Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles lever action question

I've been pondering picking up another Marlin Cowboy .45-70. I've had a couple, good shooters. A question crossed my mind I hadn't considered when I owned one. They have a 26" barrel and a 9 round magazine. 9 rounds with 400 grain or heavier bullets is a lot of weight. Shooting them scoped they were sub MOA rifles. When I was doing that shooting, though, I never loaded the magazine, I always single fed from the side.

So my question is this ... with the long barrel, long magazine, has anyone ever tried shooting groups with the magazine full, then groups with the magazine empty, to see if the change in weight of the ammo in the magazine translates to a change in point of impact as the magazine empties?

Tom

I never tested in on a Browning 1886 reproduction that weighed 13 pounds fully loaded. I figured the chance of firing more than 3 rounds at an elk was pretty slim.The 3 elk I killed with it only took one. I usually only loaded 4-5 in it. The 13 pounds made it too hard to keep my saddle balanced when it was riding in a scabbard . One thing, if I cranked off full power loads, 400gr bullets or heavier with it fully loaded ,there was a marked difference in felt recoil vs when only shooting one at a time.

One of the members here (Muffin) did some work with one some years ago using 500 gr paper patch. As I recall he loaded some in the mag but I don’t know how many. It shot wee little groups.

Don't load it full. If you don't hit him with 3 rounds, those that follow will probably be wasted. You can reload it if you have to.

Those long magazines are fine for Indian fighting I suppose, but seem a bit excessive on a hunting rifle; a lot of extra weight with or without cartridges in them. Then, at the end of the day, you gotta crank them all back out and pick them up.