I have been running some dummy .44 mag rounds though my carbine to wear in the action. Today after ejecting 2 rounds normally, the lever locked open on the third round and won't move. There's some play in the bolt itself [about 1/4-1/2" ] but the lever won't move. It looks like the next round failed to feed from the magazine but the elevator moved up and jammed behind it.

Any suggestions?

Interested in this too. Yesterday at the range I had this happen 3 times (never happened before) with my 1894CP and two different brands of ammo. Thoroughly cleaned my gun upon returning home and the action seems smoother. Thought it to be from dirt and/or debris. Mine upon opening the action would release the next shell from the magazine and it was lying on the lift arm but the second shell in line in the magazine was catching on the lift arm not letting it come up thus jamming the action open. Is this what your was doing? Or was the first shell not coming out and catching on the lift arm not allowing the action to close. At the range I had to push the shell in the magazine forward to free the lift arm so I could close the action then reload the previous shell and it work fine until the next jam. I hope this isn't a problem? I was hoping it was just from dirt and/or debris. This happend during a session of about 150rds didn't start happening until after about 80 or 90 rds.

Remove the pivot screw for the lever if you have not already done so, and I think you may be able to work the lever and bolt out.

on the off chance that it keeps happening, 2 things.

On the Marlin, there's a small screw on the left side of the receiver that tensions the fired cartridge ejector spring; if the screw is screwed in too tightly, sometimes it will hang up the bolt. Try screwing it in and out and working the lever softly to feel this effect.

Some Marlins are finicky with respect to cartridge overall length, so that the "next" cartridge starts to feed before the "stop" rises into place and holds it in the magazine. If it continues, check the oal of your rounds, if ok, you can send it back to Marlin to fix (which they will), or you can modify the lifter to accept cartridges longer than the standard 1.61".

http://www.marauder13.homestead.com/files/Marlin94Fix.html

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/Marlin_Information.htm

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