Things To Consider Before Buying A New Marlin Loading Gate

Everyone has their own passion on which they can spend hours tinkering till they have something they can call their own. Some guys modify cars, some showcase their green thumb with intricate gardens, others go on long weekend hunting trips and hence have customized hunting gear.

For the uninitiated, a rifle would be a long-barrelled firearm where you press a trigger to fire the bullet inside. For a proud rifle owner, the rifle is their fruit of labor, and each part inside is modified or replaced to serve a specific purpose. One of the lesser-known parts of any rifle is the loading gate and you need to consider certain factors before buying a new Marlin Loading Gate.

Parts of a rifle

The most basic parts of any firearm are:

1. the action: The moving parts that accept a bullet, load it and fire it.
2. the stock: The support system for propping the rifle against the shooter and helping them counteract the recoil.
3. the barrel: A hollow metallic chamber that has grooves to channel the projectile and guide it in the right direction.

Delving forward, the action of the rifle can be broken down further into smaller components:

1. The Trigger: A curved piece of metal that you press with your finger to initiate the chain reaction to fire a bullet. People sometimes replace it with a flat trigger.
2. The Hammer: The mechanism attached to the trigger that is set off the trigger is pressed. The purpose of the hammer is to strike the base of the bullet with enough force to cause combustion inside the chamber.
3. The Bolt: A rod connected to the hammer that ejects the spent bullet casing and applies tension on the hammer to fire again, when you manually pull it back.
4. The Lifter: The mechanism that pushes a new bullet into the chamber when the spent one is ejected by the bolt.
5. The loading gate: It is a spring trap door that is positioned below the ejection port of a lever action rifle.

What is a loading gate?

As mentioned earlier, the lever action loading gate is a mechanism situated below the ejection port in a Marlin or Henry rifle. It is spring-loaded to allow the user to fully load the rifle’s 5-round magazine or keep it topped up. It is a safe and efficient way for unloading the gun without cycling the live rounds through the action of the rifle.

Loading gates are effective when you are using tube magazines and you wish to load the magazine without removing the magazine. However, factory-fitted loading gates have too much tension in their springs (as high as 5lbs) and the design made it difficult to load fat, straight wall ammo. This leads people to opt for custom Marlin Loading Gate or any other lever-action rifle. Yet one question always remains – How to choose the right Loading gate for your rifle?

Factors affecting it

You cannot simply pick up a new loading gate and have it fitted onto your rifle. There are a few factors that affect the choice of the right loading gate:

Gun make

Henry and other lever-action rifle manufacturers have a signature style that feels and works in a unique way. Depending on the build of the rifle, the loading gate dimensions would be different for each rifle. In fact, the loading gate of Marlin 1895 may not be compatible with a Marlin 1894 rifle. A wrong loading gate would mean you’ll need to machine it as per the size and run the risk of bending or cracks developing in later stages. So it is better to check the supported rifle model before making the purchase.

Gate position

Henry recently launched its Model X series which can be loaded either via the magazine tube or the port on either side of the receiver. Marlin chose to stick to their long-proven models 336 and 1895. Moreover, in the Winchester model, there isn’t much space for error between the ejection port and the loading gate and so you need to disassemble the action to replace the gate.

Bullet Caliber

Different models accept different caliber bullets as standard ammo. The different caliber ranges for most lever-action rifles are:

1. .30-30
2. .38-55
3. .45-70
4. .22

Benefits Of A Custom Loading Gate

As mentioned earlier, factory-fitted loading gates have certain drawbacks that tempt rifle owners to replace them. Some of the benefits from a custom Loading Gate are:

1. Spring weight is 1.5lbs compared to 5lbs on factory loading gates
2. Better cartridge clearance
3. Consistent smooth feeding with improved ‘feed lip’ design
4. No specific tuning required
5. 10-15 minute installation time
6. Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) approved
7. Machined finish to remove any knife-sharp edges
8. Hard anodized for extreme durability

Things To Keep In Mind While Installing The Loading Gate

For someone who regularly tinkers with their guns, the installation may be done within 10-15 mins. All you need to keep in mind is that the rifle needs to be partially disassembled to reach the loading gate area and it is easy to misplace the screws. Keep the following installation pointers in mind while installing the loading gate:

1. Ensure the chamber and magazine are empty
2. Remove the buttstock by unscrewing the tang screw
3. Remove the slide lever from the bottom
4. Free the hammer spring
5. Free the trigger plate from the receiver by removing the necessary screws
6. Pull the locking lug and pry out the carrier from the receiver gently
7. Unscrew the loading gate spring and install the new loading gate

Wrapping Up

For any lever action rifle admirer, the sideloading is a boon when it comes to reloading the rifle in a time-sensitive environment. However, only when the loading gate functions smoothly and allows easy and consistent feeding, will the efforts be worth the time invested. Hence, when considering replacing the loading gate of your rifle, always choose the right Marlin loading gate accessory and have it installed by an expert gunsmith. Test a few rounds on the field and check for the smoothness of the gate while reloading.

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