Fixed my Marlin

[uncle jimbo]

Got this Marlin 1894 back when I was in college in 1967. The guy wanted me to loan him 20$ for a bottle of whiskey. You never lend a drunk money for booze. You never get it back. Anyway, he offed to sell me this Marlin model 1894 (made in 1896) in 25-20 wcf for the 20$, which I took. So that is how I came to own this rifle. About 5 years after I bought it the firing pin broke so I made one out of a grade 8 bolt, which worked fine up to this day. So when the ejector stop working most of the time, I went looking for parts for it. Found some. Took it down and replace the parts and cleaned everything and put it back together. It works great again.

This is the firering pin I made. Don't laugh to hard.
And here is the rifle.

This is a fun rifle to shoot.

 

[Brad]

That would be a dream rifle to me.
The firing pin you made is fine, it worked.

You are a lucky man to own a fine rifle like that.

 

[Cherokee]

Those are fine old Marlins. Good on you for the firing pin, only has to work, looks are less important. Its nice to bring back an oldie and 25-20 too. I've got a couple of 1889's in 32-20 that are a joy to shoot.

 

[david s]

I prefer the lines of Winchesters Browning designs but the Marlin rifle are so much nicer to work on. Fewer parts and a more sensible lay out. Aside from being first I have always wondered why Winchester seemed to dominate the market back then, the Marlins seem so sensible to me. To paraphrase Forest Gump "Handsome is as handsome does" and your old pin is a thing of beauty.

 

[CZ93X62]

Fun little rifles, and in a fun caliber, too.

In the modern (1988) Marlin 1894CL that I have can run the 75 grain Speer flatpoints or Lyman #257420 to 1800 FPS with decent accuracy. Report isn't 22-250-loud, but is nowhere near as gentle as the plain-based RCBS Cowboy #25-85-CB ahead of enough 2400/4227 to enable 1400-1450 FPS. Use of Rem #6-1/2 primers shrinks group sizes MARKEDLY from results given using SP or SR primers.

 

[fiver]

it fits and works, nobody can see it, I see no problem.
it's not like chrome plating it would have made it work any better.

 

[Ole_270]

About 10 years older than mine, love the rifle and the cartridge. Just put an ejector in mine a couple months ago, and a firing pin a year or so ago. Mine has been sleeved with a faster than normal twist rate, but works great with the Lyman 257420, a group buy 80 grain RF, and the one I normally use anymore a NOE 260283 plain base. I used to run the 257420 and the group buy 80RF to 2000fps, but decided to take it easy on the old rifle and run the 260283 at just under 1300, PC'd so it doesn't pick up lint in my pockets. All were with 4198

 

[Ian]

Nothing wrong with that pin. That rifle was desperately seeking a good home and it sure found one.

The 1889 and 1894 Marlins are my favorite leverguns. Sadly I never have owned one, maybe one day.