Author Topic: Trouble With New Marlin 1894, .44 Mag - Bad Rifeling???? (Read 690 times)

J.Solo · « **on:** June 22, 2005, 12:16:24 AM »

I just brought my new Marlin 1894, .44 Magnum home from the gun shop and cleaned it up good especially the barrel. What I thought were stains or "gunk" build up in the barrel from factory fireing are really small gouges in the center of the lands. The barrel took a lot of cleaning and a Flits treatment to clean out the fouling and grease.

I'm wearing a 10X Toolmakers magnifying head set and a bore light. I've owned many rifels and handguns over the years but have never seen rifeling that looked gouged like this. I don't know what Ballard rifeling is supposed to look like but I don't think it should look like it does. The bore diameter is .431" and the rifeling looks pretty shallow. I thought Ballard rifeling was supposed to be a deep cut rifeling. The grooves look pretty good with the traditional lines running full length from chamber to muzzle from the rifeling process and should smooth out after use. The gouges run length wise in the centers of the lands and along the edges of the lands as well.

Shoot it, call Marlin, take it back to the gun shop or send the gun back to Marlin. By the way this is the first Marlin rifle I've owned and frankly, I'm not impressed.
Any thoughts or suggestions?

- Thanks - J.Solo

big medicine · « **Reply #1 on:** June 22, 2005, 01:57:05 AM »

Take it out and shoot it. Probably wont make any difference. I have a couple different rifles with the same "problem" if you could call it that. They dont "look" perfect....but shoot very well. With a couple hundred rounds down the tube it will probably shoot even better. Cleaning the thing all the time will also affect your accuracy. After I clean mine it usually takes about 25-50 rounds to get the accuracy back. So dont go nuts thinking the barrel has to be spotless. Take it out and shoot it.

Mikey · « **Reply #2 on:** June 22, 2005, 02:32:45 AM »

J. Solo: I would expect the rifling on that Marlin to look shallow - even with Ballard rifling, which at todays standards would also have to be used for jacketed bullets, I wouldn't expect a modern cartridge barrel to have rifling more than .002 deep.

As far as those rifling marks in the barrel are concerned - as big medicine said, thake it out and shoot it. But, if his rifle takes about 20-25 rounds to get back into its accuracy after a good cleaning then I think the both of ya should firelap those barrels.

Once I firelapped mine, my accuracy was consistent from one session to the next. It sounds like there is enough roughness in both bores to take some copper jacket buildup before the roughness stops affecting accuracy.

When big medicine said that after a couple of hundred rounds the bore will look better, then you need to know that after proper firelapping your bore will look like a mirror and shoot like never before. HTH. Mikey.

J.Solo · « **Reply #3 on:** June 22, 2005, 05:26:57 PM »

I called Marlin and they are sending a shipping label for me to send the gun back to them. They are very interested in seeing the rifeling problem. They were very nice on the phone and so was I. So far so good. Thanks for the replys - J.Solo

hogship · « **Reply #4 on:** June 23, 2005, 02:42:19 PM »

I recently sent in a Marlin 1895GS that had a crooked barrel. I believe Marlin is going to treat you right on this. They replaced my barrel.

I'm not sure what you're seeing, buy you cannot expect perfectly smooth riflings. There is some limitations as to how perfectly cut they will look, but there is a limit to what machining marks are acceptable too.

good luck

hog