Microgroove Handi ??

[Dagalee]

Yesterday I bought a 30-30 Handi from a pawn shop.
IIRC it was a 2007 model.
It has a 12 groove Microgroove barrel.
I'd guess that was a Marlin addition.
I like cast bullets and I've had very good luck with them and lever actions.
Did they ever make a Microgroove Handi in anything else ?
If so what years.
I'd like one in 45-70.

Dagalee

[quickdtoo]

No secret there, Marlin has been makin H&R barrels for years starting sometime after 1991, they've made MG H&R barrels in 22Lr Versa-pac, 30-30, 44 Mag and 45-70 for sure, and many others I suspect, do a search on it, been discussed many times. 

Tim

[gcrank1]

MicroGroove barrel will shoot cast as well as anything if you use a big enough bullet dia. My 30-30 trials have done well with .310's, if you can fit .311-.312 in your fully fire-formed case mouth and still have them load and extract cleanly, use 'em!

[nanuk-O-dah-Nort]

I've got an NEF framed 45/70.  Not sure who made the barrel, but the rifling is so thin it is almost just scratches vs grooves.
I have yet to try with cast, as none of my moulds will drop big enough for my other two, which slug out at .4595+

when my two 0.462 moulds arrive, I'll slug the micro-micro groove and try it out

but as gcrank1 says, the MG barrels shoot cast just fine, just use a big enough one.

the easiest way to start, is to measure the inside of a fired case, and size to a slip fit into that, then seat so it will just chamber.

[quickdtoo]

What gcrank said!! 

Tim


http://www.leverguns.com/articles/fryxell/microgrove-barrels.htm

There has been a great deal of concern over the years about whether or not Microgroove rifling would shoot cast bullets well. One group of folks says that Microgroove rifles can't hit a barn from the inside with cast bullets, one group says that Microgroove barrels shoot cast just fine just so long as velocities are kept below 1600 fps, and one groups says that Microgroove barrels shoot cast just fine at full throttle. The key to success with cast bullets in a Marlin with Microgroove rifling is to keep in mind that these barrels tend to have oversized groove diameters, and that the grooves/lands are shallow. Therefore, in order to get proper engraving (and minimize "slippage" of the cast bullet as it enters the shallow rifling), it is necessary that the bullet completely fill up the groove diameter of the barrel, and engage the maximum amount of the driving surface of the lands. Since Microgroove barrels are commonly oversized, this means that the cast bullet must also be oversized to effectively "fill up" the grooves. Other factors that also contribute to good accuracy with cast bullet in Microgroove barrels are the use of a GC bullet (which helps to provide a better grip and seal), and making sure that bullet are cast hard enough for the application (generally a BHN of 12 or more). It is also worth remembering that throats in modern rifles are almost always cut larger than groove diameter of the barrel (to insure that ammunition can chamber easily), and that best cast bullet accuracy is obtained by fitting the bullet to the throat, hence reinforcing the need for oversized cast bullets in Microgroove barrels (for example, the throats on my .30-30s run almost .311", so I size cast bullets to .310" for these guns).

[OldSchoolRanger]

No secret there, Marlin has been makin H&R barrels for years starting sometime after 1991, they've made MG H&R barrels in 22Lr Versa-pac, 30-30, 44 Mag and 45-70 for sure, and many others I suspect, do a search on it, been discussed many times. 

Tim

And, I might add that those are some of the best and most accurate shooting barrels in the Handi family.