Widder, SASS #59054

Howdy PR 1. I've never check out the brass thickness EXCEPT the 'web' is thicker because of the use of Small Primers (pistol or rifle). 2. In my Marlin, YES, the pressures seal very well. I get NO blow-by coming back at me. 3. YES, Small pistol primers would work. I use the Rifle primers because of their noted 'thickness' to help withstand the higher pressures. Even with these high pressure loads, I never experience a flattened primer or any signs of cratering. 4. LilGun is my favorite, without doubt. A few years back, H-110 was my favorite until I tested LilGun. If you check my velocity results above, you can see a distinct difference using the LilGun. Now, using H-110 will still give you great results but PLEASE be sure to follow the manufacturers load information concerning H-110. It IS NOT a powder that needs to be used to 'down-load' your ammo. Feel good that you were able to get the H-110. If your price was right, you might want to go buy another couple bottles. At the amount you will be using to reload, it doesn't last long. One other thought: When you get that prized deer or ugly hog in your crosshairs, and you touch off that screaming .45 slug, your game won't really care if that slug is going 1900+ fps or 1700+ fps. And it won't know the difference between being shot with LilGun or H-110. Like you, my eye sight ain't trustworthy and I have a nice Leupold 2X scope mounted on my Marlin. I really like the XTP 'MAG' bullets, in both 240 grain and 300 grain. The XTP 'MAG' doesn't come in the 250 grain. When you look at the 'Mag' bullets, you can tell the jacket is thicker/stronger and should work very well at high velocities against deer, hog and bear. ..........Widder

BTT ..........Widder

WOLFY: Slater and Cowboy Carty are both excellent Marlin smiths. For short stroke help, Carty would be the 'Go-To' man. Longhunter is also a great smith on Marlins, but I think he has slowed down his Marlin work. To help with smoothness, feeding, and setting up your 1984 to feed the Russian, .44 special and .44 mag fodder, Slater would be my choice. Slater and I are friends, Cowboy shooting pards, and our families attend the same church. He's been an excellent student in learning all kinds of stuff about the Marlin and although rare, I still assist him with information and some technical help with some troublesome Marlins. He is VERY detailed in his work. Soon, I will be helping him on his first 'Widdermajik', which will feed both the Cowboy .45 Special and .45 Colt interchangeably. Some of the same modifications can be used to modify your 1894 to feed the Russian cartridge reliably. If your 1894 already feels good to you, is smooth and reliable...... and ALL you really want is to feed the Russian, you may only need your timing advanced a little. If you have questions on that, feel free to call me: 865 / 696-1996. Best regards ..........Widder

The first Remington Marlin I worked on was really a surprise. It was a .38/357 caliber. Normally in the Marlin 1894, when the mag tube touches up with the front portion of the portal, the portal should have a slight 'funnel' design, This design STOPS the 'Follower' from pushing completely thru the portal. On my first encounter with a newly produced Remington Marlin, someone had drilled that portal hold STRAIGHT thru, with no funnel design to stop the follower. When the shooter got down to the LAST round in the mag tube, the 'Follower' would push the last round onto the carrier AND the 'Follower' would also push thru onto the carrier. And when the gun was empty, the 'Follower' and some of the spring would protrude out onto the carrier. This situation would not allow the carrier to rise and basically was a big headache to fix. BUT.... it was fixed and worked correctly after some serious thinking and a little modification on the portal. ..........Widder

Basically, a carrier is a carrier. Unless its been broken or drastically reshaped or heated up and bent, it should be workable. They can be modified, tweaked, tuned, etc....... and even welded up in places that need a little build-up. If its jamming from the 'feed two'. (also known as the Marlin Jam) problem, the timing is off and a good Marlin smith should know how to remedy this problem. If its jamming during feeding into the chamber, the cradle area of the carrier can be modified, reshaped, etc..... for smooth reliable feeding. If the 'Extractor' is too stiff or misshaped, it can be replaced and properly tuned. Now, after all that, it is possible that the receiver, chamber, carrier and portal can be offset enough to cause misalignment when the bolt moves forward to feed a round from the carrier into the chamber. Its hard to diagnose some issues on the Wire without actually seeing the rifle. Best regards ..........Widder

Howdy Bgavin. I'm glad you saw this thread. As you already know cause we've discussed it before, it took me over 2 years before I would shoulder my shotgun again. After consulting with my heart doctor, he said that unless I had other symptoms of heart issues, It should be o.k. for me to shoot shoulder guns again. I didn't seem to have any issues with shooting the SG or a thumping rifle. BUT, I can sure understand your concerns and there will come a time when you'll know it feels right to shoot some shoulder fired 'thumpers'. Best regards and keep in touch. ..........Widder

Hey TJB. Yea, 10 yrds. My test was for velocities and not accuracy. BUT, I did place a 2" target at 10 yards to see if my Point of Impact was the same as my Point of Aim. Basically, both pistols are capable of 'Minute of Snake Head' accuracy at 10 yards...... ..........Widder

PR I've used 2 different Chrono's over the past few years and the results of the hot loads in the rifle are always real impressive in BOTH of my Marlin .45's. I've mentioned many times that a good hot .45 Colt load in a rifle will give results that mirror .454 Casull fodder from a 7" pistol. At 73, the only physical hinderance I seem to have is eye sight. So far, my hands, thumbs, etc..... still enjoy those big 'thunder boomers'. I will admit that the Marlin does have some noticeable felt recoil on the shoulder. But most big bore lever guns do, especially with smokeless powder. Glad you like the information. ........,,Widder

For me, its comforting to know that I have a good handgun close by should a rampaging, charging Jurassic Groundhog comes after me. ..........Widder

Using load data from Hodgdon website load data, here are my recent results from some 'hot' loaded ammo. Pistols were a 5.5" Ruger SBH Hunter, Mag-Na-Port'd. A 7.5" Ruger SBH Hunter. (non-ported) Marlin 1894 Cowboy cut to 16.5" Velocity was chronographed 8 feet from muzzle 1st column: velocity from 5.5" Ruger 2nd column: velocity from 7.5" Ruger 3rd column: velocity from 16.5" Marlin 1894 4th column: Muzzle Energy for each velocity shown in 'bold'. 240 gr. XTP Mag. 27.0 LilGun 1336 1431 1970 950 / 1091 / 2067 240 gr. XTP Mag. 27.5 H-110 1181 1220 1760 743 / 798 / 1650 250 gr. XTP. 25.0 LilGun 1322 1318 1866 969 / 964 / 1932 (please note: average velocity in the 7.5" was lower than the 5.5") 250 gr. XTP. 26.0 H-110 1212 1245 1660 815 / 860 / 1629 CRIMP MOVEMENT: a test bullet was used to measure movement at 3 shots, 6 shots, 9 shots and 12 shots. At original OAL, my test bullet was 1.643 After 3 shots, the OAL was 1.644 After 6 shots, the OAL was 1.651 After 9 shots, the OAL was 1.651 After 12 shots, the OAL was 1.651 Although the bullet slightly moved from recoil, it never moved out of the crimp groove. I was very happy with my crimp consistency. Other useful info: My brass was .454 Casull brass, cut to .45 Colt length. Primers were Small Rifle Magnum. (Casull brass uses Small primers) There were NO pressure signs showing any flattened primers, BUT..... slightly sticky ejections from the Marlin were experienced when firing the .240 gr. XTP Mag using 27.0 Lilgun powder. I had NO split cases. Because accuracy is subjected to the shooter, I will only say that I am well pleased with the accuracy of all these reloads. At 10 yards, both Ruger's were hitting at the same POA. I love shooting big bore pistols, but I must admit that shooting gloves are recommended. ..........Widder

Wouldn't it be funny if some of these folks that have been missed were somehow put on the 'Ignore' list by some Pards in the past and then forgotten about..... And now, after a few years, some are wondering what really happened to them........when all along, they've been right here with us..... ..........Widder

This thread is over 2 years old. I'm wondering if Rough N Ready Rob was able to get his problem solved. ..........Widder

Walter & Leroy got ambushed by a couple Coyotes a few months back. Walter quickly grabbed the phone and starting dialing for help. Leroy said: "Quack, quack, quack"..... (who you calling?) Walter said: "Quack, quack, quack"..... (I'm dialing 9-1-1 for the Police.) Leroy said: "Quack, quack, quack"..... (Tell em some varmints are stealing the Donuts. They'll get here quicker) When Walter hung up the phone, Leroy ask: "Quack, quack, quack"..... (well, what did the Police say) Walter said: "Quack, quack, quack"..... (sorri, we don't respond to Quack callers) Those 2 crazy ducks never cease to amaze me. ..........Widder

YIKES. Well, now you fellers know why I DON'T bet on sporting games, especially football. I was hoping the Falcons would take home the prize but just let it slip away. Congrats to the Patriots and all their fans. Its a 60 minute game..... and the Falcons showed up to only play 45. ..........Widder

The ONE & ONLY........ CALICO MARY! Happy Birthday to a great Wire Pard. ..........Widder

Thats my prediction. I say: 31 -21 FALCONS ..........Widder

I guess I owe all the skunks an apology...... ..........Widder

Why would a silkworm want to wear a silk jacket? ..........Widder

Pretty much. Unless you're on vacation and then those Mondays and last hours of the weekend last about 10 minutes. ..........Widder

when a skunk gets run over and lies dead in the road, you only smell it after you drive by. You never pick up the scent until you drive past the skunk. BUT, when you drive back by it again from the other direction, you only smell it again after you drive by it. WHY don't we ever smell the skunk on the 'approach', no matter the direction of the approach? ..........Widder

my new toy is a SIG P220 in 10mm. I think its called the 'Match Elite'. Anyhow, I want to dress it up with either a good 'on top of the slide' reflex sight with maybe a Leupold Delta Point or attach a good rail attachment light/green laser gizmo like a Veridian unit. Any experience with these? The pistol will mainly be used for some close range Coyote's (day and night) and possibly some close range (under 40 yards) groundhogs. p.s. - I leaning towards the Veridian rail attachment light/green laser gizmo. ..........Widder

When I worked for Civil Service, I had a terrific boss, who was actually Director, Civil Service. But she also knew that I would make up a bunch of stuff to tell everyone, as though she said it. I think she thought it was kinda funny and added a little flavor to the office. Anyhow, anytime I had to go to her office about anything, I would sometimes walk out of her office going backdown a hallway to my office and I would loudly tell everyone..... "Vicki says there won't be any pay raises until morale improves". ..........Widder

now that is a classic. And I can hear someone asking..... "where did you get the Mtn Oysters"? ..........Widder

Congrats Hardpan. I did it 2 years ago and have never looked back and never regretted it. I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous retirement. ..........Widder