OregonJohnny
Member
I have been reading all of the "issues" with the infamous 1:38 twist rate of the Marlin 1894 .44 rifle, and am wondering if anybody has experience with bullets in the 280-310 grain range for this gun. I may decide to go black bear hunting here in Oregon this fall, and would like to use my 1894, plus my Super Blackhawk as a backup. And of course, as a fairly new reloader, I would like to roll my own, rather than buy off the shelf.
Before I order 100 hard cast lead bullets to start working up a good hunting load for the 1894, I was hoping I could get some opinion on my options.
I am open to anything that is a high quality, hard cast, WFN gas check bullet. I would prefer a heavier bullet (300-310 grain), that I can load for both the 1894 and the Super Blackhawk.
Can a newer, unmodified Marlin 1894 with ballard rifling and a 20" barrel with a 1:38 twist rate feed and shoot 300-310 grain hard cast lead bullets with any kind of reliability and accuracy at ranges of 75-100 yards? Some of the internet hype makes you think the Marlin can't stabilize anything over 270-grains.
Does anyone have a good recipe for a hard cast bullet of this weight range with Winchester 296 powder? All the data I've found for 296 with lead bullets was either for weights below 255 grains, or above 320 grains.
Does anyone have experience hunting black bear with the .44 Magnum? What kind of loads are successful? I'm thinking penetration and a wide, flat nose are the keys to a black bear bullet, and that's why I like the looks of the Oregon Trail Trueshot 310-grain WFNGC bullet. Am I wasting my time and money if I order these to load for my 1894?
Before I order 100 hard cast lead bullets to start working up a good hunting load for the 1894, I was hoping I could get some opinion on my options.
I am open to anything that is a high quality, hard cast, WFN gas check bullet. I would prefer a heavier bullet (300-310 grain), that I can load for both the 1894 and the Super Blackhawk.
Can a newer, unmodified Marlin 1894 with ballard rifling and a 20" barrel with a 1:38 twist rate feed and shoot 300-310 grain hard cast lead bullets with any kind of reliability and accuracy at ranges of 75-100 yards? Some of the internet hype makes you think the Marlin can't stabilize anything over 270-grains.
Does anyone have a good recipe for a hard cast bullet of this weight range with Winchester 296 powder? All the data I've found for 296 with lead bullets was either for weights below 255 grains, or above 320 grains.
Does anyone have experience hunting black bear with the .44 Magnum? What kind of loads are successful? I'm thinking penetration and a wide, flat nose are the keys to a black bear bullet, and that's why I like the looks of the Oregon Trail Trueshot 310-grain WFNGC bullet. Am I wasting my time and money if I order these to load for my 1894?
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