So, my wife bought me a new Marlin 1894 in 44 Mag, really a pretty gun. I had my eyes on a Henry, mainly because of the QC issues at Marlin, but was happy to receive the gift.
We took it to the range, and it would not feed. Jammed every time I tried to get a round in the chamber.
Brought it back to the store, they said it just doesn’t like Magtech brass, feed it something else instead. He fired 9 rounds of some different brand through it to prove it fires. So, I buy snapcaps for it, and it feeds 3/4 rounds consistently. Doesn’t matter if I cycle it slow and smooth or fast and hard.
I have yet to fire this thing. The dealer, Scheels, may take it back, thats still up in the air. I would really rather not to have to send this in to Marlin and hope it comes back fixed.
Is this just common now with Marlins?
Should I take it back and trade it in for a Henry?
It is not typical. My newish 1894 has fed Hornady, Remington, Winchester factory as well as various handloads with zero issues. There is no reason for it to be factory ammo sensitive.
The loading gate is stiff with those stubby cartridges, but once they are in the tube mag everything functions fine. Slow or fast fire.
I would exchange for another one to try out, or get a refund.
I have had feeding issues with mine as well but they are intermittent. It only does it with .44 mag, .44 special feeds just fine. Mine may be more of an extraction issue…I end up with a spent shell in the receiver and a fresh one on the elevator at the same time.
Did you buy .44 Magnum or .44 Special ammunition and Snap Caps?
Lever action rifles made to shoot two cartridges, i.e. .38 Special/.357 Magnum or .44 Special/.44 Magnum are usually ammunition sensitive. You have to find the cartridge with the right C.O.L. and bullet profile that your lever action likes.
I own a .38 Special/.357 Magnum lever action that will feed some .38 Special cartridges and won’t feed most others. All .357 Magnum ammunition and my light reloads using .357 Magnum brass feed like a champ.
When cycling the action of a lever action rifle, the lever should be operated with authority. Trying to slowly cycle the lever will often result in a feeding problem.
Let us know what you have to do to get this sorted out.
I took it back to Scheels today. It was a pretty rifle, but mechanically was very rough. The trigger was appallingly bad, and flopped side to side/front to back. Cycling the action was also a gritty movement, no smoothness. Rounds would fail to chamber often, and sometimes the rifle would eject two rounds leaving an empty chamber. Long story short, I traded it in for a Henry Big Boy. The Henry is finished beautifully, and is mechanically excellent. Snap caps cycle smoothly, no matter the speed of working the Lever. If it shoots as well as it’s made, I’ll be very happy.
Congrats! Nice to end up with a rifle that you will enjoy for numerous years to come. I have the most basic Henry H001 .22LR and even it is well built and smooth operating.
I enjoy my Marlin 1894 but like you I would not put up with such rough machining and assembly.
My experience with levers is they should feed no matter what speed lever is worked.
Also- have read/heard for a long time now about the “Marlin Jam” as its called. Has been a recognized problem for awhile, especially since Freedom Group took over in/about 2007. Ive had Marlins & used other levers decades ago- and when/if semi’s are ever banned here, Ill not feel a bit undergunned with a smooth lever…im waiting for Henry to produce a side loading 10 round .44 Magnum…Ill be on it like a duck on a June bug.
I won’t be able to make it to the range til later in the week. But, I did cycle a few different brands of 44mag through it today, including the Magtech brass. No issues, hangups, or hiccups whatsoever.
The buckhorn sight, however, is atrocious and needs to be replaced with a nice receiver mounted sight of some sort.
The Henry Big Boy should prove to be more accurate than the Marlin with most loads. If I were in the market for a new lever action, it would be a Henry Big Boy Steel.
Skinner sights makes a good receiver mounted peep sight for the Henry.
I’m sorry to hear about that! Are you using snap caps? I found it started to run a little better when I started cycling the snap caps through it. My hand and especially loading thumb was crazy sore…
A lot of times on a new 1894, the problem is when the lifter is coming up and the bolt is moving forward the round gets caught on the bottom of the extractor when the when is going between the bolt face and extractor. Ycle it slow and you will see it. Radius the bottom of the extractor a little kinda like fitting an extractor on a 1911.
