Accurizing my Marlin 1894 45 Colt

[sghart3578]

Like many of my neighbors here I love my Marlins. I have owned many over the years. Some were accurate without any help but a few have needed some attention to perform. And a handful wouldn't shoot no matter what.

My 1894 45 Colt is in the middle group. It suffers from random and erratic flyers. I never suspected my Alox based lube because it performs very well on all of my other rifles whether they were bolt action, levers, single shots. etc. Varying muzzle velocity didn't help. So I suspected the magazine tube causing a problem. And I was right.

This is a model with a nose cap and not a rear band. At the range I removed the front band and magazine tube. I re-installed the front stock and nose cap. Wow. Groups at 75 yards shrunk from 4-5" with flyers to a solid 2-3". And this was with 4 different loads (same bullet).

At home I took a spare front band and relieved it and shortened the screw holding the mag tube cap. I shortened the mag tube by 1/16". When re-assembled there was slight play in the mag tube. It was no help.

At the range the same big groups with flyers were back. I know this rifle is accurate because without anything out there hanging on the barrel and resting the receiver on the bag I got great accuracy, cold barrel, hot barrel it didn't matter.

So I have been racking my brain to come up with a solution and this is my working prototype.

marlin45.jpg

I bought an extra mag tube so I wouldn't damage the original. I shortened it because I have always liked the looks of the Marlin 45-70's from the early 70's.

I then dis-assembled the rifle. I held the new shortened tube up to the barrel and marked it just in front of the tenon that holds the fore end cap. I used a dremel to cut a groove around the circumference of the mag tube at that mark. I then slipped a homemade snap ring cut from from a spring and slid it down until it snapped into place.

I re-assembled the rifle. The snap ring fits into the space between the front of the tenon and the inside of the fore end cap keeping it in place without a band anchoring it to the barrel, hopefully eliminating the source of the problems.

My first trip to the range was semi-successful. The rifle was very accurate but the recoil caused the tube to jump the snap ring groove. I didn't want to cut the groove any deeper and potentially weakening the tube.

At home I want to braze the snap ring in place but I have no way of doing that. So I turned to my old standby JB Weld.

I used JB Weld to hold the snap ring in place and it worked. I have about 60-70 rounds through it with no movement. And you can spin the mag tube in place with no binding even with 6 rounds in it. And I think the shortened tube looks great.

My first prototype is a success. Now my plan is to replicate the prototype but this time find someone who can braze or solder the snap ring in place. I love JB Weld but I would like something more permanent.

I'm so happy with the results I am considering altering an 1894 in 357 mag the same way.

Thanks for reading.

[AJMD429]

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Sounds like you found a good solution - I can't fully visualize it so if you get a chance to post more detailed pictures that would be great.

When Marlin came up with their 'XLR' series, they intentionally left the magazine tubes VERY (as in 'rattly') loose, and it supposedly improved accuracy.

On the other hand, various internet gun enthusiasts have said that using the magazine tube to put a slight (but hopefully consistent) pressure on the barrel can have a dampening and accurizing effect.

So I guess there is more than one way to accurize leverguns with tubular magazines.

I'd love to see someone with an 'ordinary' levergun in 30-30 outshoot a modern bolt-action gun. I've seen some that are really good (1 MOA) but bolt actions got better than that 20 years ago.

[ywaltzucanrknrl]

I like the way it looks with the short magazine tube. Innovative idea and thanks for posting.