Marlin 1894 bore too big

[0to60]

I have a Marlin 1894 in .44 mag that is very inaccurate with lead bullets unless they're sized at .433". As this makes my bullet selection very limited (only one supplier, Dardas Cast Bullets, will make .433's), I'm wondering if its possible to reduce the bore diameter of this rifle. Can 1894's be re-barreled?

 

[edwardware]

Alternately, buy a Lee sizing die, hone to suit, and buy oversized/unsized bullets to size yourself. I've sized .451 down about that far with good results.

 

[Merle1]

They can be re-barreled, but that wouldn't be cheap. Is this a brand new rifle? Some new Marlins have had quality control issues, and perhaps it needs to go back to the factory.

 

[tallpaul]

Marlin 44 mags are known for the .433 size It has been stated that the idiots at SAMMI the industry standard lists 44 rifle as a different size for some reason and these are Saami spec Ask around I think other cast suppliers supply 433's

 

[Reloadron]

You may want to give this a read. What barrel do you have? Consider this from the link:

In 1969 the .44 Magnum was used to re-introduce the Model 1894. Ten years later the .357 Magnum was added to the 1894 line. This easy-handling carbine was also made with Microgroove rifling. In this case it had 12 grooves, each of which was .055" wide and .003" deep, and had a 1 in 16" twist. The groove diameter specification was listed as .3577", so .358" cast bullets generally shoot just fine. Later (in 1987) the .41 Magnum was added to the Model 1894. The .41 Magnums had 12 grooves that were .072" wide and .0035" deep, with a 1 in 20" twist. Factory specifications for groove diameter is listed at .4107", but these barrels sometimes run a little bit larger than this.

There is the forever argument that a micro-groove barrel never has and never will shoot a cast bullet well. While my 44 Magnum rifle is a Ruger 44 Carbine I do have a Marlin 444 with the micro groove rifling. It never did shoot cast bullets well but I was aware of that when I bought the rifle. It shoots .429" jacketed bullets just fine which is what I hoped for. Anyway, short of Ballard cut rifling I doubt another Marlin micro-groove cut rifled barrel will do much for you. Especially with a large diameter lead cast bullet. Have you tried quality jacketed 240 grain bullets? What were the results?

Ron

 

[Schwing]

I recently sold my Marlin 1894 .44 for this very reason. I cast my own and, even un-sized, I could only get about .431 out of my molds. Powder coating them got them up to about .433 but they were still horribly inaccurate. I really think they would have had to bee around .434 or even .435 to be accurate. It gets pretty tough to stuff them in a .44 case at that point without swaging them back down.

Jacketed bullets were awesome but... alas, I am too cheap I would add that mine had ballard (not micro groove) rifling and it didn't make any difference. I know that micro-groove vs. lead bullets is a big argument but I personally know lots of shooters with micro-groove barrels that shoot lead bullets with great success. I personally am in the "Bullet diameter is everything" camp.

Sure, you can lap your molds and get bigger bullets but then they don't fit in your other .44s. I opted to sell mine and move on.

 

[redbullitt]

I make mine .434 and size to .433 for my 77/33 and my lever. Shoot just fine that way. I usually cast them as fat as my chamber will allow (some exceptions mind you) and get good results. Powder coating or regular lube both do fine. Properly sized lead does fine in ballard or micro grove barrels for me. Even glock barrels, but that is another thread lol.

I have never bought any cast bullets... have always made my own. On that note, NOE sells molds of the proper size for what you want. You can always get a mold hogged out or get one made to spec if needed. Can you buy some larger than .433 and size them to spec?

How about plated bullets? Likely to be cheaper than jacketed and forgiving enough on the diameter to shoot okay.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

I make mine .434 and size to .433 for my 77/33 and my lever. Shoot just fine that way. I usually cast them as fat as my chamber will allow (some exceptions mind you) and get good results. Powder coating or regular lube both do fine. Properly sized lead does fine in ballard or micro grove barrels for me. Even glock barrels, but that is another thread lol.

I have never bought any cast bullets... have always made my own. On that note, NOE sells molds of the proper size for what you want. You can always get a mold hogged out or get one made to spec if needed. Can you buy some larger than .433 and size them to spec?

How about plated bullets? Likely to be cheaper than jacketed and forgiving enough on the diameter to shoot okay.

You mean NEI?

 

[someguy2800]

Montana bullet also sells a few different sizes of .433 bullets. I get 310 grain LFN's from them sized to .432 for my 444. I checked and they also have some in the 230-250 grain weight in .433"

 

[Dr T]

My 1894 44 mag has one of the microgroove barrels that won't shoot cast bullets. However, both it and my 44 mag Superblackhawks like the Hornady FTX bullets just fine.

 

[Blind Dog Jake]

N.O.E. molds

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.php?cPath=37&osCsid=bhll2k98c3ag3dfsttqt8ofmt3

Accurate Molds --- Tom will cut you a custom mold.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Cast or buy unlubricated bullets and powder coat them (go to Castboolets to learn how.) Each coating will increase bullet diameter by .001 to .002. A double or triple coat should solve your problem.

 

[greyling22]

It's a known issue. 44 mag 1894 barrels and 45lc chambers are oversized.