Marlin Jam?

[Ranger J]

I am afraid my 1894 .44 has got a case of ‘Marlin jam’.  When I bought the gun I was most worried about finding an accurate load for its rather pick barrel.  I ran a lot of combinations through it loading only one bullet at a time.  At last I found several loads that it liked and shot well but the first time I loaded the mag tube it jammed.  It seemed to be trying to let in two rounds at a time.  I thought that the problem might involve the length of my reloads so I dusted off a box of factory loads I had at the back of a storage cabinet and tried them.  The same thing happened.  Where do I go from here?
RJ

[Smokin Joe]

http://www.marauder.homestead.com/files/Marlin94Fix.html

[Modoc ED]

It seems to me that Marlin ought to know about this problem.  Why do you think Marlin hasn't stepped up, admitted the problem, and corrected it?  It sure doesn't speak well of them.

[De41mag]

Ranger J;

When I first got my 1894 in 44 mag it did the same thing. I sent mine back to the factory and they fixed it at no cost to me. I'm very well pleased. Give them, (Marlin) a chance, they will do you right.

Dennis 

[orchemo]

I have an older Marlin 35 Rem. The rifle does great with Core-loks, but experiences this jam with the Leverolution rounds. Would a new carrier be the cure?

Thanks
Eric

[Modoc ED]

Does this Marlin Jam apply to just the Marlin Model 1894 or does it apply to all Marlin lever action rifles across the board (i.e., 336, 1895, 444, etc.)?

[tanoose]

I had an 1895 45/70 my dad uses a 336 in 35 rem and we have a couple of guys in the club also with 336's and i have never experienced or saw a jam yet in any of our rifles.

[Modoc ED]

Nobody seems to be able to answer my question.  I'm beginning to wonder if there really is such a thing as a "Marlin Jam".  A lever action rifle should be cycled rapidly and with some force.  Perhaps the people having trouble with a supposed double feed are operating the action too slow and too softly or maybe double cycling the lever.  As posted by "tanoose", I've never heard of this supposed malfunction.

[Keith L]

Take a look in the FAQ and Stickies page.  There is a link to an extensive discussion on the dreaded Marlin Jam, its causes, and how to fix it. 

[Modoc ED]

Take a look in the FAQ and Stickies page.  There is a link to an extensive discussion on the dreaded Marlin Jam, its causes, and how to fix it. 

I saw the link on the FAQ and Stickies page Keith.  What I was trying to do when I used the phrase "supposed malfunction" was to provoke some more discussion of the "Marlin Jam".  The reason is that the "Marlin Jam" doesn't seem to happen to all rifles.  Apparently, it happens mostly on the Marlin Model 94 rifles but not all Model 94 rifles and doesn't seem to be a problem on the Marlin Models 336, 444, 1895.  One of the things I'd like to know is is the lever configuration different on the Model 94s than it is on the Model 336, 444, 1895, etc.?  Does the sharp edge than should be rounded on the Model 94 lever (as shown in the link) exists on the Model 336, 444, 1895 lever or is the lever for them configured differently?

Like I said.  I had never heard of this problem and I know a few guys that have Marlin Lever Action Rifles and have never heard any of them complain of the "Marlin Jam" or any other problems with their rifles.  Of course that doesn't mean that the problem doesn't exist.  I'd just like to get a little more info.  One thing I did notice was that the link was in/aimed toward the Cowboy Action Shooting community.  Maybe because of the considerable amount of ammo fired in their rifles and the rapid, hard cycling of the actions on their rifles, their rifles are more prone to fail?

Anyway, I hope someone can or will come on this thread and answer my questions. 

[Keith L]

I think it is a fair assumption that it happens to the Cowboy Action shooters most because of the amount of ammo that goes through their guns.  I doubt I will have a chance to have it happen to my 30AW.  It is used during deer season and that is about it.  I put maybe 100 rounds a year through it to make sure that all works well, so it will likely never wear out.

I recall some discussion of the Marlin Jam ( I thought it was in the sticky) that explained what made it most likely, and which models were most vulnerable.  I will have to take a look again.  A later variant is the Leverevolution (sic??) ammo does not like all guns so pretty good, so its own jam can occur until the proper parts are installed.

There are some real experts out here on this so I hope to hear more as well.

[Modoc ED]

Thanks for the reply Keith.  One of the things that was in the link that sort of surprised me was that they implied that if you had cycled more than 50 rounds through your rifle that the "Marlin Jam" was imminent.  That didn't seem reasonable to me so my curiosity was peaked.

Yes, there have been some problems with the Leverevoluton (sp?) ammunition not feeding properly.  It has to do with the plastic/rubber tip catching in the feed ramp I believe.  Anyway, the correction for that problem seems to be replacing the OEM flat faced follower with a cupped follower.

The reason that I have taken an interest in this is that a fellow I know bought a .444 Marlin and he can't handle the recoil.  He has offered it to me for $150.00 and I want to snatch it up but not if it will be a problem gun due to feeding problems.  The rifle has less than 20 rounds through it.  I told him to have a shock absorbing butt pad put on the gun but he says he just doesn't like the rifle so, I think I'll buy it.  I am thinking that a brand new .444 Marlin with less than 20 rounds through it is worth $150.00 and maybe worth correcting any problems with it down the road.

[Keith L]

I have a couple thousand rounds through my Marlin and it hasn't developed the jam.  I don't think it is fatal, and a preventive cure as described in the sticky should keep you from worrying.  And that is a bargain for a nearly new Marlin.  A Limbsaver pad will make it much nicer to shoot.

[papajohn428]

Modoc, it doesn't look like anyone has completely addressed your questions, so I'll take a crack at it.

The Marlin Jam is a timing issue, the factory parlance for it is "Letting In Two."  The cure is outlined very well in the "Marauder13" sticky, and goes into lots more detail than I will.  I did the fix on both of my 1894's in five minutes each with a file, a soft Dremel tip will also work.  The idea is just to round off a little of the cam on the lever, not remove a bunch of metal.  It is only a problem on the 1894's, no other guns seem to have the problem.  It's due more to the short action feeding cycle, and doesn't cause problems in the longer actions. 

The problem with jamming in the 35's Leverevolution ammo is due to the size of the mag tube.  It's the same diameter as the tubes on the 30-30's and 375's, to accomodate the wider rim.  Being rimless, the 35 doesn't need as much room, and can get cocked a bit sideways in the mag tube.  This can trap the gummy tip of the bullet between the base of the round ahead of it and the tube wall.  A thinner diamter tube would fix it, or maybe a sleeve inside the tube, but the new follower does help in some guns.  The way you shove the LE rounds into the tube is also a factor, if you can keep them from canting sideways they feed just fine.

Cowboy shooters run into the problem because they shoot a lot.  What happens (I think) is that the edge on the cam wears a groove on the underside of the carrier, and lets it dip a little in the middle of the feed cycle.  That lets a second round slide into the action, tying it up.  The fix is to pull out the screw that holds the lever in place, and clear the rounds, then reattach it and reload.  I've heard it said that once you have a gun with problems, you need a new carrier, but I just smoothed out the groove, and they work fine.  Not every gun develops this problem.

Hope this helps.  If you have any other questions, I'll try to help.

Papajohn

[Modoc ED]

Papajohn -

Thanks for the more detailed response -- especially the clarification that it effects the 94s primarily.  Appreciate the info.