I handload for my .44 Super Redhawk so I thought I might pick up a lever action rifle in the same caliber. I'm just starting to look but have some local guns shows in my area in the next few months. I like the looks of the Marlin 1894 in the stainless steel. I see some listed and some say "pre cross bolt". Are some lever guns more desirable then others? Are there some models that I should be looking for or should avoid? I will used this gun for plinking. I thought I read or someone told me that the Henry's have some type of problem in the lever action. Anyone know of this?

There are advantages to the newer models even though I personally don't like the cross bolt safety. The pre cross bolt safety barrels are all microgroove and don't do as well with cast and lead bullets. If all you are going to shoot are jacketed bullets the older models will be fine. The newer ones have Ballard rifling that workes very well with either cast or jacketed. If you don't like the cross bolt safety you can put a drop of superglue on ot and disable it. I own Marlin rifles in both. I like the looks without the cross bolt but I like to shoot hard cast bullets in the ones that have Ballard rifling. The older rifles aren't availible in stainless either. If you want the stainless you will need to get the newer model.




Keep your powder dry.

Thanks bouhunter. I would prefer to shoot cast bullets as I enjoy casting and it keeps the price down. I have been doing so reading since I first posted and find I must now decide between .38/.357 mag and the .44 mag. I cast and reload for both of these calibers. Will I have a problem with leading since I assume the longer rifle barrel develops a higher velocity then a pictol would? I currently do not cast any bullets that require a gas check. Will I have to buy a mould that casts a round nose bullet to get it to feed properly in a lever gun?

Good good questions!

Maybe the first question is if your bullet will feed in an 1894. My 1894 will not reliably feed a swc bullet. Something I think Marlin should have addressed a long time ago (the problem does not exist in my 1895). For the last couple of years my practice ammo for the 1894 (16" barrel) has been with Mid Kansas 240gr lead round nose flat point bullets sized to .432. They feed perfectly. I drive them @ 1550 fps with only the slightest leading. My 22" H&R drives them out of the barrel @ 1600 fps. Again, the leading is so thin that after 150 rounds, a few passes with a tight bronze brush fully cleans it out. The 1894 has been firelapped and the H&R has not. This bullet is not gas checked and is not a premium bullet in price. It is a premium bullet in plinking performance though.

So... I think you will have a feeding problem with the swc in an 1894. Of course, I would try it out with your current bullet first. The leading is influenced by the condition of the barrel, bullet diameter, bullet alloy, bullet lube, velocity and probably the winds over the Key Bridge. Some barrels shoot fine with some lead in them so it's not always a bad thing.

I was looking at a stainless 1894 with 20" barrel in 44 mag the other day. What a sweet rifle! The blued ones are also excellent. I do not think you could go wrong here.

Good luck and I hope you get what you want.

Bill

ps... I am in Hershey now but grew up in Annapolis.

Good good questions!

Thanks Biil. I figure I should ask questions, why not learn from someone's mistakes instead of making them all yourself. I am not against buying a round nose bullet mould if that's what it will take to make the Marlin feed reliably. The bullet I cast for my .44 Super Redhawk is a 268 grain Keith style SWC. I use wheel weights, hence the bullet is a little heavier then the published 250 gr mould specs. I have always liked the looks of a lever gun. I have a Browning .22 that is a lever gun. Makes a great squirrel gun when used with .22 LR. I have a 3x7 scope mounted on it.

If I cast for the .44 rifle will I be able to use the same RCBS pistol lube on the bullets or will I have to switch to a rifle lube?

I attended the gun show in Harrisburg the first part of Dec, 03. Picked up some powder and other reloading supplies. That show is about 4 times of the size of the local shows. I hope to join a gun club near the Bay bridge so I have a place close to home to shoot. I also want to get into trap shooting and this range is only 15 miles from the house. We have a local gun show in mid Feb so I hope to have my mind made up on exactly which lever gun I want by then. I learned on another site that the older lever guns had micro-grove rifling and this will cause it to lead faster then the more modern rifling.

Hi Carroll,

About bullet lubes, I am not a caster (for at least the last 20 years or so) of bullets. If I were in any doubt about bullet lubes, I would get the Beartooth bullet lube. It works very very well. I think it has to be heated but not sure. In any case, there are a lot of guys around here who know more about bullet lubes than I do.

The old micro groove rifling worked fine with lead bullets as long as they were hard enough and of a larger diameter (.432 typically). If you look in the "tech notes" part of this website you will find a series of articles on the 444 Marlin written by Marshall Stanton. He has been driving 330gr .432 bullets @ 2100+ fps out of Micro groove barrels for 20 years with perfect success. I am sure the newer ballard rifling is more forgiving but not necessary if you do enough things right. As with any subject, the "half informed" are with us. Been one myself a few too many times.

I suggest you buy Marshall Stanton's book on reloading with cast bullets. It's a well spent $10.00. I have extensive data and resources on the 44 mag. If I can be of specific help, please e mail me at www.bkmcconnell@paonline.com I am happy to help.

BTY... my folks still live in Annapolis. About 3 miles west of the Annapolis Mall. Sounds like it's pretty close to you.

Bill

Don't believe the rumors about Micro-groove not working with cast bullets. Clean the snot out of it, and make sure you have good bullets as Bill stated.

My .336 / .35 Rem will shoot 200gr. cast bullets just as well, and in some cases better, than jacketed bullets. At full throttle, too - around 2,000fps.

The Marlin 1894P that I have, is the best money I've ever spent on a gun. This is a guide gun version, that's perfect for the heavy woods I hunt in. It has the cross bolt safety, which I don't use while hunting, but like the idea of it when I'm unloading the tube magazine. I use cast bullets in this rifle that has the Ballard rifling. Mostly I shoot the LFNGC 320 grain bullets, and they work great on deer. This gun was designed for use with pistol length bullets, unlike other brands, and does a great job with them.
Don