[Dave1894]

Hi,

Please be gentle as this is my first post and i have searched and seem even more confused than i was before ???

I am from the UK and looking at getting a second hand 1894CS .357 for £375 ($602), for the record a new 1894C is £640 ($1027). This is a very good price as they do not come available very often.

I just have a few questions that hopefully somebody can answer ??

1. What is the difference between a 1894CS & a 1894C ?

2. The serial number is 0900****, any idea how old this maybe ?

3. Are the spares for the current 1894C likely to fit the 1894CS ?

4. It has the micro-groove rifling ? From what i read this is a problem with handloaded cast lead bullets, i would only ever be using factory loaded Sellier & Bellot .357 Magnum - FMJ 158grs (10.25g) Muzzle Velocity 385m/s (1263ft/sec) ? Again from what i have read people seem to say that factory loaded full metal jacket rounds are not a problem with a micro-grooved barrel and accuracy will be good. I will only be using it for target shooting at 25metres & 50metres ?

Any help or advice is appreciated

Dave

 

[imashooter2]

S means it has a cross bolt safety. The rifle was made in 1991. Current spare parts will fit in a 1991 rifle. I believe the '91 guns had Ballard style rifling and not micro groove. This should be confirmed or denied shortly by other members. Regardless, either style of rifling will shoot jacketed or lead bullet ammunition just fine.

These are terrific, fun rifles. Congratulations on the find!

 

[planeflyer21]

Welcome Dave!

You are quite literally going to have a BLAST!! Imashooter2 is correct, the "CS" denotes the cross-bolt safety for the first year or two and then Marlin dropped it, going back to the "1894C" designation.

Cast will work quite well in a microgroove barrel and someone will be along shortly to note their experiences.

My guns (1894C and 1894CSS) both like the S&B ammo but it isn't the most accurate out of either one. You will experience velocities quite a bit higher than factory numbers out of your rifle.

I don't know the laws there but, if you are able, you'd best start remanufacturing ammunition as these guns are more gluttonous than even semi-auto military style guns!

Jon

 

[bigjeepman]

Welcome to the forums Dave. It sounds like you found a used rifle at 40% less than a new one and if it is in good condition, I would say that is a great deal.

bjm

 

[Dave1894]

Hi,

Cheers for the welcome & quick replies.

It has definately got the micro-grooved barrel as on the photo's i have seen it is clearly stamped on it. As mentioned this was / is my main concern due to conflicting messages about micro-groove vs ballard rifling and fussiness with rounds vs accuracy etc.

Home loading is in the back of my mind as a box of 50 S&B .357 magnum - FMJ is approx £20 ($32) and as you have mentioned it can get quite addictive

The club i shoot at has both a .357 & .44 1894C which i have used, however i decided it was time i purchased my own when one finally came around.

Hopefully all being well i should get to go and look at the rifle on Saturday and come home with it if all seems OK.

Thanks again and any other comments or thoughts are really appreciated.

Cheers

Dave

 

[Kanook]

http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/topic,43865.0.html click on this link (hope it worked) and it will give a good insight on the "don't shoot cast in a micro groove barrel".