1894 44 mag accuracy... again?

[dmdracer]

Folks, I do not want to beat a dead horse, but..... I have read most post on a few forums about loads for this rifle and all seem to go with H110/296 and get "good" accuracy.

A friend purchased this 1894 .44 ss, what a nice rifle.
We have handloaded the 240gr xtp with above powders and some Lil Gun. Also purchased Ranch Dogs 265gr mold and these shoot as good as the rest we have tested.

All loads are in the 4" moa @ 100 yds. but with the "flyer" open up to 6 to 8" moa.

He has an handi rifle in 44 and we have worked up a load that shoots under 2" moa @ 100yds. Kinda hard to take that this cheaper rifle will out shoot the more expensive, pretty one !

I guess I'm looking for some advise as what to do to get this thing to shoot better.
Maybe thats as good as they do.... I don't know.

I have noticed that after the 3rd shot, groups open up..... at least 20 to 30 seconds between shots. Seems also that the first shot goes where ever it wants, then some good ones and then a whatever again .... or not, you just never know ????

Any ideas ?

Thanks for the help.

Regards
Dave

[mike in co]

all of my cast boolit loads in MY 44 shot better than any jacketed bullet i tried.
have you slugged the bore ?

not everyone shoots 110/296...i shoot aa9 and wc820( my lot is 2 gr heavier than my aa9).

how is the rifle supported in shooting ?

did you trim the cases to length ?
unequal case length means unequal crimps...which means consistans sucks.

is the scope tight .

how well did u inspect the boolit ?

weight sorted ?

jsut a few things to look at.....

[Larry Gibson]

If you are comparing both rifles with scopes on them I would suspect the mounting or the scope on the Marlin as causing the problem. The symtoms mentioned are indicative of loose mounts or a scope that doesn't hold zero.

Larry Gibson

[dmdracer]

all of my cast boolit loads in MY 44 shot better than any jacketed bullet i tried.
have you slugged the bore ?
No.... but will... if my buddy remembers to bring the sinker

not everyone shoots 110/296...i shoot aa9 and wc820( my lot is 2 gr heavier than my aa9).
The Lil Gun showed some promise and was a few fps faster

how is the rifle supported in shooting ?
Caldwell front rest and bunny ear rear

did you trim the cases to length ?
unequal case length means unequal crimps...which means consistans sucks.
yes

is the scope tight .
Yes, we did check it a couple times...all seems fine

how well did u inspect the boolit ?
Well yes, like I do all cast boolits... the RD mold does real well...looks "pretty"

weight sorted ?
No not really.... I did weigh a few and they were within .8 gr.

jsut a few things to look at.....



Larry... yes, scope is tight... it is a new Nicon Pro Staff 3x9... I realize that means nothing.

Will take another scope and swap out next time and see..... never considered a bad scope :veryconfu

I saw somewhere that someone was using 28 gr. of H110 with his !!! that seems way over max in the books I have seen. Most we have tried is 24.2.

Again thanks for the replys....looking for a few more thoughts.

Dave

[leadeye]

I shoot an old 1894 micro groove 44 using that bullet on top of 21 grains of Lil'gun and get good three inch groups at 110 yards shooting off rests like ATV handles or trees. I inspect and weigh the bullets,trim cases, and use RD's lube procedure with Alox. I could probably do better but where I hunt this is a long shot.:castmine:

Those WW triggers are a big help.

[gon2shoot]

Your barrel isn't going to cool a whole lot in "20-30 seconds", you might consider a little more time.
Check the thickness of the barrels for a comparasion then buy some 2400 lol

[jack19512]

I guess I'm looking for some advise as what to do to get this thing to shoot better.


Any ideas ?







Probably not much help but my 1894 44 mag seems to prefer the heavier boolits. So far I have only tried two boolits, the Lee 240 gr. and the Lee 310 gr. I can get it to shoot the 310 gr. boolits accurately a lot easier than the 240 gr. boolits.

[winelover]

For a jacketed load try 20 grains of 2400 over a CCI Mag primer with a 270 GOLDDOT! Works for my 1894 SS / 44 mag CARBINE.

[softpoint]

I've had maybe 3 0f the little Marlin .44 carbines over the years, and some of them just are NOT tackdrivers. Nice handling fast repeat shot if needed, good enough accuracy to hunt with, but not something to take to the range to impress your buddies with. Now I once had a Rem 788 in .44.......Can't understand why I traded that away!!! I'll put it this way, I have a Freedom Arms .44 mag 7 1/2 inch revolver; when with scope mounted will outshoot any .44 rifle that I have owned. :drinks:

[felix]

Brand names don't shoot. Quality in hand does. ... felix

[jimkim]

This may help. http://www.shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=4037 You can also ask the guys at the Marlin forum. They specialize in this.

[BABore]

Check the tension on the barrel bands. Too much will sometimes give you fits. You can also remove the forend and mag tube and shoot it to see if the flyers go away. I've got 6 Marlins and each one likes a different front rest setup. All will perform if you hand hold the forend.

[Thumbcocker]

Fat boolits. Shoot the rifle with the hand on the bag pulling the rifle into the shoulder firmly. 18.0 of 2400 lyman 429244 gc sized .431 in cases with deburred flash holes has done good for me.

[dmdracer]

well just an update....thanks for the replys....loaded a few more rnds and the same thing, no rime or reason to shoot so sporadic.

I started checking all screws, etc...... some loose but the major problem I found was the forend clamp is 1/2 hole off on the left side and you have to bind upward on the barrel to get the screw to start, also the front screw for the mag plug screws up to the barrel and you can put pressure on the barrel depending on how tight you make it.

I called Marlin and told them about it and she said to ship it to them for repair, probably be 45 days b4 the can return it... must be busy repairing these rifles :)

I'll post the results when we get it back and start all over with load work up.
BTW... she said 3" groups are what they will shoot... that would be acceptible if it did it all the time... will see !

thanks all
Dave

[Irascible]

For many reasons, Leverguns move when heated up. Stock/forend bedding, pressure from the mag tube, etc. Get a copy of "Accurizing the Factory Rifle" and have a read. I tried a bit of the info on my 1894 Marlin Cowboy and it helped. I shortened the magazine tube slightly (about .012") and loosened the front tube magazine screw one turn and purple loctited it so there was room for the magazine to wiggle. If you have a carbine, the barrel bands can also raise havoc with accuracy. And yes, slug that bore, or at least shoot large dia. bullets. .430 minimum and larger if you have a mould that will cast that big. My Marlin has quite a large diameter throat. I'm shooting a Hammerhead bullet which is still .432 at .275 in front of the case mouth!