Are all Marlins like this??

Rodder

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I recently bought a gently used Marlin 336BL off of a member on this site. I slapped a Vortex Razor red dot on it this week and was finally able to zero it tonight. Much to my surprise I quickly ran out of "up" elevation, despite the red dot having 130MOA of it. At 25 yards I was 7.5" low and at 50 yards I was 14.5" low. It wasn't until I got home that I noticed that the barrel appears to slope down from the receiver. I looked at some photos online of other Marlins and the slope either doesn't appear to be there or isn't nearly as pronounced. I took some pictures that show the slope as best as I can.

I haven't shot the rifle with the iron sights but the rear sight is as low as it can go so I'm assuming the previous owner was able to zero it without problem. The mount is a Burris Fastfire Mount specifically designed for the 336 that is on the correct way and properly torqued. If this was a common problem I would think they either never would have made the mount or made the mount canted to accommodate this. I know I could just shoot the gun with iron sights but I'm cross-eye dominant and the red dot allows me to shoot with both eyes open. I don't think shimming the rear would work as I would need to cant it so much I would need longer screws and most likely put an unhealthy amount of stress on them at the same time. With deer season starting in a week for me I have a feeling this rifle isn't going to be coming with me, but I thought I would reach out to the forum first and see if they had any insight. Pictures are below.


 
The barrel is tapered.

Have you used this vortex optic before?

I guess you could mount it forward at the 1:30 position on your tactical foreend then cant the gun..... :)
 
Looks like what you’re seeing is the taper of the barrel. Try shooting iron sight to see how it groups or use a laser bore sight to check the red dot.
 
google "marlin barrel droop"

Just did, that would explain a lot. Looks like Gravel Agency is the repair center for Marlin. I'll send them an e-mail and see if it's worth having it fixed. For the two people who posted above Legion, the pictures don't do the best job of showing it but if I placed a flat edge from the receiver out to the end of the barrel, the droop would be far more than just the taper of a standard barrel. The red dot was brand new as well.
 
I think you figured out your issue already. You can put a strait edge on your receiver then measure to the centreline of the barrel to make sure but I don't think you have to. The irons would work fine as they are barrel mounted so the previous owner may have never noticed.
 
Try a Single Layer of a pop can under the rear screw of the mount, (between optic and receiver)

Shoot 3-5 round at 25 and figure out what the correction is for the thickness of the pop can ... at the most I think you only need a double thickness of pop can
 
I briefly had the red dot mounted on the base that came with the rifle but it would have been too high to get a good cheek weld. I just got off the phone with Gravel. Despite me buying it used they said it will be covered as it's a factory defect. Hopefully that ends up being the case. Thanks for the help everyone.
 
What is the purpose of that forearm I didnt know Marlins were used in combat

The purpose of the tacticool looking forend is to save money. They didn't need to put on a nice wood forestock, and instead used that vented sheet metal. Cheaper and easier. Do some marketing spin, and there you go. Now it's desirable to have the cheaper-to-manufacture item. Enough marketing spin and you could even charge more for it!
 
The purpose of the tacticool looking forend is to save money. They didn't need to put on a nice wood forestock, and instead used that vented sheet metal. Cheaper and easier. Do some marketing spin, and there you go. Now it's desirable to have the cheaper-to-manufacture item. Enough marketing spin and you could even charge more for it!
Hardly. The forend in the pic is made by Mid West Industries and they sell for close to $250.00 alone and are made from aluminum not sheet metal. At least the Mid West one will be straight and true unlike the crap that's been coming from Marlin lately with one side of the wood being thicker than the other.
 
What is the purpose of that forearm I didn't know Marlins were used in combat

Haha. Yeah I see what your saying. It needs some more accessories on it and to be converted to run LAR mags. That forestock could use a flashlight and laser while he's at it too.

Ah, but really, who gives a f#uck though, as long as he enjoy's it I suppose.
 
I briefly had the red dot mounted on the base that came with the rifle but it would have been too high to get a good cheek weld. I just got off the phone with Gravel. Despite me buying it used they said it will be covered as it's a factory defect. Hopefully that ends up being the case. Thanks for the help everyone.

Sometimes calling the Manufacturing Reps first is the best order of business.
Hope it all works out fine for you.
Rob
 
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