sarcasmn Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 (edited) I just pulled the trigger on a Ruger made 1894. I think I will shoot a few matches with it and then send it to Long Hunter to get slick. I may just send it to him right off and save a few headaches. I have reloaded for .308, 6.5 CM. 30-30, 10mm, 45-70, both black powder and smokeless, and 45 Colt so I am not new to reloading just reloading .38's for CAS. Does anyone have experience with the new Marlins? I am guessing they are about the same as the old as far as bullet profiles and OAL. I use Shooters World Clean Shot and Trail boss in .45. I will probably use Clean Shot since I am down to one large container of Trail Boss and want to save that for my 45-70 hunting loads. My questions are mostly about what bullet and maybe brass. Should I just load .357 brass for the rifle? The literature states it holds nine 357's or ten 38's. Is that just a matter of shortening the spring? I would prefer to just have one load. Can I load .38 brass for this rifle? Can I load the same bullets for both rifle and pistol? What shape bullets? What weight? I would really like to load 105 grains for both but will load 125 grain if I can use just one load. (Don't be a hater, I am helping a new lady shooter and reload for her too so I try to keep recoil to a minimum. I have shot .45 Colt for a while and even use Buffalo Bore ammo in my Blackhawk.) Does anyone use the NEW PROFILE 105 grain 38 Caliber FP Coated by Scarlett for rifles? Edited February 23 by sarcasmn Clarify Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 Howdy Sarcasm. I have heard good things about the new Ruger/Marlin 1894 rifles however, I have not put my hands on one yet. Longhunter will make that rifle much more enjoyable to shoot. I wouldn't wait too long. It'll just lead to unnecessary bruised knuckles. .38 special will work just fine in that rifle. I load the 125 gr flat point truncated bullet for both pistol and rifle. I use 3.0 gr of Titegroup and it works well with any Texas Star or knockdown target I come across. Clean Shot powder will also work just fine. .38 specials are a little shorter than .357. That is the reason for the difference in rifle capacity. You will want the rifle to hold 10 rounds, since that is the normal stage round count. Your profile shows you are in Georgia. There's a new bullet seller in town. The Cast Bullet Shop. Pops Corbin and Co have bought Outlaw Bullets equipment and moved it to North Georgia. Reasonable prices on bullets and good folks to deal with. thecastbulletshop.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 First, make sure all screws are tight. Yes, you can load .38's, no guarantee they will feed until you try'em. KISS=one load for pistols and rifle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bison Bud Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 Yeah, you can shoot either .38 Special or .357 Magnums in an 1894. I haven't tried a new Ruger made one, but the overall design should be the same and many of them do prefer the longer cartridge and cycle better with them. You should be able to cut the magazine spring down enough to load 10 Magnums, but go slow and don't overdo it and many folks simply crimp their .38 Specials longer to help them feed. Generally speaking, these long crimped .38's should work okay in most handguns too, but I have never had an issue loading different rifle and handgun loads to get what works best in each. It's your choice there and a little experimentation will probably be needed to get it right, especially if you want one load to do it all. As for bullet profiles, I've had great luck with the truncated cone style bullets and would caution against trying to go much lighter than 125 grain. In any case, the Marlin 1894 is a fine rifle and I think Ruger's version will be a hit with the cowboy shooting crowd. Good luck and good shooting to all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 If you are going to send your rifle to LongHunter, let him give you the reasonable suggestions on OAL and bullet style. He will be functioning and testing the rifle and will have a good idea (based on his vast knowledge) what will work best. Best regards. ..........Widder 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarcasmn Posted February 23 Author Share Posted February 23 Thanks everyone. I wanted to try the truncated cone bullets. Somehow I got it in my head that they didn’t feed well. I tell ya, the people I have met at matches and here on line are some of the best people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 3 hours ago, sarcasmn said: Thanks everyone. I wanted to try the truncated cone bullets. Somehow I got it in my head that they didn’t feed well. I tell ya, the people I have met at matches and here on line are some of the best people. The manner in which you are learning these things is the same manner in which most of us have learned....... from each other. So always feel free to pass it along to others and help out whenever and wherever you can. Best wishes for some good shooting this summer. And being down in Georgia, if you make it to Mystery Dog Ranch in Ringgold this summer, we might cross paths and ring some steel. ..........Widder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 4 hours ago, sarcasmn said: Thanks everyone. I wanted to try the truncated cone bullets. Somehow I got it in my head that they didn’t feed well. I tell ya, the people I have met at matches and here on line are some of the best people. Been using 125gr TC 38s in Ellie's Marlin 1894 and never a glitch. Crimped in the crimp groove. YMMV in the Ruger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 i load one length for my marlin and revolvers in 38 spcl , but i load a 158 RNFP bullet over red dot / clays , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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