I took out my Marlin 1894C this evening. I have owned the rifle for years; I don't know, could be 10 years ? I have fired the rifle before. Not much. I used it to chrono some loads to see what effect various powders had on velocity with varying barrel lengths, but that is another story. I fired it once with cast bullets and got massive leading. I got frustrated and hadn't touched it since.
When I first got the rifle I intended to put an XS Sight Systems Lever Scout mount on it along with a Leupold Scout Scope. So, at that time I put XS Sight Systems ghost ring sights on it. Years later I sent the rifle away to Tornado Technologies to have the barrel threaded for a suppressor. I got the idea that I could use my 9mm suppressor on the .357 rifle. With 180 grain bullets loaded to subsonic velocities, it should be a quiet, handy, thumper.
Over the last week or so, I started to warm up to the rifle. It seemed like a great little rifle to carry around the desert. Plink, shoot jackrabbits, coyotes, whatever. One of those guns that would be perfect to carry around when you are just bumming around the mountains, desert, off-roading, riding ATVs..................
So, I finally got around to taking it out.
It was very satisfying. I didn't do any serious accuracy testing. I shot some paper at close range to see where these ghost ring sights hit. It seemed accurate enough although the sights shot high and I don't think there is any way to adjust them for elevation, although it has been so long ago that I installed them I don't really remember. Using .357 loads it would probably be close to point of aim at 100 yards (again only with my informal testing shooting at junk in the desert). With light .38 Special loads it was probably close at 50 yards. At 25 yards the .38 loads shot about 4" high. I had some .357 loads loaded with 158 grain jacketed hollow points and Lil Gun powder that are some serious loads that I previously chronoed. That powder really performs with a longer barrel. I don't remember the muzzle velocity but I remember it being the fastest load I tested out of the carbine and think it was around 1600 fps.
I did shoot about 4 rounds through the suppressor just to see how it performed. The loads were 158 grain, cast, round nose bullets loaded with Bullseye. I didn't want to shoot them through the suppressor because I didn't want to foul the suppressor with lead but that was all I had and I wanted to see how it worked. It was amazing. I mean hearing the hammer fall quiet.
I was really excited about the whole thing.
I got home and ordered the scope, rings, and lever scout mount.
I need to start working on some loads for use with the suppressor. I need to load some hot loads possibly for something like deer hunting. In between, I of course need some plinking loads. I need to see where the rifle hits with all these loads.This is going to be fun.
Anybody got any experiences to share with the 1894C ?
When I first got the rifle I intended to put an XS Sight Systems Lever Scout mount on it along with a Leupold Scout Scope. So, at that time I put XS Sight Systems ghost ring sights on it. Years later I sent the rifle away to Tornado Technologies to have the barrel threaded for a suppressor. I got the idea that I could use my 9mm suppressor on the .357 rifle. With 180 grain bullets loaded to subsonic velocities, it should be a quiet, handy, thumper.
Over the last week or so, I started to warm up to the rifle. It seemed like a great little rifle to carry around the desert. Plink, shoot jackrabbits, coyotes, whatever. One of those guns that would be perfect to carry around when you are just bumming around the mountains, desert, off-roading, riding ATVs..................
So, I finally got around to taking it out.
It was very satisfying. I didn't do any serious accuracy testing. I shot some paper at close range to see where these ghost ring sights hit. It seemed accurate enough although the sights shot high and I don't think there is any way to adjust them for elevation, although it has been so long ago that I installed them I don't really remember. Using .357 loads it would probably be close to point of aim at 100 yards (again only with my informal testing shooting at junk in the desert). With light .38 Special loads it was probably close at 50 yards. At 25 yards the .38 loads shot about 4" high. I had some .357 loads loaded with 158 grain jacketed hollow points and Lil Gun powder that are some serious loads that I previously chronoed. That powder really performs with a longer barrel. I don't remember the muzzle velocity but I remember it being the fastest load I tested out of the carbine and think it was around 1600 fps.
I did shoot about 4 rounds through the suppressor just to see how it performed. The loads were 158 grain, cast, round nose bullets loaded with Bullseye. I didn't want to shoot them through the suppressor because I didn't want to foul the suppressor with lead but that was all I had and I wanted to see how it worked. It was amazing. I mean hearing the hammer fall quiet.
I was really excited about the whole thing.
I got home and ordered the scope, rings, and lever scout mount.
I need to start working on some loads for use with the suppressor. I need to load some hot loads possibly for something like deer hunting. In between, I of course need some plinking loads. I need to see where the rifle hits with all these loads.This is going to be fun.
Anybody got any experiences to share with the 1894C ?
