Marlin 1894, s/n: 170XXX, .38-40 cal... any info on this?

[rob99rt]

I was given this rifle when my father-in-law passed away and unfortunately don't know much about its history, how much it's worth, etc. I posted about it over on another board (ar15.com) and one of the members suggested I pose the question to you guys.

Here's what I do know about it:

.38-40 caliber, model 1894, serial number is in the 170XXX range, it has 1/2 octagon-1/2 round barrel, and it appears to have the original finish on the bluing/wood, but the wood on the stock has been fixed. I've looked around for .38-40 caliber and it seems it's a cowboy-action only round, so I doubt I'll be shooting it much. With it being made in 1898, it surely has a bit of history behind it, and I'd like to know a bit about it if possible.

If you guys could shed any info on this rifle, I'd very much appreciate it.

Thanks.



- Rob

[J Miller]

Rob,

Welcome to the forum.

That is a fine old rifle. As you've already found out it's an oldy, but if the bore is in good condition, there's no reason not to shoot it.
There is several guys here that shoot this round, and not just for CAS. For hunting and other reasons. This cartridge was introduced in the late 1870s or early 1880s by Winchester and is a very good one. It's just not very common any more.
If you can get a replacement stock for it the value will increase considerably.

Joe

[rob99rt]

Rob,

If you can get a replacement stock for it the value will increase considerably.

Joe

Thanks. Any idea where I could pick up one, or would you have suggestions on making one from a template?

[jdad]

It looks to be in pretty good shape. If the bore is bad you can have it relined.

The barrel should be 24", but it appears to be shorter and a ramped front sight put on. It could just be an optical illusion. The front sight should be a German nickle silver blade.

You can probably find a reproduction stock here http://www.gun-parts.com/marlinstocks/ , but don't lose your buttplate. It has some $$$ value.

If you need replacement extractor, ejector, firing pin, etc. these guys make excellent repro parts that require minimal fitting. www.wisnersinc.com

[AJMD429]

If that gun had a soul and could talk (some would say it is heresy to suggest otherwise), I think it would plead to be fixed up just enough to shoot, and enjoyed. No, I don't mean re-finishing every ding and trying to make it look brand new, but doing the same things a thoughtful owner would have done after he/she bought the gun all those years ago - including shooting it! (Yeah, make sure it is safe, first...)

Taking a gnarled and 'experienced' old gun and just hanging it on a mantle, or making it a safe queen, is like putting a battle-scarred old veteran in a nursing home to drool and watch television. Take the gun on a walk in the fields, shoot it, and take grandpa out for a walk, or just talk/listen awhile. (In fact, if he's still able to do it safely, take him out shooting!)

Otherwise, you'll miss ALL the good stories .

[rob99rt]

It looks to be in pretty good shape. If the bore is bad you can have it relined.

The barrel should be 24", but it appears to be shorter and a ramped front sight put on. It could just be an optical illusion. The front sight should be a German nickle silver blade.

You can probably find a reproduction stock here http://www.gun-parts.com/marlinstocks/ , but don't lose your buttplate. It has some $$$ value.

If you need replacement extractor, ejector, firing pin, etc. these guys make excellent repro parts that require minimal fitting. http://www.wisnersinc.com

Thanks for the links. I'll look around and see if I can find a stock that will work on it. The barrel didn't appear to have been cut down/re-crowned, but I'm not an expert gunsmith by any stretch.

Any ideas on ammo for this thing? I've looked around and found some Black Hills ammo for around $35/50, but are there any cheaper alternatives (such as reloading with modern bullets instead of cast-lead).

Again, thanks for the help.

- Rob

[Tycer]

Here's a stock: http://cgi.ebay.com/MARLIN-EARLY-1892-1 ... 18Q2el1247

If the barrel is in good condition, slug the bore and determine the proper bullet diameter. There are several ways to get proper bullets for your gun. We'll help.

AND, sounds like a perfect excuse to learn to shoot black powder! Very cool.

Since it's a FAMILY HEIRLOOM, and will NEVER leave your family....maybe you could take a little time to document with pictures and paragraphs its history and the history of its owners. This includes you. That way, your great grandchildren can enjoy the history.

AND if you learn to reload and shoot it, your great grandchildren can enjoy shooting it and learning to reload for themselves.

Relining a barrel can be done, and since you don't care about reducing value, I see no reason a bad or oversize bore could not be opened up to a 44-40 inexpensively.

And bores on these old guns do not have to be shiny mirrors to shoot well. Old primers were corrosive, so some pitting is likely.

Have fun with your gun. Make it a hobby. Pass it down as a usable heirloom for generations to come.

Welcome to the forum.

PS - please resize your pictures to a max of 800 wide.

[rob99rt]

Pic resized. Sorry about that.

Please explain to me what you mean by slugging the bore? I understand that it would be to find the bullet diameter, but how would I go about doing that? I've got a set of dial calipers, but I doubt they would be accurate enough for what I'd need here, would they?

As far as opening up the bore to 44-40, besides being able to shoot a larger bullet through a now-fresh bore, and likely having a little more muzzle energy, would there be other advantages to this route? Any idea of the cost? Would it make ammo easier to find/reload? Would you be able to take a deer with it?

The only black powder shooting I've ever done was with a .50 cal muzzle loader (years ago), so please forgive me as I'm quite a novice in that realm. If you want to talk AR's, Glocks, or some NFA toys, I know a bit more about them, but a trained monkey could put together an AR or Glock and make them function, IMO. They're both really simple compared to this old lever action rifle from my point of view. Making this thing a shooter would seem to take a bit more finesse than what I'm used to (simply being able to drive in roll pins with a punch)

- Rob

[KirkD]

You can certainly take a deer with traditional 44-40 loads at ranges of 100 yards or less and often with complete penetration with the 200 grain bullet.

[Tycer]

Pic resized. Sorry about that.Rookie No problem!

Please explain to me what you mean by slugging the bore? I understand that it would be to find the bullet diameter, but how would I go about doing that? I've got a set of dial calipers, but I doubt they would be accurate enough for what I'd need here, would they? Yep, your calipers might be fine. The easiest way is to simply drive a lead ball down a well lubed bore with pieces of wood dowel or a brass rod and measure. Then you pick bullets that are .002" larger. http://62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinSlug.htm

As far as opening up the bore to 44-40, besides being able to shoot a larger bullet through a now-fresh bore, and likely having a little more muzzle energy, would there be other advantages to this route? Not really Any idea of the cost? $200 Would it make ammo easier to find/reload? Yes/Yes http://www.leverguns.com/articles/4440.htm Would you be able to take a deer with it? Oh yes.

The only black powder shooting I've ever done was with a .50 cal muzzle loader (years ago), so please forgive me as I'm quite a novice in that realm. If you want to talk AR's, Glocks, or some NFA toys, I know a bit more about them, but a trained monkey could put together an AR or Glock and make them function, IMO. They're both really simple compared to this old lever action rifle from my point of view. Making this thing a shooter would seem to take a bit more finesse than what I'm used to (simply being able to drive in roll pins with a punch) That gun was designed in the late 1800s. It's pretty basic. Someone hear can help you with disassembly. KIRK? I don't know Marlins. And black powder just requires warm water.

- Rob

[Kansas Ed]

Nice rifle. A little stock work and you're good to go. I shoot 3 different 38-40's and will tell you that the round is truly addictive. Keep your shots to about 100 yds or less and you'll be good. I believe that Winchester touted the 38-40 for the likes of Mt. Goat and sheep out to about 150 yds or better. I reload everything, so will advise you on that a little. There are a couple of tools on the market which will add a cannelure to jacketed bullets. Corbin is one maker, and they open up a whole world of possibilities with the 38-40. Any 10mm/40S&W bullet will work if you have a cannelure on it. My rifles all prefer the 180 grain bullet, and all shoot the Speer Gold Dot quite well. Of course there are plenty of gas checked cast bullets available out there too. Alliant 2400 is probably the best of the powders for the round. I prefer the Starline brand of brass, as it seems to be the heaviest and will crimp better. Reforming 38-40 brass from 44-40 brass has given me problems in the past, so I would avoid trying that. I've shot mule deer at over 125 paces with this round, and it penetrated completely through the shoulder/chest cavity. I've shot whitetail that left a blood trail like an escaped firehose. It's killing ability is far beyond it's paper ballistics.

As a side note, I have a totally beat to stuff 1894 Marlin in 25-20...the bore is wormy, stock repaired, ejector broken, and it will hit little tomato sauce cans at 50 yards every shot. For some reason that beat up little Marlin will shoot circles around my more pristine Winchester in the same caliber. I have to believe that it's just functioning off of it's long past memory

Ed

[rob99rt]

Thanks very much for the links, guys. I have a bit of reading to do, it seems.

Any suggestions for a reloader setup that would work well for this, but not break the bank? Single-stage is just fine with me.