Marlin 1894 locked up tight

[larryw]

I have a new-ish Marlin 1894 in 44 Mag (20" barrel). Was shooting today and twice it locked up tight with the lever at the end of its arc, bolt all the way back, cartridge floating loose in the receiver ready to chamber. In both cases, I had to remove the lever and bolt, at which point all cartridges in the magazine went shooting out the back of the receiver.

Gun has been absolutely reliable up to now, with several thousand rounds down the pipe. This happened today about 20 rounds, and again 14 rounds later. First time was with a full mag, second time was on the fourth shot. No change in ammo or load specs. Screws all tight.

Gun gets stripped down to screws and springs for a detail cleaning every 200-300 rounds; its due for it again.

Any thoughts on what went bad today?

thanks,
Larry

 

[David Wile]

Hey Larry,

Any chance the over all length of your cartridges is too long for the 1894? I have an 1894 in 44Mag and an 1895 in 45-70 - both Cowboy models, and I had a similar problem with my 1895 when I loaded some rounds a very little bit too long for the action. I have never had the problem as long as the over all length is kept to the maximum Marlin recommends. Just a thought.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[larryw]

Turns out it was the Dreaded Marlin Jam. I spent some time at the bench last night fixing the lever and will call Marlin today for a new carrier.