Marlin 1894SS .44 MAG and the LEE 310GR :)

[JesterGrin_1]

Lee 310GR RNFP GC. From a light load of 18.0Gr of W-296 up to 21.5GR of W-296. I would like to add here that from a low of 18.0GR to 21.5Gr of W-296 I did not have one shot at 100 yards keyhole. I have never had this so I have no idea where this info comes from that I have read.

Ok the Marlin in .44 Mag I just give up lol. So I am just going to settle for what I have now after almost two darn years with this thing I have found I just can not get it to shoot better no matter the load or the BOOLIT or anything lol. So I am looking at a max of around 2 1/2 In groups at 100 yards. So Until the GB mold comes in with the 44/444 mold I am going to use the Lee 310Gr with 21.0Gr of W-296 and a CCI-300 primer. And yes it does THUMP a bit with the Lee 310Gr lol.

It did also show some promise with 19.OGr of W-296 but since I am going to hunt with it I did wish to have a bit more THUMP lol. And I think like others have found with this weight of BOOLIT 2I.OGr of W-296 seems like the Magic number.

I did find that a 300Gr with a TC point did shoot a bit better of a group but has a much smaller frontal area than the LEE 310Gr so I will give up a bit for better hunting performance.

I have also used the Ranch Dog 265Gr of which also shoots about the same group size as the LEE 310Gr but again I am going to hunt HOG and Deer so I just have more of a fuzzy feeling to use a more heavy BOOLIT lol. :)

Now that I feel I have a load the next time out I will sight it in and work on some targets for show and tell lol.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=51757 This is the Group buy I am talking about. s Should be about 305Gr with a Hollow point or 320Gr Solid with a GC. You need to hurry if you wish to be in on this one.

[JesterGrin_1]

Sorry Folks I guess this subject has been beat to death lol.

[leadman]

I had an older Marlin in 44 mag. Used 24grs. of WC680 under the Lee 310gr. Shot as well as any jacketed or cast in that rifle, shot real well in my SBH also.

[JesterGrin_1]

Leadman you are correct for some reason I keep going back to the LEE 310Gr. It just feeds slick in my 1894SS Marlin. And shoots well with a wee bit of THUMP lol.

[JesterGrin_1]

I thought I would add this here for grins and thoughts of the good people here. The ? was why use a heavy bullet in the .44 Mag for a Marlin. If I am all wet just say so. :)

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell44OverWeight.htm <--- This might help some

And I thought I would try and explain my thinking on the subject. Light VS Heavy and then there is Heavy Plus. If you shoot jacket you can go I think as low as 180Gr and have heard good reports on the Hornady 300GR HP/XTP. So I will concentrate on jackets for moment. And part of this will also coincide with the next part on cast. With Jacketed bullets you can push them as fast as you wish since you will not have to worry about lube degradation and or it not doing its job and leading as you would with Cast. So you can push lets say a Hornady 180 Gr up to and beyond 2000FPS but it being so short for the bore I have heard that accuracy is not all that good till you step up as you mentioned into the 24OGr area. And many here do shoot the Hornady 240Gr HP/XTP and like them very much as it is a good all around bullet in the .44 Mag when pushed by either W-296 or H-11O with 23.OGr to 24.OGr of powder. But if you live in an area that may require a heavy round such as the 300Gr HP/XTP and there is a threat of BEAR in an area you may hunt for Deer or you step up for Elk or Moose the 1894 Marlin is a handy rifle that is easy to carry all day and will pack a good punch when needed.

Now lets talk CAST. You can shoot light bullets in cast say 200Gr but then you have to think ok how fast can I push them so that the lube will work and you would not get excessive leading. This may or may not be a concern as if you are only hunting the few rounds you shoot will not hamper your accuracy of which is the norm of 2 to 3 rounds max.But this also will hold true from the light to the heavy boolits of thinking speed and accuracy as well as bullet lube holding capability and to GC or not to GC also depending on the speed at which you wish to push a given bullet and at what range you expect said bullet to work and on what. Thinking of all this is what separates the hunter from the shooter that also hunts . So with this in mind one has to think on what his objectives are for any given fire arm he may take to the field.

For my thinking I know I should not push a cast bullet even with a GC more than say 1600 to 1700 FPS as you are on the edge for the ability of the lube to do its job. So with this in mind I wish to push as heavy of a bullet as I can up to that speed and or where the lube still works and I get decent accuracy. And I also feel the 300Gr to 310Gr or just over is about the limit for my expectations for the .44 Mag even though as you have stated some do like bullets heavier than the 310Gr such as the 335Gr and 350Gr but most of the shooters that use such heavy bullets use them in the .444 Marlin or any other rifles chambered for said round.

Also for myself I just prefer to use cast over jacketed bullets since I can make them myself and do not need to worry about supply as if I need some I make them. . But I will be the first to admit to make your own is no fast or easy task and that does take some time. But some like myself even though it can be a headache from time to time lol. Like to do so. There is just something about casting your own and inspecting each one weighing each one and carefully loading each round after you have taken the time to find out what works and what does not in a said rifle and taking game with it. Sorry I just can not express how that feels. But doing all this what some call work does a few things in my thinking. The largest of which I feel is you get to use said arm much more and you learn about that arm more each time till using it and to care for it is almost second nature. Plus if you shoot cast your bore will last so much longer and shoot better over a longer term than shooting jacketed. And well I like to shoot and so I would like to keep my arms shooting well as long as I can.

Even though this has nothing to do with it I really like my Marlin's. They are easy to take apart and clean and check for wear or any burrs of any kind inside and clean them up and make that rifle function like butter. I like knowing the fact I can do these things and if a ten thumbed person such as myself can do it anyone can.

I hope this helps but I do welcome any thoughts that may help to be posted for myself and others to learn from.

By the way I learned most of this from YOU LEAD HEAD NUTS on this good forum lol. :)

[jack19512]

The ? was why use a heavy bullet in the .44 Mag for a Marlin.








I have the Lee 240 gr. mold and the Lee 310 gr. mold. I shoot the 310 gr. boolit in my Marlin 1894 44 mag because I get better accuracy with it.

[JesterGrin_1]

Jack Thank You for the reply. I have found it shoots well also. Even though it seems many say it is too heavy. After shooting it for a bit I think that thought is Hog Wash lol.

What load have you found to work well for you if I may ask?