Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers Marlin 1895GBL 45-70

I have a new favorite gun...grin

Had a 1970s vintage Marlin 1895 long ago (straight grip, micro-groove) but gave it to a friend over 20 years ago. Been wanting to get back in the 45-70 business for a while, and made it happen yesterday.

Went in to Capital Sports in Helena, and found this 1895GBL,




18.5" bbl, ballard rifling, 1/20 twist, lami' stock, pistol grip, big loop, decelerator pad, 6-round magazine.

I only needed about 2 seconds to make up my mind.

This morning I loaded up some 405gr hardcast over 16gr Unique for about 1280 fps, 28K lbs-psi (per Quickload). I just took it out in the yard and put a few rounds into a 25 yard target for a function check. Smooth all around.


I'll probably plus it up with XS or Skinner sights, but I'm really tickled with this rifle. I didn't even know this was a factory model, didn't see it on the website. But it is out there.

Nice lookin' rifle. The laminate stock with checkering is very attractive to the eye, and the pistol grip stock, in some people's opinions, including mine, help with recoil. The large loop lever is very practical, especially since it looks like it might be a little on the cool side where you are.

If that thing holds seven rounds, won't that add about 4 pounds in weight? (grin)

I have a standard GG, but before I ever fired it, I replaced the factory rear sight with a Williams FP. I have also replaced the factory stocks with Brockman's laminate stocks, which have a higher comb and a much better recoil pad. This helped calm the recoil considerably.

One thing I did was disable the safety. I don't know your opinion of them on a lever, but I have used levers for 40 years, and have never taken to them on levers. I simply removed the rear stock and tightened the screw that supplies tension to the detent spring until it was bottomed. The safety is still there, and would be functional in a few minutes if so desired.

I took two deer with it this year, and overall, I am very happy with the rifle.

You will enjoy that rifle. Other than the fact that the recoil makes for shorter shooting sessions, I really have a time with mine.

They're available in 30-30 as well. Marlin doesn't list them, but the GBLs just came out. I put up a post a month or two back about the 1895 and 336 GBLs. I want a 336GBL real bad.

Shane,

Quick! Change hands. You're holding that thing on the wrong side.

Nice rifle, BTW.

That is one cool looking rifle!

The stainless Marlins with the black pepper laminate never did anything for me, especially the XLR with that long barrel. But that one definitely looks great.

Bet with that short barrel and the way the mag is attached it shoots good, too.

Good score.

Shane,

Very nice! I like that better than the stainless version with the tacticool rail on it. I would like to see that that brown laminate stock avaialble on the XLR.

How are the edges on the inside of that large loop lever?

Keith

What, still no love for the rail ? It looks a lot less silly once the scout scope is mounted.

I do like the look of the GBL. I'm honestly not sure which I would have if they were introduced together. Most likely the first I found in either form.

George

I want the 30-30 now, but I don't have the $450...damn.

Keith, they are ok, not sharp.

George,

Still no love for the rail........

I'll bring my XLR to the Texas hog hunt!

Marlin also has a 1895STBL out. It has a walnut stock w/ pistol grip, stainless steel receiver & bbl and a (BL) big loop.

Just another option for all the 45-70 nuts.

Are they going to come out with a straight grip big loop lever? I want to retrofit by 1st year GG with the lever, won't need the longer tube as I want to cut the ported section off.

I've done a little tweaking on this rifle. I really considered Skinner or XS irons, but wanted some elevation correction to play at long range. Soooo,

Put a Warne 20 moa picatinny rail on the receiver, mounted a VXIII 1.5-5x20 with turrets in Seekins rings, and removed the iron sights.

Makes a pretty clean package, with enough elevation adjustment to get her out past 500 yards.

Shane, there is another option for a rear sight that works nicely. IF you want to shoot medium hard cast (better IMHO), and keep the velocity around 1300, Buff Arms sells a Smith barrel sight. Ladder style similar to an Alexander Henry. Short or long staff. Plenty of adjustment for shooting up to 800 yards. That is one FINE lookin' bullet launcher ya got there!!!!

Now that is a loony's rifle. A short barreled 45-70 equipped for 500 yard shooting.

Those buffalo herds milling about just out of range again?

I'll look into that down the road.

The initial load I've put together is a cast 405gr at about 1250 fps via 16 gr Unique. Im guessing 60-70 moa correction to 500 yards, but haven't tried it yet. Kinda waiting for snow to melt off a bit so I can get out to my favorite shooting spot without getting the truck stuck.

How'd ya know????.......grin

veddy nice rig!

Shane, I havent seen that since you got the rail and the turret on the 1.5-5...

Eccentric but




Ingwe

Once I made the mental leap to leave "traditional" behind, it was all downhill.....grin

I'm really liking it.

But what will it do with RL17? (grin)

That is the best looking lever gun I've seen in a long while....

B-b-b-b-b-bad to the b-b-b-b-b-bone!

I worked up a load with my guide gun, hard cast and 12 gr unique that shot point of aim with my full power load and no recoil. I may have to use it as a youth load for the kids. I just need that big loop lever (for me).

Took the GBL out today for some range play at 100 and 350 yards.

Load was:
Rimrock 405gr cast
16 gr Unique
CCI 200
R-P brass

Load clocked right at 1300 fps (1280-1300 fps at 15').

At 100 yards I put six rounds downrange from prone with a front rest. Five went into a 4.5" group, and one keyholed about 3" further out at 7-oclock.

I figured stability must be marginal with the keyhole, but went out to 350 yards anyway, on the 15x25" steel. Cranked 30 moa on the scope, and the first round was a (lucky) hit. I fired five more and they were all over the place, off steel. Literally had a 'beaten zone' probably six feet in diameter. They must have all been tumbling.

Had another 38 rounds to expend and did so just fooling around plinking at rocks and stuff.

So, looks like I need to speed up these 405s some to get stability. Barrel twist is 1/20". Anybody have insights regarding minimum velocity to get good stabilization with 405 cast out of a 1/20 bbl? Or does this seem like an issue with the bullet?

Shane, do you have a pic of the bullet itself??? 1:20 should stabilize that slug pretty well. The old buffler guns had a 1:18 and they did fine with 550 grain slugs. Alloy?? Sizing?? I've shot half a trainload of cast slugs from 405/420 up to 545 grains and with smokeless powder sizing is more to be looked at.

The Bullet is a .458" Rimrock. Pretty hard. I'm not too familiar with them but they were on hand locally so figured I'd give them a whirl.
http://www.rimrockbullets.net/catal...duct_info&cPath=2&products_id=72


I've also got some Oregon Trail Laser Cast 405gr, .459" that I haven't tried yet.

I've never had any stability issues with 420 to 430 grain bullets in my Marlin, but I have been running them 1650 to 1800 fps.

Hmmm, sometimes if a cast bullet is too hard it will skid on the rifling and completely lose their accuracy. I have NO experience with a slug that is of that configuration. Very nearly smooth sided with one grease groove. Darn near a paper patch slug. Just about all of the bullets I cast for velocities in that range are about 20:1 lead/tin. Paper patch 30:1. Shane, PM Hawk1. He is very experienced with cast slugs and what works well and why.

I'm getting some good info over at Marlin Owners too. The sentiment over there is it's not a twist issue, but obturation, or inadequate lube.

I was kind of skeptical of the single lube groove myself. And I did get a lot of leading near the chamber. Scrubbing that stuff out now.

nice looking rig. Let us know about the Laser cast loads when you try them. I have a couple boxes of Missouri Bullet Co "Buffalo" 405's that are listed at .458 that shoot pretty well out of the last 1895 I stupidly sold a while back.

I have been using H4198 for my 45-70 loads for a little while but haven't tried Unique yet mostly because of waiting on building a shed to set up the reloading kit again.

Any chance of getting a weight check on your rifle setup???

Be safe
Patty

Shane, is your rifle new enough to have a deep cut rifled barrel or is it a microgroove?? Sizing is the critical key if micro groove. The Ballard style rifling is a lot more forgiving of sizing as it was the original lead bullet,blackpowder rifling. It sounds like the slug WAS "skidding".

Rifle weighs about 8.5 lbs with scope and mounts.

It's a Ballard rifled barrel. Yes it's brand new, just picked it up about a month ago.

what mold for marlin 1895 45/70? [Re: hornsurgeon]
Otter
Campfire Regular

Registered: 10/14/06
Posts: 857
Loc: born and reared in NEBRASKA -c... I have had good luck, like sharpsman, with the Lyman 457193. It is "advertized" as a 405 gr FNRP bullet and will vary in weight depending upon what alloy you use. I have cast them with wheel weight lead and both 30:1 and 40:1 lead:tin mix. My 30:1 bullets weigh in at 414 gr +/-. The 1895 CB (well, mine anyhow) really likes this bullet and is accurate with both smokeless and BP. The Ballard-type rifling in the 1895 does well with the lead alloy bullets. Plus, this bullet will shoot well out of


Thread further down on this forum. Jim

Thanks for all the info and pics on here - I have been eyeballin' a Marlin 1895 in some configuration for a long time now. All my brothers shoot some variation of the Guide Gun, so I kinda felt let out, and that to get one like I wanted I would have to put some extra $ in for a stock, pad, loop and extended mag. But, then Marlin goes and builds the 1895GBL - found one on gunsamerica for $565 shipped and it was all over...

It arrives in less than a week!!!
Very excited-

Nice looking rifle. Kinda looks small when your holding it.

dang I thought I was taking a breather buying rifles.


perhaps I should sell one of my .45/70 GG's?????


Naaaah, I've two boys, someone would end up with hurt feelers.


my biggest fear is it would be me

Walked into the local gun shop on friday afternoon looking for a box of bullets. Did'nt find the bullets I was looking for but I did find a brand new 1895GBL. This is the first one that I have seen and I was impressed. I was so impressed,that I was back 15 min. later to trade my 1895GG for the GBL. I always liked the guide gun but it needed some upgrade to make it the ultimate BOAR BUSTER. Finally Marlin to the hint and made the GG that they should have made the first time around. I had taken my XS sights off of the GG before I traded it and installed them on the GBL. Of to the range yesterday with the ammo that was loaded for the GG. I did'nt even have to adjust the XS sights. It shoots exactly where the GG did. It just does'nt get any easier than that. I was shooting a healthy load of IMR-4198, pushing a 350gr. cast round nose bullet. The biggest change that I did notice was now it is enjoyable to sit at the bench and shoot 40 rds. in a afternoon of shooting. It was love at first sight and now after shooting it, this one has found a home.

Just picked my new GBL up from the FFL today - I am loving it.
It has a great fit and finish of all the parts - way more comfortable feeling to me than my brothers 1895G. The biggest surprise was the trigger - breaks very cleanly at 4.8lbs on my scale. Should get some shootin' in this coming week - very excited!

A little update on the GBL,

In a flash of good judgement, I decided to drop the scope from the GBL, and put on a set of XS iron sights. Me being me, the natural instinct was to try to make it into a LR precision rig, which it was never intended to be.

Anyhoo, this gets it back to being an easy carrying gun that will hit hard within 150 yards or so, without a lot of fanfare....which is what I wanted in the first place....

Nice sights!.......Cabelas in Billings, MT has an 1895GBL 45-70 on the rack for sale. I ordered mine off GB and then Cabelas gets one in - never fails!...I picked mine up from the FFL yesterday. Still havn't fired a round yet!

I must have an 1895GBL, awesome looking gun with the XS irons!

I really like the XS sights I have on mine. They are very quick. Makes a good bear gun, moose gun, elk gun...... I think you are set. Nice package over all.

Hey, I popped onto this forum to see if I could find any info on the new GBL. Shane, thanks for posting the pics. Thats one of the best looking rifles marlin has put out. I'm sold, I've gotta have one. I noticed that they are also putting it out with a black and grey stock, does anyone have any pics?

Thanks!

I haven't seen a blued model with the black/grey stock, but it HAS to be a looker.

There was one on Gunbroker - sold for $650 (about $70-$100 more than the blued/walnut ones).

This link will work for a while (after sale):

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=168351740

The STP models have me looking as well!

Here's a current blued/gray laminate:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=169351048

And an STP:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=169431511

Oh ya, that stp looks pretty good too. How are the factory triggers on these newer marlins?

That rifle is "doing a little something for me". Last time I had this feeling was before I bought my 1951 Savage M99 EG in .300 S.

Expat

I haven't seen one either but in my search for an 1895GBL I was told by a dealer that he would have a better chance of getting me one with the grey/black stock because it was a special order. So if anyone's interested......................................
I've ended up going with an 1895G. That's what my SIL wants.

I gather (from Marlin Owners forum) the blue version with black/grey lami is known as the 1895ABL.

GBL or ABL. I WISH I could afford one but done blew my stash for a while.

Something to note for those who haven't seen one in person. The laminated stock is very thick in the forend and pistol grip and it's kind of heavy.

Not a criticism of the rifle, it balances well and I think that thickness and weight are an advantage in the .45-70 as they give you something to hold onto and will mitigate the recoil a bit.

The local Sportsman's Warehouse has one in .45-70 and also a 336BL model in .30-30. The .30-30 model definitely seems overly heavy for what I thought it was going to be, a fast handling lightweight model.

Still like this configuration a lot. In my experience this method of magazine attachment really helps with accuracy or at least makes it real easy to tweak for accuracy.

Yes the stock is fairly substantial. Some over on Marlin Owners have worked theirs down a tad.

I'll be leaving mine as is. Like you say Jim, it gives plenty to hold on to with the heavier 45-70 loads....grin

Well,I ordered a 1895G for $538.48 out the door. Shop owner had 1 box of Remington 405gr ammo I bought.................$40.
SIL done broke me. LOL

Shane,

Do you have a link to the Marlin Owners site?

Thanks,

Richard

http://www.marlinowners.com/

Shane, according to my wife you owe us $600



I don't know what to tell you, she blames you.

I tried to cover for ya, well sorta.


just came off the river today to resupply and go to the funeral service for our 85 year old cabin neighbor and when I got cell service had a message from SW as they'd taken my name down and got one in.

we're on the scramble here to get gas, beer and soda and juice for the boys.

so I called her office manager as they're just a few doors down and told her to go buy it for us!

hope it went smooth.

speaking of smooth, the river was low going down and LOWER coming out, bet we ran in 3-4 inches of water in places and threading the needle with all the bullchit exposed in the water.

dropped a 90 ft. spruce that was leaning way over the cabin this morning, dropped right between her outhouse and the cabin, I'd rather be lucky than good. glad I was lucky.

hope we have a new rifle to pick up on Monday.

oh and yes Shane she said a check is fine


is it in the mail?

Check's in the mail......grin

Shane, That GBL with the XS sights is just plain sexy.

That will be my next rifle purchase. I had a regular 1895G a few years back with a set of XS sights on it. Had to sell it durring a rough year. I watched the popularity of the custom 1895s grow and figured sooner or later Marlin would get on the bandwagon and start producing them from the factory. Sure enough it finally happened!

I've actually shot the custom 1895 of Reflex264's from marlinowners which is what Marlin based their 1895SBL off of. His was put together by Brockman.

That GBL is one sweet hunting machine, both with the XS sights and with a low power variable like the 1.5x5 you had. However I find the big turret a bit odd, but that's what us looneys do right?

Congrats on a great gun. For quality hardcast hunting bullets I can reccomend www.beartoothbullets.com

Matt, the 1.5-5x20 with turrets wasn't purpose-built for the 45/70. I just had in on hand so rolled with it mostly to evaluate potential of the rifle. That scope is back on an AR15 again, and that's a good fit.

The GBL with XS is a nice utilitarian setup. I think of it sorta like a plussed-up handgun. Hits harder, and with better precision. Pretty good out to 150-200 yards with the XS, and me driving. If I'm just ouit walking around I now often carry the 45/70, instead of a handgun. Without the scope it's too easy to just grab by the receiver and carry along.

Shane, I am curious if you determined the problem with your earlier long range shooting. Was it twist related or bullet diameter or what? I would like to get the same gun but in stainless steel and the grey laminate stock. Rufous.

Well, I believe it was a bullet diameter issue, compounded by a rough bore.

The 1/20 twist should provide good stability even below 1000 fps with 500+ gr bullets.

The bore was rasping off lead like crazy, and same with copper. So, I fire-lapped the barrel. It shoots pretty good with jacketed 405's at 1500 fps (2 moa via XS ghost ring sights), and I have loaded up some soft low velocity (about 1200 fps) cast bullet loads to try out. I'm curious if the leading issue is reduced by the firelapping. I think it will be, but the proof will be in the pudding.

What a drag that you had to go through that. Seems they ought to provide a smooth bore. I will be interested in hearing how your cast bullets do. I would most likely use a 400+/- grain hard cast bullet for big game. I have a 45 Colt in a Ruger Bisley and it has done just fine on a couple black bears with a 335 grain and 345 grain hard cast bullets at 1200 fps. I am guessing I could get about 1800 fps with the 45-70 and 400 grain bullets, maybe 1900?

1800 fps with a 400gr cast seems pretty universal in the Marlins. I haven't gone that far myself. At 1500 fps recoil is still pleasant with the decelerator pad, and I think it would punch through most anything around these parts.

I have a bunch of the Oregon Trail laser cast 405s that I'll be loading for all around use.

That is one great setup there!! I am thinking very seriously about that exact setup for a bear and all around good tight cover gun. Great rifle.

Shane, Don't know if they still offer it, but XS used to have a replacement aperture that was threaded to accept the Williams Guide inserts. Bought a couple of the twilight models that were smaller than the XS ghost ring size and they are quite nice for longer range shooting with the 45/70. When I want the full ghost ring, I just unscrew the insert and good to go. Al

acy, thanks for the info, I'll look around.

I could probably tap one of mine, it came with two apertures.

Sweet set up, I have the rifle, just didn't know weather or not to go with a scope or ghost ring iron sights? Old age is creepin up on me and having trouble picking up the sights with my eyes!

If XS doesn't still have them available, I would highly recommend tapping one to fit the Williams insert. Al

Now yer talkin'.

The firelapping did the trick. Ran some soft cast bullets and some 405 jacketed today. No leading, and no excessive copper fouling.