Re-barrel Marlin 45 Colt

[jwhite]

I have a Marlin 24" 45 Colt which I really like but it is blessed with a grossly over sized chamber and I have been toying around with the idea of having it re-barreled or may be cut back and re-chambered. I was wondering if any one else has done something similar and if so who did the work and were you happy with the results
Jerry

[Nobade]

Can't cut them back because of all the dovetails and such, but rebarrel to either 45 colt or 38 or 44 WCF would work fine.

I have one of those rifles as well, and just shoot it with .457" bullets. I made a bigger expander ball, and only "neck size" the cases. Doing this, the large chamber isn't a big deal and it is super accurate. My ammo looks a bit strange, like a 44 wcf, but works great.

[beagle]

Having rebarrelled several Marlins for a faster twist, it would probably be to your advantage to sell/trade at a gun show and start all over again with a new Marlin and hope for a better chamber.

You're looking at barrel cost here plus fitting and chambering and dovetails are about $25 each these days and then there's wood fitting and blueing.

By now, we're talking $500 in parts/gunsmithing.

The good side is that you end up with what you want./beagle

[izzyjoe]

i agree with beagle it's real pricey to rebarrel a marlin levergun. cause they have alot of work to do, it's not as easy as boltgun. there is a shank and the extractor groove to be cut, plus cutting the threads. adds up quick. you could sell the gun or trade it for somethin' else or live with it, or spend the coin and barrel it.

[Bullshop]

Wanna sell it or trade it ?

[Mumblypeg]

Can't cut them back because of all the dovetails and such, but rebarrel to either 45 colt or 38 or 44 WCF would work fine.

I have one of those rifles as well, and just shoot it with .457" bullets. I made a bigger expander ball, and only "neck size" the cases. Doing this, the large chamber isn't a big deal and it is super accurate. My ammo looks a bit strange, like a 44 wcf, but works great.

I got one also. I shoot boolits sized to .452 but man the chamber is big. I neck size as well, looks like a 38-40. It does shoot good though.

[Jon K]

Reline the barrel.

[Pepe Ray]

jwhite, check your P.M.'s

[hickstick_10]

bore out chamber for a sleeve, then rechamber? Its such a low pressure cartridge (unless your feeding it ruger fodder) that it probably work just fine

[jwhite]

I have been neck sizing for this rifle for a while and every time I look at the funny looking cases it gets me thinking about re-barreling, I have lived with it for this long I guess I will just keep it the way it is unless I stumble into a pile cash. I really like the rifle and it shoots just fine now so it would hard to justify spending big money to re-barrel it. I did look at David Clements site last night just to get a rough idea of cost and it shook me back into reality, though I would love to send that rifle to him. I did order one of new Ranch Dog 45 Colt group buy molds and am looking fwd. to trying it out soon.

Thanks for the info,
Jerry

[missionary5155]

Good morning Jwhite
As mentioned above Get a chamber throat measurement and use the proper diameter boolit.
My 44-40 SRC Winchester rounds look near straight wall cartriges. They are .433 in diameter and they shoot fine.
Until I got a mold of proper size down here I used my bench vise to Sqeeze .428 bullets up to the near proper size then pushed them through a reamed piece of 3/8 pipe to size then. They shot surprizingly well out to 70-75 yards. But them by the time they get to the muzzle they have been barrel swaged to .429.
Everone should start life with a muzzleloader. You learn real fast to fill the bore with a snug fitting projectile. And today is no different. Undersize cast boolets propelled by smokeless powder just are not going to be accurate.

[StrawHat]

Reline the barrel.

Good idea.

Not as expensive as rebarreling and you can change twist etc. if that is wanted.

[bdoyle]

Don't remember where I came across it but I read that the chambers are oversize to allow the cartridge to feed smoothly. I have had 2 rossi and two Marlins that seemed to be very large as compaired to my revolvers.
Brian