Kind of Blued
Member
First of all, has this ever been done? I'd like to learn about barrel length, handloads, and any problems from someone who has done it if possible.
I came across this photo here on THR a couple weeks ago (thumbnail below), and it got me thinking about how incredibly far the lever-action rifle is from being obsolete. I love 'em, and I think it'd be fun to run with the idea of an uber-modern lever action.
Anyway, I have this dream of putting such a gun together, but I'd like some help figuring out the logistics. One would probably start with a Marlin 1894, allowing you to shoot Mags or Spls. As far as I can tell from the website, these come from the factory with 20" barrels. So far so good.
I'm wondering two things:
1) I'm not sure what barrel length will give me the most use. The best of both worlds would be to have 250gr. .44 Spl loads remaining subsonic, and .44 Mag loads over 300gr. subsonic, or at least the technical POSSIBILITY to handload super-heavy subsonic .44 Mag loads. Seeing as how I'm not sure that is possible without SBR'ing the damn thing, one might have to resort to downloading a lot, even if the barrel had been chopped to 16".
I also have to keep in mind that the more barrel I chop off, the more magazine I chop off.
I'm guessing that the best route would be to just buy the gun and see what I can do with the 20" barrel, handloads, and a chronograph, shortening the barrel later if/when I decide it's necessary.
2) I'm guessing that a suppressor would have to be custom-made as a .45 ACP suppressor would simply 'splode from .44 Mag pressures. The easy route would be if there is something already out there specifically designed for something like the .450 Bushmaster, .458 Socom, or even .50 Beowulf, so that's what I'm looking for. I haven't been able to find out if these cartridges are comparable to the .44 Mag's ~36,000 SAAMI.
I get giddy just thinking about how fun this gun would be once it was together and we found some handloads she liked, especially if the same loads behaved well in revolvers.
I came across this photo here on THR a couple weeks ago (thumbnail below), and it got me thinking about how incredibly far the lever-action rifle is from being obsolete. I love 'em, and I think it'd be fun to run with the idea of an uber-modern lever action.
Anyway, I have this dream of putting such a gun together, but I'd like some help figuring out the logistics. One would probably start with a Marlin 1894, allowing you to shoot Mags or Spls. As far as I can tell from the website, these come from the factory with 20" barrels. So far so good.
I'm wondering two things:
1) I'm not sure what barrel length will give me the most use. The best of both worlds would be to have 250gr. .44 Spl loads remaining subsonic, and .44 Mag loads over 300gr. subsonic, or at least the technical POSSIBILITY to handload super-heavy subsonic .44 Mag loads. Seeing as how I'm not sure that is possible without SBR'ing the damn thing, one might have to resort to downloading a lot, even if the barrel had been chopped to 16".
I also have to keep in mind that the more barrel I chop off, the more magazine I chop off.
I'm guessing that the best route would be to just buy the gun and see what I can do with the 20" barrel, handloads, and a chronograph, shortening the barrel later if/when I decide it's necessary.
2) I'm guessing that a suppressor would have to be custom-made as a .45 ACP suppressor would simply 'splode from .44 Mag pressures. The easy route would be if there is something already out there specifically designed for something like the .450 Bushmaster, .458 Socom, or even .50 Beowulf, so that's what I'm looking for. I haven't been able to find out if these cartridges are comparable to the .44 Mag's ~36,000 SAAMI.
I get giddy just thinking about how fun this gun would be once it was together and we found some handloads she liked, especially if the same loads behaved well in revolvers.
Attachments
Last edited: