44 special in 1894 marlin

m1978

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my 1894 marlin seems fine cycling factory 44 spcl reminton loads, however when i handload 200 gr xtps it turns into a pos. if it cycles half w/o jamming im doing good. factory federal 44 mag is pretty much flawless too. it would seem my rifle does not like short bullets, the jam is strange in the fact that the shell wants to bind towards the ejection port, it is crooked.

anyone else find this with the marlins?
 
Same $hit happens in .357 marlin feeding it .38 Specials........Every gun has it's quirks they may not all do this but most do............HaROLD
 
oh bloody hell, now it seems to be working fine. :confused:

i'm going to order some swc 240 gr hornady's. if it likes those i'll be happy. if not, perhaps ill have to look at moving on to a puma or winchester.

not a big deal i suppose, but i would like to be able to run the same ammo out of my 44 spec mod 24. for magnum power i like this marlin and it seems pretty accurate too!
 
wound up picking up a mod 94 trapper tonite, which was the one i was after in the first place, so i'll probably put my marlin up for sale. the marlin shoots the pants off of the winchester, but i was looking for a short bbl hiking rifle and can't really justify having both. i don't know though, the marlin looks and shoots really good, so its gonna hurt to let it go, if i do.
 
i'm going to order some swc 240 gr hornady's. if it likes those i'll be happy. if not, perhaps ill have to look at moving on to a puma or winchester.

FWIW most marlins I've tinkered with do not cycle the semi wadcutters worth a dam.....round nosed and or flat points work best.

As far as the shorter 44 special loads in the 44 mag they can be fussy about OAL.....try seating your bullets further out in the special case until it cycles reliably or stick to the magnum brass.

The 94 Winchester in 44 mag will soon leave you wishing you'd kept your Marlin......:slap:
 
My Marlin 44 Mag cycles perfect with the popular Keith designed semi wadcutter, 429421. We use each of the flat base and the gas check version, and I don't remember a single time of it not recycling perfectly. That includes quite a bit of fast recycling, keeping the rifle to the shoulder and practicing fast, accurate shooting.
 
in 44 mag, it seems to cycle the 200 grain xtps flawlessly. im sure the 240s will be the same. the sierra 240 jhp also is flawless. roundnose 44 spec is also perfect, but these are seated farther out, i suspect that longer loaded swc or swc/hp should be fine looking at the hornady profile. i do like the marlin, and if it works, as i suspect it shall, with the swc then i will consider it a keeper.
 
took the thing out today for sighting. plenty accurate with factory magnum shells. guess marlin does build a pretty accurate gun. am looking forward to cooking up some light 44 spec loads with lead swc or swc/hp
 
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