Marlin 1894 44 Magnum...

[CWLONGSHOT]

I have a project. My buddy bought this last year.

Its a nice 1980's Marlin 1894 44 Magnum.

He cant make it shoot. I started to explain and his eyes glazed over. He is annoyingly VERY short on patience. He refuses to try take time of make effort. Things should flat work always or he tosses aside/ sells/destroys.

But he really likes this rifle. He wont listen. So he bought a few kinds of ammo and found a Hornady loading that was acceptable to him. He shot a deer last year with this but had to shoot twice. Blames accuracy. I saw holes both solid lungs. Bullet was 240 HP. IIRC both exited.

ANYHOW... two weeks ago we was at range with a few other guys we know. So his temper was curtailed and when this gun started to show its colors he had a few people shoot it and all had problems with accuracy. Worst was 6/7" best was 3/4" all @ 50 yards. This has a Vortex 30mm 1-4 scope in crap rings.

I had my Browning and so I had some ammo and 10 rnds of my cast 265 Ranch Dogs I loaded for him with fat bullets. 10 ea @ .433 and .434 over 18g 2400.

Well he asked me to shoot and the .433 load shot 3". He shot and then one other guy all 3" with that loading. Guys started to talk and a few suggested he just let me Work up a load for the rifle. (Few years back he wanted no part of that) He agreed and I have rifle.

I pulled off scope and tore into the gun checking basics and acrew torque. I found those crap cheap rings.




Ill be re mounting his scope in my rings. The beefier ones with 6 screws and nut to attach. I had a few others but none as low or as appropriate. I re attached base. It s a steel pic rail not alum weaver. ("Gooder")
I installed a known good 6-24x Simmons to help remove shooters eye and accuracy limitation.



I hit the range.

CW

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Taking to a few folks and reading comments in video. I decided to re crown the barrel. Which I just finished. During my inspection I discovered that the factory dimpled the inside of the barrel when installing the front site!!!




Do you think I discovered the accuracy issues.

Ooh I had also slugged the barrel (last year) and it measured a fat .432!!!! (Larger than .432) Hence my having .433 & .434 sized cast.

Any thoughts welcome. As you can see in video. I did get a good target. I know its a one time occurrence. I know probably of a repeat target may not be high. I sure hope I have a good load. Sub 3" @ 100 was his want. And should be doeable.

The crown was OK not perfect but not a glaring problem.

CW

 

[Jeff H]

Plenty of potential to mess up accuracy in that one.

I KNOW that guy, by the way - won't listen, won't learn. Too much work is my guess.

 

[Bret4207]

That's rough! I don't know if you can polish that dimple out. You might be able to counter bore the muzzle, but sheesh!

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I couldn’t even begin to tally up all the accuracy problems I’ve seen from poor scopes, poor rings and poor ring bases.

It has always bewildered me why someone would purchase a great rifle and then put the absolute worst sighting system on it. I have seen countless good rifles with the most abysmal rings and cheapest scopes attached to them.

I once saw a fine Remington 700 BDL chambered in some long-range cartridge (7mm Rem Mag IIRC) topped with a $19.95 Tasco scope mounted in aluminum “See Through” rings on top of some cheap aluminum bases missing screws. It was as if the owner had spent every penny he had on the rifle and then gave up on the sighting system.

 

[RBHarter]

The 16" 45 Colts Rossi looks just like that only it a dip not a lump .

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

The 16" 45 Colts Rossi looks just like that only it a dip not a lump .

Does it shoot Ok?

 

[RBHarter]

Both it and the 20" with the band sight shoot about the same .

The cost of the Rebarrel tripled so the 1-16 twist 20" barrel and the fix for the divot went away .

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I didn't think of counterbore. That is a viable option.

 

[Tomme boy]

Just drill through it if it is the screw hole. Won't hurt a thing. Then fill hole with epoxy and put the screw back in.

 

[L Ross]

The two most cantankerous, disappointing, and frustrating "rifles" in my long and checkered history of gun ownership were the Ruger Ranch Rifle and one of those damned Marlin .44 mag lever actions.Gone, almost forgotten and unlamented.

 

[Missionary]

Ya'll should have gone with the .41 Mag. But had ya we might not have our's.

 

[Thumbcocker]

I had one and it was frustrating. I have since read that Marlin used the twist rate for the .44-40 in the .44 mag barrels and that they do much better with boolits in the 200 grain weight range. Never tried it though.

 

[Bret4207]

I didn't think of counterbore. That is a viable option.

If they put that much of a divot in it I don't think you have a lot of choices. My dad had a Sako 284 with a custom octagon barrel. Who ever put the front sight on drilled right through the barrel. Wouldn't shoot for beans. He epoxied it, tried a couple other things too. Never got to to shoot. That particular hole was an inch- 1 1/2" down the bore.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I would rather have the holes I think. I mean many gas gun barrels have holes. To my mind the dimples are more of a disruption. Maybe I'm wrong. (Part of why I ask)

Couple Years back, I had a barrel trimmed and a linear comp added to make 16.5". The guy pinned the comp and dimpled the barrel. Now I cannot prove this but accuracy was HORRENDOUS!! I mean 6' 50 yard groups!!!! He blamed me and my ability to shoot!!! After I schooled the boy... We discovered the dimples. He said it was jot tge cause. That bad of accuracy had to me bullets. While I agree it seemed correct I was shooting SAME ammo gun shot well before pruning.
He opened the muzzle opening and re mounted. Marginally improved. But not good. He did something else and was jot available when. I picked up rifle. But gun again shoot touching holes @ 50 yards. And there was no more dimples in barrel.

CW

 

[Bazoo]

I'd say a dimple like that is the major cause of it's accuracy issues. That's some crazy stuff.

You said you have 265 Ranchdog bullets, I assume they are gas checked, as that's what a Ranchdog bullet is, but if plain based, I'd venture that a gas check bullet would do better.

Perhaps firelapping? Though, that'll make the bore larger everywhere and round the sharp edges some. Maybe... rub lapping compound just on that spot with Qtip between firing shots using regular bullets might work it out just enough and then fire lap a few rounds to even the bore out.

Traditional hand lapping would probably be the best approach as far as lapping goes.

Counterboring would probably be the best all around approach, and the easiest and fastest in the end.

 

[BBerguson]

The two most cantankerous, disappointing, and frustrating "rifles" in my long and checkered history of gun ownership were the Ruger Ranch Rifle and one of those damned Marlin .44 mag lever actions.Gone, almost forgotten and unlamented.

I’ve had the same experience with a Marlin 44 mag (it was a nice looking rifle) and the Ruger Mini 14 (It was a good noise maker). That’s the only good thing I can say about these guns.

I never looked that close at the Marlin barrel for a dimple under the front sight. I was sure that if I tried enough bullets and powder I’d find it’s sweet spot. I never did and it was sold within a year after I bought it.

 

[fiver]

i doubt that's your accuracy problem.
throw a couple of XTP's down it and see.

you got 10 other chunks of rifling there, one little boo-boo in one shallow spot throwing groups off to some ridiculous amount?
no,, there's something else going on.

 

[Missionary]

Counter-bore ...
Have a 1943 Springfield M1 that came to me with a bad muzzle due to lousy ramrod cleaning and a rough bore due to those old "sure fire primers".
A 6" pattern at 50 yards was as good as it got. About then I read an old article in some rag about counter boring.
Got out a sharp 3/8 drill bit and put the barrel in the manual all purpose holding device. Decided 1" depth would clear out the "Buff Waller". Five minutes later the job was done and cleaned out.
Nerxt day at the range same cast WWGC 180 RCBS load shot a bit over 2" at 50 yards.
168 Sierras would do under 3" at 100 yards. It works.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I don’t think fire-lapping would be the method I would choose to address that dimple. The other 99% of the barrel doesn’t need to be lapped and by the time the bullet got to that dimple, I think most of the cutting action of the lapping compound would be over.

Because that defect is so close to the muzzle, I do believe it could be the source of accuracy problems. It is one of the last elements affecting the bullet before the bullet exits the barrel.

Because the location of that dimple is easy to define and it’s so close the muzzle, I think it would be possible to remove that defect with a custom-made cutting tool. If that didn’t work, counter boring would still be an option to save the barrel.

I envision clamping the barrel down the flat table (like say on a milling machine). Making a tiny cutter, like a shaper, and mounting that to a slide (maybe a block of steel with a hole reamed in it?). Mounting the cutter on the same table, parallel to the bore and in front of the muzzle. Placing the cutter in the bore with the tip near the dimple. You only need a little bit of horizonal travel (maybe 1/8”) and the height of the cutter could be raised with shims as you remove the dimple.

The tooling is a bit complex but the payoff could be saving the barrel.