Another Toy.....

[Bill Gunn]

I've been playing with a new toy.
It's a Marlin .44 mag 1894 Cowboy II.

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2250/777751/13525437/375650616.jpg

I wanted to shoot 270 grain Speer Gold Dots, but so far I haven't found a load for then it likes.

It does seem to like the 240 grain Hornady XTP's. There going about 1700 out of this gun, and 5 go into 1 9/16 at 100 yards using a old 2.5 Weaver Scope.

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2250/777751/13525437/375649461.jpg

Without the flier it's a 1" gun. It's most likely me, 2.5 power @ 100 yd ain't much for these old eyes !!

That's still less than Minute of deer :D

This fits right into that thread about needing a second shot.... It holds 11 :rolleyes:

[Gil Martin]

I have a Marlin 1894 and it likes my hard cast bullets and a moderate charge of IMR4227. All the best...
Gil

[Altjaeger]

Write back in a month or so and tell us about the buck you killed with it.:D

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Bill, When will you ever grow up? Did you really "need" another gun? I just don't know what you "need" with all those guns.

Damn, I'm envious!

Alan

[Bill Gunn]

Write back in a month or so and tell us about the buck you killed with it.:D

I really, really hope so.... :)


Bill, When will you ever grow up? Did you really "need" another gun?

At this age I finally gave up at "Growing Up", now I just fart where I want to (and hope to hell it's ONLY a fart), and if people bitch, it's OK...... I'll forget about it soon enough :)

It is now gotten to the point "I Looked Under My Bed, And Behind My Dresser, And Couldn't Find One Like That" works for an excuse... :rolleyes: :o

Don't be envious.... So far your still in the will :)

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Don't be envious.... So far your still in the will :)

Whew! That's a relief.


Alan

[Bill Gunn]

I have a Marlin 1894 and it likes my hard cast bullets and a moderate charge of IMR4227. All the best...
Gil

Gil,

I tried a 275gr. GCSWC with a heavy dose of Lil' Gun. It was OK at 50, but opened up (a lot) at 100 yards.
I'm going to try the 270 Speer, and the Cast bullet with a lower charge and see how it works.
I also tried 240gr. Sierra's with 2400, and it shot about the same as the cast and the 270.
One thing that surprised me is that they all had almost the same point of impact at 50 and 100. I'm using AA#7 with the 240 Hornady to get the good groups.

What size do you size your cast to?
I sized the Gas Checked Semi Wad Cutter at .432 because the Marlins are suppose to have a bore around .4315 from what I read.
I had to crimp the cast bullet on the forward part of the forward band. If I crimped the bullet in the crimp groove it made the loaded cartridge to long to work through the action.
Another thing I found is that it doesn't like being shot from a full front and rear rest at the bench. Shoots WAY better if you just hold the gun and rest your hand on something to steady it.
I have a couple of guns that shoot better that way.

I have a mold for a 320 grain .44, but I doubt it will work in a 1/38 twist. It may be worth a try later on.

They sure are a fun gun to shoot, ain't they? It don't knock the spit out of your mouth like a full load .444 with 270's @ 2200 fps.
I really like the gun, and look forward to shooting it a lot, and maybe droppin' a few deer before I have to give it to Alan....

Bill

[howdydoit]

Ive heard alot of ppl comlaine about pistot cartridges in a rifle and how they dont kill deer at a hunerd yards. you might be undergunned a bit. you know deer are wearing armor and stuff now so you need a magnum.:D

But I think it just guys that cant shoot so have fun with it.

[Bill Gunn]

I have a Winchester 16" barreled .357mag. that shoots good too..

Here's the gun...

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2250/777751/13525437/64211583.jpg

And a 100 yard target using 170 gr Gold Dots at around 1800 fps.
I shot a round to foul the barrel, and then 3 for a group, but I don't know which hole is the first :)

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2250/777751/13525437/367392074.jpg

I'd be very surprised if a deer got up and told me it don't hurt like a 30/30 ;)

[Bushman]

A few years back I started a thread about what cartridges preformed out of proportion to their paper ballistics. The clear winners were the .44 Magnum and the .257 Roberts. I remember talking to a kid at the range with a Ruger .44 Mag. and he said that his deer just fall over dead. No muss, no fuss and darn little recoil. That said, my buddy showed up one year with a Ruger .44 Mag. carbine and I still remember the look on his face when he needed to cover a field edge about 300 yards long. The same guy showed up with a .300 WSM BAR Short Trac the next year.

[dave-t.]

I have one of those original Ruger .44 semi auto carbines, and they are a hoot. My wife loves to shoot it. One day at a friends house when we were just popping rounds, she shot so good with it standing offhand at 125yrds, that the rest of the guys wouldn't shoot after her, and it ended the shooting for the day. :confused::rolleyes:

It works pretty good on deer too.

I've been happy with the Winchester white box factory loads, 240grn soft points. Hollowpoints would probably be even better.

Mine doesn't shoot like Bill's though. Does super at 50yds, but at 100yds I'm happy with 3" groups from it.

[rimrock]

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000690227

try this LEE 300 grain hard cast bullet (alloy 1/2 Linotype and 1/2 wheel weights +5% tin, added, over 20 grains of H110
seat out as long as it will function smoothly and it should produce excellent accuracy, my 44 marlin carbine shoots 1"-1.2" 3 shot groups at 100 yards off the bench with that load

[Bill Gunn]

Write back in a month or so and tell us about the buck you killed with it.:D

Well I'll be darned if i didn't :D :p

Took a small (+/- 125#) 3 point 1.5 year old buck on opening day.
It was the only deer I seen all day :o
I'm going to tell you, being 62, and after a heart attack and triple bypass in '98, and a liver transplant in '06, I was damn glad it wasn't a bigger deer by the time the day was over. I had to haul out my treestand, and all my "stuff" first, then go back for the deer for a 3/4 mile drag mostly up hill through the blow-downs in the woods.
I'm still getting hand and leg cramps 24 hours latter. I couldn't use my ATV on the state land we hunted, and I didn't want to bother my cousin, as he didn't get a deer yet.
OOHHHH to be 30 again, and thank God for Tylenol :p

I used the 270 gr Speer Gold Dot at about 1455 fps for a 40 yard shot in some very thick pines.
Those 270's make some very impressive holes on the way in and out.

Now that I got a deer with it, I want to do some "BUBBA" work on it. I want to refinish the stock with Boiled Linseed Oil, and 0000 steel wool. I also have a fire lapping kit from Beartooth Bullets that I may try next summer.
I also may do some accuracy work on the for-end (Free floating).

I really like the gun a lot :D



RIMROCK...

I have a 250, 310 and a 370 mold, for the .444. I tried the 250, and 310, but I wasn't happy with any of them. The 310's and 370's tumble before getting to the target with the slow twist this gun has (1/38 I believe). I have looked at that 300 grain Lee mold, and may give it a try. What hardness do you think that mixture you make up is? I have a lot of lead, wheel weights, and solder with tin in it, but no Linotype.

[Altjaeger]

:DGood stuff!!!

[dave-t.]

Congrats!

[rimrock]

RIMROCK...

I have a 250, 310 and a 370 mold, for the .444. I tried the 250, and 310, but I wasn't happy with any of them. The 310's and 370's tumble before getting to the target with the slow twist this gun has (1/38 I believe). I have looked at that 300 grain Lee mold, and may give it a try. What hardness do you think that mixture you make up is? I have a lot of lead, wheel weights, and solder with tin in it, but no Linotype.


the alloy Im using is VERY hard, ingots ring not thud if dropped,on concrete, but it still expands slightly on impact, I don,t know the brenel number but you sure will have a hard time scratching it with a thumb nail, the lee bullet is short enough to stabilize in my carbine if pushed with 20- 21 grains of H110
and If I had it to do over ID select a 480 ruger caliber lever action or at least a 45 colt with the tighter twist, but the 44 I currently use has performed amazingly well.

[Hi Ball]

Bushman my wife shot the biggest deer in Miller county 30 years ago with a Ruger semi-auto .44mag! Now that was the best little brush gun a person could shoulder during the deer season. It was fast to point and made a big hole to boot. I wish we would have never got rid of that little carbine. Also most deer that were hit seemed to go down very quick like, no running off like when hit with the .270 or 30-06 calbier.:D

[Hi Ball]

Bill T........If you really like that .44 calbier, go down and pickup one of those Marlin model 1895 Triple 4's!!! Now it will make a believer out of anything you tag with that rifle. Trust me it is a real hunting weapon for close and moderate ranges. I shoot that new Hornday Leverevolution ammo in 265 grn bullets out to 200 yards on deer and it will put em down in a hurry. Those critters that might want to naw on your leg get the attention of those Beartooth Piledriver (hardcast) bullets in 325 grains.:D