Questions on Marlin 1894 .357 feeding

[Bubba w/a 45/70]

This has probably been done to death over the years, but I have a question.

My brand new out of the box .357 Marlin 1894 doesn't feed reliably at all. It picks up the cartridge from the mag fine, but when the nose of the cartridge starts into the chamber the shell hangs up on the left side of the chamber mouth. It is enough to etch the side of the case almost every time. If I can place the cartridge in perfect alignment with the chamber and close the action, it works flawlessly. Anything picked up by the carrier and "action worked" doesn't chamber without a minimum of hangup or drag due to the side of the chamber.

The problem occurs with both factory and handloads, so there is no quesiton with case sizing issues.

I cannot find anything wrong with the mouth of the chamber.

Is this something that Marlin would fix if contacted or am I going to have to get ahold of one of the levergunsmiths from this board to fix this problem?

[txpete]

mine did the same thing.the lee 158 gr RF mold is the answer.

[adirondakjack]

It's not a new issue. Marlins are noted for very finicky feeding, which is mostly, but not entirely a timing issue. If the carrier is PERFECTLY timed, it'll feed about anything of the right OAL ya stuff into it.

BUT, they rarely are perfectly timed nor stay that way very long. CAS shooters who run em hard and fast know this. Yet they can be made to feed almost anything, regardless of bullet shape or OAL (even empty cases) slicker than frog snot on a wet glass doorknob.

If ya wanna make it the slickest, most reliable gun ever to wear the Marlin brand, see here:
http://marauder.homestead.com/files/Wid ... Marlin.htm

[Hobie]

It is brand new out of the box so have Marlin fix it. ALWAYS make the manufacturer make good on their warranty.

[Leverdude]

It is brand new out of the box so have Marlin fix it. ALWAYS make the manufacturer make good on their warranty.

+1.

They have good cust service most times.

[JerryB]

CALL MARLIN.

[Bubba w/a 45/70]

Thanks guys, I was thinking about the call to Marlin as a fix for this, but if it was something really simple that I was overlooking, then I'd fix it myself.

[1886]

Very commonly heard issue with the recently manufactured 1894. When the folks that knew how to build them are no longer....... 1886.

[TX Gun Runner]

I prefer bottle neck cartridge in lever guns [ 32-20 , 38-40 , 44-40 and 30-30 ] they feed 100% and are not fincky like straight wall case .

[Leverdude]

Very commonly heard issue with the recently manufactured 1894. When the folks that knew how to build them are no longer....... 1886.

Its not a new issue. Its new I guess in that its only an issue with the resurrected 1894's but they been around since the late 60's if I recall right. Gun Runner has a good point. The action was designed around bottleneck cases that are much easier to get into a chamber as well as easier to feed from the tube the way a Marlin works. Straight walled cartridges are alot less forgiving if tolerances stack up the wrong way.

[jmiller]

Mine did it when I bought it new. Sent it back and they fixed it and I got it back in about three weeks. The thing that tics me off is; don't they check these things after they make them? It did it 100% with every brand of ammo. They couldn't have gotten even one shell to feed if they had tested it. Simple timing issue but I wasn't about to fix their problem on a new gun.