Tricks for PP in levers?

[Canuck Bob]

My paperwork is just about done so i can shoot legally.

I was wondering about PP for tube fed lever actions. I've been advised by some that they do it with success.

Just wondering about any tricks for patching or handling with tube fed levers. specifically a 32-20 in a Winoku 92 and 444 in a Marlin.

[9.3X62AL]

The only caveat I would raise involves the ABRUPT rifling leades often found in lever rifle chambers. A similar condition in my Ruger #1 x 45-70 basically stripped the patches from my boolits--sent undersized bare boolits downbore--and leaded the living daylights out of the barrel. Many swear words accompanied the clean-out process.

I have had such good work in 32-20 (Marlin 94CCL) using plain based and gas-checked conventional cast boolits, that PPing seems like wasted effort to me--in light of the abrupt leade issue.

[pdawg_shooter]

My Marlin 1895g has never seen a jacketed bullet and I don think it ever will. Over 3000 pp done the bore with no problems.

[Rangefinder]

One thing that might help IF at first you notice the patch getting stripped as 9.3 had mentioned... Try running your patch a little long in the front so that when it shrinks up it will tighten around the start of the ogive instead of being an abrupt jump right on the edge of the patch to the bearing surface. Also make sure to lube your patch--don't try firing a dry patched boolit. Lithium grease, turtle wax, or even a very light smear of LLA at final sizing. This makes things feed onto the lands and ride the bore much more smoothly.

[longbow]

I haven't shot a lot of PP boolits through my .44 mag Marlin but those I have shot did well and no problem feeding from the mag.

As Rangefinder says, I wrapped up past full diameter so that may help entry into the rifling. Also, I have a 1:38" microgroove barrel so very shallow rifling.

So far I have found that an undersize boolit of 0.421" wrapped to 0.432" works best in my gun. My bore diameter is 0.425" and groove is 0.4315". I tried a 0.434" boolit with thinner paper and wrapped up to 0.432" but got poor results. Normally a bore diameter boolit wrapped to groove diameter works for smokeless loading.

Not sure about the 32-20 but your .444 may have similar likes if it is microgroove. Be prepared to experiment a bit with boolit diameters and paper thickness.

Also, I have only shot "as wrapped" with no sizing after. There is a bit of a debate on sizing after though it seems to work well for some people. I am just lazy so try to cast the size boolit I need and wrap to the final size with no sizing before or after.

Longbow

[Canuck Bob]

Thanks glad to know PP is doable. My 444 is the microgroove 1 in 38 tube.

[longbow]

Not sure what your experiences are but so far mine are that heavy (long) boolits do not stabilize well in my Marlin.

My first PP boolits were 300 gr. TC because I wanted a heavyweight for the .44 Marlin. I got a mould bored in the shop where I worked and finished it off at home (I didn't have a lathe then).

The boolit came out well and shot really well out to 50 yards so I thought I had this thing beat. Then I tried at 100 yards and got keyholes! It seems that boolit was stable to about 75 yards then groups opened up.

Others have done better than I with heavy boolits but I stick with 265 gr. as the heaviest I can depend on at long range. Much has to do with boolit design and velocity. You can definitely get higher velocity from your 444 than I can with my .44 so that should help.

You might want to look at RanchDog designs and the WFN styles as they have a reputation of being stable out of .44 at 1:38" for up to at least 300 gr.

Longbow