Lever action rifle in .32 H&R mag...is there such a thing ?

[Dodge City Slicker]

My guns are all .32 and I would like to find a Cowboy rifle to match.
Thanks

[Delmonico]

Marlin makes or at least made them.

[Dodge City Slicker]

Marlin makes or at least made them.

Thanks...I found it on the Marlin site...took some finding because it doesn't show when you click Cowboy guns

[Silver Creek Slim]

I own a .32 H&R Marlin. Haven't shot it much, though.
Besides this one, I own two 1894 Marlins, a Marlin 336, and a 1895 Marlin. Marlins are good dependable guns.

Slim

[Missouri Marshal]

Marlins are great guns I have 2 of them and shoot them all the time but............. the Marlin .32 H&R is not one of their better guns.  Everyone I know that has one, has allot of trouble with it and usually ends up going with a .38spl/.357

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings, MM!

   I've been thinking Very Hard about getting a Marlin 1894 .32H&R Mag to replace my old Marlin 1891 .32L RF/CF. If You could please give me a detailed breakdown of the issues with the Marlin .32 H&RMag, I'd be obliged.
   My old Marlin 1891 is THE Small Game Rifle, and I have {Had?} high hopes that the new Marlin would be the same, using reduced ".32 Long CF" ~ level handloads.

   Thanks In Advance & Be Well!

          M.T.Marfield:.
              7-3-07

[Delmonico]

Just use a good FN bullet and you don't need to reduce them.  I shoot the Lyman 311316 in a Single Six at around 1250 fps as a field carry and small game hand gun and you can eat right up to the bullet hole. but it thumps them well.  (My load won't work in a fixed sight gun, it will shooot way high)

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings, D!

   That, and the old Ideal/Lyman #3118 work great out of my "ancient" EMF Dakota "SAA" 4 3/4" .32-20... Also in the .32 S&WL, if you don't get heavy handed with the Bullseye!
   What I'd like to find is an Ideal/Lyman #311419 FPGC: a nice, 85gr bullet. I really love my old Marlin 1891, with it's heeled bullet, and shortened .32 Long Colt brass... Only 2.5gr of Unique, and the hammer fall seems louder than the "snick" at the muzzle. A rough bore, but a Tack Driver out to 50yds! The action is jamming a lot these days, and it's a great excuse to get its newest incarnation.
   Cowboy Rifle? Hell, that's a "Woods/Desert Rat Rifle"!

   Be Well!

             M.T.Marfield:.
                7-03-07

[Missouri Marshal]

On the Marlin .32 H&R Mags that I have seen the actions were very stiff out of the box and even after being smoothed up all have had feed problems and jam up allot.  Not saying some don't work ok but all the ones that I have personally observed have had feeding/jaming issues.  Some of these have been worked on by very good gunsmiths but still have problem.  In my opinion, and that ain't worth spit, they just are not reliable.  I would not buy one for myself and I love Marlins.

[Pettifogger]

Marlin doesn't make them any more.  Although, if they follow their normal practice they will run off another batch when they think there is enough demand.  Biggest problem is that the barrel clearly says "Cal .32 H&R Magnum".  A lot of people try and shoot .32 S&W longs and a lot of the guns will only reliably fire what they are chambered for  -- .32 H&R Magnum.  Then they complain about how unreliable they are.  If you are going to use .32 long brass, you have to use a bullet that is long enough to seat out to the same OAL as the .32 Magnum.  The bullet may not be seated to the crimp groove, but if you load them to short you will get jams.

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings, MM & P!

   I wish that they'd cycle .32S&WL as is, but I've read elsewhere that you need to seat the bullet out to the OAL of the .32H&RMag Ctg. That's not an issue, and if that's the "Jamming Problem", then there is no problem! If you've heard anything intrinsically wrong with the design, I'd like to hear about it; otherwise, it sounds like it may just be a fine Small Game / 'Coon Rifle.

   Thanks Gents & Be Well!

        M.T.Marfield:.
            7-03-07

[Missouri Marshal]

Marlin doesn't make them any more.  Although, if they follow their normal practice they will run off another batch when they think there is enough demand.  Biggest problem is that the barrel clearly says "Cal .32 H&R Magnum".  A lot of people try and shoot .32 S&W longs and a lot of the guns will only reliably fire what they are chambered for  -- .32 H&R Magnum.  Then they complain about how unreliable they are.  If you are going to use .32 long brass, you have to use a bullet that is long enough to seat out to the same OAL as the .32 Magnum.  The bullet may not be seated to the crimp groove, but if you load them to short you will get jams.

Everyone I know that was shootin them wuz usin .32 H&R Mag brass loaded to factory specs for COL. with RNFP bullets.  Still had feed/cycle problems.

[Abilene]

Back about 5 or 6 years ago, Cimarron had a '73 modified by Lonnie Ammann of Tejas Long Rifles into a .32 H&R Mag caliber.  Then a couple years ago they gave it to Shoot! magazine to test.  The way I heard it, the rifle was jamming so Mike Harvey told them to use Black Hills ammo, which it had been set up for, and the rifle functioned fine with that.  I don't know if they ever wrote an article on it.  And Cimarron never went into production on it.  But there is at least ONE '73 out there in .32 Mag   

[E.R.Beaumont]

Howdy Pards and Pardettes.

Dodge City Slicker, Pard there was a smith out here in either the Vancover, Wa. or Portland, Or. area who was converting .38/.357 marlin '94s to  .32H&R mag.  I don't know how sucessful he was, or if he is still doing them.  I think that he was the same guy with a Marlin short stroke kit.  I'd like to be able to tell you who he was, but I don't know.  I am sure that someone here can and will tell you eventually.

That is all I think I know.
Regards, Beaumont