1894 Marlin Levergun Project!

[Shasta]

I would modify the hanger, it's a lot cheaper than a barrel!

Seems like the hanger could be chucked via the stud or a dummy screw in the stud into a small lathe and remove enough material from the bottom side of the dovetail (while maintaining the stud diameter), to get the magazine up against the barrel. The stud itself will probably have to be shortened a bit too.

SHASTA

[Griff]

I would modify the hanger, it's a lot cheaper than a barrel!
Seems like the hanger could be chucked via the stud or a dummy screw in the stud into a small lathe and remove enough material from the bottom side of the dovetail (while maintaining the stud diameter), to get the magazine up against the barrel. The stud itself will probably have to be shortened a bit too. Once the final fitting is done, everything to be blued is going out, and the parts getting color cased (after stress relieving, will be out also! By then the wood'll be fitted and I'll have time to stain or just do the handrubbed oil finish.
SHASTA

My thinkin' also. I'm looking at my "rounded" file and thinkin' I only have to have that bit next to the stud, kinda like a "trough" for the mag to sit in. A 1/16" shorter shouldn't be too much trouble to file down. New mag tube is a 60 day special order item at Midway... oh well... given my current funding... this project is MONTH's away from completion.

But... having the stock and forend fitted, even is not perfect quite yet, is a big load off! Now to get some transfer markings to knock off the high spots so the buttplate's flat against the wood; rasp and sand away the balance of the unwanted wood! I think'll even as just a straight grained chunk of wood, this'll be nice when hand rubbed with oil! I just splashed some water on it, it ain't smooth nor particularly very well straight now:

It was already starting to lighten as it dried while I was getting the camera! (Not to worry about the one grain ending right at the toe, the buttplate is about 1/8" shorter, so that'll be rasped off and the grain will end up along that bottom edge).

[Griff]

Got the dovetail and mount for the magazine fixed, a front sight dovetail cut, and was ready to start the modification to run Adirondak Jack's Cowboy45Special thru this project gun.

In accordance with instructions at Marauder's Rifle Tuning I started the process of cutting my carrier.







Something's not right still, as I'm still getting part of a 2nd round onto the carrier. More thinkin' is obviously called for!

[pokey]

how about, like so,

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_in ... ts_id=5586

or even this? [i know , not the right model , but maybe.......]

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_in ... ts_id=5621

not many marlin specific sights out there.

[Griff]

Thanks Pokey. That's just what I'm lookin' for!

The shooter who developed the necessary modification to the Marlin carrier to run the C45S and 45Colt sent me his for comparison. Now THAT's a real pard! (He said he's not using the rifle right now, been playing with a .38 version that will run every from .357 mag cartridges to 38 Short Colts)! Gamer!

While I have the bottom of mine built up, it's not shaped correctly for the timing to be good for both cartridges. It will feed and cycle the C45S pretty good... I probably need a few tweeks to get my feeding smoothed out. Every once in awhile, it seems to hang a cartridge up as it comes out of the magazine. Timing might be just a tad fast!


You might not be able to see it in that pic, but I need to do a LOT of polishing to have mine as smooth and slick as his. And you can't see it, but where the stock carrier, (and mine with the added height), is flat, his is sorta rounded with a slight rolling indention in the middle of the ramp. This allows the carrier to slow as it comes down, leaving a longer time for the much longer 45Colt to get completely out of the magazine before the carrier comes back up as the lever comes agains the lower tang, again blocking off the magazine. Complicated, but not overly so. It took this dumb cowboy a LOT of looking with the gun apart and only the carrier and lever in the gun to finally SEE the actions being made by both pieces.

Hopefully I'll get a video of the action when I get it working.

Mine by itself, showing the amount I built up on the bottom ramp of the carrier:

[Griff]

Okay, the project progresses! I got it run C45S (Cowboy45Special) round well. It still won't feed 45 Colt. But, it's getting close. 13 rounds of C45S video'd being cycled:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZNo8GTozLY

[Griff]

Well... It's been a LONG process, but... no don't get yer hopes up, it ain't done, YET!

But, it has been assembled, and is ready to RUN! It's pretty tight for a speed gun, and I might have the lever short-stroked yet... for I like a nice tight action.

Overall view.

Stock:

Action

Rear sight:

Fore-end:

Front sight:


You'll have to forgive the rough appearance of the fore-end... I tried a new piece of equipment... an upright sander to speed up the sanding... went a little deep. A new fore-end is on the way, along with a new cap. The other side of the fore-end is perfect... but, what's a little faux pa amongst us do-it-yourselfers... I figure it takes a few mistakes to learn properly!

I'm going to test fire it tomorrow, (at a match) to really wring it out... yes, I'm taking a backup. Then I'll be working on modifying the Bisley hammer I got to fit over the stock hammer, in the same fashion as the stock hammer extension... Then after fitting the new fore-end, the metal is off to Turnbull or maybe Classic Arms, I ain't really decided. Meanwhile I'll get the hand-rubbed oil finish done, along with my friends stock and fore-end I'm also doing.

(If any pictures throughout this thread don't show up, I'm in the process of moving them into their own album).

[3leggedturtle]

That's nice, I've always had a thing for short octagon barreled rifles.

[Griff]

That's nice, I've always had a thing for short octagon barreled rifles.

Thank you. At 17" it was really handy. I shot three stages with it today. Total of 30 rounds. I didn't have a miss all day. I did shoot one target array out of order for a penalty, so I can't claim a "clean match". The round I used the most today was a 185 grain semi-wadcutter, (2nd from left). Fed them like popcorn thru a goose! While I knew the action wasn't very slick, it's a matter of degrees... I had no hang-ups or fail-to-feeds. The little Cowboy45Special is all it's advertised to be. A slick alternative to the long 45Colt, and yet fully the equal to the 45ACP. I'm going to have to get in some hog hunting with this little baby when it comes back from getting all dressed up for the ball! I'm going to try to round up a buddy that has a similar rifle he converted to 45ACP and do a comparison. His rifle sports a longer barrel, as all he did was set back the 20" factory .45 Colt octagon to headspace the ACP round correctly. So he "ought" to get a few more fps than me, but I wonder...

I had one stage where I just shot a variety of bullets thru it. While I don't have five of these loaded up to show, the 6 from the right were all run thru the rifle in C45S cases... at least a couple of each. The only round I didn't use was the one on the far left, a little 125 grain hollow-base that Adirondack Jack sent me a few of when I ordered my cases. I'll be ordering some more cases shortly.


From left to right: 125gr. AJ Special, 185gr SWC poly coated, 160gr RFN, 160gr TC, 185gr WFN, 200gr RFN, and the 225gr TC. I cast the 160 & 225TCs along with the 185WFN.

All in all, a fun day, even if I spent it goofin' off and not trying real hard!

[Griff]

A few swipes with sandpaper and some polishing, and it's off to the refinisher. It sorta feels like I'm putting lipstick on a pig... but, what the heck? Might as well do it right after this much work! I'll probably use Turnbulls. The last guy I emailed hasn't responded, so if they're over loaded with work, no problem. I know Tunrbull's can handle it!

Ugly, unwanted, saddle ring hole:


Viola! No hole:

Not to worry about the tiny divot next to the hammer screw hole, it was a bit of corrosion from when I got it, I think the rest will smooth out with some 600grit and 1000grit sanding. Then polish. I figure with the CCH it'll mostly all disappear.

Getting anxious to have this together, I'm already making plans for a day of testing velocity and accuracy with the Cowboy45Special, and comparing them to my friend's similar rifle in 45ACP and follow that with a hog hunt! His rifles (3; one Marlin 1894 and two Uberti 1873s), sport 20" barrels, (well minus the difference between a 45Colt and 45ACP chambers, so he might have the edge on velocity. This one is only 17". We both figure that anything in TX and within 75 yards should be DRT!

Next post will include pics of the finished project and details on where I had all outside work done; just in case someone wants to do their own.

[3leggedturtle]

Griff: I'm getting 1050fps average from a 45ACP out of an 18" barrel. Using 9.4grs of HS7 and a Lee 255gr RNFP. Reasonably quiet too. Shot twice at a varmint with no ear plugs, my ears didn't ring at all. Tho wouldnt make a habit of it. Have also made loads with Unique and Clays but haven't chronoed them yet. What loads is he shooting out of his?

[Griff]

Griff: I'm getting 1050fps average from a 45ACP out of an 18" barrel. Using 9.4grs of HS7 and a Lee 255gr RNFP. Reasonably quiet too. Shot twice at a varmint with no ear plugs, my ears didn't ring at all. Tho wouldnt make a habit of it. Have also made loads with Unique and Clays but haven't chronoed them yet. What loads is he shooting out of his?

He's running 230 grain round nose @ around 800 fps to make the power factor for Wild Bunch with room to spare. (150 minimum).

My Wild Bunch ammo is running right at 775fps out of the 5" Gov't model, and the same load, (3.95 grains of Clays) is 920fps out of the 17" barrel of this project gun.

I ran this project gun in its rough form this past weekend in the TX State Wild Bunch Championship. Nary a bobble nor a hiccup that I didn't induce by short-stroking (once)! I'm very pleased! Put the gun together Thursday night, loaded another 300 rounds of ammo for the boy. Stayed up all night to get that all accomplished, along with loadin' the p/u!

Friday was a Range Officer course, then a couple of mock stages to test our new-found "Range Officerin'" skills... Found the rifle shot about 2" left, moved the front sight to the center of the top flat (no, it wasn't there initially... don't ask why, how would I know, I just pushed it in and whacked it with a drift a coupla times)! And viola! Shot to point of aim out to about 150 yards!!!! Well, ok, it rang steel out there, I couldn't tell which lead smear was mine!

So, now, it's to finish fitting the stock, finial polish on the receiver, and off to the metal refinisher!

See, you can take a few week project and turn it into a couple of years!!!

Maybe I'll do an actual target test, first...