Marlin 94 in .32 H&R Magnum question

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I have a very specific question for anyone out here who happens to own one of those very rare Marlin 94's chambered for .32 H&R Magnum.    You know, the one that looks a heck of a lot more like a recreation of the Marlin 92 than the 94.

There is something that I wonder about, that can only be answered by someone who owns one.   Original 92s, when chambered for ".32 Centerfire" could cycle .32 Long Colt, or .32 Short Colt.   Can the modern 94's chambered for .32 H&R Magnum, cycle .32 S&W Long and/or .32 S&W?   Seems like an obvious question to ask, and I am wondering what the answer is for various reasons.

[Old Man Graybeard]

Not sure on .32 S&W...but mine will cycle .32 S&W long with no problem. Never tried .32 S&W...might have to try it

[Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655]

Have one but have only tried 32 HRM. I do not have any of the other cartridges to try.  If the 32 S&W is like the 38 S&W where the bullet is larger than the 38 Special .366 vs .357 the cartridge may not chamber.

 

Widder is the expert perhaps he will chime in or you could ask him directly 

Edited March 3 by Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

7 minutes ago, Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655 said:

Have one but have only tried 32 HRM. I do not have any of the other cartridges to try.  If the 32 S&W is like the 38 S&W where the bullet is larger than the 38 Special .366 vs .357 the cartridge may not chamber.

 

Widder is the expert perhaps he will chime in or you could ask him directly 

 

For the record

.32 S&W < .32 S&W Long < .32 H&R Magnum < .327 Federal.
Akin to
.38 Short Colt < .38 Long Colt < .38 Special <.357 Magnum < .357 Maximum
Akin to (but separate from)
.32 Short Colt < .32 Long Colt
Akin to (but separate from)
.38 S&W < .38-44 Target
 

17 minutes ago, Old Man Graybeard said:

Not sure on .32 S&W...but mine will cycle .32 S&W long with no problem. Never tried .32 S&W...might have to try it

Okay, that's what I was more or less hoping to hear.   Glad to know at least the Long will work.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Most of the Marlin 1894's in .32 H&R that I have handled, will reliably cycle ammo length from 1.310 to 1.400 with no issues.

 

It ain't the case size but rather the OAL of your ammo.

 

I have encountered ONE such 1894 in .32 H&R that would not cycle shorter length ammo because the portal hole was drilled

into the receiver .10 of an inch lower than normal.   This difference drastically offset the whole timing of the rifle and 

thru multiple adjustments, I was able to get it to reliably run ammo OAL of 1.360 up to 1.400

 

P.S. - the 'PORTAL' is the entrance hole in the receiver between the feeding tube and the carrier.

 

..........Widder

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

2 hours ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

Most of the Marlin 1894's in .32 H&R that I have handled, will reliably cycle ammo length from 1.310 to 1.400 with no issues.

Okay, so you are saying that the shorter rounds won't work?   The S&W Long has an OAL of 1.280" according to Wiki, and the S&W is just .920"

[Scarlett]

25 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

Okay, so you are saying that the shorter rounds won't work?   The S&W Long has an OAL of 1.280" according to Wiki, and the S&W is just .920"

Why would you even attempt to shoot the 32 SW in that rifle? You’d never find the brass… I have had 2 that were new that Widder did - (still have one) they’d cycle the HR and SW Long with a 78 gr or 100gr bullet. It’s easier to load (my opinion) the Magnum cases and… they’re almost as easy to find as the 38 special brass. 
 

Hugs!

Scarlett

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

10 hours ago, Scarlett said:

Why would you even attempt to shoot the 32 SW in that rifle?

 

 

Because I have multiple pistols chambered for the .32S&W Long and the .32 S&W, but only one in .32 H&R Magnum.  Plus, I am not set up to reload the H&R round.  So, I run S&Ws in that pistol.  Or .32-20s with its other cylinder.

Edited March 4 by H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

[Widder, SASS #59054]

7 hours ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

Okay, so you are saying that the shorter rounds won't work?   The S&W Long has an OAL of 1.280" according to Wiki, and the S&W is just .920"

 

What I can say is that from my experience.....NO, it probably won't cycle ammo with an OAL less than approx 1.310 inches.

This is due to the 'normal' timing aspects of the factory Marlin, based on their timing ramp on the bottom of the carrier

along with the position of the portal that was drilled into the receiver.

 

A knowledgeable Marlin smith can normally adjust the timing to help with shorter and/or longer ammo, but if that

portal is lower than it should be, that in itself can hinder the amount of OAL 'grace' that can be allowed in the rifle.

That was the example I shared above in my previous post.

 

When we shorten the OAL of our ammo for the Marlins, we have to ensure that our timing is faster than normal.

When we lengthen the OAL of our ammo, we have to ensure that our timing is slower.

And to achieve faster timing, the carrier ramp has to be built up and still work correctly in correlation to the

snail cam on the lever AND the position of the portal.    199 out of 200 receivers will have the portal in the correct

position.    Probably 399 our of 400 will have great snail cams.

 

So its usually the carrier and timing ramp that becomes your best friend or you biggest nemesis.

 

I hope this helps.

 

..........Widder

 

[Timothy]

I bet you could reload hr with your sw dies good luck