Quality of new Marlins?

I've also purchased several Marlins over the last few years .....
I so prefer the "old " ones as to the finish quality ( white spacers, pistol grip caps etc... )
Yes, the recoil pad has not changed in many years and every time I get a Marlin that's the first thing to go and be replaced by an aftermarket Decelerator / Pachmyre or simily

I got a new 338 Marlin last year and found that the little finishes were different ( cheap )
( maybe that's just me )
I must say though that mechanically nothing has changed.... smooth lever action trigger press, sights, etc.... they are my favorites rifles
I've got a new one in the mail now ....again
I wish I could go for the Special Limited Edition Stainless carbine 16'' but it will have to wait

Lefty
 
Shooting the 336BL

I took the 336BL out to the range last weekend. It was quite accurate right out of the box... always nice. Open sights. The weight and feel of the gun on my shoulder felt good too. It does kick a lot more than I had thought it would. Still only a 30-30, so everything is relative, but my first thought after firing it was that it felt like something bigger. Probably has to do with the 18.5 barrel. It's been a while since I've fired a 30-30, but I feel as thought the old Winchester I grew up with has less recoil. Not that I'm complaining, it's not like it is a lot of recoil, just more than I had expected for a 30-30. I don't have a lot of experience with brand new guns (Everything I own except for a 12 gauge is older), but the ejector (pin?) seemed a bit cheap when I took the gun apart to clean it. This could be just they way they're made now in new models, I don't know, but it just looked to me that if anything in the gun was going to go, that would be the first piece.

Looking forward to November though. ...Well, that is if I don't get my deer with the bow in October first.
 
I have a new model 336. It does have the bullseye but there are also a few gaps in the wood to metal. Nothing major and still a very very nice rifle. My friend just bought one too after some convincing. His is a year newer and the fore end is quite thick and clubby.
 
Like other posters have stated QC is hit or miss. I bought a 39A 22 golden last year and right out of the box it would not fire. When it did fire it would not extract and eject. It was a piece of garbage. I had to completely rebuild the receiver parts and even grind on some parts. She now shoots and ejects the spent brass every time. U should not have to order a rifle and rebuild it before you can use it. I would never buy a new Marlin in any caliber unless I could hold it in my hands and examine it very carefully before I made my purchase.
 
sir_springer said:
Son-in-law bought a 308 Express about 3 years ago. Blued version, 22" barrel.

Nothing wrong at all with fit and finish, shoots very decent.

However, did replace the trigger...which was basically horrible...with a Wild West from Brownells. Amazing difference, breaks like glass at about 3 lbs!

Also had a Decelerator recoil pad installed, which took the surprisingly sharp bite out of the recoil.

I don't think there's any need for concern over a Marlin lever.
Click to expand...
Ya them triggers on the new Marlins with the cross bolt safety are horrible.
 
I bought a Marlin 39 not so long ago and I'm very satisfied.
Not a single problem in a few hundred rounds so far.
Lever works better and better as it was a little bit on the rough side when NIB.
I can't compare it to the older models though, as I never owned one of those before.
I'm currently looking for Guide Gun BTW.
 
I have a older marlin 30AS that i really like, but since marlin has been bought out i have heard very mixed reviews about them.
It will probably be a while before i buy another marlin i think they need some time to sort out quality control issues.
 
I just received a 336BL (CT factory). Quality is better than expected & on par with my SBL I bought last year. Calipers and T square show sights are aligned and cycling is good. The wood is 1.5mm proud of the the receiver on the left side which I can fix quickly. Forestock/barrel spacing is spot on. Checkering is crisp and even. Bluing is deep with good luster. As with all Marlin levers, it will benefit from a WWG trigger upgrade and some polishing of the innards. Otherwise its good to go as is.
 
Just bought a Marlin guide gun in .45-70 from my buddy. I took it to the range today to try it before I purchased it and was pleasantly surprised. For a guide gun it is really accurate. I shot a three shot group at 50yds and cut a nice little three leaf clover group dead centre of the ten ring. You can cover it with a quarter and that cinched the deal for me, I bought it right away. The group was achieved using a little Leopold 3x9 scope.
 
Last edited:
jetrefueller said:
Just bought a Marlin guide gun in .45-70 from my buddy. I took it to the range today to try it before I purchased it and was pleasantly surprised. For a guide gun it is really accurate. I shot a three shot group at 50yds and cut a nice little three leaf clover group dead centre of the ten ring. You can cover it with a quarter and that cinched the deal for me, I bought it right away. The group was achieved using a little Leopold 3x9 scope.
Click to expand...

I get the same out of my 3 month old 1895 classic with a non magnified red dot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom