First Marlin 1894

[High Desert Hunter]

In the last year, my lever action family has grown, I inherited my Grandfather's Winchester 94 in 32 Winchester Special, it was a rifle he carried while prospecting in Alaska, and while a horesback in Eastern Oregon. It was purchased new by my Great Grandad in 1926, it see mostly lower end cast bullet loads. My latest addition I found in the Albuquerque Cabelas, a Marlin 1894 in 32-20, it is used, and it was shot an not cleaned, to include a leaded bore. Spent a couple hours try to get all of the lead out, hoping to run some rounds through it tomorrow. It has a medallion in the buttstock which indicates it is a limited edition, I bought it because it goes with a Blackhawk convertible I own that an older local gentleman had butchered for cowboy action shooting, has a 32 H&R cylinder as well as the 32-20 cylinder, I have only really used the 32-20 as the other cylinder has really tight throats. Hoping this rifle shoots well, as I have visions of teaching grandsons how to shoot with it.

Dave

Marlin 1894 32-20.jpg

[AJMD429]

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Oooh.... a nice pair that will be.

[Rockrat]

If you decide to get rid of that 32 mag cylinder, please keep me in mind!!

[Sixgun]

It ain't nuttin too open the throats......same as groove diameter or a thou. over.

Your Marlin CL will be an excellent shooter....should put cast into 2" at 100.....you can mount a scope for load development as it's d&t ed for bases.

[EdinCT]

I bought one during the last ammo shortage and loaded it with Lymans 115 gr flat point over 4 gr of Unique powder. It Shot 1170 fps and inside a 1 1/4 at 65 yards with the tang sight. I used it for plinking and shot it into a bullet trap and recycled the lead. I also shot some coyotes and woodchucks with it and understand why they were behind a lot of doors up until WWII.
I have a scope on it now and its zeroed for 115 gr hollow points over 10 gr of Alliant 2400 with hopes of calling some coyotes in.
Enjoy it, its a great tool!!

[High Desert Hunter]

Thanks everyone! I'm thinking that on the pistol, I may have the 32 H&R cylinder chambered for the 327 Federal, it's a full size Blackhawk, so more than enough meat. I had planned to shoot the new acquisition today, but life had other plans, will give it a go next weekend. I am looking at 115gr bullet molds, with the short throat, I will have to be choosy.

[Sixgun]

Although I'm a 99% cast bullet shooter, those .312 jacketed bullets designed for the 32 mag are tack drivers.

[.45colt]

I have both the 32-20 & the .218 Bee , I picked up the Bee at a gun shop for a song. with a Marlin sling and ammo. it was filthy dirty. they had no clue what they had. after an hour it cleaned up into an 80% gun. Good Luck. They are shooters.

[High Desert Hunter]

I really like the Marlin rifles, my 1895GS has such a great trigger, it shoots way more accurate than I'm capable of. The 25-20 would be the bee's knees!

[AJMD429]

I really like the Marlin rifles, my 1895GS has such a great trigger, it shoots way more accurate than I'm capable of. The 25-20 would be the bee's knees!

Wouldn't the 218 Bee be the 'bees knees'...???

[High Desert Hunter]

I really like the Marlin rifles, my 1895GS has such a great trigger, it shoots way more accurate than I'm capable of. The 25-20 would be the bee's knees!

Wouldn't the 218 Bee be the 'bees knees'...???

Touche!
This rifle was just a bad idea. I've spent the last year working on my log range shooting, a 45 2.1 Sharps, and a modern bolt gun, one I used to ring the white buffalo at the Whittington Center 4.5 hours North of me, the other has gotten me to withing 72 yards of a mile. Now my lever action sickness has flared up, I've been re-watching all of the Sagebrush Longshot videos on Utoob. I am getting ready to email Hornady to see if they have any data for their 100gr XTP and 300-MP powder. I have a decent amount of it and AA-9, I am hoarding my last few pounds of Unique. Anyhow, thanks for all of the kind words.

Dave Beeman

[High Desert Hunter]

Hornady was a big fat zero. I was thinking about trying 2400, but I am down to my last pound.

[CowboyTutt]

Try Alliant??? 300 MP acts a lot like Lil'gun, at least in 454 Casull the loads are virtually identical. If you found some Lil'gun loads that could give you some approximate data I bet to start. 300 MP defies the QuickLoad predictive algorithm due to its chemical composition otherwise I would try to help. -Tutt

[High Desert Hunter]

Thanks! I will fire off an email to Alliant. In other cartridges I have used it successfully as a replacement for H110, but I also have load data for them.

[High Desert Hunter]

Well I took advantage of the later daylight, skipped the after work brew with my buddy, and ran out to the nearest shooting spot. I’m still smiling, I understand why this was such a popular cartridge, so much fun to shoot. I need to put it on a bench with bags before I judge the accuracy, the cast bullets and AA9 were good, the XTPs over Unique were good, and the XTPs over AA9 were decent. The XTPs over 300-MP were good, but too warm, will back that off by at least half a grain. I am going to spend some time trimming brass and doing better case prep. I shot all of the powder coated cast bullets before shooting the jacketed just so I didn’t have to worry about copper fouling. I really think a Skinner sight will help, I just am not used to the Buckhorn style sights.

[High Desert Hunter]

3BCF389C-7B47-4589-B56C-393E83326388.jpeg

Shake and bake .312s.