Winchester 1894 AE .44 magnum, Who would have thunk it!

[Hickok]

Had some tinkering time, so I got out my Winchester 94 AE 20" barrel carbine in .44 mag (cross bolt safety) and just thought I would slug the barrel just out of curiousity. Bought new in 2005.

This rifle shoots excellent. Hornady 240 XTP's, and Lyman 429244 GC Sized .430" ACWW, both with 23 gr/H110 and Hornady 300 gr. XTP with 20gr/H110 will group into 1.5-2" @ 100 yds for three shots with a Burris 4x Compact scope. Not hype, it shoots this time and time again. It has several deer to it's credit.

My surprise came when the lead slug came out the barrel with 12 lands and grooves! Never noticed this before in cleaning the rifle. Also I thought the twist was 1-26 or 1-27 when I bought the rifle, but tight patching and marking a cleaning rod, I get slightly over 1/2 turn, actually about 5/8 a turn from chamber to muzzle, so I think it is a 1-38 twist. (Need to find the box it came in, I am sure the Winchester papers had 1-26 or 1-27 twist listed).

The bore miked out to .431" dead-on. This little carbine shoots great as I said, doesn't lead with .430" boolits.

I never had any thought about any of this until today when I decided to check out the bore diameter. Just was always happy I had a tack driving little carbine in .44 mag. My mind was made up long ago I would never part with it!

[waksupi]

I also have one, and as you say, they shoot!

[Hickok]

I also have one, and as you say, they shoot!

Thanks for the verification, as I know many will doubt what I am saying. It amazes me also that this little carbine can shoot this well.

But I have to use a different shooting technique when shooting this or other lever actions of the bench to get good groups. I hold the forearm in my hand and then rest my hand on the bag. The light weight and the drop of the buttstock really makes the lever actions want to jump up off the front rest for me and string shots if I don't hold the forearm.

I would like to get a Marlin 94 in .44 magnum sometime, but the conflicting reports as to accuracy have made me hesitant. Still if I run onto one at a good price I am going to grab it.

[Speedo66]

Was Marlin making the barrels for them? Sounds like Microgroove.

[19112TAP]

Mine is .431 also and I shoot .432 300 gr. with great success.

[Hickok]

Was Marlin making the barrels for them? Sounds like Microgroove.

Not sure, but I read that Winchester had a fire years back and contracted Marlin to make barrels for a time, don't know if it is fact or not. Seaching this site and others I find owners who have Winchesters with the 12 groove barrels also. I would have said, "No way", but my rifle proved otherwise!

[30hrrtt]

My Winchester Trapper in 44 has the "micro-groove" barrel also with 1 in 38 twist. It is very accurate. Consistently shot 240 xtp's into an 1 1/2" at a hundred. I use cast now and shoot the RCBS 240 gc and it shoots under 2" most of the time at 100. It slugs just shy of .431. I've shot 431's and 432's and they shoot about the same. It is my favorite woods walking gun. With a full charge of 296 under the 240gc, it shoots pretty flat out to 150 or so yards.

[Hickok]

Thanks to you guys for adding credibility to my post. I was hesitant to post my groups, because of someone crying "BS." It does seem to fly into the face of reality when you hear so much bad results with .44 magnum lever actions.

I see a lot of shooters having trouble with the 1-38 twist in .44 rifles, not only with heavy weight but with jacketed and cast in the 240-265 gr. weight , mainly in the Marlin 94's, but it seems Winchester .44's shoot great with the 1-38 twist barrel for some reason, as you fellows have attested, and my rifle shows. As I said, "Who would have thunk it"

One day I hope to pick up a Marlin .44 mag and give it a try!

[rondog]

I have a 1994 model 94AE .44 Trapper. I was trying to sight it in with LSWC's for deer hunting, and the accuracy and performance were just awful. These were purchased boolits made on a Magma machine, with beveled bases. I guess they're a little too small, and my rifle doesn't like the b/b bullets. I had a hard time getting a magazine full on a 24"x24" target.

Switched to loads with some Winchester Silvertip jacketed hollowpoints I had, with concave bases and sharp, square shoulders, and I could group them all in a playing card size at 100yds! Amazing difference!

A good .44 mould is on my want list now. Probably gas-checked.

[Shuz]

rondog--FWIW--I have the exact same model and year of mfr .44 Trapper. Mine says 1894-1994 on the one side, and I expect yours does also? Anyways, I find that 8.3g of Green Dot and a custom Lee 44-225 RNFP is very accurate in my rifle. The Lee 200g RNFP also shoots well with Green Dot. As long as I keep my velocities around 1200 fps, no gas check is needed. If I want more speed I change to the gas checked 429215 and a healthy charge of 21.9g of 2400 for a velocity of 1755fps and an SD of 3.

[hornady308]

My Winchester .44 looks brand new. The .432 bore and slow twist has caused me to bypass the traditional heavy weight bullets. Testing has confirmed that it likes the 429215 and the group-buy C434-207. But my best accuracy has come from an unlikely Ideal mold...the 429434 (intended for the 44/40). The bullets weigh 230gr and I push them with 17.5gr of Alcan-8 (like Blue Dot) for 2" groups at 100 yards.