can fire form .22 Jet as is to .256. Accuracy is "minute of berm" at 50 yards during fireforming and I got a lot of split casess. If you had Jet cases expanded to .25 and annealed, I think it would work all right.

The .256 is a great little caliber and I keep hoping to run up on a cheap "shooter" Hawkeye some day.

The M62 had a bad reputation for case seperations also so watch it./beagle


The other day, I put the money down on a Marlin 62 Levermatic in .256 Winchester Mag. I had a M57 in .22 s,l,lr before and really liked the thing so this was a real find in my mind. I have grown quite fond of the .25 caliber anyway.

I need to make some brass up and wondered if anyone had any actual hands-on doing this. I sent for a form die(Redding) from Midsouth and now I see that Redding sells a #1 & a #2 form die. Hoping the one I bought does the job! This thing forms the cases from .357 mag. I also heard you could fireform .22 Jet cases after snizing up the necks to a .25 cal.

Any advice?

This is absolutely the last rifle I'm buying...this month.

[Newtire]

Thanks as usual for the great advice. I dug out an old Handloader #133 and the author talked about fiddling with the dies until he just got the case to chamber. I'll fool around with the forming die I have coming and see if I can't make something work. If not, another $65 and I can get the #2. The thought occured to me to maybe try to size the stage #1 case in a .22 Jet die. Sounds like anneal time for sure. These projects keep me broke!

[part_timer]

I have on of those rifles and it is very fun to shoot, started shooting cast in it last summer.

I know your not supposed to but I just take and run my 357 brass in the 256 die with rcbs case lube. I loose 3 or 4 out of 50 using R-P brass. For some reason the winchester has a higher rate of loss.

The 65gr leads seem to work well. I'm hoping to try some 89gr's first chance I get.

[johnly]

I have 3 256 WM barrels for my Contender, so I had to learn how to form brass. It's pretty staight forward, and you can do it without expensive forming dies. You'll need to purchase a set of 30 Luger or 30 Mauser dies, I use Lee dies as they were cheap. Use plain brass cases, nickel cases don't form as well. Don't anneal the cases until you finish the final forming step, otherwise the case shoulders tend to collaspe.

If I can be of help, just let me know.

John

[6pt-sika]

About two years ago I was at an auction here in Virginia .

They had a pair of Marlin 62's . One was in 256 and the other was a 30 Carbine . I bought them both .

When I came home I had my dealer get me dies for both and as of yet I've not fired a round in the 256 and only a couple in the 30 .

They do however look nice sitting in the safe amongst all my other Marlin's [smilie=1:

[Yance]

newtire;

Johnly covered my forming operation to the letter. I use the .30 Mauser Lee sizer for my intermediate step.

If you don't anneal the cases AFTER final forming you'll probably lose close to half of them to shoulder/neck splits on first firing.

my 2¢

[Newtire]

Now that's some useful stuff. So, I will get the .30 Mauser dies and then how do I go about using them?

[Jbar4Ranch]

I made 500 of them a few years ago from brass .357 cases by annealing first, then running them into a .256 sizer die. I formed all five hundred with one pass through the die and didn't lose a single one.

[Junior1942]

You're a dirty bird. I've wanted a 256 mag lever action since Paco Kelly's first book some 30+ years ago.

[dk17hmr]

My dad and I are on the lookout for that one and the 30 Carbine. Already have the 56 (magazine fed) and 57 (tubefed) 22lr's it would be nice to have a complete set.

The only 256 I have ever fired was Jbar's, its a cute little round.

[Newtire]

You're a dirty bird. I've wanted a 256 mag lever action since Paco Kelly's first book some 30+ years ago.

I have to laugh becase I remember thinking I was going to go look for a .357 magnum revolver over a year ago. I got sidetracked into buying about everything but a .357. So, I just have been going with the flow and finding a few great deals here & there but have long since forgotten about the .357. If I go out looking for something & find something else instead, it must be "a sign".

[corvette8n]

Don't forget to post pictures when you get it.

[GrizzLeeBear]

the .256 is a great little caliber and i keep hoping to run up on a cheap "shooter" hawkeye some day.

aahahahahahahahahahhahahaahhaahahahahahahahaha!!!! !

[shdwlkr]

I have sized the 357 nickeled brass down to 256 win mag and you just have to go slow and it worked for me. I have maybe 200 that I have sized that way.
I have all the dies and yes you want to step down gently and I did loose a few maybe 5 when I was doing it.
My gunsmith was going to take an old model 92 action and make it into a 256 win mag but he died two ago before he got time to make it for me so I have the action and no smith to make the rifle seems most don't dare work on the old winchester model 92 actions. So as i get money I get parts and one day will have to put it together myself and see what I end up with. I like the cartridge as it is better then the 25-20 and I just like having the odd caliber.

[1950Target]

I've got two Contender barrels in .256, but I got almost 1k of factory and almost 3k of brass and dies, and bullets and........ when I bought them. I've always been fascinated by the caetridge and would LOVE to have a pair of those Marlins in .256 and .30 Carb.

I've also always been interested in the UNIVERSAL FERRET but in my 52 years have only actually SEEN one in person, it was a God-Awful GREEN TEFLON COAT!

[Hipshot]

I have a .256 Win. and never had too much success at forming brass until I :

#1 Annealed the once fired .357 brass
#2 Sized it in a .357 sizing die
#3 Sized in a .256 Win sizing die with IMPERIAL SIZING DIE WAX (now
sold by Hornady) for a crush fit.

Worked well and after 5 reloadings is holding up well !

Hip

P.S. I would hold off on the HOT reloads though-----a 100 fps isn't going to get you anything but split brass in this middle of the line rifle with sloppy chamber and weak lock up !

[shdwlkr]

Hipshot
I have resized nickel 357 brass down to 256 win mag and lost maybe the first three. I have not annealed any yet. I used all three dies that they have to reform 357 down to 256 win mag but I work slow and take my time as I am more interested in the end product then getting several hundred done in hurry. Then maybe I was very lucky.

[Hipshot]

shdwlkr,
Try the annealing, you shouldn't lose any ! I'm using just my RCBS loading dies to form the cases---NOT forming dies!
To anneal stand the deprimed cases (brass cases are better-not as brittle) in a pan app 1/4 the way up in water----hit the neck area with a propane torch intil it turns red (go all the way around the brass) then tip over in the water to quickly cool the brass. Lay them on newspaper to odsorb the water and shake . Also pick up each one and blow the water bubble out of the flash hole.

[beagle]

I'll second that. That's like looking for a money tree......./beagle


aahahahahahahahahahhahahaahhaahahahahahahahaha!!!! !

[shdwlkr]

hipshot
I will have to try that when I get things in my reloading room out of boxes.
I was looking at getting a 256 win mag from TC but the twist seems way to fast to me as it is 1 in 10 and I am looking for a 1 in 12 or 1 in 14.

[Newtire]

shdwlkr,
Try the annealing, you shouldn't lose any ! I'm using just my RCBS loading dies to form the cases---NOT forming dies!
To anneal stand the deprimed cases (brass cases are better-not as brittle) in a pan app 1/4 the way up in water----hit the neck area with a propane torch intil it turns red (go all the way around the brass) then tip over in the water to quickly cool the brass. Lay them on newspaper to odsorb the water and shake . Also pick up each one and blow the water bubble out of the flash hole.

So Hipshot,

I'm with you on the annealing and turning the cases red & all since I tried the methed where you let them get too hot to hold & then drop into the water & it did no good for me. I have some .30 Luger dies coming to help form them and am going to give that a try. I found a set of Redding Dies brand new from Midsouth I believe. I also scored an old 25-20 Plainbase mould off of Evil-Bay yesterday to try out for a plinker. It should be good in my .257 Roberts also. Tomorrow is pickup day for my Marlin!

[Hipshot]

.22 Jet brass was also mentioned. I almost forgot but I bought 100 pieces of brass from Huntington Die Specialties. The price was very reasonable, but I haven't tried to fireform them yet.-----If I did I would first neck them up to 25 cal. , load with 3 gr. Bullseye, top off the powder with cream of wheat, and seal with a dab of case lube or grease, or crisco. Point up in the air and fire to help keep the brass against the the bolt head.
Almost forgot, put "A LITTLE" case lube where the shoulder would be.

Hip

P.S. To be safe (results wise) it wouldn't hunt to anneal these cases first.

[Flash]

Wow, this is a long thread so I doubt that I'll share anything that wasn't covered. I too owned a 256 in a Contender and as many others stated, one pass in a set of RCBS 256 Win dies and the cases were formed. I couldn't get nickel to size properly but the brass cases worked like a charm. I used Imperial sizing die wax to keep the hydraulic dimples to a minimum. Naturally, the 256 barrel was sold when I bought my 257 JDJ but I love those 25 calibers.

[Newtire]

Well, I've gotta tell you, I formed a bunch of .357 mag. cases and they came out real nice. I annealed the brass & it was Federal brass mostly. I annealed the brass like in the NRA loading manual with the propane torch and the water bath. I fired them with some j-words & some H335 & RX-7 and all of the Federal brass survived, most all of the S & B split and I lost one Remington.

A load of 6.0 gr. AL-8 and a 92 gr. plainbase Loverin looking boolit from a Marlin .25-20 mold I stole from Ebay somehow gave 1-1/2" accuracy @ 50yds. Keep in mind, this was only a maiden voyage.

I ended up forming the brass as follows:

First, I ran the cases up into the .256 FL die about halfway until the mouth just started to bend inwards and stopped.

I then ran these about 3/16" into a Lee .32-20 FL die to reduce the diameter slightly before putting them into the form die that I bought.

Then I ran the cases into the 2nd stage of the 2-part form die from Redding. I only bought the one die and this was the one I used.

I followed that by running these thru the FL size die.

I had to trim these back about .020" to get them to minimum trim length and then they chambered just fine. What was interesting is that I thought they weren't going to fit but after trimming them, they all chambered effortlessly.

I had a whole bunch of CBC nickel plated stuff so thought I'd give these a try and they formed up just great. Surprise surprise. I have a few light ripples in the neck but not like a wrinkle if you know what I mean. I used Lanolin (like i learned how to do on this site) as a lube and wiped it all off the neck & shoulder area before running it into the form die.

Like I said, the cases turned out great and not that hard to do. I kind of stroked the case into the form die until I had that little .25 cal spout start to form at least 1/16" and then eased it the rest of the way into the die in about 3 more strokes. I wrinkled a few but not that many.

The cases stretched .015" on first firing so we will see if they make it the second round. I will have to adjust the FL die so as to just let the case chamber and try that. I haven't fired any of the Nickle plated ones and will just have to see. I'm not too sure about how to anneal these?

I ordered a little low speed motor to set the water dish on top of and will use that for my annealing operation. It was only $10 bucks so what the heck.

So, that's about it for now. Found a bunch of load info on the Wolfe Load Data that I subscribed to last year and have been using the stuff for the Marlin rifle-not the Contender!

Going to get out my Belding & Mull measure and try to see if I can't crank some accuracy out of this thing. Sure is fun!

[Hipshot]

Newtire,
Glad it worked out for you !!!!! Just a note---I wait until after the first fireforming to trim the cases, it usually saves work as you MAY not have to do it twice (right away that is ).

Hip

[sharpshooter3040]

The other day, I put the money down on a Marlin 62 Levermatic in .256 Winchester Mag. I had a M57 in .22 s,l,lr before and really liked the thing so this was a real find in my mind. I have grown quite fond of the .25 caliber anyway.

I need to make some brass up and wondered if anyone had any actual hands-on doing this. I sent for a form die(Redding) from Midsouth and now I see that Redding sells a #1 & a #2 form die. Hoping the one I bought does the job! This thing forms the cases from .357 mag. I also heard you could fireform .22 Jet cases after snizing up the necks to a .25 cal.

Any advice?

This is absolutely the last rifle I'm buying...this month.

I've always wanted one too, so I decided to build one from a Marlin model 94 in 357. I put a 26" Adams and Bennet barrel on it. The project came out real nice, and the gun functions and shoot very well. As for making brass, thats a snap. I make my 22 jet brass the same way. You don't need the expensive form dies. You can do the same thing with your full length sizer and a little patients. Here's what you do. Start off with brand new 357 brass anneal about 1/4 inch of the mouth, quench and dry thourghly. Set up your full length sizer die to contact the shell holder with a tad of resistance (when the force of the sizing operation starts it tends to take any slop out of the equiptment) Next you want to put some imperial sizing die wax on the case....not too much or it will put dents on the case shoulder. Run the case through the sizer, you should be able to do it in one pass. Thats all there is too it

thanks
Doug

[Crooked Creek]

For those that don't want to form their own, Midway is showing 256 brass made (formed?) by Quality Cartridge, #296437 as "available" at the pricely amount of $48.49 per 50 pieces. Also, at www.contendercache.com/Miscellaneous.htm cases are available formed from 357 mag at, it appears, .20 each.
Someone asked for pictures, here is mine:
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u43/crookedcreek/CopyofP1000315.jpg

[Hipshot]

Crooked,
WoW ! That is an old Weaver, but I can't remember the model-----is it a V5 ? And what is the extra knob for----I forget ?

Hip

[Crooked Creek]

Hip,
It's a oldie all right, it's a KV model (as it is marked on top of the turret block). It might also be referred to as a V5 (I don't know), since it is a variable. Note the absence of the typical power adjusting ring back by the ocular end. The third knob, the one to the left under the cap, is to adjust the power. It is marked 2 3/4 X with an arrow pointing in one direction and 5 X with an opposite pointing arrow. It has cross hairs that are not permanently centered, which can be a little distracting if (when?) rings, bases, barrels, etc. are a little out of whack (alignment). Best to use adjustable rings, shims, etc., I guess. I don't know when it was made, but I'm guessing the '40s or '50s.
Here are a some additional shots that may show it a bit better:
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u43/crookedcreek/CopyofP1000316.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u43/crookedcreek/CopyofP1000317.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u43/crookedcreek/CopyofP1000318.jpg
Roger Allen

[Newtire]

Hi CC,

That's a nice looking rifle you have there. Looks like it's been well cared for. Mine has seen some time in the woods looks like.

I have been playing around with this thing now and am getting real good at making the cases up. I even made a bunch out of Nickel plated cases made by CBC and haven't lost one yet in 2-firings. I had some trouble getting the Federal brass cases to chamber without first annealing them but those Nickel plated ones chambered every one even before annealing.

I got some pretty decent starter groups at 50 yds. with both a 7.5 gr load of old AL-8 and another using 12.0 gr. SR 4759 and the Lyman Flatpoint that they sell. It weighs 74 grains lubed and checked.

I also used a starting load of 13.4 gr. H110 and some 60 gr. J-word Hornady's for some real decent groups.

I plan on finishing the stock sometime in the next week or so and will post another picture but here is the rifle.