Blackpowder in Marlins ?

[Marshal Deadwood]

Do any of you shoot the Marlin 1894cb with blackpowder loads ?

How does the rifle  run ?

I'm interested in another rifle and am considering the Marlin,,but not if it has probs running bp rounds.

Thanks a heap,

MD

[Major 2]

I had a 94 Cowboy in 45LC...nice pointer and it handled quite well....but it did not run all that well on BP.
I used a Factory loaded brand by Cor-bon ...don't Know if Cor-bon still makes them or not
250 Grain & 3fff...came 96 in a sorta period looking labeled box.

I still have some , I think the The Fish gun was to enclosed...I don't get much blow by
in the Henry's and they run fine. But the Marlin would snug up after 10 or so shots.

[panhead pete]

Howdy Marshal,

I have used B/P in my 38/357 Marlin 94-C.  Mostly, the Marlin worked well.  The cartridges sometimes stuck in the chamber until I doused the action and chamber with Ballistol.  As long as you lube it well before the first shot, it will work.  A bottleneck case like 44-40 will do better as it expands and seals the chamber, keeping the fouling out of the action.  If you are going to use it for "mostly" smokeless. it is a good choice IMHO.   I use mine mostly for smokeless and use a Uberti 73 Winnie for B/P.  The 73 is 45LC ( I tried to keep calibers to a minimum), which suffers some blowback but still spits 'em out pretty good.  Again, a little Ballistol keeps everything loose and moving freely. 

Kind Regards,

Panhead Pete

[Buffalow Red]

if its a straight walled case for get it myu 44mag been in the shop 4 times never fixed now they say its a BP problem
after 15-25 rounds its to nasty in action to operate

[W.H. Violett]

Buffalo,

What kinda bullet and lube are you using?  I shoot the 66 with a 44 special 205g with SPG lube.  That bullet is alot llike the 44 Henry that was shot.  I shoot a whole match and only have to punch the bore maybe once after the 5th stage.

[Pettifogger]

Use them all the time and never clean them during a match.  Easier to clean than a Winchester 66 or 73 and way easier than a 92.  Remove one screw and the lever and bolt come out for easy cleaning.  Most of the time I just clean the bore.  Only remove the lever and bolt once or twice a year.

[Jefro]

Never had a problem shooting 5, 6, 8 stages with Big Lubes. Flush out with Murphy's mix and finish with Ballistol. Break down twice a year. Good Luck.

Jefro

[Buffalow Red]

I USE THE BIG LUBE BOOLITS THERES NO PROBLEM WITH THE BORE
AFTER 15-25 bp shots the carryer no longer lifts the boolet high enough to go in to the chamber
if i pull the bolt & lever & spray it out  well it will go again for 15- 25 rounds . theres blow back crud all in the recever.
i only use balistal for gun oil

[Adirondack Jack]

Like any rifle, some will do well, some not so good.  it's all about tolerances and so forth.   One of mine is happy on charcoal, the other not so much.   there's a feller UK Palladin?  Who dun real good with annealed and neck sized .45 colts getting em to seal.  Heavy bullets with good stout loads HELPS as less crud is left behind....

[litl rooster]

got one in 357/38 runs all day of the Holi-est of gunpowder

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

For what it's worth, my Model 1894 Marlin was made in 1895. The bore is old and pitted from years of neglect by a previous owner, and BP fouling is a little bit tougher to clean out of all those pits than it is from a shiny, new bore. Still, the old girl still is accurate, despite the pitted bore, and I take her out and shoot her with BP a couple of times a year. She runs great on BP, no problems. Of course, this rifle was built long before rifes were being chambered for cartridges like 45 Colt or 38 Special/357 Magnum. Those last two had not even been invented yet when my Marlin was made. It's chambered for 44 WCF and runs great with BP and Big Lube bullets.

[Marshal J.D.Lightning]

My 12 year old Daughter used a 94 cowboy 357 at our Australian Blackpowder championships a few weeks ago without a single problem. She shot all day then all I had to do at the end of that day was to give it a spray, give the bore a quick clean & ready to go the next day.

158grn bullet, lube & FFFg & away she goes. It's all about the lube !!!!!!!

J.D.