bikemutt
Member
I found a Marlin 1895SS in 45-70 today which I think I can pickup for about $450. It's in really nice shape from what I can tell, serial number indicates it's a 1995 manufacture so it's squarely out of the Remlin era.
The barrel looks to be about 22" and that's where I have a couple of concerns.
1) I've seen quite a few of these which don't say they are Micro-groove barrels, and I believe Marlin now, and in the past, used Ballard rifling instead of Micro-groove. I would only shoot jacketed ammo, is a Micro-groove barrel something I should avoid?
2) At first I thought I spotted some rust in the grooves near the muzzle but even after a couple patches and some Hoppes I could still see what looked like rust, and the patches were free of visible rust. The shopkeep suggested it may be copper fouling. Does that sound like something I need to be concerned about or does it just need a good cleaning with the right solvent?
Thanks THR!
The barrel looks to be about 22" and that's where I have a couple of concerns.
1) I've seen quite a few of these which don't say they are Micro-groove barrels, and I believe Marlin now, and in the past, used Ballard rifling instead of Micro-groove. I would only shoot jacketed ammo, is a Micro-groove barrel something I should avoid?
2) At first I thought I spotted some rust in the grooves near the muzzle but even after a couple patches and some Hoppes I could still see what looked like rust, and the patches were free of visible rust. The shopkeep suggested it may be copper fouling. Does that sound like something I need to be concerned about or does it just need a good cleaning with the right solvent?
Thanks THR!