Working over the Marlin Lever action - can it be done?

[Burnsome]

I've got an 1894 Marlin in 357/38 and its a great shooter.  The action though, has been tight and rough from the get go.  Is there any tips or tricks on working over the action on a Marlin to make it a bit smoother? :shock:

[coug2wolfs]

Oh yah, you can make one of the new ones as slick as a hot knife cutting through butter :wink:

I'm going to, nope, don't do no asumptin.  OK, open the lever until the bolt is even with the REAR of the EJECTION port.  Now remove the screw that holds the lever. Where it hinges.  Now slide the lever straight down and out.  The bolt will slide out, watch out you don't lose the little ejector spring when the bolt is out. It sets on the solid side of the reciever in a slot with a hole that the tab of the spring sets in.

You'll want to take off the stock and forearm, a few screws will cover that.  Next remove the trigger assembly.  Now take out the flapper on the loading gate.  This is always razor sharp and needs some serious stoning so it don't mar up all the brass when you stuff em in the side.

Now for the good stuff.  Get some Clover lapping compound from a hardware store or auto supply store.  Cover the bolt in a good film of the stuff and start putting the working parts back together.  Cycle the action about 500 or so times. Note-This gets REAL messy so don't do it on the Missus white linen tablecloth :grin:

Then take er all apart again and CLEAN in solvent. Hoppes No 9 will do if you don't have anything else.  You'll have to take the bolt all apart inclusive of the firing pin group to get everything cleaned proper.  Keep in mind that lapping compound is diamond abrasive, so if you don't get it ALL out, well, it will be slick at first, but sloppy soon after.

I've only had one rifle that required another 500 or so cycles with the compound, but you make the call.  This treatment will make that lever cranker work with yer pinky, ya'll are gonna LOVE it!

Coug

[Burnsome]

thanks coug2wolfs-----

i'll give it a try!

[coug2wolfs]

Yepper, I have been known to bust a rooter or two. Hmmmm, leme see, last count as I remember it was 136, or was it 138?  But there was a passle more after I quit countin :lol:

If there is a bad side to the lever crankers it has to be the availability of the firepower in reserve.  

I was settin up in a spruce in a swamp up in Maine, hadn't seen a dag blam hog all mornin and it was right in the middle of a miserable blizzard. Guide come down an fetched us for lunch.  Right after, we went back out.

Why I hadn't been on that stand for 10 minutes when here come the tuskers, a whole heapin pile of em, and they was all gooduns!  I piddled around too long lookin em over and they managed to get on a trail going straight away from me.  Well I'd bout had enough of that freezin stuff so I jumped on the biggest one and broke his back with that 444 and a 265 Hornadaddy.  He dropped where he stood.  Then I busted the back of the one that went down.  He fell nose to pooper from the first one.

Then it happened, one of em twitched!  I'd just fresh reloaded and I lost it.  Filled em up I did.   Loaded up again an here comes some wounded ones down a bunny trail. Scott said to kill off any wounded ones.....Hmmmm,  YAHOO!!!

Man there was dead an diein pigs everywhere, complete carnage!!!  I can still see the killing field as it was......pretty :wink:



Coug

[Mikey]

Coug:  I liked your recall of that hog hunt with your 444.  You took two and then reloaded and shot hogs others had wounded (?), right??  You mentioned that you used the 265 grain Hornaday on that hunt and that you took the first two with spine shots from above.  

You may have been able to tell from my other posts that I am a fan of the 444.  So, if you don't mind I would like to ask you a couple of questions about the performance of that cartridge/bullet on those hogs.  How large were these crittters (you have been known to shoot some monster hogs)?  What was the distance to the target and how did the 265s perform?  Was penetration through and through or did they stop somewhere?  

You also mentioned reloading - how many shots did you put out (it sounds like only two) before you reloaded?    

Thanks Coug.  Mikey.

[coug2wolfs]

Mikey

Ya went an twisted the Ole Coug's arm :wink:


Now this one kinda tells a story all on its own, just didn't stop em nowhere's near fast enough. This was NOT with the 444

Distance? Heck, I think maybeso......15 or 20 meters.  Lookie what them 265's do!

Just don't get more picture perfect than this....

Shouldn't have a problem finding where they got hit....


You can see the hole in the rib area....enough damage :lol:

You got it my friend.  I fired two, two dead rooters, but then one twitched so I lit em both up again!  I always reload right away after......just a paranoia thing I never got over from Viet Nam.

These hogs went 280 to 300+ pounds.  Size wise, they went side to side in a full size pickup so I'd say they had to be....like 5.5 to 6 feet long since 4 foot plywood fits between the wheel wells.

Yah, I had to do some proper killin for the other guys too.....Hey, I din wan them rooters sufferin :shock:

Thanks! I just got to relive that whole hunt again!

Coug

[Burnsome]

Neat pics - i get the feeling the more i hang out here i may have to look into one of those 444's...... :wink:

went by the local auto store and asked if they had any clover lapping compund and got that blank look like deer in the headlights..... :roll:

i would guess brownells might have it? or perhaps i'll get on by another auto store in the local area and try again...

got the 357/38 rifle taken apart so all i gots to do is get that lapping goop and put it to it to try out your "smoothing" procedure.....

TIA !

[coug2wolfs]

Hey Marlin. are ya watchin.... are ya listenin?  The Coug is bringin em right to your door :lol:

[Burnsome]

Holy cow...I never imagined that finding some lapping compound would be so difficult.   Cant seem to find any of the Clover Lapping compound here locally so I can get after that lever action...and perhaps I'm making something simple into something difficult, but........

Coug -  you know if the Garnet Lapping compound from Brownells is basically the same thing?  It comes in 600grit, 800grit, or 5 microns.  Sounds kinda "light" to me......

If Garnet is not what I want, and need to go with Clover, what grit should I go with?  Found some on-line in 100, 120, 180, 220, 240, and 280 grit....its available from Grainger, and comes in a woppin' 1lb can....that should last me about 150 years probably, or a whole buncha lever actions....wichever comes first....


:shock:

[Graybeard]

Burnsome. Ask the auto parts guys what grit of valve grinding compounds they have. Should have one that will work. Maybe Coug can tell ya what grit that the Clover Brand he uses is.

I'd not want anything with smaller number (larger grit) than about 400. Perhaps a 400 and an 800 if you want to do it in two steps. I use crocus cloth and JB Bore Paste for all such work I do. If I can get to it and rub the crocus cloth on it but there isn't any good way otherwise I do that. The parts that Coug mentions coating and smoothing by working the action I coat with JB. Flitz is another mild abrasive that will work.

GB

[coug2wolfs]

Yepper GB, that'll work. And BTW, I shoulda mentioned the grit...600-800.  Jeepers, somebody might get in there with some 80 grit and wear the gun out afore they fire it!  The whole idea, as you have stated GB, is to HONE the parts, schmoooooooth em out, make em slick

Coug

[Burnsome]

just an update for the curious, and a thanks for the advice post here ---- :-D

did the smoothing job on my 1894 and yeah boy, that sucker is slick slidin' fer sure.  i like it.  cant wait to get out and shoot it a bit.  i do notice now that the smoothin' is done, that the only "rough spot" is due to that triangular piece of metal on the bottom of the lever that, when the lever is closed, has to ride over a cross bar looking piece of metal just in front of the trigger.  I'm thinking about honing that triangular piece of metal off a bit where it rides over that cross bar looking thing....unless someone says i should leave that be......seems like the tip edge of it could be removed a little bit, so it would have less pressure required to ride over that piece o' metal in front of the trigger.

anyway....

thanks again guys.  this is a great forum.   :wink:

[Mikey]

Coug:  Thanks for the pictures, that is what I wanted to know.  Those were some rooters and I'm glad you had the chance to relive the experience.  I also understand your paranoia.  Every one of the animals I am blessed to harvest receives a 'mounting hole' through the brainpan.  When my hunting buddy's younger son asks why, my friend just tells him it's my 'Vietnam Thing'.  Thanks again.

Burnsome:  Uh, if you are lapping your barrel please hold on the use of the Clover Compound or any valve grinding compounds.  When I sent away to Beartooth bullets for their lapping kit I believe/think they mentioned the Clover Compound but I cannot recall if they said it was too coarse or a good substitute.  

If you are smooting an action I would think some of the medium grit compounds would work well enough but if your intent is to lap your barrel you will need to go with the finer laping compounds in the 600 - 800 grit range.

Hope this helps.  Mikey.