My father bought a 1893 Marlin in 30-30 in1941 form a old timer who carried to the Yukon in 1898 gold rush ,he used it as his main deer rifle until the mid 1950s when he bought a 336 Texan. My older brother used it deer hunting from the late1950s to the mid 1960s ,then I used from the the mid 60s to the late 70s my younger brother used it an shot his first whitetails . I’ll use it as my bad weather rifle when need arises! It is still very accurate an has probably accounted for 100 deer while in the family!
I wanted to mention I also have a 336, in 38-55 and I've never shot anything but black powder, loads out of it. I sighted it in at 100 yards and could hold inch and a quarter to 1and3/4" groups with a rest. That was the only time I ever shot paper with it. Out to a 150 &200 yards., the hold over grows considerably, but was still able to ring 6" steel and bust soup cans off hand on a regular basses. I haven't had an opportunity to shoot it in a few years. It's a great round and hits surprisingly hard.
I bought one about 1960 in 44-40....I gave it to my Son a few years ago....My Dad bought his Winchester Model 1873 in 38-40, made in 1912, in 1935 for 7 dollars....My Dad was born in 1912....We still have both rifles and his Colt New Service 45 that he bought in 1955....Have a blessed day....
I think this is your best video yet !!! And the Marlin is a revelation to me, after working on a Winchester 1886 this looks like it could be assembled blindfold, a lovey old rifle, the easy way is to make a bullet mould to cast a larger bullet like I had to for my 50-110 ! Many thanks for posting this one! Chris B.
Loved seeing you address the common headspace issue on the old / early Marlins. Wish Numrich had similar replacement bolts for the early 1895 Marlins as well. Thanks again, Jeff in Idaho
Enjoyable presentation. That Marlin action is elegant in its simplicity. I had no idea how you were going to address the problem of excess headspace in a lever gun, but you did a great job explaining the options and demonstrating how you fixed that problem.
Great old Marlin, a lot of the older guns with softer steel have been worn prematurely by using smokeless loads with jacketed bullets. Hopefully the throat will accept cases with a .383-4 bullet. Enjoyed the video Mark.
That's called a barrel set-back and it would definitely work. I talked about that option in some detail in the video. The customer chose to replace the bolt because it was a much simpler and less expensive fix. If I couldn't have got the headspace in spec with the new bolt, I would have done a barrel set-back. Thanks for watching and commenting.
In my experience, soft lead bullets and shooting black powder is the easiest way to get a rifle such as this 38-55 with an oversized bore to shoot better. Some Winchesters in a several different models and calibers have the same issue. BP and soft lead usually improves it. Great video again Mark. Well done.
Thanks for featuring a Marlin. Appreciate the Wins, but Marlins need honorable mention as well. Original JM's and now hopefully Ruger made Marlins will revive these terrific lever action guns into the 21 century. Also thanks to Henry for making a terrific 336 clone, their side load 30-30 is basically an accurate representation of a classic JM 336 with Henry tube load as option. All good.
Another Fine video Mark.Love all this fine old lever guns,When i slugged the barrel on my 1894 in 44-40 found it to be 430. so i had a old Lee mold in 429. i reamed out with valve lapping paste with a cast projectile from the mold a quick few spins and now it casts 431. The 94 now shoots nice groups Cheers
Thank you for doing this video. I applied your method modified to fit my needs and fixed headspace on a 308. First time seeing the tape technique. Thank you once again for saving me time and money.
Great video as always. Love those old Marlins, expecially that caliber in 38-55. My old Ballard in that same caliber slugs about the same. I am using .382 diameter soft cast lead. Tightened those groups right up. keep up the good work! Always looking forward to your next video.
Hey Mark, great job on that ol Marlin…the tape idea is a pretty good trick… please keep those tips and especially the videos coming. Oh and I appreciate the clearly explained information too…!!
That's great, Dave! I really like those old Marlins. Quite a few people with these early 93's in 38-55 have contacted me after I made this episode, telling me they had similar problems and offering details on the steps they took to get them shooting well. You're fortunate to have a great old rifle that shoots well without any special loads. Enjoy that old Marlin!
I good friend of mine who was a Winchester fan also spoke very highly of the Marlin actions for their lever actions. Even he had to admit that the Marlin action was probably stronger than the Winchester and had a superior ejection system. I have several Winchesters but no Marlins and I am getting a little too old to look for them. Great video thanks, Mark.
Sir Loved the 25-20 shoot. I have a couple of 1892’s in 25-20 and love shooting them. They are amazing rifles, they are over a 100 years of age, and with a disassembly and cleaning , still work perfectly fine . Regards and seasons greetings from 🇦🇺
I have a 93’ Marlin made in 1894 that had exactly the same problem; excess head space and a large bore, about .384. Since the barrel was in otherwise excellent condition I sent it to Turnbull Restorations to have it set back. For the large bore problem, I had a custom bullet mold made but the bullets were then too big to stuff into the cases. I solved that problem by fire forming the cases in another gun, then the bullets went in easily. I also had to grind out my case sizing and seating dies. After all that it turned out to be a great shooting gun.
I really enjoyed this video! I love the trim looks of my Winchester '94 carbine but, my 336 Marlins seem to fit me so much better and I can get on target a lot faster.
Same with me. The Marlins just come to my shoulder better. I love my 94s and 92s but the Marlins are my favorite. I have a Marlin 30-30 model 1936 , manufactured in that year that I love. Have a few other Marlins I love as well.
Thanks! The over size bore and under sized chamber neck is common/normal in old Marlins. I dealt with it both in 1893 and Ballard Pacific in 38-55 and 40-63. I actually wrote an article anout it for the Single Shot Exchange about 25 years ago. If the bore is good they will shoot fine with lead bullets without antimony up to .004 undersized and seated in a case full of black powder. Smokeless powder will not boot the bullets up but black powder easily does. You can also use about 8 grains of 4227 or 4759 as a priming charge under the black powder and they will shoot clean as straight smokeless but still give you the boot-up like black powder.
Great video as always Mark. Love the use of the old Army blanket! Would love to have an old Marlin cause it lacks the open side ejection port. Keep em coming!
Thanks Bill! I've been trying to improve the quality of the videos. I just finished filming an episode with a lapel mic to try to improve the audio quality.
@@thecinnabar8442 Yeah trust me...that will make a huge difference. Not sure what you are filming with (camera) but can make a couple suggestions from what I have learned filming "run and gun" style regarding mics. I have been enjoying watching your journey.
In line with a few other comments, black powder seems to certainly help. I have a 76 in 40-60 that I tried to shoot 5744. It keyholed bad and wouldn't even stay on paper at 25yds. Black powder settled it down to a couple inches same bullets at the same bp velocity. Just gotta bump em up with BP I guess. I also had the same issue with a sharps. Washtub accuracy with 5744 at BP velocity. Same bullets 5/8inch groups at 175 yds with 2f goex ( the longest range i have here from my shop). I enjoy your videos very much and your ranch is spectacular. Looking forward to more in the future. Thank you.
I have had over sized bore issues with some new made guns. Problems with new guns with poorly fitted parts, yes sir. Seems to me to keep cost down gun makers will always keep skilled Smith's like you in the work. God bless.
Thanks for this video. I was pleased to learn how you can check how much excessive headspace you have using tape. I currently have a 1995 in 30US model 1903 that would close on a field gauge. Using the tape I found out that it just barely closes and will not close with just 1 piece of tape. Now to look into what to do to take up the slack.
Unless you're planning to shoot the gun quite a bit, I wouldn't be too concerned with headspace that's within .002". Just keep an eye on it. If it gets worse, you can have the barrel set back or I would have the locking block on an 1895 built up to move the bolt forward to get it into spec.
@@thecinnabar8442 Thanks for the response. I do not plan to do a lot of shooting with it and what I do will be reloads that are on the lighter side loaded with cast buttles.
I saved a '93 .32/40 Marlin from a pawn shop in Oceanside, Ca. in 1968. Best $125. I ever spent on a rifle. My #2 Son owns it now. Yes they can be a trial to your temper if you don't know their tricks.🤔
I appreciate the thought Chris. Try to find an old-time gunsmith near you and volunteer to help him when you have some free time. Great way to learn if a smith near you needs a hand.
@@thecinnabar8442 Not Many Smiths In My Area 😐🙁 It’s a Lost Art. I’m a Mechanic on Cars n Trucks For the Past 30 Years I’m Pretty Good With Fixing Things I’ve Always Wanted To Be a Gunsmith 😀😊 Firearms are My Passion 😀
Great video, sometimes the neck in the chamber is not large enough to allow you to use a bullet of the correct diameter for the bore. To check for this after loading the proper sized bullet I use your scotch tape trick and make one wrap around the cartridge neck and carefully chamber the round the remove it and check the tape for damage. It there’s no damage to the tape the I know there’s enough room for the case to expand and release the bullet. Had this problem with my 38/72 win. Mod.95. And can only use a .380 dia. Bullet. Powder coating can also help but bursts will hate that. Thanks for sharing.
I would like to know your location, the landscape is beautiful. I've been listening in the videos to see if you'd mentioned it, but haven't heard yet. My guess was north Colorado, or Wyoming, but it could a lot of places I guess.
I prefer a marlin to a winchester. The way the action lifts the cartrage in the closing of the finger lever makes it superior. In my opinion 😵😨😐😱😫😉😰😍😀😁
Great video! I discovered your channel last night and I really enjoy it. However, I do have one question... how did you choose to make the new bolt match the rifle more closely?
New sub I really enjoyed this video I have a question not regarding the 1893 but can you tell me if Beartooth bullets is still in business and if not what happened
Mark, would a paper patched bullet solve the problem with the oversized bore? Beautiful gun, great explanation of the headspace issue and keep making these great videos.
I'd picked up a old model 93 in trade just barrel and action no wood or sights or anything else just action and barrel I traded it to a older guy who was just in love with it and he got a magazine tube and sights everything the old girl needed to put it back to shooting condition and then he drilled the barrel out and whatever else he needed to do and shot the old two and a half inch 410 shells in the gun couldn't tell you if it was a bp or a smokeless 93 always wondered what the reasoning was behind doing that I would think at that time back in the middle nineties you could have bought a 410 cheaper than ruining the old rifle but what jarred the memory was the caliber was the same 38-55
Since I posted this episode, I've heard from several people about the 1893 Marlins in 38-55 with oversized bores. I suspect some old-timer couldn't get it to shoot well and just gave up and converted it to a shotgun. Too bad, but you could always have the barrel relined and make it a good shooter if you still have it.
@@thecinnabar8442 I don't have it I had traded it off years ago and the fella made a shotgun out of it watching the video just happened to jog my memory and I recalled that incident
If you have some old crusty bullets about 100 years old just shoot them without polishing them to get accuracy,eh? That's one to hang on the wall and buy a reproduction replica if you want a 38-55. There were guys hunting elk with them here in Washington back in the late '70's when I move here from the east coast. I shot one when I was a teen in the '60's up in Canada.The owner hunted moose with it and it killed over 30 with it.I used a 30'06 and it kicked a lot more than that old 38,lol. Surprising penetration for a slow bullet. Seen a 700# bull moose shot in the chest at about 100 yrds and the 255 grain bullet came out the ham.That was over 6 ft of bone,meat and guts.Dropped him dead on the spot,too.I never got that good of results from the '06.
I love your videos on those old Marlins and Winchesters , I have an old 1894 Winchester in 38-55 , the gun is in decent shape for its age , made in 1902 . The primers on some factory Winchester super x ammo I put through it always back out about a 1/32 . Do you think that's because of poor headspace and should I even be concerned shooting those low pressure rounds ?
Yes. In order for the primers to back out, there's likely excess headspace. It's not uncommon for older firearms to have some excess headspace. It would tell you more if you could measure the protrusion of the primers in thousandths. 1/32" is .031" and that would be far too much headspace. You can also use the tape method I showed in this video with a spent cartridge to get a rough idea of your 1894's headspace. It's not as accurate as a headspace gauge, but it will give you a general idea if there's a problem.
I have a Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag. My old eyes were having trouble with the buck horn sights, so I put on a rear peep sight, I ended up running the sight all the way to one side and still couldn't get it to sight in. So, I installed a Skinner barrel peep sight and was able to get it sighted in on target. However, you visually tell the receiver is chanted to the left slightly. Have you ever seen this before? I guess my rifle was built when Marlin was going thru their QA issues.☹
When I put the first peep sight on, it was mounted on the receiver and that is the one that was run all the way to one side. I also mounted a scope and red dot on the receiver and they both did the same thing, but when I mounted a rear peep sight on the barrel, I had no more issues. Sorry for the confusion.
Mark, I have a Winchester 38-55 with feeding problems. I have talked to U before. waiting for U to get Ur license and all the stuff to work on weapons. Would IU work on my 38-55?
Sorry Michael! I'm having trouble keeping track of everybody I've talked to. I'd be happy to take a look at it for you. My contact info is on our website: www.cinnabargunworks.com
I have been looking for 25-20 brass for 4 years. The only option I have found is lathe turned brass at $100 per 20. Yikes. I might be able to form some from 218 bee, it looks long enough, but the 218 isn't any easier to find.
Thanks Mike. That's a good idea! Alas, my task with this rifle was to correct the headspace. As much as I'd have liked to get it shooting accurately, it would have been an expensive and time-consuming process that would have been voluntary. I've passed on several options to the owner to try to help him get it shooting better.
@@thecinnabar8442 When I search the serial number it says it was produced in 1893 but the model number on the barrel reads model 36 A . There is no letter prefix before the four digit serial number , it looks like a set of deer hooves just before the serial number ???
Me too! Unfortunately, some of their reproduction parts are very poor quality. However, you have to take a chance with them if you can't find the part somewhere else.
Marlin sure made a business mistake in droping the 1893 from their lineup. A second mistake was not to reintroduce it as a high end offering in the 1980s.
@@thecinnabar8442 great video as always. interested on what chemicals u used on the barrel crown and new bolt to recreate the patina? thanks Wayne from the C Lazy U Ranch
Good evening, you be interested in working on my Marlin model 1889 made in 1890,it's chambered in 38-40. I believe it needs a new firing pin. Plz get back with me,Thank you sir, Gary
