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Marlin 1894

3K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  mark2734 
#1 ·
My brother bought a new Marlin 1894 in 44 Mag for deer hunting and brought it out today to fire it on my range. I will have to say this one of the sweetest little guns that I have had in my hands in a long time.

Anyway after shooting today he realized he's too old to shoot iron sights. So we ordered him bases, rings, and a scope today.

He knows nothing about guns. I will have to mount the scope and help him sight it in.

Would someone know the trajectory for this gun/cartridge combination? I think he wants zero at 100 yards. What would be POI at 25 and 50 yards?
 
#2 ·
I'm not really sure of the trajectory, but I'm thinking 100yds is about as far as a person would affectively use a 44 carbine at least for hunting. I'd sight it dead on at 50 and it should still be close at 25 and 100. You could still make hits out past 100 on a man size target with a little hold over.
 
#3 ·
I think 100 yards a bit far for 44 mag but am a rookie on this here. I'm going to try to talk him into dead on at 75 yards. I will have to explain the trajectory to him. If he moves back and forth on the range and the POI changes he will take me to task.
 
#6 · (Edited)
http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator

Ballistics Results - 44 Remington Magnum
RANGE (YARDS) VELOCITY (FPS) ENERGY (FT.-LB.) TRAJECTORY (IN) COME UP IN MOA COME UP IN MILS WIND DRIFT (IN) WIND DRIFT IN MOA WIND DRIFT IN MILS

Muzzle 1000 533 -1.5 0 0 0 0 0

50 980 512 3.8 -7.2 -2.1 0 0 0

100 962 493 0 0 0 0 0 0

150 944 475 -13.2 8.4 2.4 0 0 0

200 928 459 -36.1 17.2 5 0 0 0

250 913 444 -69.1 26.4 7.7 0 0 0

300 899 430 -112.5 35.8 10.4 0 0 0

350 885 417 -166.7 45.5 13.2 0 0 0

400 872 405 -232 55.4 16.1 0 0 0

450 859 393 -308.6 65.5 19 0 0 0

500 847 382 -397.4 75.9 22.1 0 0 0

One "Cheat Sheet" resource.

I have a Marlin 94 in .44 Rem Mag.

I typically use 22 grains of IMR 4227 sparked by WLPP's to push a 240 gr JHP and/or LRFN in both my Model 629 and in the Marlin Model 94.

I do not have a scope on the 94 though, so can't speak to zeroing it in.

I'd start at 25 yards though and zero it to get on the paper, then move to 50 yards and then 100. I'd set the "Zero" of the scope at 50 yards, then move out to 100 and find out how many clicks it takes to zero at 100 yards.

I'd then tape a "Cheat Sheet" on the side of the rifle and use it as a reference for known distance shooting.
 
#7 ·
He's not going to reload. And I simply don't have the time to reload for him. It's going to have to be plug and play for him. If I falter on POI regardless of the first sighting distance he will be suspect of everything that I do after that.

He has been educated from advertisements and not experience.
 
#8 ·
Then I'd suggest you buy ammunition for it (Winchester White Box 240 Gr JSP's) for example and with the scope mounted, zero it at 25 yards to get on paper, then follow the above posted to zero the rifle/scope combination in at 50 and 100 yards.

If you buy a quality scope that will consistently hold true, you can easily adjust up or down for known yardage.

For example and ONLY for an example:

Zeroed at 100 yards.

50 yard shot: Down 29 clicks if the scope adjusts in 1/4" increments.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Using Winchester White Box 240g soft points, you will get about 1600 fps from a 20" barrel. Using "Ballistics for iPad", if you zero at 100 yards you will be good out to 135 yards for whitetail or other medium sized game. Assuming a bore height of 1.5" below the scope (typical), the bullet will peak at +1.4" high at 75 yards, and drop 5" at 135 yards. Beyond 135 yards, the drop is excessive for hunting, but okay for shooting targets which don't bleed or run.

If you bore-sight the scope, start at 25 yards, where it should be adjusted to shoot high about 1/2", and work up to 100 yards. Bore sighting will barely put you on paper at 25 yards. Don't waste time starting further.
 
#10 ·
Killed an aoudad at 115yds with my Ruger 99/44 Deerfield carbine in 44mag. Had plenty of horsepower, so it will do well on larger northern whitetails. I didn't worry so much about holdover with a 100 yd zero. My son used the same rifle the next day on a cull 6 point at 65yds. Knocked that deer right over. Used 240gr Winchester WB JSP. I'm reloading for it now, but fell in love with that rifle after last year.
 
#11 ·
44 Mag out of a rifle has more then enough power to take a dear out to 175 yards. Remember out of a rifle your picking up between 300-400 fps in muzzle vel.

This also means MOST ballistics charts will not be usable because they're calibrated for handguns, with the lower muzzle vel AND lower sightline.

The only way to know for sure is to zero, at say 100, and then shoot groups at 25, 50 and 125. Then record the high/lower on something, say a laminated 3X5 card, and tape it to the stock for quick reference.
 
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