New Marlin

[Birddog 1]

Just got my 1894 in lc45 and loaded up some 200 gr swc and when I shot them I was getting a puff of air over the top of my head and the cases were comming out real black was just shooting it and wasnt to conserned about grouping....... Do I need a bullet sizer for the lee 250 gr bullet if not for sizing but for bullet lube or should I pan lube them, or do I need to lube them at all ?

Nim

[.375 Hawk]

Just got my 1894 in lc45 and loaded up some 200 gr swc and when I shot them I was getting a puff of air over the top of my head and the cases were comming out real black was just shooting it and wasnt to conserned about grouping....... Do I need a bullet sizer for the lee 250 gr bullet if not for sizing but for bullet lube or should I pan lube them, or do I need to lube them at all ?

Nim

Hi Nim,  The chamber in my Marlin .45 Colt is not as tight as it could be.  The resized cases start at .4795  1/4" forward of the case head/ rim and after firing 32,000 Cup loads i end up with .486 - .4865.
The +P loads seal the brass to the chamber in my rifle, but the 14,000 PSI. loads do not and I get black sooty cases also. I have not felt the gas blow by though.  Glasses are a good idea....
Try resizing only the top 1/2 of your cases (neck sizing ). This may help with the gas blow by, but you will still get black cases.

Eddie

[Brian in FL]

Yes, you need to lube your cast bullets.

[Graybeard]

Pan lubing is NOT a fun task. Get a luber-sizer unless you want to use the Lee liquid stuff. Me I don't.

I've only owned one Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt it was a Cowboy model purdy as a speckled pup but man that darn thing was about as accurate as throwing rocks. Now I admit to using it only with iron sights and at that time my eyesight was pretty poor but still it shot patterns not groups. I tried some cast and jacketed loads factory and reloads in it and gave up on it. I traded it back to the dealer I bought it from.

[Lloyd Smale]

like greaybeard said you really need to buck up and buy a lubesizer. You can get used lymans pretty cheap on ebay. It should be one of the first things on any casters wish list. Pan lubing and lee sizers and tumble lube work to an extent but if you want to do it right you need a lubesizer. As to your problem the first thing i would do is bump up your pressure a bit. Im guessing your shooting a bullet designed for the acp. You might want to step up to a heavier bullet. This will raise your pressure and the fact it will be longer will probably match the twist rate of your lever gun a bit better.

[gypsyman]

Concur with what Lloyd said. I've had problems with bullets not obturating enough to seal the barrel. If your not at the top of whatever load your using, up your powder a couple tenths of a grain.  If you already at top of the load, try a different bullet or powder. gypsyman