marlin 1894ss 44.mag

[bselzer]

just got a brand new marlin ss .44 mag and it seems to be having troubles chambering the rounds. anyone having the same problem?

 

[shinkle]

i bought the same gun last fall except in blue. i use american eagle 240 gr ammo and haven't had any problems chambering or ejecting. i did break my front sight post mount when changing to fiber optics. it took 2.5 months to get the part from marlin. that pretty much soured the gun for me for awhile.

 

[Doug]

If you are used to bolt actions, you may be being to gentle with the rifle. My 1894 has no problems as long as I work the lever "BRISKLY" and forcefully.

Doug

 

[clt46910]

I have had problems with some of the soft points. They seem to want to hang up.

 

[spainy79]

Mine isn't SS but no problems at all.

 

[ruger7722]

joe williams may see this thread and help you out.he knows about them guns.

 

[whiskeytangofoxtrot]

Are you using wadcutters? If so, the manual says not to, they get hung up and tend to not load.

I picked up some XTP bullets to load and find out what happens.

 

[mistergreentree]

I got mine in blue last fall for deer season and haven't had any trouble with it. I like the Hornady lever ammo best, but have fired softpoints too without problems.

 

[indyjoe]

I've been really happy with MagTech 240 Gr, Jacket Soft Points. But I do run the action like a lever should be.

 

[Leadeye]

Lever guns are sensitive to over all cartridge length, but I would check to see how it feeds when the action is cycled quickly, sometimes this is all you need to do. Looks at the Wild West triggers for a really light crisp pull, they are easy to install.

 

[ianreed]

i was looking at a used one a few months ago and the gun shop owner talked me out of it for the same reason, he said that if you find the right ammo it works, but each one he sold liked a different round

 

[schoolmaster]

I recently purchased a Marlin stainless 44 and so far it has cycled remington 240 gr. HPs with no problem. You have to operate it like a pump shotgun and not gingerly.

 

[mospeada]

just got a brand new marlin ss .44 mag and it seems to be having troubles chambering the rounds. anyone having the same problem?

You are being pretty vague. Will the cartridge not fully seat in the chamber, not start in the chamber, not come out of the mag tube.....? Is this a new gun or well used? Are you using reloads? Cast bullet or FMJ, flatpoint, hollow point, round nosed...?

In general, Marlin 1894 leverguns are some of the most reliable there are, so feeding issues are rare, but it is impossible for anyone to know what the problem is by your description other than to throw out guesses.

 

[mospeada]

i was looking at a used one a few months ago and the gun shop owner talked me out of it for the same reason, he said that if you find the right ammo it works, but each one he sold liked a different round

I call BS on that, I've seen a LOT of marlins used hard (CAS competition) and own one (sold the other) and my .45Colt will feed reliably in spec .45Colt and .45S&W. Unless you're reloading out of spec, this gun should run fine.

 

[tenring]

Marlin94Fix

 

[j706]

If you are used to bolt actions, you may be being to gentle with the rifle. My 1894 has no problems as long as I work the lever "BRISKLY" and forcefully.

Doug

Correct-I have had a couple of 1894's and they need to be worked briskly. I finally found a 336 in .44 mag. I like it much better even though the throw is longer. .44 mag lever guns are cool IMO

 

[Joe Williams]

joe williams may see this thread and help you out.he knows about them guns.

We didn't have any real problems with our .357 and .32-20, but the latter did require that the lever be operated with authority. When Cathy was using her .32-20, she would sometimes work the lever veeerrrrry slowly, and I think she was tilting the gun also. I never had the problem. When Cathy started holding the gun upright and working the lever faster, she stopped have problems.

I did read that some people solved their issues with the .357s by making sure they were upright, not tilted, when working the actions, but I only had one issue with mine, whether using .357s or .38 Specials. I fed it JHPs, JSPs, and cast semi-wadcutters and round nose bullets. The only one that gave me problems was the Hornady Leverevolution load. The polymer tip got caught in the feed action, and created a hell of a jam. I quit using that stuff.