New REMLIN .44 mag/spl: my thoughts

[Widder, SASS #59054]

An acquaintance ask me to work on his new REMLIN .44 mag/.44 special.

(for those wondering, REMLIN is often used for the Remington made Marlin).

 

I agreed with one exception..... I would smooth it up and check out its functioning, reliability, etc.....

BUT, I wouldn't promise a good, reliable rifle in return.   PLUS, also wouldn't charge normal

work fees because I wouldn't be giving the rifle a Widdermatic mod, etc.....

 

Anyhow, I was pleased with everything inside the rifle.   I didn't see any

bad machine marks or metal shavings in the rifle.

I inspected the mag tube and it was clean.   All in all, it was a fine rifle, considering its stiffness and rough feeling.

 

There were 2 areas that I felt needed some extra attention:

1.   Although I didn't 'mic' the chamber, it was on the tight side of SAAMI specs.   My dummy rounds were a

little sticky at times while functioning them in the rifle.

 

2.  The 'slot' where the rear section of the carrier  is placed inside the receiver was super tight.   Almost to tight for the carrier to 

pivot up and down freely.   I took a small diamond file to smooth up this area and I polished the 

rear area of the carrier and now everything feels good and smooth for the carrier to pivot freely.

 

After putting in a 1-piece firing pin, stainless mag tube follower,  and changing out a couple springs, PLUS smoothing up a couple critical areas that I normally work on,  this particular .44 Remlin should be a nice rifle and function well.

 

And one more thing:   the timing is VERY GOOD for both the .44 Mag and the .44 Spl.  

I will recommend to the owner that he consider sending his carrier to Gunner Gatlin to have

his timing 'perfected', but otherwise, this rifle should serve him well.

 

Just thought I would share a little feedback on this experience.   

 

..........Widder

 

 

 

[John Henry Quick]

I have one of those slicked up by Long Hunter's gunsmiths and while admitting that I know little about Marlins, mine seems nice and slick - not as slick as my Codymatic, but still quite nice.  The only weird thing - and I don't see how Long Hunter could be blamed for this - is that at 25 yards, lead cowboy loads hit about 4" - 6" to the left, mild Magnum loads hit about 2" - 3" to the left and full-bore Magnum loads hit dead center, point of impact equals point of aim. 

 

I bought this gun to go hunting hogs with my son when he comes down to visit and also to be a backup in case my Codymatic goes down.  Therefore, I have the front sight moved so far left that it's almost about to fall out in case I do use t as a backup and it's topped with a Burris FastFire III that's sighted in dead center with full power loads.

 

It's almost as if the barrel is bent to the left and full power loads temporarily straighten it while passing through.  I assume that it's me somehow, but none of my other rifles do that.  

[LostVaquero]

Sir,

 

I have one of the limited edition 45 colt rifles (sucker for the engraving and gold plating).  As you stated a little rough but had the smith do a little smoothing, as well as spring replacement, one piece firing pin, stainless mag spring and follower, ranger point extractor.  It felt like a completely different rifle.  Easy to run and just much better feeling.  Next to my JM marked CBC also tuned it is a favorite.  I even ran 45 schofield through it without too much problem.   I tried 45 cowboy special but that did not work.  I did not expect they would with standard carrier.

There maybe hope for the newest batch of Remington made Marlins

[John Henry Quick]

1 hour ago, LostVaquero said:

There maybe hope for the newest batch of Remington made Marlins

 

 

Here's a quote from Long Hunter's website:  "On a side note - These are the best Marlins we have seen produced in the last 20 years.  The quality has greatly improved in our observance for those wondering or living on internet myths."

 

http://www.longhunt.com/web/index.php?page=Marlin-1894-Custom-Cowboy-Action

 

[Sgt. John Campbell, SASS #58165]

I have not gotten to play with one of the new .44 or .45 Marlin's yet, only gave them a brief check out at one of the local gun shops.  The ones that I have seen have got pretty good fit and finish, and the actions felt just fine to me when cycling them.

 

I do have one of the new 1894CS Carbines that just got re-introduced.  The action on mine was very good, right out of the box.  After cleaning it up, took it out to the range and ran 100 rounds through it.  The Carbine had no feeding issues what-so-ever, and fed LSWC rounds just as smoothly as LTC rounds.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Widder-Do you feel the RPP extractor would be a benefit here?

Also-Are they still drilling the extractor hole, well below center of the FP?

OLG

[Goody, SASS #26190]

2 hours ago, John Henry Quick said:

 

 

"On a side note - These are the best Marlins we have seen produced in the last 20 years.  The quality has greatly improved in our observance for those wondering or living on internet myths."

 

 

 

 WHAT????? No hearsay?

[Warden Callaway]

Widder, does this mean you're slicking up Remlins now?

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Hey LUMPY:   this particular Remlin has the extractor hole drilled center of the FP hole.  And the

Extractor spring already had ample tension to the Extractor without being overly stiff.

 

Howdy WARDEN:   I have no plans to be an 'active' smith for Marlins.   The occasional Henry .22 that

I get fills up my spare time.   I like having lots of time for shooting and Marlin work interferes with that.

But, if I decide to buy a new Marlin,  it looks like I would be getting a good rifle, based on the quality

of this .44 that I just slicked.

 

This .44 turned out very nice and the owner will probably be proud of it.

I did go back in it and thoroughly polish up the tight chamber.  

The dummy rounds no longer stick and cause rough extractions.

 

..........Widder

 

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

1 hour ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

Hey LUMPY:   this particular Remlin has the extractor hole drilled center of the FP hole.  And the

Extractor spring already had ample tension to the Extractor without being overly stiff.

 

Howdy WARDEN:   I have no plans to be an 'active' smith for Marlins.   The occasional Henry .22 that

I get fills up my spare time.   I like having lots of time for shooting and Marlin work interferes with that.

But, if I decide to buy a new Marlin,  it looks like I would be getting a good rifle, based on the quality

of this .44 that I just slicked.

 

This .44 turned out very nice and the owner will probably be proud of it.

I did go back in it and thoroughly polish up the tight chamber.  

The dummy rounds no longer stick and cause rough extractions.

 

..........Widder

 

Just a question

do you have any information on serial #'s where things have improved or more correctly serial #'s to stay away from?

I currently have a cowboy carbine in 45 colt and a cowboy limited (basically unfired) and would like another Marlin in 45 colt or 44 mag to use as a daily shooter.

 

Regards

 

  

 

Gateway Kid

[Sedalia Dave]

Found this on the Marlin Collectors site. It was a repost from the Marlin Owners site.

 

How to decode the latest serial numbers

 

Quote

Check for yet another mark on the side of the barrel near the receiver. This time, look for 2 letters that decode as follows:

First letter = Month: B-Jan L-Feb A-Mar C-Apr K-May P-Jun O-Jul W-Aug D-Sep E-Oct R-Nov X-Dec
Second letter = Year: E-2010 F-2011 G-2012 H-2013 I-2014 J-2015 K-2016 

FYI: The B representing January may look more like an R, and the I representing 2014 may look more like a number 1 due to impartial stamping.

 

I would suggest maybe those made in 2018 or later.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

1 hour ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

Hey LUMPY:   this particular Remlin has the extractor hole drilled center of the FP hole.  And the

Extractor spring already had ample tension to the Extractor without being overly stiff.

 

Howdy WARDEN:   I have no plans to be an 'active' smith for Marlins.   The occasional Henry .22 that

I get fills up my spare time.   I like having lots of time for shooting and Marlin work interferes with that.

But, if I decide to buy a new Marlin,  it looks like I would be getting a good rifle, based on the quality

of this .44 that I just slicked.

 

This .44 turned out very nice and the owner will probably be proud of it.

I did go back in it and thoroughly polish up the tight chamber.  

The dummy rounds no longer stick and cause rough extractions.

 

..........Widder

 

So, they went back to the location used in the early 1980's then.

My '81, 44 mag MG carbine has the centered location.

OLG

[Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129]

Hey Widder ;

How was the wood to metal fit , mine you can see day-light through from side to side at the wrist...and the overly fat forearm is loose ...

And the finish is very thin and looks like it was applied with brush ...

All this can be fixed.....

 

Jabez Cowboy

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Gateway KID:  I have no idea on its manufacture date.    The serial number has a prefix of  'MR'   and a

suffix letter of 'E'. 

 

Sadalia Dave:   Thanks for posting.   There are some small (VERY SMALL) marking on the barrel at the receiver

but with my magnifying glass, I couldn't make out letters/numbers.

 

JABEZ:    Howdy my good friend.   The wood to metal is darn NICE.   The wood stock fits the

receiver area and tang area really nice.   Its flush with the metal with no gaps.

The forearm is tight and doesn't wiggle BUT.... its overly fat.

The finish is VERY THIN, as you mentioned.  

It has a checkered stock and forearm but its more like a pressed in imprint.

All in all, a nicely put together rifle.

 

..........Widder

 

[Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129]

Thanks Widder;

Looks like things are looking up for Marlin Fans ...

My gun was made in Oct 2016 ....

 

I am planning on getting a Shoot Train together to go from shoot to shoot for Aug. Sept. 2019

 

2019 is a great year to shoot in Western Canada ,,,, You would be welcome ...

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

[Hashknife Cowboy]

I think the folks at Remlin got the message.  I bought a Cowboy Limited in 45, the fancy engraved model and found no flaws to speak of.  I do not use it for CAS but have shot it hard.  I also bought a Guide gun 45-70 and it had did have the same quality until we tweeted it with larger loop, muzzle break and action job.

[Rex M Rugers #6621]

15 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Found this on the Marlin Collectors site. It was a repost from the Marlin Owners site.

 

How to decode the latest serial numbers

 

 

I would suggest maybe those made in 2018 or later.

O.K. , Sedalia Dave , I will bite. What is later than 2018???? We haven't got past it yet in Texas. 

Sorry for the interruption , I couldn't help it , was too easy.

Rex 

[Mosquito Jack #19425]

I have a 2012 44 mag.  I found the metal fit very good and the wood good also, I especially like the wash used to high lite the checkering . It was stiff until I replaced the main spring, & lever plunger spring, then pretty nice. The chamber is a little tighter than my 1997 JM cowboy in 44 mag, but defiantly usable. On accuracy, it slugs at .4305  and It is horrible with .429 bullets (18" pattern at 50 yards). My 1997 JM witch also slugs at .4305 is just as bad. They both like the 300gr Lazer cast at .431. and with that are very accurate. 

[LostVaquero]

The limited has nice fit and finish.  I use mine as my wild bunch rifle and bsckup.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

4 hours ago, Mosquito Jack #19425 said:

I have a 2012 44 mag.  I found the metal fit very good and the wood good also, I especially like the wash used to high lite the checkering . It was stiff until I replaced the main spring, & lever plunger spring, then pretty nice. The chamber is a little tighter than my 1997 JM cowboy in 44 mag, but defiantly usable. On accuracy, it slugs at .4305  and It is horrible with .429 bullets (18" pattern at 50 yards). My 1997 JM witch also slugs at .4305 is just as bad. They both like the 300gr Lazer cast at .431. and with that are very accurate. 

What's the load that's given you this issue(you can now post load data)?

I load 6.5gn Unique under a Bearcreek moly .240gn RNFP. That loads crono's just under 1K fps out of my MG bbl carbine.

Both of my .44's(one MG, one Ballard type rifling)shoot lead very well for SASS.

What type of rifling does your rifle have?

OLG

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

On 11/3/2018 at 5:49 PM, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

What's the load that's given you this issue(you can now post load data)?

I load 6.5gn Unique under a Bearcreek moly .240gn RNFP. That loads crono's just under 1K fps out of my MG bbl carbine.

Both of my .44's(one MG, one Ballard type rifling)shoot lead very well for SASS.

What type of rifling does your rifle have?

OLG

I also am Loading 6.5 gr of Unique under a Lee 200gr RN

This load is great for my 66  in 44 special and my Open Tops in  44 specials .

Rooster 

[Tennessee williams]

On 10/21/2018 at 1:08 PM, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

An acquaintance ask me to work on his new REMLIN .44 mag/.44 special.

(for those wondering, REMLIN is often used for the Remington made Marlin).

 

I agreed with one exception..... I would smooth it up and check out its functioning, reliability, etc.....

BUT, I wouldn't promise a good, reliable rifle in return.   PLUS, also wouldn't charge normal

work fees because I wouldn't be giving the rifle a Widdermatic mod, etc.....

 

Anyhow, I was pleased with everything inside the rifle.   I didn't see any

bad machine marks or metal shavings in the rifle.

I inspected the mag tube and it was clean.   All in all, it was a fine rifle, considering its stiffness and rough feeling.

 

There were 2 areas that I felt needed some extra attention:

1.   Although I didn't 'mic' the chamber, it was on the tight side of SAAMI specs.   My dummy rounds were a

little sticky at times while functioning them in the rifle.

 

2.  The 'slot' where the rear section of the carrier  is placed inside the receiver was super tight.   Almost to tight for the carrier to 

pivot up and down freely.   I took a small diamond file to smooth up this area and I polished the 

rear area of the carrier and now everything feels good and smooth for the carrier to pivot freely.

 

After putting in a 1-piece firing pin, stainless mag tube follower,  and changing out a couple springs, PLUS smoothing up a couple critical areas that I normally work on,  this particular .44 Remlin should be a nice rifle and function well.

 

And one more thing:   the timing is VERY GOOD for both the .44 Mag and the .44 Spl.  

I will recommend to the owner that he consider sending his carrier to Gunner Gatlin to have

his timing 'perfected', but otherwise, this rifle should serve him well.

 

Just thought I would share a little feedback on this experience.   

 

..........Widder

 

 

 

     These a Widders' observations on the new Marlin and I know he had Marlin initiate contact with him and he addressed 9 QC issues. Maybe they listened to him and maybe they didn't. What I do know is OUTSIDE of cowboy shooting circles they already have tarnished their name. People that don't shoot as we do may not even know what a good lever action rifle should feel like. They do know when a rifle has a less than fine finish. They do know when a stock is cracked and a site is on sideways. At gunshows, the first thing people ask you about a marlin is if it is JM stamped. If not, they usually walk off and don't give you the time of day. If marlin were putting out a perfect rifle QC-wise it would still take years to overcome the tarnished name.

   If I were just getting into SASS and money was the driving factor, I wouldn't buy a new rifle regardless of the maker. I would buy a good used one already slicked up. Ive bought nice race ready ubertis for 750-1000. I used them and then sold them for what I had in them. That way I knew what I wanted before I invested heavily in one.

 

[Deuce Stevens SASS#55996]

56 minutes ago, Tennessee williams said:

     These a Widders' observations on the new Marlin and I know he had Marlin initiate contact with him and he addressed 9 QC issues. Maybe they listened to him and maybe they didn't. What I do know is OUTSIDE of cowboy shooting circles they already have tarnished their name. People that don't shoot as we do may not even know what a good lever action rifle should feel like. They do know when a rifle has a less than fine finish. They do know when a stock is cracked and a site is on sideways. At gunshows, the first thing people ask you about a marlin is if it is JM stamped. If not, they usually walk off and don't give you the time of day. If marlin were putting out a perfect rifle QC-wise it would still take years to overcome the tarnished name.

   If I were just getting into SASS and money was the driving factor, I wouldn't buy a new rifle regardless of the maker. I would buy a good used one already slicked up. Ive bought nice race ready ubertis for 750-1000. I used them and then sold them for what I had in them. That way I knew what I wanted before I invested heavily in one.

 

Key word is GOOD used one. Lot of ill running rifles get sent down the road. In my experience after 17 years of CAS and buying and selling a few hundred guns in the game people seldom sell good running rifles. Every time I sell one I post a video of me running it to give the buyer some peace of mind. All I'm saying is buyer beware, cause a good deal can very easily turn into a $200-$400 in repair. 

[Tennessee williams]

24 minutes ago, Deuce Stevens SASS#55996 said:

Key word is GOOD used one. Lot of ill running rifles get sent down the road. In my experience after 17 years of CAS and buying and selling a few hundred guns in the game people seldom sell good running rifles. Every time I sell one I post a video of me running it to give the buyer some peace of mind. All I'm saying is buyer beware, cause a good deal can very easily turn into a $200-$400 in repair. 

   I wouldn't send one down the road knowing it had something wrong with it, and the cowboys I associate with wouldn't either. I wouldn't bet my wares on any of the thousands I've bought and sold outside of sass without firing them first though. Of the ones I have bought and sold to and from cowboys, they've been 100%. It may be getting a high round count, but anything can break. It seems cowboys have a higher bar at which they conduct their business. A lot of times, someone is changing calibers or categories, or what have you. I've sold pistols to a fellow shooter, and when they got them, didn't get exactly what they expected. I gave their money back even though it put me backwards 150.00. That's just the way I am and expect people I associate with to do the same.