I have a rifle model of a 73 Winchester “Uberti” in 44-40 that will put them in a raged hole at 50 yards, and into 11/2 inches at 100 yards. This is with buckhorn sights. The load is 8 grains of Unique and a RCBS 44-200-FN sized at .429.
Scott
I should have stated in lever actions, not in pistols
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:thinking: WOW Scott! You really want to get some conversation going on this topic!
:taz:
My vote is for none of them. Like you, a lot of guns in a lot of pistol calibers have gone throw my hands in the last 40 years. No one caliber has been “inherently accurate". I don't think such a thing exists. There are accurate guns but not accurate calibers.
Ric
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I would agree with
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My Marlin 32-20 shoots fairly well.
You should shoot in the Ranch Dog lever action postal match this year. Lots of nice prizes. This is my target that won the 50 yard iron sight match last year. With “one hole” groups you should be a shoo in for fame and glory.
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KenK
That,s nice what load are you shooting. Post some Information on Ranch Dogs shoot I am sure more than a few would be interested in participating including Me.
Scott
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Yep, I've got a 1889 Marlin 32/20 that will shoot some good 50 yard groups. That should be a really fun match to shoot!
Ric
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Here is the website.
I heard the match is not going to start this year until June. Ranch Dog is a member here. I will make it a point to post a reminder when it starts if he does not.
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I have quite a few Marlin levers in pistol calibers .
A couple 25-20's that do alright , a couple 357's that are okay . Two 44 Mags that shoot very well , a pair of recent manufacture 44-40 that shot well enough , a couple 41 Mags , a 45 Long Colt and a 38-40 that do all right .
But the best of the bunch have to be the 32-20's . I own 4 Marlin's in 32-20 , one is of 1906 vintage and the other three were all made after 1988 ! But as a group these four shoot better then any of the other groups I have :dude:
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I have used 9x21,38 superauto,38sp& 357 mag,44 sp&mag,45 Acp,45autorim,and 45lc,in revolvers,leverguns and autopistols and semiauto rifles.
I love them all,all of them,they shoot better than I can hold.
In my neck of the woods,I am the man to beat at 25 and 50 meters ,from offhand,standing with a couple of marlin cowboys in357 and 45LC and placed honourably at a pin shoot with a 911 45 HP with compensator.
I can shoot comfortabily and well from a 911 autopistol with 200 powe factor loads,while I tolerate much lesser recoil from my S&W DA revolvers.
I have a peacemaker clone in 44sp that shoots splendidly,and at point of aim with 750fps 250 grainers.A n immense blackhawk bisley in 45lc I found painful to shoot.
A 9x21 browning hp with 950fps loads(as in Ed Harris'articles in handloader and the FS) is reliable but not phenomenally accurate,
I would say that the gun is the first thing to consider,No single caliber is inherently more accurate,but that some caliber are easier to shoot and reload for.The reason are, brass quality,bullet and moulds availability and the pressure at which they work.
I would give my vote to the 38-357 combo,close second the 45ACP-AUTORIM And do not forget,the 44sp(,I am waiting for a 44mag marlin lever action),though 44 mags in lever action or contender have a queer chamber, 1/10 of an inch longer than the case.
And what to say about a 45 long colt cowboy marlin,it shoots splendidly 300 grains bullets at 45/70 speeds.
Please,forgive me,I cannot make a choice,I love them all.
I fear that other older calibers in bottle neck cartridges are a mess to load,and what about the 41mag? He should have been born before the 44 mag......
Pistol calbers that do not pierce my ears or hurt my hand are like an illness ,a bug,an addiction to me.And if Italian gun control laws did not restrict my arsenal,I would surely follow Ed Harris in his stugy of 32 revolvers or 32ACPpistols,not to mention the mauser 96 pistol and............someone hold me!........
When my spanel bitch gave birth to four cubs We were unable to sell them,only gave a she dog to my daughter and it made my heart bleed.I kept the other three ,with their parents.So it for me with pistols,I would love to have them all,every caliber and type of gun has his po and con.
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I fear that other older calibers in bottle neck cartridges are a mess to load,
I have not found that to be the case with the 32-20. Before I purchased mine I read several articles that spoke of what trouble it was to reload for. The “trick” to loading 32-20 is using Starline brass.
I estimate, very conservatively, that it takes me 5 minutes longer to load 100 32-20s than 100 .38 Specials. As far as brass life goes, I've yet to wear out or ruin a piece of Starline 32-20 brass. Some of it has been loaded 20 times.
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You must be right,some fellows are quite happy with new 44/40 BRASS,the only handicap is they have to use steel sizers ,and not carbide ones,and have to lube them before sizing and then clean them.
If I could find a 32/20 carbine I'd get it.In the mean time I use My M1 carbine and shoot light loads.
I am lazy,do not to spread brass all over the landscape.
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The “trick” to loading 32-20 is using Starline brass.
You may be correct in your own situation !
However all I have ever used in any of my 32-20's is Winchester or Remington brass . And so far (knock on wood) I have not had a minutes trouble from any of it ! Granted I do not load or try to load them overly hot . Typically I only shoot cast loads with a few grains of Unique . I think my stoutest load with an 115 grain bullet is 5 grains .
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I really enjoy my .44 Marlin Cowboys. Pretty accurate too! But my wifes old (1978) Marlin in .357 may be the most accurate of all!
44
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A new Marlin 32 H&R Mag just showed up on the local gun store's rack. Any experience with one of these?
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A new Marlin 32 H&R Mag just showed up on the local gun store's rack. Any experience with one of these?
I have one of these . Although I must admit I have not put a great amount of work in it !
It took almost two years to get it after Marlin announced it ! They seemed to drag their feet about getting them out to the consumer .
Anyway I have taken it to the range a few times and loaded it with variouse cast bullets that I would shoot in a 32-20 . I had a box of Hornady swaged 90 grain SWC's that I had purchased a few years ago and I have shot them in it . They seemed to cycle thru the action fine and shot rather well with Unique . Also tried the Lyman 311419 and 311316 in it a bit .
They all shot well enough , and with three grains of Unique and the 311419 it makes a decent squirrel rifle .
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gio
I should have posted the title of this more clearly than I did, This about lever action rifles that shoot pistol rounds. I have been loading for the 44-40, 38-40,32-20 and 25-20 for over 30 years and the wives tail about them being more of a problem is bull. :shock: When I started reloading steel dies was all I could afford so everything was lubed, didn't know any deferents. Now with all the spray lubes on the market all I do is turn the box's over on a flat surface and spray not much of a bother. On top of it I load all this rounds on a 550 Dillon Press.
As far as the rounds go in my experience the 44-40 has shown to be a inherently accurate cartage, out of the 5 that I own and the many that friends own. My two reasons for making the post are 1. has other shooter experience this or number 2. tell which round you think is maybe more inherently accurate, BUT please post data we like lots of data and pic's to. Oh by the way I do buy into such thinks as inherently accurate cartridges hence the 222 Rem, 6mm PPC and 6.5x284 and a whole list of others. Scott
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If you count a Ruger #1 as a lever action I would add my CHP #1A .357 magnum as being pretty accurate.Good light loads with RN bullets can go well under 1” at 50 yds and heavy bullet loads(225-280g) shoot into 1.5” (on occasion sub- MOA)at 100.This is with a 4X Leupold so I am cheating.I think the ,357 will shoot with the best of them all being equal.
George
"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!
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Oh by the way I do buy into such thinks as inherently accurate cartridges hence the 222 Rem, 6mm PPC and 6.5x284 and a whole list of others.
Scott
I've been down the road with the 222 , 6PPC , 204 and most of the Short Mags . And they have all shot great . Also the 260 REM has been a great performer accuracy and killing wise for me in the past . Granted my experience with all these has been with jacketed bullets .
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BUT please post data we like lots of data...Scott
I've been trying for a couple years now to get someone to try my 32-20 load.
Stuff as much H-322 in there as will fit (lightly compressed) with any jacketed or cast bullet between 85 and 120 grains.
Yeah, it will leave some unburned powder in the barrel but I've shot over a hundred rounds (over a week long period) between cleanings without accuracy falling off.
It will give you 1200-1400 fps out of a 22” barrel, depending on the bullet.
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I've been trying for a couple years now to get someone to try my 32-20 load.
Stuff as much H-322 in there as will fit (lightly compressed) with any jacketed or cast bullet between 85 and 120 grains.
Yeah, it will leave some unburned powder in the barrel but I've shot over a
My buddy Bob Mills pet load for the 357 mag in a singleshot Ruger rifle is all the 4198 the case will hold with a 250g bullet long seated.More powder goes out the barrel than burns<G> and it only goes 950 fps,but will shoot into 1” much of the time.
George
"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!
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Ha! Thats my .44 Magnum/leveraction/cast bullet load!
Intersting how people come up with these weird combinations miles apart.I'd never think of it.
George
"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!
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KenK, I just happen to have 50 fired Starline cases and about 2 oz. of H322 left. I will try your load. I worked with AA2200 surplus when it was available, and it had lots of unburned powder, but accuracy was very poor. I'm kind of assuming that you are using SR Mag primers? Ric
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I have never used magnum primers. I mostly use cci small rifle primers but have tried pistol primers which didn't make any noticeable difference.
BTW, I do not crimp. The powder will keep the bullet from pushing back into the case.
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This is what looks to be a good load that I just lucked into. I bought the Blue Dot for another project, it didn't work for that so I tried in in the Marlin 44 magnum. It is a load Alliant has published for the 44-40. Saeco 429 10 grains Blue Dot.
Shot with a rest at 50 yards with aperture sights, front and rear.
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I came across two loads Brian Pierce had published in “Handloader” awhile back .
One is for the 32-20 , the Lyman 311316 with 12.5 grains of H-110 . I hope to give this one a try on paper before uhmm hunting season gets here .
Also in the 32 H&R MAG , the Lyman 311316 bullet with 11 grains of H-110 .
He claims the 32-20 load will be about 1900 fps in a 24” barreled rifle . And his data for the 32 MAG was shot in a SIngle Six and he says 1200 fps , so if I shoot that load in my little Marlin 1894CB that is 32 H&R MAG and has a 20” pipe I expect it to be over 1600 fps .
.>
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My brother has one. Basic load is 3.5 grs. of Bullseye in Starline brass with WSP primer, soft bullets from 98 to 120 grs. at 10-12 BHN sized .314” with Lee Liquid Alox, Saeco #322, #325, Lyman #3118, RCBS 32-98SWC, NEI #82 plainbase all work fine.
Velocity runs 1000 or so in a revolver and 1250 in the rifle. Inch groups at 25 yards with irons in the Marlin and 2 inches or less with the revolver and my old eyeballs.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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I shoot many of the same calibers in my T/C Contender Pistols as my Marlin Lever guns use.
30/30, 444 Marlin and 45-70. So these are the most versatile rilfe and pistol rounds for me.
Hoepefully soon I will have my T/C 35 Remington Barrel in, I sent it to be “Magna Ported".
Jerry
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That's what I like to see, ---a well manicured thumb:cool:
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I vote for the 44 Special. I have a 1930-built S&W 2nd Hand Ejector that will shoot far better than I can hold with just about any sane load.~AMMOe
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I am very fond of the 38/357 family. Recoil is moderate, accuracy is high pending the gun. I have had some wicked groups at 25 yds with 158 gr SWC and H-Universal, both in revolver and TC Contender. Thats with hunting loads. I have not tried a reduced target load that's not pushing the bullet to max pressure. I think for all around shooting though the 429 diam. rounds win for energy, accuracy and BC. They get it done in all categories very well.
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