I just finished customizing a Marlin 336 in 44 Magnum for Ken Hackathorn. The Marlin 36 in 44 Magnum was only made for two years and has been out of production for about 20.
The gun came out as a 20 inch. I cut it down to just under 17, per Ken’s request, and recessed and recrowned the barrel. I slicked up the internals, replaced the front sight with an ivory bead front sight, and installed sling swivels.
I sweated the dents out of the stock and hand coated it with 20 coats of oil to preserve it longer. This was not a complete customization.
I did exactly what Ken asked me to do because he knows what he wants in a gun. When I get a call for a custom job, I usually have to guide the customer how to make the gun into what they want it to be. This is Ken’s choice gun for when he retires. He wants it to be his “go to gun” hanging over the door. He had a vision for the gun and chose to send it to me because he believed I could create his vision. It’s not often you get the chance to work for a living legend and even less common to have the honor to call him your friend. I am grateful for the opportunity not only to work with him but also to work on a firearm of which only a few 100 were ever produced. He trusted me to do this gun for him, and I was glad to do it. It has been surreal to work on a firearm for someone I have looked up to for 25 years. I am truly grateful for the experience and our friendship.
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