New 1894C First Range Session

Status
Not open for further replies.

BlueHeelerFl

Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2002
Messages
1,386
Location
Treasure Coast, FL
On Monday I took my new Marlin 1984C out to shoot for the first time.

20190429_114312_Film1.jpg

Here are the first shoots offhand, standing at 25 yards. This is good for me and my poor eyesight. I'm surpised I picked up the semi bullhorn sights as well as I did this outing.

20190429_101607_Film1.jpg

I put about 100 rounds though it on Mon. I only had so much time that day and my fingers got worn out by the loading gate.

Most rpunds where Fiocchi 142 gr tc 357 mags. I also shot a handful of Winchester 145 gr Slivertip HP 357s, 148 Fiocchi semi jacked up 357's, and some Proload 125 grain go 357. For some reason I could only load one of the Proloads in though the loading gate at a time. I was unable to get a 2nd round to load properly. I could feel a noticeable increase in power with the hollow points.

I also fired some Federal 125 Nyclad HP 38 spls. These were loading fine initially but after 5 rounds I couldn't load any more.

The lever was very smooth on my gun. It loaded and ejected 357's and 38's smoothly. At the end of my range session the lever action wasn't as smooth, more in the 38 side but also on a couple of 357s. It.might have been from a dirty gun, or cause I was getting tired at that point ( I was still tired from working my two jobs from the day before).

Overall I am happily satisfied with my new 1894. Its accurate and seems to be reliable. I previously had an 1894CS in 357 and my new one actually seems to be better than my memories of the old one. I would have no problems using this rifle as a SD gun.
 
BlueHeelerFI

Sounds and looks like you've got a good one there! I would love to have a .357 lever gun to go with my Ruger Blackhawk.
 
BlueHeelerFI

I've been thinking about getting one of those

If you find one snap it up quick because they're sometimes very hard to come by. I found my Rossi at a gun show. It was used but like new in the box. Couldn't tell you how long it had been since I saw one before that.
 
Yup, they can be scarce.

Looks like you’ve got a winner, and it should smooth out a bit with honest use.

Stay safe.
 
I put about 100 rounds though it on Mon. I only had so much time that day and my fingers got worn out by the loading gate.

In a monthly match a cowboy action shooter will usually have to load sixty rifle cartridge. It can lead to sore fingers and split thumbnails.

Out of the box most new firearms are rough and oversprung. They break in with use but a little tuning and polishing by someone who knows their way around really helps.

The best trick, that I have never seen outside of cowboy shooting circles, is to use a “rifle speedloader” to load the cartridges into the tubular magazine. This is a piece of PVC tubing just large enough to accept the rimmed cartridges, with a dowel plunger. Mine will hold five cartridges (ten round loaders seem unwieldy to me. Drop the rounds rim first into the loader. Align the loader with the loading gate with the tip of the leading cartridge in the gate. Push the dowel plunger and “zip!”-the cartridges are loaded. I’ve seen them for sale but you can make one for about five bucks.

Amaze your friends!
 
Interesting. Do you lay the gun on a table to load it?
Right. On each stage there is a loading table where you lay the rifle and shotgun; the table is placed where the guns are pointed at a side berm or downrange. With the rifle we close the action, lower the hammer then load the necessary number of cartridges into the magazine.

I'm scheduled to shoot a local match next Saturday; I'll try to make a video of the speedloader in action.
 
Yeah, occasionally we host clinics for new shooters. I show them this gizmo and offer a prize of they can guess its function. Most people think it's a slide flute.
My guess is that you could make it into a semi-functional slide flute without compromising its original purpose. That would be entertaining.

Matt
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top