Aftermarket loading gate for marlin

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Aftermarket loading gate for marlin

Post by Mountlowcustoms » 14 Sep 2021, 3:27 am

Has anyone managed to track down a lightened loading gate for a marlin 1894, my .357 is a pain to load, I've seen a few in the states, but they say they won't ship to Australia...cheers.
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Re: Aftermarket loading gate for marlin

Post by boingk » 14 Sep 2021, 10:30 am

They're just a flat bit of spring steel covering the loading gate. Bending it or shimming the retaining screw will lighten it up.

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Re: Aftermarket loading gate for marlin

Post by bigrich » 15 Sep 2021, 12:17 pm

I’ve heard of shimming them . Do a google search and research it . There’s a lot of cluey yanks into the cowboy shooting who know all the tricks
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Re: Aftermarket loading gate for marlin

Post by Wm.Traynor » 15 Sep 2021, 3:24 pm

MarlinOwners.com would be my first port of call. Unless the OP has already tried :unknown:
From my reading only of that Forum, I recall talk of thinning the steel with a file but it was about making it narrower, not thinner. If the worst comes to the worst, you could join and ask the question.
Good Luck :thumbsup:
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Re: Aftermarket loading gate for marlin

Post by LawrenceA » 15 Sep 2021, 8:10 pm

I would suggest first you get a replacement.
Now is it really too stiff or do you damage your fingers?
Marlins can have sharp edges around the loading gate.
Once you have a spare you can either make the "spring" part narrower or thinner.
Narrower is easier but thinner is less likely to snap.
Whatever you do you need to keep the thinning consistent otherwise you risk causing a weak spot which will eventually cause failure.
Seriously take off half the material you think (not half the spring) you need to then try. It wont take much to take too much off.
Keep taking like half what you think you will need to until it works. Remember you do need enough resistance to ensure it pushes out of the way.
Also the retaining screw needs to be tight. If it unscrews the loading gate will not clear the loading gate and the action will jam.
One well placed shot is all it takes.
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Re: Aftermarket loading gate for marlin

Post by straightshooter » 16 Sep 2021, 8:31 am

LawrenceA wrote:I would suggest first you get a replacement.
Now is it really too stiff or do you damage your fingers?
Marlins can have sharp edges around the loading gate.
Once you have a spare you can either make the "spring" part narrower or thinner.
Narrower is easier but thinner is less likely to snap.
Whatever you do you need to keep the thinning consistent otherwise you risk causing a weak spot which will eventually cause failure.
Seriously take off half the material you think (not half the spring) you need to then try. It wont take much to take too much off.
Keep taking like half what you think you will need to until it works. Remember you do need enough resistance to ensure it pushes out of the way.
Also the retaining screw needs to be tight. If it unscrews the loading gate will not clear the loading gate and the action will jam.

I endorse everything you say.
But I would suggest the following be tried before any major surgery to the gate.
Lightly bevel the full inside edge, that has contact with the case rim, on the loading port in the receiver. Careful with this as you are only taking off the sharp edge that hangs up on the case rim and not noticeably rounding it.
Do the same with both the inside and outside leading edges of the loading gate again with the same caution.
You should find an improvement in ease of loading and fewer gouges on your brass.
Brass that has a sharp leading edge on the rim will still require greater effort.
Aside from the above there is a technique of using your index finger and thumb that seems to make the loading process feel easier and smoother. You might discover it by trying little variations in how you go about loading.
"Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about."
"There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking." Sir Joshua Reynolds
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Re: Aftermarket loading gate for marlin

Post by LawrenceA » 16 Sep 2021, 7:41 pm

straightshooter wrote:
LawrenceA wrote:I would suggest first you get a replacement.
Now is it really too stiff or do you damage your fingers?
Marlins can have sharp edges around the loading gate.
Once you have a spare you can either make the "spring" part narrower or thinner.
Narrower is easier but thinner is less likely to snap.
Whatever you do you need to keep the thinning consistent otherwise you risk causing a weak spot which will eventually cause failure.
Seriously take off half the material you think (not half the spring) you need to then try. It wont take much to take too much off.
Keep taking like half what you think you will need to until it works. Remember you do need enough resistance to ensure it pushes out of the way.
Also the retaining screw needs to be tight. If it unscrews the loading gate will not clear the loading gate and the action will jam.

I endorse everything you say.
But I would suggest the following be tried before any major surgery to the gate.
Lightly bevel the full inside edge, that has contact with the case rim, on the loading port in the receiver. Careful with this as you are only taking off the sharp edge that hangs up on the case rim and not noticeably rounding it.
Do the same with both the inside and outside leading edges of the loading gate again with the same caution.
You should find an improvement in ease of loading and fewer gouges on your brass.
Brass that has a sharp leading edge on the rim will still require greater effort.
Aside from the above there is a technique of using your index finger and thumb that seems to make the loading process feel easier and smoother. You might discover it by trying little variations in how you go about loading.

What he said :friends:
One well placed shot is all it takes.
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Re: Aftermarket loading gate for marlin

Post by Mountlowcustoms » 22 Sep 2021, 4:14 pm

Cheers for the replies guys, ill have a closer at the ideas mentioned
My 336 loads beautifully, maybe I just need more practice with this thing. Lol.
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