Author Topic: 1894 44 mag  (Read 1299 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline swiftman

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Avid Poster
  • **
  • Posts: 187
1894 44 mag
« on: March 25, 2008, 02:36:45 PM »
A friend of mine just got a new 1894 44 nag and was wondering what bullet wts shoot the best in it and there a max cartride lenght that will feed in it?    Thanks.

Offline mattmillerrx

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 611
  • Gender: Male
Re: 1894 44 mag
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2008, 04:16:03 PM »
I have been playing with mine trying to find a factory load that works well.  I used the Winchester white box to hunt with this year.  Accuracy from it was pretty good ( 240gr).  The 300gr do not shoot well at all in it.  Hornady 300gr is what I tried, had heard the twist is wrong for that load and it is--mine was shooting 5-6in groups at only 25 yrds.  My favorite so far is the Magtech 200gr recoil is very pleasant.  I was looking for a lighter recoil load for this gun--I bought it for a youth gun and something my wife would hunt with anyway.  I shot a 6 shot group that measure 1 and a 1/4.  I had two bullets slightly to the right which where my fault or this group most likely would have been MOA.  The 240 grs I have tried are stout, the 200's are a pleasure to shoot, and oddly the 300's are too.  I ran the numbers through a recoil calculator and the 200's and 300's where between 8-9 ft/lbs and the 240's where about 13-14 ft/lbs.  I ordered some bulk 240 grs that have been on back order since December but will save my brass and work up a load for the 200 gr's.  I did buy some of the PMC 240 gr that shot all over the place, but other than those and the 300gr everything has shot better than I thought it should from a lever gun.  As for the max length, go to the Marlin website and download the manual, it list them there--all the factor stuff is fine though at least what I have tried--I Jammed the gun the first time a cranked the lever and it was due to the plate where you load the mag caught the bullet--it was hard to get it apart but was an easy fix just tighten up the screw that holds it.  Has not jammed since.

Offline Ranger J

  • Trade Count: (1)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 990
  • Gender: Male
Re: 1894 44 mag
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2008, 03:53:12 AM »
I bought an 1894 about a year ago and it came out of the box with the 'Marlin Jam".  A trip to the gunsmith fixed that (I know I could have sent it back to Marlin).  It is very picky about what it will shoot.  The only thing it will shoot well, and it does shoot them great, are 180 GR Hornady XTPs and 240Gr Xtps loaded with a heavy load of H110.  As I said these will shoot same hole at fifty yards but definitely are not loads for a child if they are recoil shy.  While mine was at the gunsmith I had him put on a Limbsaver recoil pad.  I have not had any luck with factory loaded bullets at all.  The 1 in 30" twist rate is only part of the problem as most of these guns have an oversize bore.  On the up side it is a good looking son of a gun and it will shoot the Hornady bullets well.  I am afraid it will remain somewhat of a closet queen as I was really looking for something that I could shoot cheap.  I recently got a .44 barrel for my Handi and it is turning out to be everything the Marlin is not.  If I had it to do over I would have purchased the Ruger lever gun as it has a 1 in 20 barrel and shoots regular size bullets.  The only trouble is that it is  UGLY! com paired to the Marlin.

RJ

Offline big medicine

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 422
Re: 1894 44 mag
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2008, 07:10:35 AM »
I shoot the Hornady 240 XTP and it shoots great.

Offline Lloyd Smale

  • Moderators
  • Trade Count: (32)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18278
Re: 1894 44 mag
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2008, 12:23:32 AM »
good luck getting an answer to that one. every gun is differnt and likes differnt loads and bullets. The marlin 44s are even more prone to this. Ive had a few of them and they all liked completely differnt loads. Some liked cast some jacketed. Some only shot good with light loads so needed mag level loads to shoot good. The one i have know is so finiky it only shoots one load well. A 240 swcgc at mag levels. Alot of this depends on what you consider shooting good. If you want to hit a beer can at 25 yards anything will work. I call a pistol caliber lever gun load decent if it will shoot 2 inch at 50 yards with open sights. Half that with a scope. Sorry for the poor answer but the only way youll find what that gun likes best is to shoot the crap out of it with every load you can think off. Great thing is that its fun!!
blue lives matter

Offline countryrebel

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Avid Poster
  • **
  • Posts: 108
Re: 1894 44 mag
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2008, 01:15:20 PM »
Mine shoots 240 xtp with 23.5 grains of H110, gets 1750fps out of my 1894 with 20" barrel. I can hit clays at 100 yards with that load and the buckhorn sights.

Offline T.R.

  • Trade Count: (4)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 466
Re: 1894 44 mag
« Reply #6 on: April 17, 2008, 10:48:15 AM »


Hornady bullets measure .430 which often produce tighter groups at 100 yards than common .429 bullets by other makers.

This Marlin shoots 200 grain bullets into a 2.75 to 3.5 inch circle at 100 yards when I do my part.  240's do not group well.

Of course each carbine is little different. 
TR