Hopalong Strong Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I have bee struggling with the dreaded marlin jam even in my at home, dummy round, dry fire practice. I just got it back from a gunsmith who welded the groove in the carrier. I radiused the little end that makes the groove. In my mind we should be good. However, I am still having the jam. Every time it happens I find the round that is jammed has the bullet shoved way up into the case. Could it be the crimp I am putting on some bullets is not enough? Or is this the typical result of the Marlin Jam. I.e. is my ammo causing the jam or is the jam shoving the bullet in? If it is the crimp that is an easy fix. Any help would be great. I'd prefer not to rush out and buy a new rifle but this is so frustrating I cannot deal with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironfoot Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Not sure if this link will help. You may have a different problem. There are old posts on the SASS wire dealing with Marlin jams. I had two bookmarked in favorites, but when I clicked on them, the SASS site couldn't find them. If nobody can answer your question, you might want to try a search. Good luck! http://marauder.homestead.com/files/Marlin94Fix.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Can you show us a loaded round? Photo. Length plays a big part in Marlin jams but if you are pushing the bullet back in to the case then it might be the length and shape of the bullets being used. Some round nose flat point bullets are a bit large on the front end and will catch the lower part of the barrel as it is raised and then pushed in to the case. For Marlins I load 38spl at 1.54" overall length with Truncated Cone bullets of 125 grains. Crimped in the top of the lube groove with the bullets I use. 357 mag loaded at 1.58" with 125TC or 158TC bullets. The 125TC would be crimped in the crimp groove. As a reference, I load (10s) of thousands of rounds as a commercial reloaded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 One thing with a Marlin is you need to really throw the lever as far forward as you can. Best of luck with your problem, I shoot a Jimmy Spurs tuned Marlin with ammo a bit shorter than most recommend with RNFP lead and don't have any problems. IIRC my OAL is about 1.451. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Canyon Kid #43974 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 If your bullet is sliding into the brass you have a real bad crimp issue. It is not the gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickamauga Charlie, SASS #47963 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 If your bullet is sliding into the brass you have a real bad crimp issue. It is not the gun. +1 ammo needs a tight crimp CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Kiowa Jones #6765 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I'm not sure what you had welded, but the marlin jam is usually cause by wear allowing the carrier to fall to far. The carreir has the mag cutoff on the front end and if it goes to low this allows the next cart to come in. Some folks have changed carrier and it fixed the problem. But, if the inside bottom of the trigger plate is pouned out a new carrier may not help. What I do is heat and bent the carrier up enough so that it once again stops the carts in the mag tube. On the other hand yours may just be ammo. All leveraction are like semi-autos. They just don't work well with certain ammo. Fix the ammo first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACKFOOT SASS #11947 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 First you need to fix your ammo. Use enough crimp that the bullet will not telescope back into the case. A good tight roll cromp will do the job. Compare your finished crimp to some factory ammo. Blackfoot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Canyon Kid #43974 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 You should not be able to feel the end of the brass where the end of the crimp is made when you run your finger over the finished bullet. If there is a discontinuity, then the crimp is insufficient. Are you crimping into a crimp groove? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 To the OP, what caliber is your Marlin? What is the O.A.L. of your ammo? Are you using factory ammo or reloads? How does the ammo feed in other Marlin's? What type of bullet profile are you using? Is this a new gun or older(pre-safety)? Can you post a picture of the jam? Respectfully, LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowboy Rick, SASS #49739L Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 If you can push the bullet back into the case with your weight on your thumb, you don't have enough crimp. Change your OAL and you invite problems. Widdowmaker Hill has tons of great info on making Marlins run well. CR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubious Don #56333 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 The typical "Marlin Jam" lets two out of the magazine because the carrier goes down too far. (that sharp little edge on the lever eats a groove in the bottom of the carrier) Actually you don't get the whole two rounds on the carrier, its more like one and a third. Anyway, it does tie up the gun because there's a cartridge half in the magazine. If you're having bullets pushed back into the case that probably indicates another problem other than the MJ. Try a better crimp; roll, taper or my new favorite, Lee's factory crimp and I bet those problems go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 I am home form work now and after reading your comments I can see I may have two problems. The first is my ammo. I have adjusted my press to add a bit more crimp and set the OAL to 1.50. I will shoot it and see if I still have the Jam issue or if that was fixed by my gunsmith who welded up the little groove and rounded the edge of the lever slightly. Thanks for the help. I will let you know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I tried replacing my lifter with a new series. No help. Handed the rifle to a master gunsmith who has been in the business since before I was born. I was born two weeks after dirt was invented. No help. Finally did what I should have done in the first place and sent it off to Coyote Cap. Problem fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go West Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We never experienced the Marlin jam and loaded our ammo to 1.50+/- .02. Bullet shapes and weights ranged from 125 RNFP, 130TC, 147 RNFP, & 158 RNFP using Bear Creek, Billy Bullets, Bonus Bullets and S&S. Crimp grooves or not didn't matter as long as it was firm with no decernable lip, afterall, they are lead bullets. I also like the Lee Factory crimp die which eliminates issues with OAL. Sorry, but I'm not going to trim 10,000 or so pcs. of brass, hence the FCD. Fix the ammo, then determine whether the carrier is dropping too low. The guns I've seen do this had worn to the point of dropping too far. These guns are capable of running a stream of ammo through them it looks like a fluid than separate rounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margarita Villain Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Measure your overall length of a loaded round with caliper or micrometer. Try to push the bullet into case with as much force as you can by hand. Remeasure OAL. If there is ANY change shorter, then you need more crimp. Double check the bottom trigger plate screw is fully tight. If its allowed to pull away from the reciever, this also allows the carrier too low and the extra cartridge comes in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker John 8684 Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Back to top need time to read them all been gone. Tinker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Measure your overall length of a loaded round with caliper or micrometer. Try to push the bullet into case with as much force as you can by hand. Remeasure OAL. If there is ANY change shorter, then you need more crimp. Double check the bottom trigger plate screw is fully tight. If its allowed to pull away from the reciever, this also allows the carrier too low and the extra cartridge comes in. My best friend (rest his soul) was a gunsmith in Guernsey County, and he said the most common problem he saw in his shop with a Marlin rifle was just what Margarita Villain said: that one screw, working loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Now two months later I have determined that is was 100% an ammo issue. I changed bullets and put a tighter crimp and all my issues are gone. 100% perfect now. Of course I just switched to a '73 this weekend but the Marlin is running fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Now two months later I have determined that is was 100% an ammo issue. I changed bullets and put a tighter crimp and all my issues are gone. 100% perfect now. Of course I just switched to a '73 this weekend but the Marlin is running fine. Yup. I experienced the jam on an almost brand new Marlin. I had just started reloading and never had the problem with factory ammo. It was totally an ammo problem caused by my own ineptitude. Easy fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strongbox, SASS#19154 Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Congratulations on finding the right RX for your Marlin. For those who cannot find the proper cure-----Try Joe Briscoe, aka"The Brisoc Kid". He can cure it, his prices are fair for the work involved and he is a heck of a "smith" to work on the 97's also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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