I have had rough feeding with my 1894SS since I bought it over a year ago. I have tried slicking up the action tips at maurauder.com and still have problems with the shells hanging up on the way into the chamber. SWC bullet shapes are the worst, and short RN 44 special shells feed the best but still occasionally hang up. I have tried to smooth up the cartridge carrier's upper surface where the shells ride. Is there any way to check and see if the extractor is the wrong shape? I've about run out of ideas here to try. Any suggestions out there? :confused:

Jimbo,

It may not seem obvious, but the most likely culprit when you have a feeding problem lies in the ammunition, not the gun! This is especially true with '94 Marlins, particularly .44 Mag. & .45 Colt. Semi-wadcutter bullets just won't feed in some of these guns, some worse than others. The problem in the MArlin is that the cartridge is lifted up to the top of the receiver and the sharp edge of the SWC catches on the top of the chamber.

Try an ogival flat point, like the LBT designs, in either, and the feed problems will likely go away. Bullets of the style frequently described as round-nose flat point will work well too.

ALK8944:
I have built some reloads using lasercast RNFP (roundnose flat point) bullets and it almost looked like the shells were hanging up on the lip of the cartridge. It kinda looks like the carrier keeps the shell angled up until it hits the top of the reciever. Is that the way all the marlin 1894's feed the shell? :confused:

ALK8944:
I have built some reloads using lasercast RNFP (roundnose flat point) bullets and it almost looked like the shells were hanging up on the lip of the cartridge. It kinda looks like the carrier keeps the shell angled up until it hits the top of the reciever. Is that the way all the marlin 1894's feed the shell? :confused:

Jimbo,

To point 1, If the cartridge is hanging up on the mouth of the case you need more crimp. Also, if it is you will see damage to the mouth of the case.

To point 2, Yup!

Thanks for the reply. I guess I will keep playing with different bullets until I find one that works well in my particular rifle. :(

It should feed fairly well with any otc ammo. If you are having problems with most manufactured ammo then I suggest sending it back to Marlin for repair. I know it's a pain but usually the turn-around is like 2-3 weeks from door to door. I have had to send the last two I bought back and when I got them back they fed anything! I even have one that feeds Full Wadcutters! They also slicked up the innards too. I was very pleased. Both came back within 2 weeks from my door back to my door. Let us know how it turns out!

carwi:

Since most of the hunting seasons in this area are closed for the season, I guess sending it back to Marlin is a valid option. I have no experience with marlin product support, but I guess I can try it and see.

Jimbo

I have the same gun, and experienced the same problems. I found that the bullet nose is the main factor, some shapes just don't want to feed, period. My solution was to chamfer the chamber mouth a bit, and shoot the heck out of it. After a year and a half it feeds a LOT better than it used to, though it's still not 100%. The other problem turned out to be me short-stroking it, if I rack it hard and fast I have fewer problems. HTH.

Papajohn

Papajohn- I have chamfered the chamber mouth a little bit, but I didn't want to create a chance of case-head blowouts. I have tried to operate the lever slow and fast, and it does seem to work more often when I work it fast, but it still hangs up from time to time. Thanks for the info.

Have you tried putting a radius on the snail cam of the lever where it rides on the carrier ? At this point you probably need to buy a new carrier from Marlin. I know if you send it back they will fix it for "free" but the problem is it will cost you more for freight than to just buy the part. Your old carrier can be heated and bent. There are on line directions for this that can be linked to off the Maurader web site. Maybe some one who knows more about computers could post a link for you.

There is a fix that has to do with the carrier. A trunciated shape bullet will work ok. I am not sure of the spelling my dictionary failed this one. Any way Pmc have a jacketed fp that is cone shaped. Some cast bullets work ok. Another thing is the action of reloading. I mean the lever has to be one constant movement, with no hesitation or change in rhythm. Just $2 worth.
Jim

I have an 1894 from 1971. Many years ago the tab on the shell carrier which engages the lever broke and I ordered a replacement from Marlin. The new one was so different in shape and appearance I thought it was for a different type of rifle. A call to service yielded an instruction to try it, and call back if it didn't work.

It worked fine, and my rifle, which had been very chary about feeding, has been much more friendly to the Keith SWCs which compose most of its diet ever since. Perhaps the problems you are having are in part related to not just the opening of the chamber but the over all relationship of the several parts in the action?

I'm having the same problem with my new 1894. I have been trying to find the Marauder web site that has been mentioned in this thread without luck. Can somebody give me the actual web address or a link. Thanks

http://www.marauder13.homestead.com/files/Marlin94Fix.html

Bye
Jack

Thanks Jack

Jimbo,

I have a Marlin 1984 Cowboy 44. Magnum. The only feeding problems I've had caused by the ammo is using SWC 240-grain bullet on .44 Special. Round, flat-nosed 205 grains worked well, but I've decided I don't want to shoot Specials any more.

The point about the crimp is important. If the crimp doesn't come down flush with the crimp line, that could cause the case to catch.

Any other feeding problems I've had have been due to operator error. In the heat of firing I've noticed that sometimes I don't throw the lever all the way open. The other problem I had was operator error when I didn't seat a primer all the way in a cartridge. The edge of the carrier ( think that's the part) snagged on the protruding edge of the primer of the cartridge that was still in the magazine and simply locked there and wouldn't budge. This is potentially dangerous in my book, so I've become very picky about looking over my handloads to be sure the primer is seated in all the way.

Wampus Cat

Wampus Cat:
The feeding problems occur with factory (Winchester, remington, and others) as well as my own reloads. For whatever reason, the 44 sp. loads seem to feed better than the 44 mags. I have been going over the interior of the action with a hand lens (small magnifying glass) and have found some rough spots and burrs on the carrier. Now I need to go out and try it again to see if feeding has improved. The next week or so looks like nice weather so I should be able to get out and try it again. If it still has problems, then its time for a trip back to Marlin. Thanks for the suggestions.