Marlin guys... got a couple micro groove questions...

M

Magnum Wheel Man

New member
I'm going to be looking for one more lever gun to fill out my wall rack over the next year...

guns I'm thinking about ( yes I know they are quite different ) are 32-20, 444 Marlin, & 405 Winchester

I'm not a huge fan of the micro groove barrels ( seems like those are 1/2 worn out barrels to me, with the shallower rifling )

1st question... it's my understanding, that micro groove rifling doesn't work as well on cast bullets, which I like to shoot, have any of you had good luck with cast bullets in the micro groove barrels ???

2nd question... did Marlin ever make 444 Marlin guns with the Ballard rifling ??? ( gun Broker has 4 rifles currently listed, & all of them have micro groove barrels )

I'm unsure which rifle / caliber I want to fill the void with, but price wise, & for practicality, I'm leaning towards the 444 Marlin, but think I'd like a non micro groove barrel to shoot cast bullets...
 
I have a Guide Gun in 45-70 micro groove. Lead bullets tend to fill up the rifling so I only use jacketed bullets. I have seen guide guns with regular rifling, but not many.
 
My only experience with cast in microgroove rifling was in a 336CS in 35 Rem. The bullet was a RCBS 35-200-FN, and it worked very well even when pushed pretty hard.
 
SUNDOG... was that with a gas check bullet ???

JIM... FYI... I have a stainless guide gun in 45-70 with ballard rifling, so "they do exist"

but don't know if I've ever seen a 444 with ballard rifling
 
I had one, it would't group at all with factory ammo. With cast it wouldn't find paper at 25 yards and if it accidentially did hit paper they were already tumbling.:mad:
I have a smoothbore flintlock that is more accurate.
I have my own names for the micro-groove Marlins but they won't let me put them here.:eek:
I hope the new Remlins have good rifling.
 
1st question... it's my understanding, that micro groove rifling doesn't work as well on cast bullets, which I like to shoot, have any of you had good luck with cast bullets in the micro groove barrels ???
Click to expand...

There is a lot of misinformation about micro-groove rifling, but before we talk about it, consider the Marlin .22 rifle, many of which had microgroove rifling. They all shoot cast bullets well.

When you make the jump from jacketed ammo to casting your own, there are a number of factors you have to consider. Bullet fit is paramount, but other considerations are also important. Lube, alloy, bullet design, twist rate, all play a part in how well a particular bullet travels down a particular barrel. The blanket statement that a microgroove barrel can't shoot cast bullets is simply false, as is most blanket statements.

It didn't help that Marlin changed rifling methods a couple of times, depending on caliber. I have a .45-70 microgroove barrel that shoots cast bullets extremely well. It was one of the last New Haven microgroove barrels, and shortly after it was made, Marlin went to Ballard rifling in that caliber.

I also have a .30 caliber microgroove barrel that shoots cast bullets okay. I suspect the twist rate is wrong for the bullets I've tried, but it's easier to simply load jacketed. It's a rifle I don't use much and I haven't invested the time and energy to find the cast bullet that it likes. Probably something in the 150 grain range, but that's a project for another day.
 
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