.45 Colt caliber

[jd45]

Hello to all & Happy Easter!
I'm wondering if Marlin offers now, or has in the past, a 336-type rifle in this caliber? How did it function cycling this short cart? What barrel lengths were offered? What twist-rate in the rifling & best bullet weights for that twist-rate? Thanx for the feedback. jd45

[scrounger]

They make this caliber in their short action rifle, the 1894. For all practical purposes it is a short action 336. Unfortunately, almost all of these rifles are made up as the overly fancy, overly priced Cowboy models.. But Big 5 Sporting Goods Stores, which is a chain, had Marlin make up a special run of 1894s in this caliber for them. They are a real Plain-Jane rifle, dull blue, cheap wood, but priced accordingly. They frequently put them on sale at $299. I bought a couple when I lived in California. I believe the barrel twist is 16", length is 20". There have been several articles in some of the gun magazines about loading this caliber (in strong guns-Contender, Ruger, Marlin) up to just exceed .44 Magnum performance. I believe this can be safely done.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Hello to all & Happy Easter!
I'm wondering if Marlin offers now, or has in the past, a 336-type rifle in this caliber? How did it function cycling this short cart? What barrel lengths were offered? What twist-rate in the rifling & best bullet weights for that twist-rate? Thanx for the feedback. jd45

Marlin did not and does not make a 336 in .45 Colt, but it did make a 336 in .44 Rem Mag. They were made for one or two years. All that is needed to convert one to .45 is a different barrel. The carrier was modified to handle the shorter cases. The down side would be the longer lever throw than that of a 1894. Not sure how they functioned but the short production life should be some indication of a design problem.

Slim