I recently bought a new Marlin 1894 in 45 LC. My main match rifle is a '66 in 38, but I needed a rifle that would work for B Western and Wild Bunch, so the Marlin got the nod.
Right from the get go I've had problems cycling rounds. It's always the first one out of the tube, regardless of how many are in it; 2, 5, or 10. The first one out jams up. Now I'm not a gunsmith, so I'm probably not going to explain this correctly, but it seems like the cartridge is not being lifted high enough to go into the chamber. I have to loosen the lever, which releases the cartridge, then /I tighten the lever back up, fire the round in chamber, and the rest of them feed just fine, every single time.
I've used a number of different types of cartridges, both factory and reloads, plus once the first one out of the tube is dealt with it works smoothly, so I can't see how it's an ammo issue.
I'm wondering if this sounds familiar to anyone, and if so what did you do about it? I called Marlin, and they referred me to a repair facility in my area that has a terrible rep. I don't want to take it to these guys if at all possible.
Thanks, JD
I did not know there was a gunsmithing forum; had I known I would have posted this there.