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A puzzling sight issue....

4K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  nsb 
#1 ·
Let me start off by saying that i don't normally work on Marlin 94 rifles, do to a preference for the Winchester 94s. That said, the 2 are quite similar in most areas. But, when a customer brought me a recent 1894 in 44 mag, and said he couldn't hit a thing with it, i didn't feel that there was going to be anything out of the usual....a sight adjustment. When i fired a couple rounds at my target 55 yds away, there was not a hole anywhere. So, i got a cardboard box lid 4 ft by 4 ft and put a black dot in the middle. **** near missed the box, high and to the right. I moved the rear sight in the proper direction and moved the elevator. After several more test fires and adjustments, i was within 2 inches.
Here lies the startling discovery....The rear sight was nearly 3/16 inch off of center of the barrel !!! I have never run into this in any Winchester and i have done hundreds... Cannot see any problem in appearance, no dings or signs of abuse.. Does anybody have an explanation ??
 
#4 ·
Loosen the front bbl band and see if there is flex or pressure caused by the clamp interaction with the mag tube. Once in a while some gorilla puts a twist to the mag tube and causes a slight bend in the bbls muzzle causing left or right impact.
 
#5 ·
I would send the rifle back to Marlin, or at least call Marlin and talk to them about it. The last time I called them to order a carrier, I was told it was a restricted part and they would contact remington to get an ok to sell me the part (I gave them an FFL number). Two days later the lady I talked to called and said they could sell the part, and I told her I had already bought it from Brownell. I used to prefer Winchesters to Marlins, but I don't any more, Marlins are much easier to work on and smooth up, they make a far better rifle for CAS. Of course we all know that '66 & '73's are considered the best for CAS because of the short stroke kits availability.
 
#7 ·
+1 to SWANY's comments..and...have you checked the muzzle for unusual dings...crown damage could be the culprit...regards, Rodfac
 
#8 ·
If you don't see barrel flex, slug the bore to look for constrictions. Also make sure there is complete and uniform contact between the frame and barrel shoulder all around; no light crack. You can also lay a straight edge against the receiver on both sides to check for the barrel's parallelism.
 
#9 ·
I have a new 1894SS in 44 mag and put ghost ring peep set on it and have similar issue, rear peep is way off center (to the left). I just tried the band treatment & will check for any change (improvement), I was thinking the peeps must be hosed, but they are good quality (XS) and all check good with a caliper, I will check it out when the weather warms & get to the bottom of it. Never tried the factory sights, won't be happy with off center setup.
 
#10 ·
It could be one of two things I can think of....

Perhaps the front sight is not top dead center (off to the left or right). I've seen this on occasion.

I had a problem similar to that with my 1894. After a lot and I mean a lot of studying of my rifle, it turned out that the rear sight was slightly off (bent?) so that when the buckhorn was centered on the barrel, the dovetail was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off to the side. Very strange.
 
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