Levergun mechanic needed

[Jack Stanley]

I've been fooling around with different loads for a Marlin 1894c using a Hensly & Gibbs number 316 bullet . It's sort of a cone shaped affair with the front ending in a quarter inch flat .

These bullets and a pile of thirty-eight special cases have been getting together and trying to make groups and functional ammo at the same time . This question settles around the functional end of that .

When the bullet is seated to an overall leangth of about 1.530" the carbine seems to function just fine with it even though it is not crimped in the proper groove . However when loading these by the thousand lube has a tendency to get stuck in the groove and makes a mess of bulk loaded ammo . So in an effort to eliminate a place for lube to hide I seated the bullets to 1.400" and crimped just over the leading edge of the bullet . Seated short like this , when the carbine is cycled many times the back of the cartridge gets into a position where the extractor is pushing it . Every time this happens the gartridge is pushed crooked and won't go into the chamber straight and stops forward movement of the bolt .

Now , is this just a symptom of loading the round short and nothing is wrong with the carbine . Or , should I look for something on the carbine ?

Loaded short like this , they still group well with the right charge and the work great in speed loaders for the revolver as well . I'd like to continue using them but not unless I can fix the feeding issue , it really has to be reliable to make me happy with it .

Thanks for your input .

Jack

[tcrocker]

Your angle of the bullet might be to sharp. Hitting the barrel and not wonting to level out. But you may wont to take it to a smith and have some one look at it. It hard to tell how to solve the problem with out looking at it.:drinks:

[Jack Stanley]

Sorry to say there aren't any reliable gunsmiths in the area that I know of and I have been looking . This may be one I have to figure out myself and I believe that it needs just a bit more nose to be guided on the carrier reliably .

Perhaps this really is the wrong bullet for the use intended .

Jack

[runfiverun]

use 357 brass

[RoyRogers]

The Marlin 1894c likes a 38 special too be at least 1.5" long to feed well.

[Calamity Jake]

use 357 brass

+ One, make chambers easyer to clean too.

[twotrees]

Then crimp at the length that cycles through your rifle.

Works for me.

[Jack Stanley]

If I had a bucketfull of magnum cases instead of a bucketfull of thirty-eight brass I'd go that route . Since I don't , I'm trying to load about six thousand rounds that work well and are able to have the little bit of lube that may get on the cases wiped off in a tumbler .

I don't mind loading them longer , that will more than likely fix the feeding issue ( I think ) but it does expose the crimp groove where little bits of lube seem to gather and doesn't remove with the time limit I have the loaded ammo in the tumbler . I load a LBT bullet out to 1.550 and it feeds very well . Unfortunately it is only a two cavity mold and I don't look forward to casting that many bullets in a two cavity mold .

I might change the lube to straight Javalina lube , in the past that has wiped off OK for the most part . There has got to be a better way to do this but it seems getting a multiple cavity mold that casts good bullets is harder than one would expect . Or, I am incredibly unlucky with the molds I've bought .

Jack

[cajun shooter]

Jack, I had a Marlin 1894c for 25 years and just traded it for a 45 colt 92 Puma. The Marlin is very OAL sensitive. I shot mine in CAS and everything had to be correct or I was in trouble. They also have what is called the Marlin jam. Mine did work perfect with the 158 bullet seated to 1.425. She would run all day at this seating. Later David

[Jack Stanley]

Thanks for the insight Cajun , I sold a trapper 94 that was in forty-five Colt several years ago . I thought about keeping it but never did like fooling with loading them . The smaller rounds ( .38 , 357 , .44 ) I think I like better because I have a handgun in each of those calibers and they have a rather large rim to work with .

So far my experience is leading me to believe they like to be seated at or beyond 1.5" and they seem to work fine . I don't think I've experiened the " Marlin jam " at least that I'm aware of , could you describe it for me ?

Jack

[sharpshooter3040]

Thanks for the insight Cajun , I sold a trapper 94 that was in forty-five Colt several years ago . I thought about keeping it but never did like fooling with loading them . The smaller rounds ( .38 , 357 , .44 ) I think I like better because I have a handgun in each of those calibers and they have a rather large rim to work with .

So far my experience is leading me to believe they like to be seated at or beyond 1.5" and they seem to work fine . I don't think I've experiened the " Marlin jam " at least that I'm aware of , could you describe it for me ?

Jack

If you seat the bullets too far forward , when you rack back the lever and try to feed, the carrier lifts the case just far enough to let the next cartridge in battery
when the bullet nose hits the front of the carrier well. You are hung up but good. Thats the best marlin jam I can think of.