Will A .357 Magnum Marlin 1894 Levergun Shoot .38 Specials Reliably?

Marlin

I have the 44mag version and use 44specials 95% of the time.

Brockman makes good strong peep sighst

LaEscopeta, that's useful information. I'll definitely pay attention to it when mine arrives.

<Checks the phone messages to see if the gun shop has called about its arrival.>

This statement from the 1894C manual is also relevant: "Since 38 Special cartridges are shorter than 357 Magnums, their use can cause a lead buildup in the forward part of the chamber. Be sure to thoroughly clean the chamber with a wire brush after using 38 Specials."

I understand that. Same applies to my model 65 when I shoot .38 spl in it.

But I'm still hoping for an explicit "yes", "no" or "maybe" to my particular question. Beyond lead build-up, can .38 spl cause damage in an 1894C as at least one participant on Marlin Owners Forum has asserted, regardless of cleaning the lead build up?

Here is his assertion on page 4 of this thread on MO:

As far as 38's hurting a chamber, I'm not gonna waste time debating it with the ones that'll want to challenge me. I can guarantee you that under the right circumstances, 38's will positively cut a nice ring in the upper part of a 357 chamber wall. I even won a bet by doing it to a good friends 1894C on purpose after he said I was crazy, and bet me I couldn't do it.

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Does any one have evidence to support or reject that assertion?

And is that related to the OAL specifications, also?

Nem

I have a Marlin 1894C; I have tried the following .38 spl loads thru it:

Federal American Eagle 158 gr round nose lead; Remington 158 gr lead semiwadcutter hollowpoint; Federal Nyclad 158 gr lead semiwadcutter hoolowpoint; Winchester Personal Defense 125 gr jacketed hollowpoint; PC Ammo (low volume professional reloader) 158 gr semiwadcutter

the only one that wouldn't reliably feed was the PC Ammo since the shoulders were sharp and jammed on the feeding ramp

+1 on Skinner's sights. I have a set on my 1894C and like them.

Haven't shot enough .38 special through mine to really know, but I haven't had problems so far. Since I finally got into reloading and made my first cartridges last night I will probably be using .357s from now on.

Everyone in this thread has said the 1894C will shoot .38 special reliably, but I believe Marlin's own manual has some conditions on OAL? And I believe I've read posts saying people have had hang-ups... for those in the latter category, what are we talking about? Are these the kind of jams/feeding problems we can solve ourselves without taking the gun apart or is these "send-it-back-to-the-factory" level issues?

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I had bad luck with .38 specials, they were "take the lever out" types of jams, one was almost "send back to factory".

One of the reasons I sold my 1894C (besides wanting to buy a CMP M1 Carbine) was that even .357s would sometimes lock up if I didn't hold the gun level when cycling it. I totally *loved* the gun otherwise, it was the best balanced, most natural point of aim, especially with a Skinner sights peep sight. It was a pure pleasure to shoot.

And .38 specials are no longer cheaper than .357 magnum, I have found.

I've come to the point of accepting that
in order to avoid "jams" with the 1894C,
and - unfortunately most other Marlins
being produced today in a market economy -
some ... um, adjustments are necessary.

Disassemble with appropriate directions.
Inspect. Remove burrs. Polish. Reassemble.

I'm willing and able to make said adjustments.

As far as 38's hurting a chamber, I'm not gonna waste time debating it with the ones that'll want to challenge me. I can guarantee you that under the right circumstances, 38's will positively cut a nice ring in the upper part of a 357 chamber wall. I even won a bet by doing it to a good friends 1894C on purpose after he said I was crazy, and bet me I couldn't do it.

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As a gunsmith I call it BULL.

I'm glad to hear that, Gezzer.

I'm hoping to shoot lots of .38s in mine,
for plinking and small game.

Care to add any more details about why you're calling bull?

I'm guessing you've looked at a bunch,
and not seen such alleged damage ... (?)

Resurrection time again. I hope this thread never dies. This article suggests that it is not the .38's that are the problem, that in fact the 1894 in .357 is picky about the .357's it eats;

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/fryxell/marlin_1894.htm

What do you think Brian Williams?

From Glen Fryxell's essay:

The .357 seems to be a little more finicky about smooth feeding than the other two rifles. The .357 also seems to be somewhat more finicky about which loads it shoots well. It shoots (and feeds) very well indeed with the right loads, but not all loads are up to its discerning tastes. On top of this, this gun has the distinct tendency to print different loads to different points of impact.

Obvious cast bullet choices for this lever-gun are the round-nosed flat-pointed bullet popular in cowboy action shooting.

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So noted.

That essay was one of the ones that sold me on buying an 1894C to match a revolver; for me, the latter turned out to be (for now, at least) a mod 65. Still haven't even sorted out what it likes, but I'll no doubt practice the 65 with what ever the carbine likes best, plus some other stuff (JHP's and such).

It's interesting that I read the essay before buying the carbine, and before I started seriously thinking about reloading. The realization that reloading makes sense kicked in for me after buying both. Now I'm hoping to get into that this winter.

Fryxell's essay should be very useful in that project.

i have a 94 winchester project that i am working on and have a few questions. i am in the middle of making it a 357 max. i have the barrel and receiver, receiver is an old top eject from a 30-30. i am using the 30-30 receiver since it is an extra and not already assembled. right now my issue is the extractor. i cant use a 38-357 since it is a side eject. my 30-30 is too short to catch the shell. does anyone provide an unfinished extractor? does anyone see an issue with this idea? i think that with a reasonable load i shouldnt have any durability issues?

Because 38 is half the price of 357.

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Not if you reload. If you shoot a lot, reloading 357 is one where there are some pretty substantial cost savings from reloading.

I have the Skinner Peep on my 1894 and Really like it. For $50.00 you get both front and rear. Cant beat that And they look very nice on the Gun.

seems like alotta work for little savings. id say just reload .357s if the .38s wont feed right. id think they should.

It seems to me, just going by others postings, that the lifter may be the culprit in the feeding problems. The one I have shot fed both just fine.

I've been thinking about going exactly the direction of matching a .357 rifle/pistol combination, especially since I already have the revolver. However, I've been waffling between the .357 combo and a .44 combo. Would anyone care to comment on the benefits/negatives on one or the other, and why I should go with the Marlin .357 rather than a .44 mag?

Overall, I think its a lovely idea, especially once you start reloading.

Gaiudo,

Take this with a grain or six of salt, because even though I own .357 mag in revolver (mod 65) and carbine (1894C), I've not shot a .44 mag.

But I understand from accounts that the .44 mag in handgun is more of a handful than the .357 mag. The latter, for me (a smaller person), now, is enough. Hot rnds are not always fun, but are controllable. I can get a double tap easy enough. I'm not sure I could do the same with .44 mag. .44 mag in a carbine? Piece of cake. But not so in a revolver, me thinks. I'm more interested in controllability for that second shot than in the damage that could be done with the first. But that's just me. YMMV.

Plus, for me, where I live, for what I need a gun to do, .357 mag is plenty. I'm not faced with grizz here, or 400# monsters. Only black bear and large two-legged predators. I'm happy with .357 mag. It'll do a number on deer at reasonable ranges as well.

Should I go north, say to N Idaho or further, I'd consider .44 mag combo.

Nem

I've never had any feeding problems using .38 in mine (so far).

My Winchester 1894 in .357mag does, I'm sure the Marlin does as well!

I love it, and my 336RC in 30-30!

A red dot scope is ideal on the Marlin lever action rifles using pistol cartridges.

NEM,

But I understand from accounts that the .44 mag in handgun is more of a handful than the .357 mag.

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I have the .44mag combo, S&W 629 5" & Marlin 1894SS. After 20 rounds through the 629 my hand was feeling it. after 50 it was almost numb. I can shoot my S&W 686 4" All day long without any Discomfort. The 1894SS was a pleasure to shoot with 240 grain .44mag loads.

Piece of cake.

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YES.

I called Marlin last week and asked about a 1894CS (Stainless), They made them in a limited run years ago and may do it again. They will call me if they do...otherwise I might just have to get a 586 to combo with the 1894C.

It's a timing issue. The factory doesn't time them very precisely. It's difficult to time a marlin style gun to feed two different length cartridges. Some will feed .38s very well, but choke on magnums. Others will feed magnums very well, and choke on .38s. A decent cowboy 'smith can adjust it to feed whichever you prefer.

The one I had would feed .357s all day long, at any speed you cared to run it. But with .38s, there was a definite speed limit, where it would begin to jam. Started loading them a bit longer, and the problem cleared up.

Had similar results with a '94 in .44 Mag.

~~~Mat

Gaiudo,
Everything is heavier, recoil, ammo, matching sidearm, Except....the Marlin is only 1/2 # heavier. Yet I prefer the .357 for the light loads not the heavy ones.

Wait a minute! this one is going to have to come out of the grave until someone tells me if a .38 spec will cause damage in a Marlin 1894c!!!! if im going to get on and fire .38 spec's out of there is no way ill do that with the question of cutting up my chamber un answered. What could cause that? im not quite sure thats possible because it dosnt make much sense to me that it could cut into barrel steel but i dont know. Does this mean if one shoots one for a couple years, there will be a nice hole that runs cear down into the chamber from the outside? Is the .38spec some kind of oxyacetylene torch?