marlin lever guns

[MLESa7990]

Been looking at marlin lever guns lately. The 1895 SBL really catches my eye. I have also been reading and watching youtube vids about how the quality, fit and finish has gone way down since remington bought out marlin. Anyone hear similar or have any actual experience with recent marlin lever guns?

[mbaza3]

I have a late model Marlin manufactured original 1984C .357 mag level action rifles. The new Remington manufactured models seem less refined.

[MDIceman]

Marlin is owned by the Freedom group - which owns Remington. They moved their manufacturing to the Remington Illion NY plant. Freedom Group owns a fair amount of Firearms makers, including Remington, Marlin, DPMS, Bushmaster, Dakota Arms, H&R.

It pains me to say this- because Im a huge Remington 700 fan - (own 3 of them from the 90's) but to my understanding, everything that the Freedom group owns - has gone downhill in quality, including the legendary Remington 700's. Remingtons ammo is among the worse IMHO - especially rimfire, which I will no longer buy. Ive have also heard Bushmaster & DPMS stuff has gone very downhill as well. Windham Weaponery (not owned by Freedom Group) - was formed by the orginal Bushmaster manufacter - and those are supposed to be far better then current Bushmaster, for AR's.

That being said Remingtons R1 1911, is a fine pistol. Those are built in Illion NY - but contracted by another manufacter. Hopefully the Freedom group does not end up sinking Remington.

[mr surveyor]

I agree with Iceman.... everything this conglomerate has gotten their hands on has gone down hill.

I've also been a Marlin fan for 40+ years...up until recently. We bought our grandson a new 336 last Christmas....fit and finish were up to par for a factory that would turn out WWII Yugo SKS....almost. When I opened the box the front sight and screw were loose in the packaging, which was not a huge problem. A proper screw driver and touch of locktite made that an easy chore. The fact that the rear sight was cut in about 5 degrees out of level wasn't an "easy fix". The wood (looks like birch) looks cheap, and a poor fit, and the metal finish is very low quality. I am aware that the 336 in no way compares to the 1894's, but compared to even recent past 336 standards our copy just absolutely sucks.

I also have a hunting buddy that bought a new 1894 in .44 mag last month. On the 30th shot the entire guts just fell out. It was shipped back, repaired and returned in a bit over a week and apparantly working. I think he's going to get rid of it anyway.

I'm still looking for pre-1990 copies in both .357 and .44. I don't care so much what the outer condition is (no heavy rust or pitting on the outside preferred) , as long as the bore and action are clean. I can make the rest work.

[MO_Soldier]

I have a 1999 model 336W(shameful W, but I was 9 and it was my first rifle and a gift) has ran flawlessly. I love that rifle and just a week ago sighting in for deer season, put 3 rounds into the 4inch bullseye at 100 yds with a 3-9x40mm Bushnell.

Idk about other years built, but at least you get a reference from '99.

[K9_Two_Tone]

This is funny that a Marlin 1895 SBL caught your fancy too. I was intrigued by Brian Pearce's review in the September-October 2009 issue of Rifle. I decided this was a must have rifle.

I then joined the Marlin Owners forum. The initial reviews of Marlin rifles after Remington bought them out gave me pause. There were a lot of unhappy owners bashing the new "Remlin" rifles. But there were a number of happy ones too. So, based on advice from the satisfied ones, I took the plunge. I couldn't be happier. What was recommended was to go to a store where you can look over the rifle:
- Do not buy sight unseen.
- Make sure the sights are aligned properly.
- Makes sure the fit and finish are acceptable to you.
- Take some "dummy" rounds and cycle them through the action to ensure everything works as designed. Some rifles would not pass this test.
- If the sample passes those tests, buy it. If not, hand it back and test another.

I can not verify this, but a number of Marlin forum bloggers stated that Remington has got their early transition problems sorted and the majority of the current rifles are just fine. The hardcore Marlin people a still continuing to look for the pre-Remington Marlin 1895SBL's, but they are rare as hen's teeth.

Check out the Marlin forum 45-70 blogs. You will find that the majority of the owners of newer 1895SBL's couldn't be happier. Plus, the 45-70 is a "kick" to shoot. They are surprisingly accurate and wow do they make big holes!!!

[MLESa7990]

Thanks for the info, all!

[Armybrat]

Bought my 336 .30-30 brand new in 1968 for $65, IIRC. Put a cheap Tasco 3X9 glass on it. Highrise mounts so you can still use the iron sights.
Sweet little walnut stock carbine & well made.

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w349/ScoPro/MoreWinchesters032.jpg

[mr surveyor]

Bought my 336 .30-30 brand new in 1968 for $65, IIRC. Put a cheap Tasco 3X9 glass on it. Highrise mounts so you can still use the iron sights.
Sweet little walnut stock carbine & well made.

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w349/ScoPro/MoreWinchesters032.jpg



from the appearance in the picture, that gun would have a shelf price of no less than $300-350 around here, while a new remlin can be had for just under $425. I would much rather pay the $425 for a really clean 1968 model myself.

[mr surveyor]

Here's my 1973 M336


http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b345/cowpi/MARLIN336DSC02030.jpg

I stripped this one down 3-4 years ago and re-did the walnut with about a dozen hand rubs of Danish oil and had the metal re-finished. This gun still has the 1973 Bushnell Sportview 3-9 scope. (a careful look at the pic will show that the re-blue gunsmith re-installed the rear sight backwards) There's no blue remaining on the left side of the scope as it was all sunbleached off many years ago while being carried in the rear window of the previous owner's pickup. This gun, with the old scope, easily shoots 1.5 inch groups in the black from a sandbag rest, and does it consistantly at 100 yards. When Rem Core-Lokt was available for around four bucks a box, we used to have 30-30 contests shooting golf balls at 100 yards. Mine usually won:)

[muggsy]

Nothing is made like it used to be made. Sometimes it's better and sometimes it ain't. In all cases we refer to this as progress. Ya can't stop progress. It's a progression. Hang on to what ya got until ya get what you want. (Words of wisdom from Muggsy)

[K9_Two_Tone]

MLESa7990,

Let us know what you decide to do. Having never owned a 45-70 before, I first tried a few boxes of 405 grain Remington Softpoints with an advertised velocity 1,330 fps. Very accurate. They would make cloverleaf-shaped holes at the 50 yard initial sighting in distance. They thump your shoulder that was more like a huge push. The downside is that 405 grain soft point Remingtons cost more than $40 - $43 per box of 20!!!

I then decided to try a box of 430 grain HSM "Bear Loads". They are about $27 - $29 for a box of 20. Boy, do they get your attention. According to blogs on the Marlin Owners' Forum, they should be doing 1,700+ fps. Adding a Limbsaver slip-on pad would be a good idea. They too are accurate if you can keep yourself from flinching. But, what fun. I hope you give the 45-70 try.

Garrett has some interesting observations on modern Marlin 1895's, his heavy duty 45-70 "Pile Driver" loads, and their effectiveness in taking the African "Big Five." Check out his website. It's very entertaining and informative.

Enjoy.

[doublebarrel]

I won't buy a new marlin,if it doesn't have a jm proofmark on the barrel I won't touch it.Too many problems for me.My newest marlin is a first year 45-70 guide gun,my favorite is a 1964 16 1/4" barrel marauder in 30-30.I like the straight stocked ones,no pistol grip for me.Good luck with whatever you buy but I think the odds of a good one are better with an older marlin.

[ltxi]

As with many...most?...firearms, buy quality used. Good appliance guns such as Glock, Kahr, etc. aside, most current production guns are much less than they were 15-20 years ago.

[Krusty]

Nice rifles...

[johnh]

Mark Craighead (RIP) was a big fan of the Marlin lever guns in the various 45 calibers. I was with his wife yesterday discussing his guns, and handled the two 1895s again. Brought back memories. He had 45-70, and 450 Marlin. Real hammers on the shoulder, but accurate and handy. Nice rifles and he had a great deal of fun reloading the calibers.