That sounds interesting. I never knew why the .44 magnum rifles went with the one in thirty eight inch twist and the revolvers were a lot faster.

 

Even if you could, you may have other problems like cartridge length and I'm not sure the 1894 action could handle that cartridge either. The 1894 was built for pistol calibers.

 

I don't believe that he wants to run .444 Marlin in his 1894, but rather just wants to use the .444 Marlin barrel, with its fast twist rate, for .44 Magnum.

 

The 1 in 38 came from the 44WCF. The bullet was around 200 gr with a flat point.

 

the threads should be the same, that's about all i know...

 

You'd have to cut the barrel off, re-thread and re-chamber, all the dovetails would be in the wrong place, and getting the sights to clock at 12 might be troublesome. Too much work for not enough gain. Get a barrel blank from Douglas or Pac-Nor and lathe it the way you want. Cut new dovetails and blue, you've got $800 in an 1894 worth about $600, assuming a free donor action.

 

Your best bet is to find a .357 barrel and have it re-bored. I have looked into doing that, but by the time I got it all done like I want, I would have way too much into the rifle. The 1/38 twist rate will handle up to a 300+ grain bullet. I quit worrying about it since I have a lot of 444's with 1/20 twist rate barrels. If they ever offer a Marlin 44 magnum with a 1/20 twist rate barrel I will buy one, but until then it isn't worth the trouble when I can load my Winchester big bore down to pleasant recoiling levels and accomplish both tasks of "easy on the gun loads" and "pleasant to shoot loads that do more than the 44 mag can offer." That rifle is light enough to fill the same role as the 1894 Marlin. I only keep the Marlin because it shoots the same round as my revolvers do. If you want to improve the barrel you have, I suggest you fire-lap it. That and powder coated bullets that fit will make most people sit up and take notice.

 

Numrich has a factory new 357 barrel for $130... I'm gonna look into a rebore and chamber on something like that. Could be the simplest way to go. I know the 444 has more power on tap, but I really love the look of a slabbed '94 with the shorter receiver. In truth, I may end up just picking up a 444 at some point. Tinkering is the fun part and I've never been able to leave well enough alone.

 

or a 41 mag barrel would be better than the 357 barrel.

 

The chamber on the 444 barrel is around .010" larger at the chamber mouth and the carrier can't be modified to take a COL much longer. That leaves you with a very long and large freebore. When the DNR changed the regulations here a while back to allow straight walled cases 1.8" and shorter I made up some 444x1.8" with the bullets seated out to get a 2.2"COL and tried them. My 444 normally shoots so well with the Redfield peep sight that I've never scoped it. But with those shorter cartridges it was shooting a pattern at only 50yds. If it were me, I'd start from a blank, or with the 444 barrel, cut the threads off, rethread and recut the mag and forearm dovetails. You could also screw it on and see how that barrel shoots with you loads. Might work just fine or might shoot poorly like mine did with a shorter COL. You could size with a 444 die to keep from overworking the cases, then "neck size" the top 1/2"-3/4" with a 44 mag die for neck tension.

 

It is really not a question of actual weight but how much surface of the projectile actually contacts the lands and grooves. Heavy for caliber pill can be shot accurately with Kieth style, long round nose pills. Sell the Marlin and get a B-92 or Winchester Legacy, they have a 1:20 twist.

 

I've heard they have a faster twist, but I just don't really like them very much. There's just something about the Marlin 94 action that always manages to win me over every time I start dreaming about a 92.

 

If i read the OP correctly he wants to shortenen the chamber end of a 1:20 twist 444 barrel and rechamber to 44mag. If this is correct i would find a 336 30-30 barrel with the endcap style forend (should match your existing forend) and have JES bore and chamber it to 44mag. Note you may need to modify the feed ramp on the donor barrel to work on your 1894 and the mag tube notch is probably in the wrong spot.

If you try your current plan you are going to need remove the entire barrel shank and part of the 444m chamber before you can cut a new 44mag chamber. You would then need to cut the 6 degree modified square thread shank and the other dovetails, notches etc. Quite abit of work.

BB

 

Get the .357 and have it chambered to the .357/44mag wildcat.
When you mentioned TreeBone carving that indicated to me price was no object.

 

I’m a sucker for wildcats and have never heard of this one you speak of. Sounds interesting.
I wonder how fast it could push a 200gr hardcast...

 

From some of the comments here I get the idea people believe the hype from "internet experts" that declare the 444 is just a 44 magnum with a longer case. "Sorry Charley"! that is just not the case. Also the 444 was designed on the 336 platform. The 1894 is a different receiver. Will the 444 barrel screw into the 1894? Honestly, I have no idea. The 41 magnum barrel would be harder to find than the 357 and may not leave enough meat to give the re-bore man enough to get him into his comfort zone. I would check with him first. The 357 was made with a 1/16 twist rate. If I were to build a 16" gun, I would go with a 1/16 twist rate also. Of course that is depending on whether or not the re-bore man offered that as an option. To me, 16" gives plenty of length for a pistol cartridge to burn the powder and not have extra friction working against the velocity. I am not an expert, it is just my belief. Anyway, good luck on the project. I will be waiting to see your results. I wish you the best. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.

 

I believe the 357/44 is known as the Bain & Davis. You can look it up for the particulars.

 

After some quick googling, I've decided that wildcat sounds pretty sweet. Hornady has load data showing 158gr XTPs moving 2100’ from a 10” barrel! That’s 30-30 territory, with a larger diameter bullet!
This wouldn’t require a rebore, just a rechamber and some new dies.
This ALWAYS happens when I get to spit balling with other gun addicts. lol

 

I have a 1977 44 1894 and a 1980 357 1894C . A few years ago I inherited my dad's 1977 44 1894 and did not want to sell it and I did not need 2 44 1894s. I bought a 357 1894 barrel from Numrich and shipped it off to Bain and Davis Gunshop in California and had the 357 barrel re-chambered to 357/44 Bain and Davis and they installed it on my dad's 44 1894 receiver. I installed the magazine tube and sights. Had to remove some of the bottom of the barrel to get the bigger tube to fit, and machine/file a dovetail for the forearm hanger, plus fit the sights, but I like to tinker and figure this stuff out. Also converted both 44 1894 receivers to accept the newer ejectors since the old stamped ones keep breaking and are nearly impossible to find.
I also had my 9mm cylinder on my 357 convertible Ruger Blackhawk re-chambered to 357/44 back in 1978. More recently I found a spare 357 cylinder and crane assembly for my mid 1980s 6 shot 357 Ruger Redhawk on eBay. Guess what I did with one one those? I used to have a 12" 357 Contender barrel and a 22" 357 H&R Handi barrel re-chambered in 357/44, but those two have been re-re-chambered to 357/445 Supermag.
My 357 1894C I bought while home on leave in December 1980 for $169 at K-Mart during an after Christmas sale. In retrospect, I wish I had bought a bushel basket of them at that price.

 

One of the problems I run into when thinking about guns, is even with the internet there is still not much information available. Sure there is a lot of text, but most of it is the same information over and over. When I try to find twist rates, bore diameters, groove depth and width, and chamber dimensions, or the information I need for bullet measurements, it is hard to come by or non-existent.
The common belief among "you-tube experts" seems to be Micro-groove =bad, Ballard=good. I can not find the information I need to form an opinion. What I suspect is: in a fire-lapped barrel or one with no tight spots to begin with, I would get more bullet grip with 12 Micro-groves than 6 Ballard grooves. In my feeble mind, it was not the Micro-groove rifling causing the problem, but the twist rate. Marlin engineers say no, but they gave all the other calibers 1/16 to 1/20 twist rates and the 44 and 444 a 1/38. When the bullet weights and bullet size match the barrel and twist rate the guns shoot. The .357 with its 1/16 twist rate Micro-groove barrels had a reputation from the start as shooting great. The .41 was never changed to a Ballard cut rifling. None of this matters today, except Remington had a chance to give us a new twist rate when they went to all new machinery, but they did not have the foresight to change the twist rate. Will the guns shoot any better with a faster twist rate. Like I stated before, engineers say no. But from a marketing standpoint it made since. I already have an 1894 Marlin in 44 magnum and I would have purchased a new one. There is no incentive to do it with the current status. A lot of people think the Ballard barrels shoot better in the 44 magnum rifles. I suspect the ones that do, do so because the groove diameters have shrunk in the new barrels. So people shooting commercial bullets come closer to having a projectile that fit the barrels.
Last I heard the bean counters had put Remington into bankruptcy so it may not make any difference in the future. It was a shame to do what they did to a fine company with a repeat customer base few companies enjoyed.

 

Why not re-line your current barrel, for the ROT you want?
LG

 

These sure look like they'll feed smooth.

 

The wheels are spinning, faster and faster lol
I've considered a 357 several times, but thought it'd be too much work and money. Buying a factory 357 barrel and rechambering to this neat little bottle neck is sounding pretty awesome. I've got some 165gr soft cast HPs, left from a revolver I no longer own, that would be devastating in a little carbine like this.

 

The wheels are spinning, faster and faster lol
I've considered a 357 several times, but thought it'd be too much work and money. Buying a factory 357 barrel and rechambering to this neat little bottle neck is sounding pretty awesome. I've got some 165gr soft cast HPs, left from a revolver I no longer own, that would be devastating in a little carbine like this.
View attachment 759581

Hornady and RCBS make dies and forming dies. Some respondents online get 158 grain JHP's to 2100 fps with 10" contender barrels and no pressure signs at all. Hodgdon Lil Gun is a propellant of choice. Cartridge OAL can be increased a little for the Marlin. With Unique, Red Dot, or Accurate #2 and cast slugs, you'll have a nice 1200 fps plinker.

Looks like a doable project. You might have to cut the magazine relief in the lower barrel a little, hopefully not. You'll see. Another fun conversion.

 

An 1894 357/44 is a good tinker project. I had considered renting a 357/44 reamer and doing that part too but the 1894 receiver has a thin web between the barrel and magazine. I read if you do not REALLY know what you are doing when re-barrelling an 1894 that thin web can crack, ruining the receiver, so I farmed that out to the Bain & Davis Gunshop.
I have RCBS 357/44 dies. They were not a "standard" catalog item but were easy to order. Do not know if that is still the case. Hornady may have them too.
When I needed a 357/445 Supermag sizer die (and a 256/ 357 Maximum sizer) I special ordered them from CH4D, long wait though.
When I size my 357/44, 357/445 or 256/357 brass I 1st run them into a 44 or 357 carbide die as appropriate. (I do the same with 357 Sig, running it thru a carbide 40 sizer die 1st.) I have a 5 station Hornady progressive, I size, expand/bell and trim if necessary as one operation my brass. Then I usually wet tumble with SS pins. Then I usually load on the Hornady.
BTW, I believe the B&D Gunshop no longer exists, I think they were bought and are now Oscar's Gun Works. I am in SC so I cannot confirm that 1st hand.

 

I'm just not understanding why one would want to shoot bullets heavier than 300 grs in a .44 Magnum 1894. Just get another lever action chambered in a cartridge that normally uses 300+ gr projectiles....

 

I like the '94 more than any other levergun in current or past production. Modding firearms is where most of my joy in this hobby is found. Speaking of which, something shiny and different caught my eye during the course of this thread and it looks like I will no longer own a 44 mag soon. Purchased a factory 357 barrel and am going to try this 357/44B&D out for awhile. Why? Because it sounds fun, it's different, and I like the journey more than the destination.

 

The 357/44 is almost up to the .357 Maximum...which is almost to a 35 Remington.

 

Pretty excited about this wildcat and how simple to form it seems to be. Seems like it should have plenty enough grunt to pull double duty as woods and home defense in the PNW.
This '94 Trapper is about to be on a completely different level. Scored a PG Trigger Plate and Loop Lever for it this morning right after ordering the 357 Mag barrel too!

 

The 357/44 B&D will make a fine conversion.

I once built up an M1 Carbine in 357 Auto Mag. Had to load it down a bit from the full loads but still managed a 158 gr JSP at 2000 fps. It gave the little Carbine more pep. The 15 round magazine held 7 rounds and the 30 round held 14.

 

A 357 Auto Mag M1 Carbine, that must be sweet. That's one more item to add to the "Wish I Had the Time and Money" to do list.

 

Send it to John Taylor (of this forum) to install a sleeve. Straight forward work with an improved chamber and twist of your choice. Your dovetails will all be in the right place and the price is right. A sleeved barrel will shoot as well as any barrel and you will not be able to see the sleeve unless you know what to look for.

 

Is the John Taylor on this forum the same John Taylor of Taylor Machine in Puyallup, WA?

 

Yes

 

I've actually been emailing back and forth with him the past couple weeks about various options. He referred me to several other smiths when I inquired about a rebore, but I think I'll be dropping my rechamber work off for him at some point in the next few weeks. He has done a few rifles for me in the past and they've all been excellent.

 

New here so be gentle. I have a 1894 Sporter. Made in the 70’s. Half magazine tube. My understanding is Marlin simply put a 444 barrel on the rifle. This is not gospel but its what i’ve read and researched. Didn’t make many of them. 1398 i think. If this is actually true then it should be doable

 

Alright, here's a new update on this little project. I will be starting a new thread for it after this post.
I have been talking with Dave Kiff of PTG about designing a wildcat. I've already got the 357 barrel, but can't decide what to do.
I decided to design a case that looks similar to the late 38-40 with the simple blackpowder taper to it, so I am able to use basic dies with bushings instead of paying for full on customs.
My original idea was the B&D, but I decided it wouldn't be difficult to have Dave make me something of similar design based off the Casull case instead. More powder to push that little 357 bullet along with. Well, I've been noodling on my design the past couple weeks and am now curious if I could use the same idea but utilize the 475 Linebaugh case...? The rim on this is 30 thousandths bigger, so I'm not sure if that will work with my rifle in current form.