[jodum]

Just picked up my new Marlin 1894 357 magnum Friday afternoon. I took it out for a trial run Saturday. After a couple of mags full of fun, I had a problem. The orange magazine follower had moved back over the shell carrier causing the gun to jam. I could push the follower back up in the tube where it was supposed to stop and it would stay there for a while but again it would move past it's stopping point causing the gun to jam. Is this the DREADED MARLIN JAM? Of all the Marlins I have owned this is the first problem I have had. I have ordered one of the metal magazine followers and a new spring from Brownells. I figured I would see if this fixed the problem before I boxed the gun up for Marlin to repair. Thanks for any helpful info.

 

[Rangr44]

No, that's not the "dreaded Marlin jam" - it's simply most likely an out-of-spec plastic/fantastic follower.

The dreaded jam, caused by a worn carrier surface, allows a second cartridge to feed from the mag, to lodge under the lifter - AFAIK - but, I've never experienced such in any M1894 of mine.

.

 

[jodum]

Thanks Rangr, that is kinda what I thought. I ordered the replacement metal mag follower so hopefully it will fix the problem. If that doesn't fix it, the magazine hole in the frame must be drilled out to big which means the gun will have to go back to Marlin. Hopefully it is just a bad PLASTIC part.

 

[StretchNM]

Just yersday afternoon, I had my 1894 in .44mag out to shoot some open-sight. On about the third round, the rifle threw a tantrum, going into what I call the "Dreaded Marlin Jam" (whether it actually is, or not). I don;t know if another round is jammed under the lifter or not, I know only that the lever is locked open and the only rememdy is to removed the lever screw and lever. This is the second time this jam has occurred. When shooting my 1894, I don;t even leave the house without a screwdriver in the rifle case.

When I got home, I removed the magazine spring but could not get the follower out. Is there a stop or something in the magazine tube that you have to remove so it will slide out? My 336 is the same way - the spring will come out but the follower hits something in the tube and stays there.

 

[jodum]

Stretch, the front barrel band screw will stop the magazine follower from coming all the way out. You have to remove the magazine cap and the front band screw for all of the goodies to fall out. This has been my first problem with a Marlin lever action and I have been using them for many years.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

Stretch, that sounds remarkably like the problem I'm having with my .444.
And once you remove the lever, bullets start squirting out all over the place!
If you get it sorted, please let us know.

As for the follower, there shouldn't be anything holding it in, or it wouldn't push against
the bullets. Is it possible that you are pulling the spring out with the rifle laying on its'
side (ie with the ejection port facing up)? If so, I could see that the follower might get
a little bit cocked in the loading bulge of the tube, and then it wouldn't just slide out.
Also, when I first got my .444 I had to clean it pretty thouroughly. I found quite a bit
of kahkah in the mag tube. A twig or piece of grass might be the culprit too.
Best of luck

 

[JBledsoe]

.

Your loading gate screw is loose.

 

[StretchNM]

The loading gate screw. I'll check it. Thanks Bledsoe. (I thought I had all those screws tight?)

Yes, Johnny, bullets squirt everywhere and this last time, maybe since there were four in the tube, the bolt squirted out the back on it's own! Right down on the ground before I could catch it. The ejector stayed put, luckily, or I might've not been able to find it where I was.

Jodum, I thought about taking the barrel band off, but it just didn;t seem likely that it would have anything going through the tube and stopping the follower. It makes sense now, though. THanks. Yes, there must be something to limit the number of cartridges, and there must be a pin or something under the barrel band that must be it. Otherwise, the cartridges will compress the spring too far (if we were allowed to cram as many in as would fit).

 

[jodum]

Stretch, you don't have to remove the barrel band just the screw. The front barrel band screw goes thru a slot cut in the barrel and mag tube and protrudes slightly into the mag tube and can block the mag follower from coming all the way out the front.

I talked to Marlin yesterday and they are sending me a new follower. The advised sometimes the wrong mag follower will get installed causing my problem.

 

[StretchNM]

Ahhh. That makes sense. The screw is going through the top of the tube. I might have to call them too, even though that 1894 of mine is over 30 years old.

 

[jodum]

I got the replacement mag follower from Marlin and it fixed the problem. Evidently they put the wrong follower in the gun.

 

[jodum]

Well the saga continues. I replaced the magazine follower with the new one Marlin sent me and the mag problem was fixed. Yesterday I loaded up the 1894, six or seven different 357 loads, and strapped on my Ruger BH 357. I rode my 4 wheeler about 1/2 mile or so into the woods to an old gravel pit. Loaded the BH and 1894 with some factory ammo. I fired one round out of the 1894 and went to eject the empty. When I did, the gun locked up tighter than cheap watch. The action would not open all the way because the hammer seemed to be blocked. I couldn't pull the trigger to release the hammer because the trigger safety would not depress, no matter how hard I squeezed the lever. Well needless to say I was PO'd. I shot about a hundred rounds through my BH and loaded up and headed back home. When I got home I took the 1894 to the shop to examine it. I couldn't see anything wrong so I started to disassemble it. The action still would not open so I took the butt stock off to see If I could see anything. That was when I found the problem. A piece of packing styrofoam had somehow gotten into the action. It had wedged under the hammer and between the trigger safety bar. The hammer was being prevented from going all the way back and the trigger safety bar was blocked. I was releaved to know nothing was broken but still hacked that it had happened to me. I took the 1894 back to the woods and shot the heck out of it without a problem. I have never had this much trouble with a new gun before. I guess I was just being tested....

Oh, did I mention that I got my 4 wheeler stuck on the way back home.

 

[StretchNM]

All good memories, they are, as more time passes, Jodum. (D))

 

[jodum]

I was still having a magazine follower problem so I shipped my 1894 back to Marlin on 3-26 and go it back today. They not only fixed the magazine follower problem but replaced the buttstock which they said had a crack in it. I can't complain about a two week turn around on a repair. The rifle seems to function properly now. I will take it for a test spin this weekend. Two thumbs up for Marlin.