.44 specials in a Win 94AE

G

Gremlin

New member
Just picked up a Winchester 94AE in .44 magnum. I already had a Marlin 1894CS in .357 magnum. I just can't get enough of those lever actions.

The Marlin, however, hasn't shown that it likes shooting FMJ .38 specials. It jammed on me twice. After the first time I took it to a reputable smith and had a lever job done on it. It jammed again in the next box of .38 ammo. Enough. I've only shot .357's since and a thousand rounds later, I've not had a single incident of failure to feed.

What about the Winchester? Anybody shoot many .44 specials thru their .44 magnum 94?

Also, I bought the model with the big ol' John Wayne loop on it and no checkering. Am I going to regret either of those choices?

Lemme know!!

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Take the long way home...
 
The problem with shooting the Special ammunition in these lever actions is that the oal of the cartridge is shorter. They were designed to fire the full length magnum cartridge so when you load up with the shorter Special cartridge, quite often it jams while loading from the carrier as you are attempting to load a round at a different angle. One the firearm wasn't originally designed for. Another possible reason could be that you are operating the lever too slowly. Most leverguns require a smooth quick action with the lever to operate, otherwise jams can easily occur. Don't stop at the bottom of the lever's throw, make it one continuous action from the time you start to the finish.
 
I've been using 44spl's in my Winchester 94 Trapper for CAS since I got it just over a year ago. The 44spl's are the only round I can fit 10 rounds in the short mag, and I've only had one failure to feed so far, and that was when I didn't stroke the lever all the way forward. It's got over a thousand rounds through it now, and I like it. If you find out you don't like the goofy lever, you can always order a normal one.

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NRA, GOA
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"-Neil Peart
Vote in November.
 
gremlin,
I shoot both factory ( very few) and handloaded .44sp in my Winchester Trapper quite a bit. So far I haven't had any problems.
 
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