New Marlins?

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brettmt

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Has anyone had any recent experiences in the past year with Marlin after they took a nose dive when they sold out to Remington?
I've been looking to buy but I was wondering if they have improved
 
My newer stainless model 60 runs flawless which was made in the new factory. I'd like to pick up a lever action marlin someday. From what I understand, when Remington took over the quality went down but they have improved over the years. Always a good idea to look over a rifle before purchase anyways. Make sure the sights aren't crooked or anything.

Maybe they are not quite what previous marlin standards were.. ? I dunno. Just my 2 cents.
 
brettmt said:
Has anyone had any recent experiences in the past year with Marlin after they took a nose dive when they sold out to Remington?
I've been looking to buy but I was wondering if they have improved
Click to expand...

First thing is to understand that Marlin didn't "sell out" to Remington, they were acquired by Freedom Group. Marlin's equipment was old and worn. Marlin was in the situation of having to either buy new machinery or shut down, they did not have the finances available to buy the equipment so it was off to the market for Marlin. Freedom Group, not Remington, Freedom Group, who owns Remington as well, bought Marling and chose to consolidate manufacturing.

During the transition from the old facility to new facilities there were problems, Freedom Group admits to that. The guns that are coming out of the Marlin shop are of equal quality to those that came out of Marlin before the purchase by Freedom Group. I bought my Model 60 5-6 years ago and while it took a bit of a break in but what 22 doesn't? I own several pre-Freedom Group Marlins, but they are all inherited.

I would not hesitate to buy a Marlin today or tomorrow.
 
Before purchasing my Henry 45-70 late summer of this year I visited Cabela's to see and handle both the Henry 45-70 Steel and the Marlin Guide Gun. I very first thing I notice was the front sight/ hood was bent to the left. Because of the hood and post combo it was hard for me to determine exactly whether it was just the hood or the post or both were bent. The kicker was when I mentioned it to the sale person he deflected my observation.

Needless to say I purchased the Henry but either model will serve my personal purposes and I don't regret my choice of purchase.
 
I have bought 2 new Marlins since Remington took them over.
They both work perfectly.
One was a 30-30 in stainless steel.
The other is a Marlin model 1895 in 45-70.
Both are real nice rifles and have no issues.
Don't be afraid to buy one.
 
I bought an 1895 in 45/70 it is nicely finished and the wood to metal
fit is excellent. The only flaw was the rear sight dovetail was too loose.
I replaced the rear sight with a Skinner sight and dovetail blank.

Terry
 
I have a 1895 Remlin 45-70. Very, very accurate, absolutely no issues with it, and fit and finish are very good for a $600 gun.
 
You didnt mention what model you are considering.
I have a 336 I picked up about 4 years ago and it's a good gun. Not the prettiest but adequate and accurate.
I recently got a XT17 and it seems quite good so far, but only have about 50 rounds thru it, but fit and finish is good.
I also have a Rossi 92 and the Marlin is better finished .
I also got a Henry Big Boy for Christmas and if you get over the absence of a loading gate and have the extra budget I would go with Henry . The Henry just feels and looks quality. As far as shooting I am sure they are similar.
 
In terms of fitment, Marlin's quality is generally considered to have improved on models manufactured in 2015 and later. Some are lucky to have earlier examples of Marlingtons. I picked up an SBL last year (manufactured 04/2016) and it's of equal quality to my JM's and was instantly a favourite coming out of the box.
 
336BL couple of months ago, smooth and tight, no issues. Trigger pull is even decent and nothing to complain about.
 
I purchased an 1895 Ltd. Edition 45-70 ( 1 of 1500 ) Fanastic quality, fit and finish better than the old ones, I think the Rem custom shop guys are building these. Had a 336 Ltd Edition 30-30 last year same quality. These guns are out there but a few hundred more.

The problem years were 2010-2013 but as of 2014 the production machinery is new CNC. Check the Dec. '16 issue of Rifle magazine there's a good article about some of this by Brian Pearce.

My only critique is that some of the checkering on the regular models isn't the greatest.

I think Rem/Marlin is pulling it together just be fussy when you buy....D
 
I have a remlin 336. Quality is just OK. The action is quite stiff - getting better with age, and the checkering is pretty bad. For what I paid I'm happy and will eventually put a boyd's on it. Added skinner sights and the gun is quite accurate.
 
They work very well, better than most reports about the "Remlins".
The only thing I can't stand is the miserable stamped checkering. They would be much better without any checkering at all.
 
brettmt said:
Has anyone had any recent experiences in the past year with Marlin after they took a nose dive when they sold out to Remington?
I've been looking to buy but I was wondering if they have improved
Click to expand...

I bought a new Marlin 1895 in .45/70 from Cabela's a little over a year ago and couldn't be happier. Fit and finish is excellent and it works flawlessly with deadly accuracy while shooting free hand with iron sights. No doubt,there's some "transition" rifles floating around out there with some unhappy customers making a lot of noise,but,since Marlin designs and Remington manufacturing has been combined into one corporate entity,the rifle quality is excellent. Never take anyone's word for such an important purchase. Head for your local gun shop and check them out,first hand. Remember,if you want anything done right,you have to do it yourself.
 
polaris said:
They work very well, better than most reports about the "Remlins".
The only thing I can't stand is the miserable stamped checkering. They would be much better without any checkering at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm thinking of getting some Boyd's wood for mine. I dunno, but checkering on a lever gun looks, shall we say, un-masculine.
 
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