Looking for a Lever to call my own

[Dot.Com]

Hi all,

I've recently decided its time to add a lever action to the collection and had my sights set on a Marlin 336 stainless model if I could find one for a good price. As per usual MO I tend to read up on things for a while before I drop some bank and reading all of these recent threads regarding Marlin/Remington build quality and qc has me a little worried now.

With most stories of failure or lemon guns I tend to think along the lines that yes, while failures and bad workmanship are somewhat indicative of the type of products a company is producing, there are still a large amount of purchases/use of their firearms that go off without a hitch and are never reported. However, with the volume of reports I have read over the past few months I feel that a brand new Marlin may be something I should actually avoid, so maybe those with more expertise could chime in here.

I prefer buying firearms new as I like to call them my own and break them in and obviously not have to worry about some kind of damage from a previous owner, but the way I understand it lever actions are pretty fool-proof and generally robust so I am not completely adverse to the idea of purchasing one used.

In the end I have it narrowed down to two courses of action:
- Buy a new "Rem-lin" and shoot it until I have issues
- Look for a used Marlin and worry about previous issues.

Will I most likely be okay with a newer Marlin, or should I start hitting all the pawn shops and consignment stores around me in search of an older model?

[1859sharps]

you should be ok buying a Pre Remington buy out Marlin if you want a Marlin. they had different stamps than post buy out rifles do.

details here http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/marlin-rant-forum/

If you want a brand new in the box Marlin, I would hold off until a while longer.

[Army Chief]

I bought a current production 336 earlier this year that was trouble-free. Sent it to "Mr. Smith" for his usual lever package anyway, but there are plenty of solid new Marlins out there. I think we just tend to hear about the problematic ones, which is to be expected. I'm sure the recent management/facility changes haven't helped any, but I wouldn't write them off just yet.

AC

[Dot.Com]

Thanks Army Chief and 1859sharps, your link led me to a wealth of information.

I found a 1971 336c in about 95% condition and took it home with me, it shoots smooth, I slicked the action up a bit, and so far (only one range trip) it has been trouble free for 100 rounds, everything cycled perfectly.

I was pretty disappointed with the initial accuracy until I realized the rear sight elevator had been torqued by whoever owned it earlier and was yanking my windage way off to the left. It was a pretty simple fix to realign 'em but I think I'm going to get new sights anyway as I prefer a peep or ghost ring on the receiver to the open sights.

Overall pretty happy with my new gun - there really is something beautiful about a cleaned up lever action.

[Army Chief]

Fortunately, there are some great sight options out there. XS is definitely worth a look, and for those who subscribe to the "go big or go home" philosophy, Brockman's has what you're looking for.

http://www.brockmansrifles.com/sight_options.asp

AC

[nineteenkilo]

Though it may sound sacrilegious to some of the lever 'purists' out there, my hands-down favorite hunting rifle is a bone stock Marlin 30AS with a mil-rail and holo on the rear.

It keeps the lines of the gun nearly intact, removes the weight of the full scope, and returns the carbine-like balance to the old saddle gun.

[Arnoldi13]

I bought a marlin Model 1895SBL in 45/70 about 9 months ago which is the stainless steel with the 18 and a half inch barrel. It has the tac rail, laminated furniture, and the XS ghost ring site which is a total gem by the way. I read some of the threads about the marlin fiascos that everyone is talking about. I haven't had any problems with it at all and have even hand loaded my own hornady 325 gr. lever evolution rounds. it shoots flawlessly and everything is tight as could be. Im not sure if this is a case of getting a good one or not but all of their guns that i have handled have been spot on. I would recommend this gun to anyone, however, with all the talk of marlin tanking i am equally worried to shoot hotter rounds then i already have.

[Black]

Originally Posted by nineteenkilo

Though it may sound sacrilegious to some of the lever 'purists' out there, my hands-down favorite hunting rifle is a bone stock Marlin 30AS with a mil-rail and holo on the rear.

It keeps the lines of the gun nearly intact, removes the weight of the full scope, and returns the carbine-like balance to the old saddle gun.

I must agree, although it now has a small Sig red-dot:



I'm glad that you're happy with your Marlin. I bought mine new in August and have had 0 problems other then a little hangup on the lever, but it's not a big deal.