The mag tube is removed. A short substitute that barely come through the forearm has been placed. A small ring of black RV caulk  holds forend to tube. The only influence would be the endcap screwed to the dove tail slot filler. The dove tail insert has been slightly reduced to alleviate any stress. The substitute tube has been radiused at the receiver end and RV caulk barely separates the tube from the receiver. 
I have fired the rifle without tube and fore end with a number of different loads. This was done with the tip of the barrel on the rest and, then, with the front of the receiver on the rest. 
The trigger is a safe 1.5#s. A few of the local top shooters will attest to that fact.
Since buying his product, I have discussed the situation with  a national and world champion BP shooter. He loaned me a personal reamer that reduced the leade from a 3* per side to 1.5*. This reduced the groups down to the present 2" average.
I also loaded some rounds with Desperado bullets. They claim the lube works for BP also. These loads were either Ol Eynsford or Swiss FFG. From factory crimp to letting the bolt seat the bullet with no crimp. And I used a cereal box wad with around .125 compression on both powders. 
One thing I am sure is going some of your minds. I can get a surprise break on a trigger, from the bench, with a 22lr to my 7MM Magnums. Recoil hurts sometime but I have not developed a flinch. And, no, I don't want to try your 45-120 
As I said, I am seriously looking at breech seating the Marlin.

What do you expect from a lever action?

P1 wrote on Oct 12^th, 2017 at 4:32pm:


Obviously nobody would move out farther if results at 100 yds. aren't good enough. If my load was giving me large groups at 100 yds., I'd have no reason to complicate things by moving out farther until my groups are tighter. But I see no reason to stay at a closer distance once groups are good, if my plan for the gun/load is to shoot a farther distance.
Things can certainly change a fair amount between 100 yds. and 300 yds., so if 300 yds. was my goal, that's where I want to be as soon as possible.

Normally, I test all my loads at 100yds/M and that is normally good indication of group size at up to 200M, often much further. Always worked well for hunting loads for 200M or less. 

However, a few years ago I shot a new 300gr cast bullet at 100 yds and got great groups, as good as with any cast bullet used by me. Took that load to BPCR match and did not even hit half the 300M pigs, whereas my previous 300/385M loads knocked over 8-10 pigs. Did a quick Google search that evening and found that, yep, other shooters loading that same bullet, nitro and BP, got great groups at 100M, sorta OK at 200M and bad at 300M.  After that I stuck to cast bullets, in that rifle, that have excellent rep for small groups out to 500M.

If you don't have a ready access to longer rranges and want to develop a decent load, the best way is to develop an accurate 100m/yds load that is relatively powerfulwith a heavby-for calibre bullet - it usually will perform pretty well at the longer ranges.  Slower, lighter bullet loads often fail miserably, which should come as no surprise.
That way I developed  a 45-70 load for 1,000 yds use which I took to the 2006 BP world championships in SA.  And yes, it did perform quite well. The load of 80 grains of 1 1/2 Fg swiss behind a 520gr bullet did its thing, and was also beautifully accurate at 100., the only distancer I was able to test it.

P1, I have not examined the headspace.

Do not know how the first owner cleaned it. I have always cleaned it with a graphite rod from chamber end.
I did the .30 cent home re-crown with a ball bearing, some buffing rouge, and the palm of my hand. Didn't see any burrs before or after. Did the scientific test with a Q tip. Nothing pulled off the Q tip. 
Ever see a breech seater for a lever gun?