1894CS Serial Number location
1 - 18 of 18 Posts
Joined
·
8,595 Posts
Yep thats the right spot...
BloodGroove4570
BloodGroove4570
Joined
·
593 Posts
Sweet FolsomUSA. If this is your first Marlin 1894C, your gonna love that little rifle. As you've read here before on MOF tho, be prepared to run thru a BUNCH of 357 ammo. They are as fun to shoot as a .22 and have the appetite of a teenager! Let us know how she shoots. Don't be alarmed if it doesn't seem accurate at first. You'll get her dialed in.
- hutch
- hutch
Joined
·
2,262 Posts
SF USA, take ya several different .38 Specials also. They chew some better than others, and it good to know which ones at the git-go. Hutch is right, you are gonna like the heck out of that rifle.
ordered 300 rounds HERTERS SELECT GRADE HANDGUN AMMUNITION 357MAG 158GR FMJ from Cabela's, Magtech .357 Mag 158 SJSP Flat, and Remington UMC .357 Semi-jacketed soft point..plus i got several hundred rounds of reloaded .38 special fmj 158 gr. should get me started
I was surprised my local gun range had MagTech .357 cheaper than WalMart prices..reading an article MagTech is the round of choice for alot of gun ranges..
I was surprised my local gun range had MagTech .357 cheaper than WalMart prices..reading an article MagTech is the round of choice for alot of gun ranges..
Joined
·
593 Posts
Hey FolsomUSA - I thought of one other thing that may save you some grief. Leverforever mentioned .38 spl is fun as heck with an 1894C, and they are less expensive. So true. But if you shoot a BUNCH of .38 spl in any firearm with a .357 chamber, you could get a hard build up of fouling in the area of the chamber ahead of the shorter .38 spl shell casing. It can be hard to get outta there. If it builds up enough, a .357 round may stick & be hard to extract from the chamber. Iy takes a lot of rounds, but .38 spl loads are a blast in the 1894C, so you might run thru quite a few. 2 things you can do. Clean that crud out of there right away w/o waiting, or if your a hand loader, simply charge .357 cases with a .38 spl charge of powder. Then you have .38 spl loads going down range, but a with a .357 case so no build up of crud in the front of the chamber. The slower .38 spl will also change your point of impact a little, but you'll figure out how much pretty quickly. GREAT way to introduce a new shooter to .357 lever guns & .357 revolvers. Have 'em shoot .38 spl first. Very little recoil.
I remember reading a post from MOF guru SWANY that is a GREAT idea. If you get the build up, he suggests using a fired .357 case and using it to scrape out the bulk of the fouling, making cleaning that front chamber area easier. He suggests spreading the case mouth of the 357 brass just a bit, (only a tiny bit as it needs to fit the chamber) and working it in and out of the chamber. scraping the bulk of that crud away. Never tried it, but sounds like a great idea.
- hutch
I remember reading a post from MOF guru SWANY that is a GREAT idea. If you get the build up, he suggests using a fired .357 case and using it to scrape out the bulk of the fouling, making cleaning that front chamber area easier. He suggests spreading the case mouth of the 357 brass just a bit, (only a tiny bit as it needs to fit the chamber) and working it in and out of the chamber. scraping the bulk of that crud away. Never tried it, but sounds like a great idea.
- hutch
ok so I'm thinking this is a really stupid question to ask...but...could I cycle through rounds of 357 and 38 special..or even a more crazy thought..could I cycle 357 and 38 special together? something like 357/38sp/357/38sp/357/38sp etc..can ya tell I'm new to these here lever guns
Joined
·
515 Posts
yes
Joined
·
589 Posts
I don't see any reason why you couldn't do that, it would be no different that running different length of shotshells in a shotgun. I wouldn't do it with the rifle though just for the fact that both rounds would have a different point of impact.ok so I'm thinking this is a really stupid question to ask...but...could I cycle through rounds of 357 and 38 special..or even a more crazy thought..could I cycle 357 and 38 special together? something like 357/38sp/357/38sp/357/38sp etc..can ya tell I'm new to these here lever guns
Joined
·
7,647 Posts
.
The carbon build up will cause issues as the photo below shows. The case mouth is rolled inward and the ring is visible where the 38 Special case mouth ended.
![]()
The best way that I have found to clean out the carbon is with a 357 case with a flared mouth. The case below shows the flare (flare exaggerated to show detail) which will scrape the chamber walls as it is moved into the chamber.
![]()
Flare the 357 case just enough to be a tight fit.
The carbon build up will cause issues as the photo below shows. The case mouth is rolled inward and the ring is visible where the 38 Special case mouth ended.
The best way that I have found to clean out the carbon is with a 357 case with a flared mouth. The case below shows the flare (flare exaggerated to show detail) which will scrape the chamber walls as it is moved into the chamber.
Flare the 357 case just enough to be a tight fit.
thanks for all the great information..I got her home and was really pissed...when I went to do the ftf the rifle was shiny bright just been cleaned..10 days later when I picked her up I opened the lever to inspect and inside it was filthy black..I took my finger and put it inside as close as i could get to barrel and it came out black..seems the guys at the gun shop took her out and shot the rifle quite a bit..I was going to call them on it..but it would not have accomplished anything. Just irritates me the guy I bought it from worked at the gun shop..oh well I got an early lesson on how to clean a 1894 357..took me a few tries to get the lever engaged but I got through it ok..blasted it out real good and the used Remoil and ran boore snake through it 3-4 times. I didn't take the stock off as I do not have the right screwdrivers..but just ordered a set of Grace (5 screwdrivers made for 1894 357) from Dan Morrison..
this rifle is awesome to shoot..however, I am having problems with the reloaded .38 special fmj 158 gr. bullets I have...the live rounds get hung up coming out of the chamber jamming the lever in the full open position..I have to force the round back up into the loading chamber to release lever.Happened several times..not sure why..any 357 or store bought 38 special loads fine..just must be these lead head reloads it doesn't like. This rifle shoots incredibly accurate after I figured out where to aim )
)
Joined
·
593 Posts
Hey Folsom - I've heard of LGS shooting a customers gun while on hold. I had it happen with a brand new S&W 686. Not to rekindle your aggravation, but t stinks and for them to have done so at all. Particularly w/o cleaning. it's just plain wrong. They should be called on it.
- I'm not a true expert of the ilk of some here on MOF, but have now stripped, fiddled and fixed too many 1894's to count. While some believe in operating the lever with serious authority, I'd be careful forcing the lever too hard. While it's a tough rifle, there's stuff in there that can break. Plus the 'lever'age of forcing the lever can add to the infamous Marlin carrier line, where the snail cam on the lever makes contact with the bottom of the carrier to lift it up. Basically, the deeper the "line" on the carrier, the more likely you'll eventually have feeding problems. Something may be wrong that could likely be easily fixed. But you'd need to be able to pretty much fully strip her to get at it the carrier to check it out. If it's cycling 357 rounds fine, but chokes on 38 spl, its likely the overall length of the 38 spl round your using. That happens sometimes. I did a piece on Marlin Owners forum some time back about the carrier differences on the 1894 C (357's). I examined 3 distinctly different carriers. It's in the reference section here. http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/n...fferences-project-notes-comparison-pic-s.html. You may be aware there are 1894C (& CS) that don't say 357 & 38 spl on the barrel. Most will still feed 38 spl, even if the barrel isn't marked as such. But I have a couple that don't like 38 spl on the extra short side, say under 1.45 in overall length, if you have calipers to check yours. The longer, the better. I know you have a bunch of .38 spl you want to shoot in this rifle, but just be aware some 1894 C/CS struggle a little with .38 spl.
Very few on this forum know more than WIDDER when it comes to Marlin 1894. Maybe he'll chime in here later. You'd need to be able to describe very carefully EXACTLY what is happening as you operate the lever in slow motion and closely watch as best you can inside the receiver. Preferably with a small flashlight in your mouth. If you can describe what is happening, likely you'll get help here to fix it. Careful jut giving up and taking to a local gunsmith. Maybe your lucky in your locale, but most don't know Marlin lever actions. I'm in Ohio with LOTS of dealers around, but few smithy's I'm aware of that know Marlin LA's.
The inner workings of the Marlin 1894 receiver is elegant & simple, but the timing of what happens at what time is important. If ANYthing is wrong with your carrier, it could definitely effect .38 spl loading. You'd have to strip her down completely to find out for sure. In case you don't know the inner guts of the Marlin receiver, or what the "carrier" is: - the carrier is an arm that swings up and down as you manipulate the lever. It both holds back the next round in the mag tube and lifts a round up the receiver and into position for the bolt to slide it off the fully lifted carrier & into the chamber. The "timing" of what happens when can cause issues. You can find lots here on MOF about various jam fixes. They are more common using .38 spl. But you need to know what is happening. For instance, is a round slipping in UNDER the carrier, or is it jamming as it is feeding into the chamber? Two different issues & fixes.
If yours is newer (late 80's), there is also little pin on the carrier that can snap off if the lever is forced while its in the right spot. A dealer at a gun show did that on one I was looking at that had jammed on some dummy rounds I took in with me just to check. I heard the little snap, and the lever now operated, but the carrier wasn't moving up & down. I knew exactly what happened and said jokingly "well now its only worth $250 bucks" He said, "your probably right" & I got it really cheap. A $50 carrier from Midway later, it is perfect & was worth $750 at the time (now maybe $1000).
The older ones had a more robust carrier w/o the little pin you'll read about. You'll see the diff if you look at the link above. Either way, I've gone on long here and should stop. I know the frustration starting out with Marlin 1894's that has a function issue. That's how I came to this forum & what caused the Marlinitis that has infected me. Determine just how "handy" you are mechanically with PROPER screw drivers, and your level of patience, and i bet we can get that old girl working as you'd like.
- hutch
- I'm not a true expert of the ilk of some here on MOF, but have now stripped, fiddled and fixed too many 1894's to count. While some believe in operating the lever with serious authority, I'd be careful forcing the lever too hard. While it's a tough rifle, there's stuff in there that can break. Plus the 'lever'age of forcing the lever can add to the infamous Marlin carrier line, where the snail cam on the lever makes contact with the bottom of the carrier to lift it up. Basically, the deeper the "line" on the carrier, the more likely you'll eventually have feeding problems. Something may be wrong that could likely be easily fixed. But you'd need to be able to pretty much fully strip her to get at it the carrier to check it out. If it's cycling 357 rounds fine, but chokes on 38 spl, its likely the overall length of the 38 spl round your using. That happens sometimes. I did a piece on Marlin Owners forum some time back about the carrier differences on the 1894 C (357's). I examined 3 distinctly different carriers. It's in the reference section here. http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/n...fferences-project-notes-comparison-pic-s.html. You may be aware there are 1894C (& CS) that don't say 357 & 38 spl on the barrel. Most will still feed 38 spl, even if the barrel isn't marked as such. But I have a couple that don't like 38 spl on the extra short side, say under 1.45 in overall length, if you have calipers to check yours. The longer, the better. I know you have a bunch of .38 spl you want to shoot in this rifle, but just be aware some 1894 C/CS struggle a little with .38 spl.
Very few on this forum know more than WIDDER when it comes to Marlin 1894. Maybe he'll chime in here later. You'd need to be able to describe very carefully EXACTLY what is happening as you operate the lever in slow motion and closely watch as best you can inside the receiver. Preferably with a small flashlight in your mouth. If you can describe what is happening, likely you'll get help here to fix it. Careful jut giving up and taking to a local gunsmith. Maybe your lucky in your locale, but most don't know Marlin lever actions. I'm in Ohio with LOTS of dealers around, but few smithy's I'm aware of that know Marlin LA's.
The inner workings of the Marlin 1894 receiver is elegant & simple, but the timing of what happens at what time is important. If ANYthing is wrong with your carrier, it could definitely effect .38 spl loading. You'd have to strip her down completely to find out for sure. In case you don't know the inner guts of the Marlin receiver, or what the "carrier" is: - the carrier is an arm that swings up and down as you manipulate the lever. It both holds back the next round in the mag tube and lifts a round up the receiver and into position for the bolt to slide it off the fully lifted carrier & into the chamber. The "timing" of what happens when can cause issues. You can find lots here on MOF about various jam fixes. They are more common using .38 spl. But you need to know what is happening. For instance, is a round slipping in UNDER the carrier, or is it jamming as it is feeding into the chamber? Two different issues & fixes.
If yours is newer (late 80's), there is also little pin on the carrier that can snap off if the lever is forced while its in the right spot. A dealer at a gun show did that on one I was looking at that had jammed on some dummy rounds I took in with me just to check. I heard the little snap, and the lever now operated, but the carrier wasn't moving up & down. I knew exactly what happened and said jokingly "well now its only worth $250 bucks" He said, "your probably right" & I got it really cheap. A $50 carrier from Midway later, it is perfect & was worth $750 at the time (now maybe $1000).
The older ones had a more robust carrier w/o the little pin you'll read about. You'll see the diff if you look at the link above. Either way, I've gone on long here and should stop. I know the frustration starting out with Marlin 1894's that has a function issue. That's how I came to this forum & what caused the Marlinitis that has infected me. Determine just how "handy" you are mechanically with PROPER screw drivers, and your level of patience, and i bet we can get that old girl working as you'd like.
- hutch
Joined
·
593 Posts
Birddog57: Not necessarily. If it's remington made, the serial number will start with MR & have an REP stamped on the right side of the barrel, in front of the receiver. A JM will always be stamped JM on the left side of barrel (occasionally on the right with some models & some 336's)
- hutch
Joined
·
231 Posts
1 - 18 of 18 Posts
Join the discussion
