have i just been under a mushroom or has someone already converted a marlin 1895 to a 40-65 win?

if this has been done could someone help me with the details and why it wont work if it wont.

thanks
Ted

quote:

have i just been under a mushroom or has someone already converted a marlin 1895 to a 40-65 win?

if this has been done could someone help me with the details and why it wont work if it wont.

Befor a few years, I have had the same idea and told the same question. I mean it would be done. But I discarded the idea. In Germany toooo expensive.
I saw never a such converting.

Martin

Never done one but always thought it would be interesting. Basically the same case and cartridge length. Should feed slicker than goose poop too. If I were doing it, I'd specify .410 specs so that it could shoot all bullets made for the 41 Mag, jacketed and heavy (~265) cast. For deer, boar and even close range elk, that would work fine. Living in Alaska, you might have some other plans (critters that bite back). You could build it around the 411-300 bullet for the 405 Win but I think it would be straining things to get that one beyond 2000fps with 1900 being more realistic. I think a 220 jacketed at 2300 is realistic and 2100 with a 265 cast.

i like the 40 becouse it has the great lyman 400 gr cast and you dont have to push that very fast to have some real medicene for the critters to contend with. all that and hardly any recoil to boot. thats why the blackpowder boys shoot it at long range to knock over the pigs and such. and thay can shoot it accuratly for some 60 or 70 shots a day.

its is just a re-shaped 45-70 so the shell would fit with head dia. as well as length. i cant figure out why it hasnt been done is all.

I'm guessing it's economics and bigger is better...and the fact that the 40 cal never really got started in this country...think about the 41 Magnum...GREAT shooter but Dirty Harry came along and you know men....and the 400 "Whelen"...another great cartridge.

Why bother with a 40 cal when you can have a 444 or 45-70 at the same price, with bigger and "better" everything.

And then there is the 416...not all that bigger but a much better selection of components...several iterations on that cal have been done for cast bullets in the 1895.

Why not a "40 Alaskan", "416 Alaskan" "40/416 WSM" etc...maybe no one has started the ball rolling????

Luck

You're never going to get "the great Lyman 400 cast" in a lever acceptable cartridge. You have ~.5" of exposed bullet (outside the case) to work with.

The 40-348 improved and regular has been done. A great cart imho.

Working on a few ideas as seen in the 1886 repo thread.

quote:

Originally posted by FOOBAR:
I'm guessing it's economics and bigger is better...and the fact that the 40 cal never really got started in this country...think about the 41 Magnum...GREAT shooter but Dirty Harry came along and you know men....and the 400 "Whelen"...another great cartridge.

Why bother with a 40 cal when you can have a 444 or 45-70 at the same price, with bigger and "better" everything.

And then there is the 416...not all that bigger but a much better selection of components...several iterations on that cal have been done for cast bullets in the 1895.

Why not a "40 Alaskan", "416 Alaskan" "40/416 WSM" etc...maybe no one has started the ball rolling????

Luck

A friend who shoots the lever action cowboy matches did one a couple years ago. The issue is that the original was an "Express" cartridge. The factory loaded a 265gr bullet. He used an 18" twist and .41 magnum bore and groove barrel, and was limited to light(er) weight round nose or truncated cone bullets and even his Brooks mould was only about 380 grains. Nice brushpopper, but about like a .444 Marlin for power. Two years, and he put the original .45-70 barrel back on.

Rich

I think the 40-65 gets into that "specialized" or "I wonder..." catagory. Lots of good shooters on both sides of the caliber range...most easier to work with overall.

I was making a sideways reference to the "already been done" aspect with my "40/416 Alaskan" blurb, Boomy.

I worked up a design on the WSM/RUM case to do a barrel for my Marlin but never got around to doing it. James Gates has a very nice 416 designed for use with long cast bullets with a long neck to support the bullet fully. My design was for jacketed bullets and wasn't anything more than necking up the WSM case to 416...which has "already been done" also, not long after the WSM case came out...."44 WSM" is out there also.

There is a very nice "450 Yukon" that is nothing but a simple neck up and rechamber, that works even better than the 348 case, in the Marlin 450M, as you don't have to deal with that large 348 case rim or muck about with any fancy machine work. The WSM can be necked to just about any caliber you want. One of the simplest rechambers you could ask for. The reamer(s) is available at PT&G.

All the information is avaiable online...just have to search for it.

Lots of ways to get a 40 cal if you really want one and if you want to handle a longer cartridge in a levergun the 1886 and 1895 Win are always available.

Luck

Hi Ted
I rebarrled a 45 70 marlin and a 33 win 1886 with green mountain barrels with no problem. Go for it, no modificaation of the action ,s was necessary.
Octagon on the marlin
Round barrel on the 86.
By the way they are both incredibly accurate with 330 flat nose bullets.
I only use black powder loads.
Have fun BB

PS the winchester has rung the 500 yard gong many times

Hi Ted

Forgot to mention both are in 40-65 Win,
I didn,t ruin a good Win 86 someone had reblued her and the barrel was toast.
The marlin was an old microgroove barrel,I couldn,t get lead to shoot very well, so, 40-65

cheers BB

thanks all. i been setting on me laurels for awhile and this is exactly the nudge i needed to get my brain to working again.

why 40/65??? well its kinda a loner for one and i like a down n outter to vote for . kinda the rambo/rocky thing...cant stand the actor but the message is well endorsed. 40/65 winny is just calling my name and black powder along with the heaviest bullet i can cast n stuff into the cart would just be the ticket. the 409-410 cal should be the cats meow and im betting i could load the lyman 400 in the case if i get a crimp groove that meassures .400 from the crimp to the nose. im going to use a 95...444m gun for the conversion and they are just a little longer then the 45/70 case and "coal". the diff head dia should be a snap going bigger rather then smaller.

any thoughts further would be apreciated. such as is there a better barrel then the green mountain barrel thats available?

thanks all

Ted

Hi Ted

Green mtn barrels are excellent, with my 86 I can hit the 500 meter gong offhand . My buddies wouldn't believe that it can be done with a lever action, so, I loaded her up and they did it also .
Now they are believers!

If you use the 444 marlin just open the bolt face to accept the 45-70 size rim. Enjoy with black powder, that is all I use,
Cheera Rob