Thank you all for this marvelous forum. I have learned so much but have been lurking for too long and decided to come in after a long while.
Here's my brief Marlin biography: I've been somewhat "into" firearms most of my life, but not in a serious way. My dad took me shooting once in a while when I was a kid, and when I moved to the country as a young man I found that I needed a gun or two. Over the years that grew to be a few firearms in the usual calibers, and I've spent many an afternoon blasting away with recreational shooting until I moved to a somewhat less remote area (still pretty rural by most folk's reckoning) over a decade ago.
I've raised livestock of various kinds over the years, and while I'm still not a hunter I have had to put down predators on several occasions, including a bear a few years ago that was terrorizing the neighborhood, breaking into people's houses and not dissuaded by nonlethal deterrents. When it came after my critters and wouldn't run away when confronted I was forced to shoot it, and this experience made me think that I needed to upgrade my arsenal somewhat.
I've had experience with more guns than I've had the pleasure to own, including semi-autos of various stripes, but I guess I have a soft spot in my heart for lever actions in traditional calibers. When I finally came across a JM guide gun, new in box at a good price, I knew right away I had to have it. It was and is my dream rifle.
That was over a year ago, and I still haven't shot it. That is soon to be remedied. Bear with me a little more while I complete the saga:
When I found my Marlin I got three boxes of ammo for it: Remington 405 gr. jacketed flat point, Remington 350 gr. hollow point, and Hornady leverevolution. I kinda figured I was eventually going to handload for it, but with no experience in loading I thought it could wait until I had the rifle sorted out before attempting a new project of such depth.
Unfortunately, shortly after I acquired the Guide Gun I was laid up with an injury that would keep me basically housebound for several months. Sitting in an easy chair gets old pretty fast, and that was all the incentive I needed to take up reloading for the .45-70 and other calibers. I needed a new hobby and this was it. By this time I was already an avid reader of MO, and had soaked up as much as I thought I could, thanks to the many helpful members of this site who so generously share their experience and knowledge.
Unfortunately again, shortly thereafter the terrible massacre happened in Connecticut. Factory ammo as well as reloading supplies dried up, as most of you know, and this was especially difficult for me as I live in one of the most gun-unfriendly of these united states. There used to be several gun shops in my local area, but they have all pretty much gone under, and those few that are still around don't stock reloading components.
It took a lot of doing but in the last year and a half I've finally managed to get a semi-respectable stock of basic reloading components. Whereas (before I got my Guide Gun) the thought of rolling my own was rooted in my longstanding desire to do it myself as I do many other homesteading tasks, the ongoing ammo and component crisis has brought a new sense of exigency to my reloading efforts. I've reluctantly come to terms with the fact that I cannot rely on finding ammunition of any type or caliber within at least a 40-mile radius of my home. This would be more palatable if this was just a side-effect of living in the sticks (in a mostly urban northeastern state), but unfortunately this is not the case: it is the what the gun-banners have had in mind all along: making gun ownership difficult. End of rant.
So with the capsule biography out of the way, here's where I am:
I have a beautiful, unfired JM guide gun that has captivated me. Some Starline cases in addition to the factory ammo noted above. I've got some Trail Boss, some Unique, and some IMR 4198, as well as some 405 lead flat points from Hunter's Supply, and some 350 gr. Laser-Cast. I also have cast a few myself with Lee dies in both 405 and 340 grain (also Keith-style bullets) with Lyman #2 from Rotometals. I've got a couple other powders too, but only one pound each so because that's all I have I'm going to wait to try the 2400, Reloder 7 and Bullseye until I have a source for more. Actually, once I've loaded some plinking loads with the Trail Boss I want to focus on the 4198 for my Guide Gun since I've got more of that and it's not really suitable for handgun loads.
I mentioned that I am new to reloading, but I have loaded up a few dozen .357 cartridges with the Trail Boss and cast Keith-style lead boolits and Federal primers. All went boom and most hit the target and I plan on loading more but I'm just psyched on my Guide Gun and really want to explore what it can do.
OK. Here's my questions:
My Marlin has never been fired since it left the factory. I haven't sighted it in or anything. Although I have a few boxes of factory ammo, it's all jacketed. Here's my question for the old-timers on the forum: if you had a brand-new Guide Gun, would you test it or sight it in)with factory jacketed ammo, or would you start with your own handloaded lead bullets? I'm worried that shooting jacketed bullets will get copper into the grooves that might reduce accuracy down the line, since everyone says clean the heck out of it before you shoot lead after firing jacketed bullets.
Would it would be better to shoot lead at first, even though I'll be sorting several variables as a new reloader with a new rifle that hasn't been sighted in, and moving up from minimal plinking loads? Initial shooting will all be using the factory open sights.
I'm reasonably cautious, but not really that concerned about the safety of my loads. I intend to start with the Trail Boss (which has a margin of safety built in by virtue of its load density) and work up to the more energetic powders as I gain experience. I'm reasonably proficient in lab work.
PS: I've been a member for quite a while but came to dislike the user name I had chosen. It was meant to be a portmanteau of my own name, but looked and sounded a lot like the governor of my state, whom I don't hold in high regard. I didn't want to be reminded of that every time I logged in, so I chose a new name. That's why my profile says I joined today.
When I was a kid I was sometimes known as "Spug", so even though I haven't gone by that in 30 plus years I hope it's good enough for y'all. It's good enough for me.
Thanks for all your help,
Spug
Here's my brief Marlin biography: I've been somewhat "into" firearms most of my life, but not in a serious way. My dad took me shooting once in a while when I was a kid, and when I moved to the country as a young man I found that I needed a gun or two. Over the years that grew to be a few firearms in the usual calibers, and I've spent many an afternoon blasting away with recreational shooting until I moved to a somewhat less remote area (still pretty rural by most folk's reckoning) over a decade ago.
I've raised livestock of various kinds over the years, and while I'm still not a hunter I have had to put down predators on several occasions, including a bear a few years ago that was terrorizing the neighborhood, breaking into people's houses and not dissuaded by nonlethal deterrents. When it came after my critters and wouldn't run away when confronted I was forced to shoot it, and this experience made me think that I needed to upgrade my arsenal somewhat.
I've had experience with more guns than I've had the pleasure to own, including semi-autos of various stripes, but I guess I have a soft spot in my heart for lever actions in traditional calibers. When I finally came across a JM guide gun, new in box at a good price, I knew right away I had to have it. It was and is my dream rifle.
That was over a year ago, and I still haven't shot it. That is soon to be remedied. Bear with me a little more while I complete the saga:
When I found my Marlin I got three boxes of ammo for it: Remington 405 gr. jacketed flat point, Remington 350 gr. hollow point, and Hornady leverevolution. I kinda figured I was eventually going to handload for it, but with no experience in loading I thought it could wait until I had the rifle sorted out before attempting a new project of such depth.
Unfortunately, shortly after I acquired the Guide Gun I was laid up with an injury that would keep me basically housebound for several months. Sitting in an easy chair gets old pretty fast, and that was all the incentive I needed to take up reloading for the .45-70 and other calibers. I needed a new hobby and this was it. By this time I was already an avid reader of MO, and had soaked up as much as I thought I could, thanks to the many helpful members of this site who so generously share their experience and knowledge.
Unfortunately again, shortly thereafter the terrible massacre happened in Connecticut. Factory ammo as well as reloading supplies dried up, as most of you know, and this was especially difficult for me as I live in one of the most gun-unfriendly of these united states. There used to be several gun shops in my local area, but they have all pretty much gone under, and those few that are still around don't stock reloading components.
It took a lot of doing but in the last year and a half I've finally managed to get a semi-respectable stock of basic reloading components. Whereas (before I got my Guide Gun) the thought of rolling my own was rooted in my longstanding desire to do it myself as I do many other homesteading tasks, the ongoing ammo and component crisis has brought a new sense of exigency to my reloading efforts. I've reluctantly come to terms with the fact that I cannot rely on finding ammunition of any type or caliber within at least a 40-mile radius of my home. This would be more palatable if this was just a side-effect of living in the sticks (in a mostly urban northeastern state), but unfortunately this is not the case: it is the what the gun-banners have had in mind all along: making gun ownership difficult. End of rant.
So with the capsule biography out of the way, here's where I am:
I have a beautiful, unfired JM guide gun that has captivated me. Some Starline cases in addition to the factory ammo noted above. I've got some Trail Boss, some Unique, and some IMR 4198, as well as some 405 lead flat points from Hunter's Supply, and some 350 gr. Laser-Cast. I also have cast a few myself with Lee dies in both 405 and 340 grain (also Keith-style bullets) with Lyman #2 from Rotometals. I've got a couple other powders too, but only one pound each so because that's all I have I'm going to wait to try the 2400, Reloder 7 and Bullseye until I have a source for more. Actually, once I've loaded some plinking loads with the Trail Boss I want to focus on the 4198 for my Guide Gun since I've got more of that and it's not really suitable for handgun loads.
I mentioned that I am new to reloading, but I have loaded up a few dozen .357 cartridges with the Trail Boss and cast Keith-style lead boolits and Federal primers. All went boom and most hit the target and I plan on loading more but I'm just psyched on my Guide Gun and really want to explore what it can do.
OK. Here's my questions:
My Marlin has never been fired since it left the factory. I haven't sighted it in or anything. Although I have a few boxes of factory ammo, it's all jacketed. Here's my question for the old-timers on the forum: if you had a brand-new Guide Gun, would you test it or sight it in)with factory jacketed ammo, or would you start with your own handloaded lead bullets? I'm worried that shooting jacketed bullets will get copper into the grooves that might reduce accuracy down the line, since everyone says clean the heck out of it before you shoot lead after firing jacketed bullets.
Would it would be better to shoot lead at first, even though I'll be sorting several variables as a new reloader with a new rifle that hasn't been sighted in, and moving up from minimal plinking loads? Initial shooting will all be using the factory open sights.
I'm reasonably cautious, but not really that concerned about the safety of my loads. I intend to start with the Trail Boss (which has a margin of safety built in by virtue of its load density) and work up to the more energetic powders as I gain experience. I'm reasonably proficient in lab work.
PS: I've been a member for quite a while but came to dislike the user name I had chosen. It was meant to be a portmanteau of my own name, but looked and sounded a lot like the governor of my state, whom I don't hold in high regard. I didn't want to be reminded of that every time I logged in, so I chose a new name. That's why my profile says I joined today.
When I was a kid I was sometimes known as "Spug", so even though I haven't gone by that in 30 plus years I hope it's good enough for y'all. It's good enough for me.
Thanks for all your help,
Spug
