.357 Marlin Carbine

[usbone1]

I need help/advice.  I'm doing something wrong as I routinely jam my Marlin lever gun when cycling the action.  Is there a trick to this?  I gave up on my 180 grain hollow point rounds and am reduced to round nose factory .38/.357 ammo, and still get jams.  Know I intentionally cycle the lever fully and watch the action. 

I met one man at the local range who loaded his own, and he advised me to find the specific length of cartridge recommended, and only buy it.  Since then I paid for a gun smith to smooth the action and 'make it right'.  Right.

I own one of the finest single shot Marlins around.  If anyone can provide any advice, please do so.  It must be a personal limitation but after a year of suffering through this sequence, I'm ready to try most anything.

[Zcarp2]

Without laying hands on it, please describe exactly how it is hanging up.  I do not have one, but am looking for one and am interested in this.

I have read where over all cartridge length (OAL) can be critical.  Bullet profile can also be a factor.  Is it hanging up as it enters that chamber?  As the rim enters the extractor?  How does the lifter look/function?  Are you cycling the action fast or slow?  Try the other and see.  Are the rounds coming out of the magazine smoothly?  Is the magazine spring binding/hanging? 

What did the gunsmith do?  Why did he take your money and not fix the problem?  Have you called him about it?

This is where I would start.  I am guessing that this is all factory ammo.

Good Luck

[Lloyd Smale]

make sure your running the lever briskly and keep the gun on your shoulder and not tilting  it to look in the action.

[Swampman]

Send it back to Marlin.

[BCB]

usbone1,
I am shooting the Lyman 358429 Keith style bullet (170 grains) in my 1894C.  There is no way it can be crimped in the crimp groove and cycle through the action of this lever gun.  SO, I have trimmed the cases back to allow the bullet to be seated in the crimp groove and have an OCL of approximately 1.604”.  Actually, this will cycle in the lever gun, but occasionally it hangs up and with a bit of shaking it will move on and chamber.  For this bullet, 1.604” is MAXIMUM case length for my Marlin.  Several thousands of an inch shorter might be better, but since I don’t rapid fire this gun, it works O.K. and allows me to get sufficient powder in the case to achieve 1550 fps with no problems.  I guess you have the option to trim the case shorter than minimum for the 357 Magnum, or find a bullet that will allow the proper OCL.   Good-luck…BCB

[Mikey]

usbone1:  I have encountered the same problem with Marlin levers but in rifle calibers when the reloads I was using were just too long for the action.  I was concerned about raising pressure levels by seating bullets too deeply just so I could shoot a particular style of slug down the barrel.  I have encountered the same problems with Winchesters. 

This might help:  years ago a gun writer named Skeeter Skelton devleloped some very hot loads for 38 Specials that mirrored 357 magnum performance.  He came up with these loads when 357 ammo and cases were at premium costs and either in very high demand or just not all that available.  He would take any bullet for the 38/357 case and split the difference in the maximum powder charge for that bullet in both 38 Spl and 357 mag, and load it into a 38 Spl case and it was pretty darn good.  I used to carry those loads in a 357 snubbie and I could not tell the difference in either recoil or impact when they hit.  These are loads that should be used only in 357 magnum caliber firearms, never 38 Specials (although the loads developed for the 38-44 were just about identical). 

So, if you want to shoot 170 gn or 180 gn or 200 gn slugs from your 357 carbine but the oal in a 357 case is too long, use a 38 case and see how it goes.  I think the prospect of having to trim 357 cases to get just the right length for just the right bullet is a lot of extra work. 

Some lever guns may not like the semi-wadcutter design but if you want to shoot heavier slugs there are a number avialable that should work a lever action smoothly.  HTH.  Mikey.

[BCB]

Mikey,

I think I remember something about the Skeeter Skelton 38 Special loads also, but have long forgotten about that information.  I wonder if it could be found—or at least that article?

The only reason I would hesitate to do that is the fact that I have several 38 Specials and one is an older S&W Victory series and I know it wouldn’t handle greater than maximum loads—at least not too many!

Yet, I might try a few myself.  I do have some +P+ 38 Special brass so that might be a place to start.  I really don’t know if this brass is any stronger than regular 38 Special brass, but at least I could visually see the head stamp.

And, the reason I trim my cases for the Marlin is the fact that I shoot only 1 bullet in my 38’s, my 357 handgun, and my Marlin—the Lyman 358429.  SO, I set my dies to bell the case mouth and seat that bullet in the 38 Special.  If you have an RCBS set of dies, they come with a washer that is placed under the case mouth expanding die and the seating die.  After the die is set for the 38 these washers can be put in place and it can then be used to bell the case mouth and seat the bullet on 357 cases.  What I did was make a washer that is the proper thickness to allow the 38 set up to be used to reload the shortened cases used in the Marlin.  Then the regular washer that came with the die set can be used to reload the 357 for the handgun.

I agree, if I had to have cases at different shorted lengths for several bullets, it would get too complicated and there would be too much room for mistakes.

It is sure nice having ONE bullet that is use in all cartridges.  It makes life very simple, at least for my 38’s and 357’s.  Good-luck…BCB

[papajohn428]

I've owned two of the Marlin rifles chambered in 357, the first one cared nothing about OAL, the newer one is fairly picky about it.  It will NOT feed 38's, but after a thorough break-in, it feeds nearly anything in 357 cases.  Working the lever briskly does help with some guns, mine among them.  Work it slowly, and you get a jam every time.  Rack it like you want to rapid-fire it, and it's fine.  The carrier needs to rise fast enough to "Throw" the round into the breach.

Most Marlins are a little balky when they're new, my 44 was the worst I ever saw.  No matter what bullet profile I used, (And I tried a bunch) it wanted to hang up on the chamber mouth.  A few minutes with some Crocus cloth and a wooden dowel smoothed things up nicely, as did firing a lot of rounds thru it.  Now it's the slickest gun I own (or have ever shot) and it gets "Borrowed" at the range a lot.  Several folks have bought identical guns after trying mine, and all have to go through some length of break-in before they function 100%.  But once that's over, they're good forever!

Papajohn

[Mikey]

BCB:  I well understand your concerns about mixing loads in older sidearms, which is why I am normally somewhat hesitant to recommend following up on Skelton's advice.  I'm sorry that I do not have that article laying around.  I remember it being printed a number of years ago but the man has been dead for at least 10 yrs that I can recall.

I also have revolvers I can not fire the heavier 38/357 loads in and have been concerned about mixing those loads disasterously, but my wife solved the problem without even knowing it - nail polish.  I just borrowed a couple of those small bottles of nail polish (your preference as to color) and run a small streak over the case head and primer to identify it.  Nail polish is also pretty good at sealing primers if you keep the ammo around for a while, and if you can get your wife to help apply the polish you can turn reloading into a family affair........... JMTCW.  Mikey.

[usbone1]

After further review...I started cycling the action (while still shouldering the weapon) and enjoyed more success.  Of course my sixteen year old son advised me to do just that about six months ago.  I was using .38 plus P factory ammo from Winchester.  Will go back to some 180 grain hollow points this next round of shooting. 

I appreciate all inputs/advice.  Most of you Folks are just a whole bunch more smarter about this stuff than me.  I have been over at your reloading folders and will soon attempt that program.  More reading to do first.

[Jerry Lester]

I know that lever actions are designed with the idea that you can work the action from the shoulder so it's quicker, and supposedly you don't lose target acquisition, but I hate doing it that way. I've always dropped mine when cycling the action, and they "should" cycle fine this way. If you're having that much trouble then something is wrong. I'd suggest you let a good gun smith look at it. It likely needs a little TLC.

[Foggy]

Once My guns are zeroed I only bench them again before hunting season to "just be sure" all other shooting is done in positions you would find while hunting . I don't take the rifle from my shoulder until it;s empty or I shot the number of shot at the target I have no keeping on the target . If your doing your part  you should return to the target coming of recoil,

just a thought , sorry it's kinda off topic

[Rangr44]

I've never bought/owned a new Marlin centerfire levergun that was smooth from the factory. I'm thinking: If they were smoother, they'd probably cost twice as much for the fitting.

All my new Marlins have benefited greatly from about a week's worth of dry-cycling the empty actions rapidly, including trigger pull, while I was watching TV after supper.
 
Clean it first, break it in, then lube it - you'll see the rubbed spots, where a dab of lube should go.