Marlin 1894 magazine capacity

Meeteetse · Post by **Meeteetse** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:59 pm

Just a quick question for all you Marlin lever gun experts.

I recently acquired a 24" bbl. Marlin 1894 in 44 mag. I disassembled it for cleaning and found that the magazine has a plug that limits the capacity to 10. Can I take the plug out without affecting anything and do I need a different spring?

If I measured correctly, I will gain at least two more .44 mags or perhaps three .44 specials in capacity.

Any information and advice would be appreciated.

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Sat May 03, 2008 10:27 pm

Yep; read about that and other tips here:

http://marauder.homestead.com/files/TUNING_M_1894.htm

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Sat May 03, 2008 11:00 pm

Meeteetse wrote:Just a quick question for all you Marlin lever gun experts.

I recently acquired a 24" bbl. Marlin 1894 in 44 mag. I disassembled it for cleaning and found that the magazine has a plug that limits the capacity to 10. Can I take the plug out without affecting anything and do I need a different spring?

If I measured correctly, I will gain at least two more .44 mags or perhaps three .44 specials in capacity.

Any information and advice would be appreciated.

My first Marlin 1894 Cowboy was like that. The plug is designed to fit inside the spring. So when you remove it the spring will not be affected. As a fact nothing will be hurt by removing the plug. My .45 would hold 12 as well without the plug.

Joe

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Sun May 04, 2008 9:25 am

AW, Maaann ! ! Here you guys go - Makin' an Assault Lever Rifle !

awp101 · Post by **awp101** » Sun May 04, 2008 9:45 am

Pete44ru wrote:AW, Maaann ! ! Here you guys go - Makin' an Assault Lever Rifle !

Nope. By technical definition, an assault rilfe has a happy switch.

Now iffn's you know something about putting a happy switch on a lever, I'm all ears...

Regardless, I say do it. As the one deputy in Unforgiven said, "They ain't gonna get me for lack of shooting back!":D

adirondakjack · Post by **adirondakjack** » Sun May 04, 2008 11:22 am

I got a couple of them big knitting needles around here somewhere. Without em, the twins hold 17+1 each of my Cowboy .45 Specials

When we function tested at speed, ten rounds went through it in 3 seconds. Who needs a happy switch?
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v54/a ... rounds.flv

Meeteetse · Post by **Meeteetse** » Sun May 04, 2008 3:40 pm

Pete44ru wrote:AW, Maaann ! ! Here you guys go - Makin' an Assault Lever Rifle !

Naa, I just want to "load on Sunday and shoot all week". My gun belt holds 24 and I was just trying to figure out how to load them all. Two six-guns and a dozen in the rifle.

Gives me two reloads out of a box of 50 with two left over incase things get bad.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Sun May 04, 2008 7:23 pm

adirondakjack, that's pretty slick. But how fast can you shoot of a magazine full of live rounds? That .... I would like to see a video of.

Nuther question, doesn't the cowboy game rules limit you to 10 rounds in the magazine?

Joe

adirondakjack · Post by **adirondakjack** » Sun May 04, 2008 8:11 pm

J Miller wrote:adirondakjack, that's pretty slick. But how fast can you shoot of a magazine full of live rounds? That .... I would like to see a video of.

Nuther question, doesn't the cowboy game rules limit you to 10 rounds in the magazine?

Joe

Howdy Joe. Yes CAS is normally limited to 10 rounds, as that is the number most rifles will handle.

Personally I'm not the fastest, but I can do 10 in about 4 seconds. A very similar Marlin rifle done up by the same smith for short .38 rounds holds the record for ten rounds of 1.96 seconds (and he's done it unofficially in 1.82).
http://www.spencerhoglund.com/worldrecords.html (scroll down to the rifle section, first place, Deuce Stevens)

Meeteetse · Post by **Meeteetse** » Sun May 04, 2008 10:15 pm

J Miller wrote:adirondakjack, that's pretty slick. But how fast can you shoot of a magazine full of live rounds? That .... I would like to see a video of.

Nuther question, doesn't the cowboy game rules limit you to 10 rounds in the magazine?

Joe

Don't care about Cowboy shooting any longer. I would rather have the extra ammo in the gun when hunting or just bumming in the woods. Besides, the limitation is imposed by bureaucrats to make us safer. Safer is having more ammo, not less. . . . . .

adirondakjack · Post by **adirondakjack** » Sun May 04, 2008 11:33 pm

Meeteetse wrote:
J Miller wrote:adirondakjack, that's pretty slick. But how fast can you shoot of a magazine full of live rounds? That .... I would like to see a video of.

Nuther question, doesn't the cowboy game rules limit you to 10 rounds in the magazine?

Joe

Don't care about Cowboy shooting any longer. I would rather have the extra ammo in the gun when hunting or just bumming in the woods. Besides, the limitation is imposed by bureaucrats to make us safer. Safer is having more ammo, not less. . . . . .

I'd probably never load more than 3 or 4 when hunting (never have needed em), but when the levergun gets parked behind the little cabin door, it's right full of Gold Dots stoked to the lower end of .460 Rowland pressures (ACP+P+). No sense not loading it all the way.....

Gryphon Black · Post by **Gryphon Black** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:40 am

You can play yer cowboy games with ten in the tube, and when yer in the backyard, stuff 'em full!
I have a short .45 colt round that'll go 15 in the tube in my 24" CBLtd. and still cycle just fine, with no changes to the gun. 15 is a rounder number than the 13 standards it'll take!
If I wanted to adjust the carrier a little, I could get more, but I like being able to load a full house thumper whenever I want, and like I said, 15 makes a nice round figure.

Love the picture! Didn't know how many of those specials would go. I guess I do now!

Gryphon

Marlin 1894 magazine capacity

Marlin 1894 magazine capacity

Re: Marlin 1894 magazine capacity