marlin 1894 .44 mag rounds?

[jimniowa]

I have a 1894P and have yet to get in on paper with 240 g .44mag jhp factory loads at 100. My next attempt is 25 yd with 240 jhp in a .44sp to see if it will print. The rifle is 16.25" barrel with a port and it will hurt you on the bench. It is a great truck gun or street sweeper.
Jim

 

[GooseGestapo]

To get decent accuracy with the older microgroove barrels you need a larger sizer die. A .431" or .432" is better.

I had a circa '70's M1894 .44mag and it wouldn't shoot accurately with 255gr SWC's at .429". It had other "issues" and I traded it off over 30yrs ago. Nowday's, I'd have kept it though.

I doubt I'd send a rifle to Marlin right now. I'm not sure how they'd handle a repair such as a rebarreling. Since they sold out to the Freedom Group, I'm not sure how they are to deal with something not a recent product.
They aren't the same "Marlin" they used to be !!!

 

[Slamfire]

You are NOT limited to 240's. The 1-38" twist will stabilize bullets up to 300gr just fine.

I tried 290 LSWC’s with the microgroove barrel, accuracy was horrible. I will have to try 300 jacketed just to see.

Anyone have recommended any load with either with 2400, H110?

To get decent accuracy with the older microgroove barrels you need a larger sizer die. A .431" or .432" is better.

Per my phone calls with Marlin, the ballard barrels are all 0.431”. I told them cast bullets and jacketed bullets are all .429”. Marlin said that 0.431” was SAAMI spec.

I think this is another reason why my Marlins don’t do well with cast bullets. The ballard rifling is just a microgroove variation minus a whole bunch of lands. The lands are tiny and the grooves shallow. I still think a 1:38” twist is way too slow. They should go to something faster and something with wider lands and deeper grooves.

Modern Marlin barrels are better than the 70's and 80's barrels. I sent my rifle back twice in the 80's because of tight spots and machine rings in the tubes. You could push a patch through and feel it tighten up in sections.

The guys at Marlin said they air gaged barrels for me, as I wanted a barrel close to 0.429". Everything came out 0.431". The Ballard barrels are very even according to the patch test.

 

[CraigC]

My 1894S model from the mid-90's shoots very well with 300gr XTP's but thrives on the 270gr Gold Dot. Piling them into 1"@100yds.

I buy most of my cast bullets at .430-.431" and accuracy has been excellent out of my Ballard rifled Cowboy model. If I remember right Marlin sources their octagons from Badger.

I agree that their twist rate is way too slow. If they would use the same 1-20" twist they use in the newer .444's we'd be in business. Then, with a little tweaking, we could utilize LBT's right on up to the 355gr hammer from Beartooth. Those should get up to at least 1500-1550fps out of a rifle barrel.

 

[Salmoneye]

Our 1990 vintage microgroove 1894S loves the .430 Hornady 265gr FP (#4300)...

 

[hipoint]

cool, thanks for all the info guys...

In response to one question, the depredation permit states "any legal weapon" so I'm guessing I probably can't use the suppressors since they are illegal for hunting in general. Oddly enough it is perfectly legal to large game hunt with a .22 long rifle here and I've taken quite a few with my ruger 10/22 however it's limited by range.

the .44 mag maybe what I use, I have another thread going in the 'reloading' section here about scaling down a .30-06 for subsonic use, but I'll probably just stick with the .44 as it's probably the best for this endeavor.

Cost is a real concern as well as noise, I'm very cash poor, so I can't really afford to go out and buy a bunch of different bullets to test out, hence me asking on here first so I can get a good idea of where to start out at.

Thanks again for all the good info!