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ASs long as it is a "JM" (real) Marlin, anyone with good mechanical skills and a degree of common sense, can make a good running cowboy rifle.  Maurader(?) has a good tutorial on his site.  If you want to spend mega bucks, then the following reply suggestions are very good.  I have done my own as well as many others for pards, and all run as fast as the shooters can lever them, but NONE are short stroked or otherwise fiddled with.

 

Now, that said, the new "Remlin" Marlins, are mostly crap, and take LOTS of fiddling to get them to run even half A$$ well.

 

My experience, as well as MY opinions.  Your milage may vary.

Al

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I used Longhunters for three of my Marlins.  They did good work and I could hand a rifle to them at Founders Ranch and get it back in two weeks.  They no longer work on Marlins.

Diamond J worked on my 44 mag Marlin that I use for Wild Bunch.  Would use him again.  All my Marlins are JMs.

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Howdy,

Widder would be my choice. Since you have jm marlins good fer you.

Just be sure on one thing.  Do you want a super light strike that only sets off

The most sensitive primers or do you want a harder hit that will fire most any primer.

And its a good time to pick your sight.  Regular or flip up peep marbles sight?

Best

CR

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As Warden Callaway said, I did mine myself with the help of Widder and as Al Overa said,the Marauder page.

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3 hours ago, Chili Ron said:

Howdy,

Widder would be my choice. Since you have jm marlins good fer you.

Just be sure on one thing.  Do you want a super light strike that only sets off

The most sensitive primers or do you want a harder hit that will fire most any primer.

And its a good time to pick your sight.  Regular or flip up peep marbles sight?

Best

CR

 

3 hours ago, Coyote Kincaid said:

Widder did one for me and fixed another that was sent somewhere else. Widder is the only person besides myself that will touch my Marlins.

I can't talk for Widder but he told me recently in an email he is not currently taking any Marlins but is still taking in a few Henry's for his Soft Stroke mod

 

Randy

 

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:FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm:

 

Long Hunter did the first one for my wife..

Widowmaker Hill did the other two.

All work GREAT!

 

Mustang

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1 minute ago, Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 said:

 

I can't talk for Widder but he told me recently in an email he is not currently taking any Marlins but is still taking in a few Henry's for his Soft Stroke mod

 

Randy

 

 

Randy is correct..... but here is the rest of the story.

The Bunkhouse Boss has me painting the inside of the house.   ALL of the inside, including our doors which were/are previously stained.

Marlin's take a lot of time and therefore, I had to basically stop working on them till I get more time.

The Henry .22 doesn't take as much time.   I can normally get one completed in a couple hours.

 

I have taken a couple Marlin's while at Black Gold a couple weeks back.   But other than those I have presently committed to work on, I probably won't take any new work till after the TN State in October, unless an emergency pops up.

 

As to WHO would be a good smith to make the Marlin a top notch rifle, there are a couple.

Cowboy Carty sets up the short stroke Marlin better than any I have seen.    Boomstick Jay, down in Texas, is also working on Marlins but I don't know if he does the Short Stroke mods.

AND, my good friend Slick McClade down in Louisiana is also back to working on Marlins.

 

There are a good handful of Marlin smiths and some of them have a certain technique that make a good enhancement of the Marlin.   

 

One of the major issues that a Marlin smith faces at this time is parts.   Remington seems to be a little selfish with some parts.   And from my personal experiences after working on 3 Remington 1894's,  I wouldn't be too eager to work on a Remlin again.

 

I agree with Al Overa........ the JM branded Marlin is the best way to go.     And Marauders website is an excellent source to help with slickin up the Marlin. 

 

..........Widder

 

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5 hours ago, Major B. S. Walker said:

Was thinking about dabbling in some B Western. JM stamped all the way

You're welcome to borrow my Rossi '92.  :D

 

Timely question.  Was looking at Marlins on gunbroker a couple weeks ago myself.  

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I just borrowed Cockroaches Marlin last week and have been to the range with it twice. It is really smooth. I keep smashing my finger on the trigger but with time that will go away.

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Major,

 

The trigger flop on the Marlin can be a nightmare on your finger.

But that flopping can be cured and eliminated in a couple ways.

 

Another thing to do that might help prevent 'trigger bite' is to round off the bottom of the trigger.  If you round it off enough, it can also shorten it a little.  This helps also.

 

..........Widder

 

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Nearly every Marlin 1894 I and Sawmill Mary shoot in matches have had the hammer spring and lever latch spring changed out to ligher weight. One piece firring pin. Metal magizine tube follower.  And one piece Phantom trigger installed.  I stone off any rough on bolt and bolt locking lug and inside frame.  I polish some on the carrier.  If it feeds and ejects well,  I don't mess with the carrier, ejector, extractor or bolt face. I trim the magize spring to make easier loading.   Anyone who can take a Marlin apart and put it back together can do these part swaps and polishing.   The gun will cycle much easier.  

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What is different about Remington era 1984s? Why JM, if you can't get parts or even find someone to work on it on your timeline? My Remlin 44 works fine (with 44 Spl) so far, and all I did was knock down some knife edges on parts that might cut me.

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1 hour ago, Warden Callaway said:

Nearly every Marlin 1894 I and Sawmill Mary shoot in matches have had the hammer spring and lever latch spring changed out to ligher weight. One piece firring pin. Metal magizine tube follower.  And one piece Phantom trigger installed.  I stone off any rough on bolt and bolt locking lug and inside frame.  I polish some on the carrier.  If it feeds and ejects well,  I don't mess with the carrier, ejector, extractor or bolt face. I trim the magize spring to make easier loading.   Anyone who can take a Marlin apart and put it back together can do these part swaps and polishing.   The gun will cycle much easier.  

I've done this stuff to a couple of my Marlins and they turned out super smooth. That being said, my Marlins done by Cowboy Carty are in a whole different league. 

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10 minutes ago, C0ckr0ach, SASS #26100 said:

if I could get my original Marlin 1894 short stroked to shoot .38 colt short, the it would be a better choice than a short stroked 1873.

 

Alas, no one seems to know how to accomplish such.

 

There's a feller down in Georgia who has an 1894 that will feed .357 mag, .38 special, and .38 long.....interchangeably.

 

There's a feller in KY who has an 1894 in .45 Colt that will feed .45 ACP.

 

And I know someone who has a .45 Colt that will feed EMPTY Cowboy .45 Special brass,  .45 Colt Empty, C45S 160 & 180 gr., AND .45 Colt 300 gr. gold dots...... interchangeably.

 

There's folks that know how to Get R Dun, but most of them just don't want to mess with the itty-bittie details and time.

 

..........Widder

 

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17 minutes ago, Widowmaker Hill SASS #59054 said:

 

There's a feller down in Georgia who has an 1894 that will feed .357 mag, .38 special, and .38 long.....interchangeably.

 

There's a feller in KY who has an 1894 in .45 Colt that will feed .45 ACP.

 

And I know someone who has a .45 Colt that will feed EMPTY Cowboy .45 Special brass,  .45 Colt Empty, C45S 160 & 180 gr., AND .45 Colt 300 gr. gold dots...... interchangeably.

 

There's folks that know how to Get R Dun, but most of them just don't want to mess with the itty-bittie details and time.

 

..........Widder

 

 

There's a fella in Tennessee that has a video on YouTube showing his Marlin feeding every conceivable .45 cal round but declined my request to make mine do that.  Dang It!  :angry: :P

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On 7/27/2017 at 5:28 PM, Major B. S. Walker said:

Was thinking about dabbling in some B Western. JM stamped all the way

 

OMG!  The master of fashion coordination is going B Western?  I would think that assembling your wardrobe would be enough of a challenge (and expense) to meet before you start worrying about your rifle.

 

BTW; Hope to see you at Peppermill Sunday!  Potter, Sassy, and I are going.  With a few more we can treat them to another southern VA invasion. :lol:

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On 7/27/2017 at 4:03 PM, Major B. S. Walker said:

Who can make a Marlin be, all that it can be. Or, who did yours and why did you use them.

 

Widder did an excellent job on mine and is an all around great guy but as you've read by now he is currently only taking orders from a higher authority.

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Striker, myself, Smackwater and Windhorse Rider are going north this Sunday also.

I figure if I can get a Marlin first, I can be learning how to shoot it effectively while I add on a new closet then fill it with clothes :)

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597bddacbc3f8_Marlin189432WCFJuly2017.jpg.1cc52b168aef5998590bdb7c97a064c2.jpg

 

I'm glad most cowboy action shooters are not aware of the great pre-JM Marlins.   Here is my SRC in 32WCF made in 1900. It's amazing that these guns were built with many of the featured that are often upgrades on JM Marlins.  They have steel magizine tube follower,  one piece trigger, no trigger interlock. The carrier is setup with angle feed like Widder re-invented.  The down side,  repair parts are very hard to find.

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Howdy Warden.

 

About 6+ years back, I cut on my first carrier to create the 'angle feed', which has now become the 'angle/slant feed'.

 

Two years ago, my gunsmith friend, Curly Bill Kelly, called me to come visit his shop cause he wanted to show me something.   He had a late 1800's or early 1900's  1894 Marlin.    I don't remember the caliber but I think it was 44-40.

 

Anyhow, he said..."look at the carrier" and I did.

I said..... "Who did the angle cut.  Looks good".

HE said....."FACTORY.   Thats the first one I have ever seen and that is how they made some of them".

 

That was the first time I had seen or even heard of the 1894 carrier being without that 'hump' in the middle of it.

 

Who knows, I might have been a Marlin gunsmith in my previous life..... :D

 

..........Widder

 

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All the old guns came in 25-20, 32-20, 38-40, or 44-40. Seems like this lineup of slight bottleneck cases were ment to work well in the lever action, tube fed rifles. I've shot my little 32-20 quite a bit and it has plenty of power with low recoil. The only downside is the case is a bit finicky to load and the cases don't hold up well.  

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Mr. Turkey Creek Red

I am receiving your PM's but you are not receiving mine. Contact me directly at Royalhunter@comcast.net

Also check your contact info in your portfolio. that might be incorrect

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