This picture, for me, shows the biggest difference between my Marlins and the RG.
The round on the left is loaded specifically for this rifle, 2.420" OAL. The one on the right is for my "G" with an OAL of 2.550", both loaded rounds using the bullet I designed for the 1895. The RG's brass had to be trimmed back to accommodiate the oversize cast bullet because the RG's chamber is cut to the SAAMI spec without all the airspace that Marlin has been cutting in their chambers.
Let me offer some details of the SAAMI spec, the Marlin cut and then the RG cut.
SAAMI lists the following:
Chamber length/diameter - 2.011" (+/- .015)/.465" (+/- .002)
Bore: .457" (+/- .002)
Groove: .450 (+/- .002)
Step: .069" at 12°45'.There is no throat,lead, or freebore.
The 1895G, from my chamber impressions:
Chamber length/diameter - 2.100" (+.089" vs. SAAMI)/.483" (+.018" vs. SAAMI)
Groove: .457"
Bore: .450
Step: This is where the Marlin really varies from SAAMI. The step is .050" at 12°79' but then they throw in .10" of freebore and another .1451" of throat at 1°5'. for a total length of .745" (+.676" vs. SAAMI). Because of the start diameter, this creates a huge gap of airspace around a SAAMI spec bullet that must be filled with ogive length and additional diameter, hence my .460" bullets.
The RG45-70, from my chamber impressions:
Chamber length/diameter - 2.102" (+.002" vs. SAAMI)/.463" (-.02" vs. SAAMI)
Groove: .457"
Bore: .445" (.005" deeper cut)
Step: .073 at 4°70' (+.676" vs. SAAMI)
This said, the ammunition I have was custom made to fit the oversized Marlin chamber. It does not fit well and must be forced in the chamber. For cast bullet shooting this cartridge needs a .458" or .459" at the greatest. Heavy bullets will need to have the brass trimmed to meet the chamber requirements. The SAAMI spec is based on 300-grain or 405-grain bullet. The two rounds of factory ammo I had on hand, WW 300-grain JHP, went from tube to chamber and out like poop through a goose.
Cast shooters should be extremely pleased with the chamber cut. What this means is that you can actually buy the typical cataloged mold and it is going to work and work well. If Rossi started to clone the Marlin lineup, my cast bullet business would be in trouble as I have bullets cut because a manufactured ventured from the spec.
On another note, the action on this rifle is extremely smooth except at the point that the lever starts to close moving the bolt back against the upper radius of the hammer. There is a bit of a hang up there that takes some effort to get across. The hammer actually moves up ever so slightly as it starts to rotate with the bolts forward movement exerting an upward pressure against the lower surface of the bolt. With the bolt in this fully aft and unsupported position it is binding ever so slightly as it tries to achieve alignment with the matching surfaces of the receiver. That concerns me for a couple of reasons that I will get into a little later today. I also have quite a few innards pictures that I would like to comment on but it is time to take my granddaughter to school. I will leave you with this, I remain very happy with the Rossi offering as it is what a carbine should be, lightweight and easy on the carry.
DP