New lever gun problem: Me or the gun?

[davidconatser]

I bought my first lever action rifle recently. A Marlin 1894C.

I have used .357 and .38 specials, fully jacked, partially jacketed and lead and snap caps.

Nearly half the time I have to work the lever a second time to seat the round. It seems the carrier is not aligning the first time.

I have tried working the lever fast and slow, gently and hard, straight and tilted (so I can watch the action). It doesn't seem to matter.

The cartridges will drop right into the chamber if loaded by hand. There does not seem to be any irregularity of the chamber or burr that I can see or feel.

I have cleaned and lubricated. Both with Breakfree CRP and with Hoppes Elite.

Without ammunition, the action works smoothly and easily.

Is there something wrong with the rifle, or am I doing something wrong?

Is there a way I can fix either what I am doing or the rifle?

Thanks.
David

 

[Shawnee]

Sounds lie it's time to phone Marlin and ask their assistance.

Good Luck !

 

[jmr40]

This is an occasional problem with Marlins. Most will get better with a little break-in but sometimes a trip back to the factory is in order.

 

[ECVMatt]

You might keep trying the snap caps or live ammo with the

safety on. I might just need to cycle a while to work out any burrs.

Have you shot it yet? You might try shooting it a bit as well.

You might also post your problem here:

www.marlinowners.com

I would call Marlin on Monday if the problem has not resolved itself.

Good luck Matt

 

[countryrebel]

Try marlinowners.com they can help you out.

 

[Mongrel]

It's a 'timing' issue between the carrier, bolt, and lever.

By timing, I don't mean 'speed' (as in worked the lever fast and slow...), but how the parts interlock and work in relation to one another.

How old is the rifle and how long have you had it?

If it's new I'd would definately send it back to Marlin. If not a local gun smith should be able to adjust it. May have to replace the carrier but they are not expensive-relatively speaking.

 

[davidconatser]

Thanks

I just posted on marlinowners.com.

I went on the Marlin website to send them an email earlier today, but they just have a phone and close at noon on Fridays.

If I don't find anything from marlinowners.com, I will give Marlin a call.

I have fire a few hundred rounds through it. It fires well and is more accurate than I am.

The only problem with this great rifle is the inconsistent feeding.

 

[goon]

I had a 1894 that also did this.
I didn't even fire a shot out of it - just took it back to the shop and got a refund.
The shop sent it back to Marlin and the word was that the problem had something to do with the extractor not being smooth enough on the bottom edge.

Anyhow, I'd call Marlin on Monday morning and get to work on sending it back for repairs if it's new.

 

[Asherdan]

+1 on Mongrel's post.

I bet you already checked the receiver screws, looseness there can allow some slop in timing.

Marlin will make it right on a new rifle.

 

[Cypress]

Try this!! Unload the gun and work the action a couple of times. On the last time, slowly close the lever watching the shell carrier closely. When it stops moving hold everything where it is and look to see if it is lined up with the chamber. If it isn't, put your finger under it and pick up. If it moves up you have a problem but a curable one. I don't know the proper way to fix it but I do know the way I fixed mine. Oh yeah mine came with a bum extractor too and was destoying brass. A new one fixed that.

 

[Nivek]

I have a similar issue with a winchester 30-30 lever gun that i bought about a year ago. Functions smooth when empty, but catches a bit when loaded.

 

[davidconatser]

Dan
I am embarrassed to say the screws were a little loose.
Right after I tightened them I had to work the action twice for 100% of the rounds. Then I just worked the action empty for a while then with snap caps. It fed the snap caps, both .357 and .38 fine.

I then tried .357 cartridges. It fed them fine. Then I tried .38. It did OK for a while then started needing two actions. And the edge of the bullet seemed to be a little roughened - especially those not fully jacketed. With bright light and magnification, I could see little bits of metal just outside the chamber. I think the sharp outer edge of the chamber is shaving a little.

I cleaned all that and then just tried cycling only .357s. It seems to work fine.

If it runs smoothly with .357s but just doesn't like .38s, I think I would rather save the .38s for my snubbies and not send it back even if it is a little off.

Cypress
The carrier seems to align, at least to my eyes. But it could be just a tad off. The longer .357 with the rim a bit further from the chamber may give it just the tiny change of angle that it needs.

We will see how it does at the range after I get some fully jacketed .357s.

Does anyone else have trouble with lead or semi-jacketed ammunition?

 

[goon]

I'd still send it back. There is something wrong.

It sounds exactly like what was going wrong with the 1894 I returned.
I heard it was a bad extractor that was messing with the way that cartridges have to feed up from the magazine.
The one I had worked OK with longer .357 rounds but wouldn't feed anything shorter, including 125 grain ammo.

If it's a new gun, don't accept a defect as normal man.
Send it back and make them fix it.

 

[berettaprofessor]

I thought AsherDan had it....I had the same problem with a Marlin 39A I bought at a steal from a pawn shop. It steal until I got it home and was having trouble feeding. In mine, the screw that the carrier pivots on was loose and tightening solved the problem....forever as far as I can tell or at least until the screw loosens again.

 

[davidconatser]

1894C Happy and Running

Thanks for all of the input guys.

It is as good as new. I just got back from the range. I ran about 75 .357 Magnum and 50 .38 specials through it without a hitch.

Two lessons:

1. Check the screws. A little loose is loose.

2. Ignore "semi-". Marlin clearly says not to use wadcutters. I ran out of jacketed round nose so ran some of my snubby carry ammunition - 158 grain SWCHP +P. Remington no less, which is often recommended for summer carry since the lead is softer and it should expand better. With a magnifying glass I could see little lead shavings in the works. I cleaned the action thoroughly with BreakFree Powder Blaster and Q-tips and then CLP. I worked the action, then cleaned again until I couldn't see any more shavings even with a magnifying glass.

I foolishly assumed that the problem with wadcutters was that they are shorter and the bullet is completely inside the case. But it seems the problem is that the feeding system needs the slope of a round jacketed bullet to fine tune the alignment. Semi-wadcutters have a square shoulder. And the Remingtons shed jibbles to foul the works.

Lessons learned.

Great gun.

Great group. Thanks for your help.

David

 

[Asherdan]

Glad you're happy with the gun. Learned about the left lower side receiver screw affecting carrier timing on my own 1894/44RM. I've talked with some guys that have no issues with SWC designs, but for the most part, as you've found out, the shoulder tends to catch on the upper rim of the chamber and make you need a double clutch on the cycle to run 'em home. Mine will feed about 50/50 reliably so I've gone with a RNFP and they're slick and reliable.

The 1894 in 357 is a darng fun rifle.

 

[paintballdude902]

i had the same problem with my 336

try tightening the loading gate it was causing the bullets to get jammed up in mine wich would lock the lever and carrier in place