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Marlin 44 mag lever action accuracy woes

jmdvet
I bought my father a NIB Marlin 44 mag lever action saddle gun with the octagonal barrel. We've been shooting off the shelf Winchester, etc. ammo and the gun is just all over the place. I know most rifles have a 'happy' bullet. Any ideas?

JMD
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Comments

9 comments

Date Votes
  • Jake_S-83
    clean it good, take a good look down the bore, examine the gun for problems, and try different loads. if you cant find the problem, i would not hesitate to call marlin and tell them.
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  • Boomerang
    What bullet weight are you shooting? Marlins trend to prefer the 180 grain bullets over the heavier 240 and 300 grain bullets. JB it also. This will smooth the bore out.

    I will say this again. Stick with light weight bullets (180 grain) and then try different brands. The heavy weight (240 grain) will not stabilize in Marlin 44 mag rifle due to the slow rate of twist.

    Boomer

    "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as it is by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed"

    . and the antithesis to this philosophy was uttered by Bill Clinton "I smoked it, but I didn't inhale."[V]

    NRA Life Member
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  • jmdvet
    have been shooting 240 grain SJSP bullets. Even at close up ranges such as shooting at cactus etc, it is just not as accurate as i would expect. I was hoping to have someone reccomend a particular wt, type and mfg of ammo for this gun so we can enjoy it and not be fustrated.
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  • perry shooter
    I have a Marlin 357 mag that has the same problem 4inch groups with scope at 25 yds thought I was only one with problem tried 10 different mag loads and 10 different 38 special loads i think rifleing twist must be wrong ???
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  • hksrule
    I have a Marlin .44 magnum lever action and i couldn't be happier with its accuracy. I have tried multiple types of ammo with great results all around. I would think there may be something up with that one of yours if it was NIB. Get it checked out by a gunsmith or like someone else said, holler at Marlin


    WordBorn!!
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  • Jim Rau
    My 16.5 in bbl 444 shots 1.5 in groups at 100 yd with handloaded 265 grs.[^] I don't know what your problem might be. The best advise was to contact Marlin if you can't figure it out.[?]

    Self defence is an ablsolute and natural right. Keep your powder dry! J. Rau, Alaska
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  • Contender Man
    New rifle ... logical approach is to go back through dealer and to company, and don't delay trying to find the "fix" via ammo. Also, the factory can provide you with data on commercial loads/accuracy.

    I have Marlins in 30/30 and 35 Rem. and they are both inside 2 inches at 100 yards if I do my part.


    2470100-M.jpg
    If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!
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  • 1KYDSTR
    This does indeed seem to be an odd problem with any new Marlin you might have purchased! They seem to have a really good reputaion, and the octagon barrel models are making people giddy they are so happy with the accuracy! Have you been shooting it at all of of a rest? I would recommend that so that you might be able to get some sort of base line data and eliminate the possibility of shooter rlated problems; this will make MArlin much happier about telling you what may or may not be up with your gun. Also, havr you checked the sights, particularly the rear buckhorn, to see that they are not damaged? I have a reciever peep sight on my 1895G and since it is a recoil hog, the rear buckhorn at first had a tendency to wander about a little bit! If none of the little tips you've recieved here seem to work, I wouldsend it back to Marlin in a heartbeat. My 1895G (unscoped, as mentioned)will turn in under "2 groups at 100 yds. all day long! You should be able to expect that from your 1894 as well!

    "When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
    "Power corrupts...Absolute power corrupts absolutely"(Descartes?)
    "History is written by winners"(Patton)
    "You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
    "There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)
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  • easygo6
    As 1KYDSTR reports, the Marlin sights tend to wander. This has been true in my experience with my 30/30, so it does not need be a hard recoiling rifle to suffer from this.

    My front sight fits into a dovetail in the barrel. After sighting it in I gave it a good dose of locktite to keep it there. Periodically (every couple deer seasons) I'll have to give it another dose. I don't think the lock-tite survives in a dovetail quite as long as on treads.

    SEMPER FI
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