Good day all you Henry rifle owners.

A couple of questions if I may.
a) What is the heaviest cast bullet the .44 Mag. will digest and shoot accurately?
b) Ditto for the jacketed stuff.

Thanks

Contemplating the purchase of a .358 lever-gun so some loading data is requested here. Specifically the new high energy powders like RL-17, Alliant Power Pro 2000 MR etc. which I couldn't find on their websites. Lots of data for the usual powders by either IMR, Hodgdon and Alliant etc. So if anyone...

Good Day Looking for a little bit more HP than the .308 has out of my (pre-64 if that is relevant here) M-88. The choices were to rebarrel to .338 Federal or .284 Win. or perhaps rechamber to 30/284. Leaning toward the rechambering. The question, as if you didn't already know, is have any of you le...

Good Day Doing some research into re-loading the .450 Marlin in the BLR before I lay down the cash. Have re-loaded for about 40 years but with bottleneck calibers from .270 to .375 H&H. First time with straight wall stuff. Looking for anything that is unique to the BLR as most data seems related...

I think the carbine came without checkering but the normal rifle always had checkering ... cut or later pressed. The carbine will be obvious as it will have a barrel band at the front of the fore end that the rifle won't have. Also, there were a lot of the .308's made as a quick glance at GunBroker...

Need some assistance here. I have an opportunity to purchase a pre-64 M-88 .308. The stock has been twice repaired by the current owner on the right side just below the ejector port and behind the pistol grip also right side. I have shot the rifle and it does reeeeeal good! With factory Fed. 165 and...

New to reloading the 45-70. Have loaded for 45 years everything from .270 to .375H&H; pistol stuff as well. This is a beast of a different color. I have seen lots of data and have loaded several dozen rounds, but I have yet to see the classic signs of pressure that are readily apparent with bott...

JFE wrote:For the likely cost of the conversion plus extra for dies etc, you could probably pick up a BLR in 325 WSM that will have a bit more performance. That way you don't alter a collectable rifle either.

That has crossed my mind.

Welcome longshot how far up in BC are you, I hunt elk and moose in NW MT with a 300 savage and it works just fine. For many years all I used was a 30-30, save your time and money and develop a accurate 308 load for your 88 and go whack a moose, elk or caribou. For dark timber a 180 or 200 gr and fo...

Though having a soft spot for the short fat guy (.284 case) and the M-88 (mine is .308) I find that the cartridge, even reloaded, is somewhat lacking for the moose we typically have here in BC which start at 600 lbs. Throw in Elk at about the same weight (and up) and the .308 seems to come up short....

In any case good discussion here; to bad it got sidetracked into .416 and .505 stuff. I don't really think it got side tracked ! Myself and another fellow had a couple posts about the 416 etc I saw no harm no foul ! +1 :wink: Sorry longshotz about that, I was the other guy that got a tad OT with th...

Still curious about the 450 Marlin keeping up with the 45-70, I experimented a little last night. First, I found the heaviest/shortest bullet so I could maximize case capacity. Then I used the next lower weight that was the shortest I had for that size. Lastly, I picked the lightest/shortest bullet...

Wasn't saying that a .375 was inferior to a .450 or 45/70 +P load. Only that a .375 300 gr. bullet at 2400 or 2500 FPS isn't that far off a 350 gr. 45 cal bullet at 2200-2300 in a +P loading. No one will dispute the superiority of the .375 H&H as a proven cartridge; I shot one for several years ...

I do not shoot a 450 Marlin so I am merely offering a reference and comparison. In my 45-70 1886 (22" bbl) I load 405's to 2050 fps, 430's to 1950 fps, and 450's to 1785 fps. (In a 45-90 I can do better than these by 100-150 fps) With these loads the verified pressure is within limits of the r...

I would recommend that you follow the loading manuals. The .450 Marlin isn't intended to be a .458 Lott. :wink: Pacos article got me thinking that perhaps the BLR is underutilized with current .450 Marlin loadings that are safe in an 1895 action. Surely the BLR is stronger. IE can take +P loads saf...

The BLR is pretty strong. Two factors come to mind - PSI, and cartridge size (especially diameter). If a given action handles similar PSI rounds, and similar-diameter rounds, common sense says it should do just fine. I think with traditional leverguns the cartridge diameter sometimes pushes things ...

Mike D. wrote:2100 FPS in an 1886? Why, I've taken even my originals to 2475 FPS. 2100 is a piece of cake with a light bullet like the 350 Barnes RN.

How 'bout a 400 gr. at 2100+?

Paco gives levels of "power" to certain lever guns in 45/70; up to and including 2100FPS on newly manufactured 1886 Brownings and Winchesters. No need to review the reasons for the .450 Marlin round, suffice to say that it is a "modernized 45/70" loaded to level 3 power. That the...

Well, the BLR chambers cartridges for higher pressures than the 1886 does so I don't see why it would be thought to be a weaker action. Thank you for your reply and this highlights my point precisely. Since the BLR is a stronger action than the 1886 or the 1895 why then could you not reload the .45...

It has been sometime since I posted this thread and have decided to pick up where I left off. Firstly, much thanks for all the very knowledgeable input, though there seems to have been a misunderstanding of my intent here. It was never my goal to make the .450 Marlin into a .458 Win. as was alluded ...

Can the current offering by Winchester of the 1886 lever-gun take a scope mounting? Yes you can mount a 'scope on an '86. You'll have to go with a side mount, or something ahead of the receiver. like a "scout" set up. How 'bout cast bullets? Any input. experience or advice with that? I sh...

Can the current offering by Winchester of the 1886 lever-gun take a scope mounting?
How 'bout cast bullets? Any input. experience or advice with that?
Is this an angle eject gun? Website doesn't say.
Thanks all.

Gentlemen I now stand more informed and educated than before on this topic. It is as I suspected on the pressure issue; and no, I do not intend to operate the .450 at 50K+ in any action unless safe (IE: the 45/70 Ruger loadings) I still would like some input on the use of cast bullets in the BLR ac...

Thanks for all the replies, but it seems that I have not given adequate clarification here. Allow me to present a parallel of my post topic. As you all know the 45/70 has several sets of data depending on the action of the rifle used; or more to the point, the strength of the action. As is commonly...

Looking at buying a BLR in .450 Marlin and need some load data for cast bullets. Since the BLR is a much stronger action than the Marlin or Winchester I presume that it can be loaded somewhat hotter than the books say. Feedback, opinions, and some examples of confirmed data much appreciated Longshotz