Heavy Lead Bullets/Loads in a Marlin 1894 .44?

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OregonJohnny

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I have been reading all of the "issues" with the infamous 1:38 twist rate of the Marlin 1894 .44 rifle, and am wondering if anybody has experience with bullets in the 280-310 grain range for this gun. I may decide to go black bear hunting here in Oregon this fall, and would like to use my 1894, plus my Super Blackhawk as a backup. And of course, as a fairly new reloader, I would like to roll my own, rather than buy off the shelf.

Before I order 100 hard cast lead bullets to start working up a good hunting load for the 1894, I was hoping I could get some opinion on my options.

I am open to anything that is a high quality, hard cast, WFN gas check bullet. I would prefer a heavier bullet (300-310 grain), that I can load for both the 1894 and the Super Blackhawk.

Can a newer, unmodified Marlin 1894 with ballard rifling and a 20" barrel with a 1:38 twist rate feed and shoot 300-310 grain hard cast lead bullets with any kind of reliability and accuracy at ranges of 75-100 yards? Some of the internet hype makes you think the Marlin can't stabilize anything over 270-grains.

Does anyone have a good recipe for a hard cast bullet of this weight range with Winchester 296 powder? All the data I've found for 296 with lead bullets was either for weights below 255 grains, or above 320 grains.

Does anyone have experience hunting black bear with the .44 Magnum? What kind of loads are successful? I'm thinking penetration and a wide, flat nose are the keys to a black bear bullet, and that's why I like the looks of the Oregon Trail Trueshot 310-grain WFNGC bullet. Am I wasting my time and money if I order these to load for my 1894?
 
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I have shot 300 grain Nosler JSP's in my 1894 Guide Gun.
They did O.K. for accuracy.

But I see no advantage over a 240 grain at higher velocity, as .44 Mag powder capacity just isn't there for 45-70 weight bullets.

Performance on hedge stove wood chunks wasn't as impressive as 240 grain JHP at higher velocity.
The 240's knocked them azz over apple-cart, and the 300's didn't.

My personal opinion is, if you want 45-70 bullet weights, get a 45-70.

rc
 
Mine, same config, shoots 310gr lead just fine out to 100. It does shoot the 265 a little better and since both bullets have very similar profiles (Ranch Dog), I shoot the one that is more accurate. The 265 does feed better.

I had to do some 'tuning' to get the 310gr to feed but now the rifle will feed anything, smooth as silk. Something to keep in mind when hunting stuff that can eat you.

You can easily make either bullet shoot in the pistol.
 
As usual, information garnered from folks know really "know" trumps internet lore. 300's work fine but you don't want to go any heavier. That is, as long as they're not too long to cycle through the action. Increasing bullet weight WILL increase penetration right on up to 355gr. A custom 1-20" twist barrel and tuning, capable of launching a 355gr LFN at 1500fps, would turn your average Marlin 1894 into a 125yd sledgehammer. Standard weight bullets are better for deer though.
 
I tried 290 LSWC's in my microgroove M1894. They may have keyholed, but I do remember they shot so awful that I never tried that again.

I have a newer Ballard barrel on my M1894, it is only slightly more cast bullet friendly, and since it has the same stupid 1:38 twist, the safe upper limit is still 240 grain bullets.

If you want heavy, follow RC's advice. Get a nice 45/70. Four hundred grains bullets are considered lightweight in that cartridge.
 
...the safe upper limit is still 240 grain bullets.
Click to expand...
Sorry but this is simply not true. If it were, there would be NO rifles that shot well with 300gr bullets and I know for a fact that many, many shooters use them with success. The 300gr XTP tested very well in my 1894S and the 270gr Gold Dot shoots sub-MOA.

All a .45/70 will gain you is range. A properly loaded .44Mag will take anything in North America with ease.
 
I do have some 300-grain Hornady XTPs that I might try through my Marlin to see how it functions and what kind of practical accuracy I'm looking at. If it works alright, I might order those 310-grain Oregon Trail Trueshot bullets. If they don't work well in the Marlin rifle, at least I'll have them around for revolver loads.

I guess the feeding and ejecting of a load gets to be more important than accuracy beyond 75 yards when you're talking about hunting black bears in thick Oregon timber and brush. I've noticed my 1894 can get sticky occasionally while quickly feeding and firing.
 
My Ballard/20" 1894 handles the 300g XTPs just fine but shoots the 240g more better. Our bears down here are little ones so I stick with 240g weights in my loads but I see no reason to not try out the 300g in your rifle. I've had good experiences with Oregon Trail's bullets as well.

With that said...

Carolina Cast Bullets is casting the Ranch Dog 265g RNFL GC bullet sized at .432 that I've heard an awful lot of good about. Here's a link to load data for reference, it might be a good middle of the road option for you.
 
Mine doesn't do too well feeding the Lee 310g GC'ed RNFP, but some do. Due to the wide meplat they dig into the chamber mouth just enough to hang up. I will tell you this, over 21.5g of H110 or W296, I'd bet these will shoot clear through any animal at any angle at 75yds. This is definately not a Sub MOA load, maybe 3"-4" (for me). I shoot with peeps, no optics.
 
Now I'm thinking I might go for a slightly lighter bullet that has a better chance of functioning and shooting accurately in the 1894, such as a 260-280 grain bullet. Cast performance makes a 260-grain WFNGC bullet, and Beartooth has a 280-grain WFNGC. I really like the idea of that "mid-range" 280-grainer.

Another question, though. Beartooth offers multiple diameters. I see that when you order from MidwayUSA or a similar online supplier, the .44 Magnum lead bullets are usually only offered in .430. But on Beartooth's website you can get the 280-grain bullet in any diameter from .429 to .432. What are the advantages/disadvantages of different diameters?
 
The choice is for revolver barrels & chamber throats made in various diameters through the years.

A .430" would probably be what you want in a modern Marlin rifle.
For instance, I doubt a .432" would even chamber in a Marlin.

rc
 
You're wrong about a .432" chambering in a Marlin but right about it maybe not being the best fit if, like the OP, you're going to want to share ammo across platforms.
 
Well, now I'm trying to decide between 3 different Beartooth bullets. The 250-grain, 265-grain, and 280-grain, all are hard cast WFNGC. Is there enough difference between these weights to lean 1 way or the other for a black bear hunting bullet from a 20" Marlin rifle? It appears that the 250-grain has the most available load data, and it might also be the best performer in the Marlin barrel. But the 265 and 280 grain bullets seem like a nice compromise between velocity, weight, and accuracy.

Does anyone have any experience with any of these Beartooth bullets from a Marlin 1894?
 
I've used Beartooth in 45-70 but not the 44. Good bullets. I would go with the weight that floats your boat and contact Marshall for sizing and loading suggestions.
 
I actually decided on and ordered the Beartooth 300-grain HCWFNGC bullets. I'll try a bunch through my 1894, and if they just won't feed reliably and shoot decently out to 75 yards, I'll give the 250 or 265 grain bullets a try.

Anyone have a good recipe for a similar 300-grain lead WFNGC bullet and Winchester 296 powder? I'm thinking something between 21-22 grains? I can't find any published data at the moment.
 
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