One thing that I failed to mention… Jim’s .45-70 Marlin was crazy smooth. The action felt like a Henry Goldenboy, it was so slick. None of the rough grittyness that is typical of a Marlin, in any caliber.
My own Marlins never felt half as good. My Rossi M92 .44 Mag feels really slick and smooth… But not like Jim’s. He’s been running Slipstream for a long time through that gun, letting it really work in. Mine will get that way eventually, given some more time. You feel the new Marlins we have at the store… Slipstream makes a new one feel just plain sad.
Marlin should be using Slipstream at the factory. Just saying. Because they would then be smoother than a Browning BLR…
A Marlin 1894 smoother than the BLR or a Henry? That would be nice. I mean I like the Marlin action but the Henry, the BLR and the Uberti 1873 clones are standards for smooth.
BTW, thank for reminding me I intended to try slipstream on my BLR…
Slipstreamed BLR would be pretty dang slick. Careful that it doesn’t go full auto! LOL!
I’ve been staring at the 45-70 Guide Guns for quite a while but there’s noe major drawback for me. If I get a 45-70, eventually, I’m going to end up playing with heavy cast bullets, black powder…maybe paper patches. I suspect black powder fouling would be a problem in the complex action. Black powder substitutes would take care of the corrosive side of the problem….do you have any experience with this? Am I making too big a deal of it?
What I need is a nice single shot – maybe an 1874 Shaprs action – for the black powder and the lever gun for modern loads but the budget doesn’t allow for it…
Much ado about nothing, my friend. Get one, shoot one. Love one.
Check out a Harrington & Richardson 1871 Buffalo Classic. A lot of rifle for the money, on a Handi-Rifle frame/action with a 32″ heavy round barrel & a schnabel forend. And it looks cool as hell.
Had one. It was good. But I’m not really big on single shots.
This reminded me to order some Slipstream for the Rossi 92 (24″ octagon barrel) in 45 Colt I ordered.
Hey George, do like Jim did. Toss some slipstream to it and work the heck outta the action while watching TV, playing on the internet or anything that doesn’t take your full concentration. He absolutely loves that gun, yet doesn’t get home/range time like he wishes he could and fondles it ALL the time. That is the secret to his. I really need to start doing the same to mine.
Yeah, I need to do that. Normally I practice speed reloads and clearing stoppages.
Caryn is right, I sit there and just work the hell out of the action.
It has probably 20 years of normal use.
It has Slipstream in every nook and cranny.
On a side note… it is now so slick, that I need to locktite red the screw holding the lever in.
No matter what I do, it starts to back out after a few dozen strokes.
For as slick and smooth as it works, I will take that trade off.
It was slick before, the Styx took it to a WHOLE new level.
Jim
Doesn’t take much to out due Browning’s BLR in my opinion. I’ve never been a fan of their ratchet like system. I’ll take a Marlin on Slipstream any day.
Amen.