Expected accuracy from Marlin 45 Colt

[Lee Robinson]

1894 model Marlin chambered in 45 Colt.

Can I shoot Keith type bullets with good accuracy or is leading likely to be a problem from carbine/riffle velocities? Will I need to use a jacketted bullet to keep consistent accuracy in a carbine/riffle? And then...how good of accuracy can I expect from a factory set up Marlin lever action in 45 Colt? What things can be done to the gun to maximize the accuracy from such a gun?

[Graybeard]

I've owned only one of them a Cowboy version. I never did find a load that would stay on an 8.5"x11" target sheet at 50 yards. I gave up on it in disgust and traded it back to the folks I bought it from.

[gunblade]

I have a 1894 Cowboy that has always been accurate and completely reliable with hard cast lead bullets...never had a leading problem.  Never felt the need to do anything to the rifle except shoot it...it was good right out of the box.

[Lee Robinson]

Graybeard,

How long ago was this? And being I have seen you refer to your vision in past posts was that part of the problem or was it just the gun?

Gunblade,

How accuate? At what distance? At what velocity? With commercial loads or handloads? And if handloads, what bullet/load combo?

[Graybeard]

It was back when Marlin first brought them to market. Yes at the time I was having vision problems but that was mostly affecting my handgun not long gun shooting. I had others try it as well and it just tossed bullets like a shotgun pattern.

I do not recall all the specific loads tried as it's been far too long ago. I tried it with cast and jacketed reloads and factory. It just did not shoot. Even scoped it and it still did not shoot. It was a POS and that's all you can say about it. Might have been the only bad one Marlin ever shipped I dunno but it was not a shooter.

[Lee Robinson]

Thanks. I heard Marlin was the best of the lever actions being made TODAY, but I don't know if that is true in the 45 Colt model or not...nor do I know what type of groups to expect. I don't know what they were like then and HONESTLY I don't know what they are like today either as I just bought my first lever action. I wanted a 45 Colt since I shoot that a good bit in handgun loads. I hope I don't regret the Marlin 45 Colt.

[Graybeard]

If you are not wanting to scope it I'd suggest getting a Rossi. I've owned two of those in .45 Colt that shot super tight groups with most loads fed them. Totally unlike that Marlin I had that wouldn't shoot anything. Back when I did a review on the first one I had one group with it was just one ragged hole and most stayed under 2". That Marlin did good to shoot groups of two feet.

[jcn59]

Mine is a 16" ballard rifled .44 so maybe it doesn't compare to the 45 but it shoots about like a good SKS -- 4" at 100 yards with 240 gr. JHP & 23. Gr. H-110.

[Lee Robinson]

How about educating me a little on the difference between  ballard rifled vs micro rifled (or whatever else type of rifling they do).

[Cowpox]

GB,
   Just a guess, but I'm thinking that if you had slugged the bore on that Marlin, you would have found they had cut a 45 Colt chamber in a barrel blank that was bored to launch .458 bullets for 45/70.
    6/1000ths might not seem like a lot, but, I know from experience, that 200 grain jacketed bullets intended for 44/40 (.427) don't shoot worth a darn in a Ruger 44 carbine (.429).

[cwlongshot]

I have owned 4 of them, still have two. All soot, shot great for me. I too sold the cowboy model first when I stopped competing and a friend wanted to continue. I had two 80's 1894's. Later, I sold or traded one off as I didn't need two the same. The last one is a limited with a 16" barrel. (My favorite!!) They seem to love my handload with a 250gr Nosler bullet. also shoot well with my heavy load of WW296 and a 300gr Speer bullet. They have accounted for over a dozen deer thru the years. The 300 has shot thru two deer end to end I have yet to recover one of those 300's. The 250's are a HP and loaded lighter, maybe 12-1300 in the rifle. Broad side shots will make it thru if no major bones are hit. Accuracy for either is at or under 2" if you do your part.

 Good luck with yours,
 CW

[Graybeard]

GB,
   Just a guess, but I'm thinking that if you had slugged the bore on that Marlin, you would have found they had cut a 45 Colt chamber in a barrel blank that was bored to launch .458 bullets for 45/70.
    6/1000ths might not seem like a lot, but, I know from experience, that 200 grain jacketed bullets intended for 44/40 (.427) don't shoot worth a darn in a Ruger 44 carbine (.429).

Could be it sure shot about like that's what they had done. I'm sure that had I returned it they would have fixed it but I was just disappointed and disgusted enough to not want to bother.

[nrb]

Gents I do not shoot 45 Colt but I do shoot and reload other large calibers. I have found that some large caliber rifles do not digest lighter weight bullets well. In 44 mag, some rifles do poorly on bullets under 240 grains but will group 240 and up very well. These are my findings after several years of testing handloads. So if you test a large caliber rifle and get poor groups, try heavier (or lighter) bullets to really test the rifle well. So cwlongshot, your experiences seem to verify my testing. And Cowpox, it may not be the small differences in caliber, but the differences in bullet weight.

best,      nrb