Old Marlin or New Marlin

[ShovelyG]

I recently submitted a variation for a 30-30 with a view to buying a Lever gun for woodland stalking.

I really like the look of the new Ruger made Marlins however I am struggling to find stockists in 30-30. I hear they are having a hard time keeping up with demand in the US so I am guessing it's unlikely I will be able to pick one up for a while

I am able to find the older Remington made Marlins however some say that these guns had some quality control issues leaving the factory and aren't of the best quality.

My question is - does anyone have one of the older Remington made Marlins and have they had any mechanical issues?

Are there other brands I should be considering?

Thanks,

 

[Morkai]

I bet @alberta boy or @Muir would have owned one.

 

[6pt-sika]

I’ve had a good number of Marlin’s but all were pre Remington . Think the oldest I had were made in the 1890’s . I collected Marlin levers for awhile I think I had a dozen or so 30-30’s in various configurations . They all shot pretty well mostly with handloads but every so often I’d use factory . Point in fact when they came out with the 336XLR a stainless laminated job Hornady also came out with the Leverevolution rubber tipped ammo and I used it on a couple deer .

 

[Taff]

I have used old and new marlins ( not the ruger one) in 3030 never had a problem, in the 38/357 had one that had the famous marlin jam, s ent it back.

 

[ShovelyG]

I bet @alberta boy or @Muir would have owned one.

Thanks Morkai

 

[Morkai]

Thanks Morkai

No worries.

@Smellydog may also have had one.

 

[ShovelyG]

I’ve had a good number of Marlin’s but all were pre Remington . Think the oldest I had were made in the 1890’s . I collected Marlin levers for awhile I think I had a dozen or so 30-30’s in various configurations . They all shot pretty well mostly with handloads but every so often I’d use factory . Point in fact when they came out with the 336XLR a stainless laminated job Hornady also came out with the Leverevolution rubber tipped ammo and I used it on a couple deer .

Thanks - obviously it's all down to personal preference but did any of those Marlin models stand out as better then the others?

 

[Andy RV]

I’ve got a Remlin 45-70 and after stoning the sharp edges inside the action it’s a very slick and well made rifle. There were certainly some rifles with poor fit and finish, gaps between the stock and action, poor chequring etc.

I’d say that don’t rule them out however make sure that you can view it in person first.

The Japanese Winchesters are very well made however the Marlin is perhaps a better choice for scope mounting options, and the Japanese 94 appears to be quite rare in the UK. I have a very nice pre-64 US Winchester 94 in 30-30 however it’s an iron sighted range toy at the moment.

 

[alberta boy]

I've owned a fair number of Marlin levers , about 20ish , over the years . Everything from the original JM stamped models through the Remlins . The initial Remington produced models did have some QC issues , like out of index sights and lack of final finishing / fitting . Remington did get control of it and the later versions worked just fine . I still have a Remlin 1895G 45/70 that is an extremely reliable , and accurate , rifle . I've also had three versions of 336 Marlins , two 30/30s and a 35 Rem , that were Remington products . All three were solid rifles . One subject that doesn't get covered much in the JM / Remlin debate is the fact that Marlin's QC was slipping towards the end of their production , they were going bankrupt after all . The new Ruger produced models are really well put together rifles , unfortunately demand exceeds production these days , even around here . They are also significantly more expensive , an 1895SBL will set you back over $ 2000 CDN here , they will cost substantially more by the time they make it to the UK . All in all , I'd have a look around for a used Marlin of any make and go from there . I'd be more concerned about how it was maintained by its previous owner than which company manufactured it . If you are interested in a new rifle , take a look at Henry's line of levers . They are a very well made rifle and Henry has an amazing warranty , probably one of the best in North America . Good luck and keep us posted .

AB

 

[alberta boy]

I bet @alberta boy or @Muir would have owned one.

or two lol .

 

[Morkai]

or two lol .

There we go. I knew you two would be a safe bet.

 

[Smellydog]

I had a JM 336 in 30/30.
Perfectly good rifle but I'm a Winchester guy. I prefer the w94 action and don't mind the AE models that can be scoped. I know them like the back of my hand but the Marlin is fine.
The Marlin jam thing that everyone worries about is easily fixed with a file.

 

[alberta boy]

I had a JM 336 in 30/30.
Perfectly good rifle but I'm a Winchester guy. I prefer the w94 action and don't mind the AE models that can be scoped. I know them like the back of my hand but the Marlin is fine.
The Marlin jam thing that everyone worries about is easily fixed with a file.

There's nothing wrong with the 94 , they've been taking game for a very long time . If I were going to be hunting game with iron sights , I'd be hard pressed to pick between the 94 or a 336 . The Miroku manufactured 94s are probably the best finished versions since the pre-64 Winchesters , really well finished rifles . I did have a chance to handle a Uberti 94 repro a while back , it seemed to be a very well put together rifle . Unfortunately , I didn't get the chance to put any rounds through it . Cap&Ball on youtube did a good video on one a while back , he ( Balazs Nemeth ) seemed to be impressed with it . It's worth a watch .

AB

 

[LeftHandGuy]

Can you get a Rossi R95 in the UK? I've handled (although not shot) a couple and they are damn close to my 336. The chap at one local gun store touting them insists that they are a close enough clone of the 336/1895 Marlin's as to be parts interchangeable. Don't know if I trust that necessarily, but I do know they are factory drilled to accept the same scope mounts.

Anyway, they're both cheaper and more readily available than the Ruger built Marlin's, which, though nice to handle, seem to be selling more as nostalgia/investment pieces than as practical hunting tools.

I've shot a couple of my buddies Win 94s and I have to say I would be just as happy with one of those in the woods.

Just my humble opinion and all that, but I wouldn't put a scope on a 30-30, unless you have really short arms!

 

[6pt-sika]

Thanks - obviously it's all down to personal preference but did any of those Marlin models stand out as better then the others?

At the peak of my collection I had a few over a hundred of which almost thirty were 444’s made between 1964 and 1975 . All of course were used some more so than others . I spent more time messing with the 444’s , 45-70’s and 32 Specials . Also the 32-40 , 38-56 , 40-65 and 33 WIN but I only had one for each of those chamberings (FWIW the 32-40 was sold to a guy in the UK) . The 38-56 I had was made in 1897 and in very nice condition , it’s nothing more than the 45-70 necked down the .378” . Made a pretty decent head shot on a big whitetail one morning with a home cast 264 grain bullet and open sights . I had five or six 336SC’s that were made between 1948 and 1961 the earlier ones were non micro groove which did a bit better with cast bullets , the SC stood for Sporting Carbine . They had twenty inch barrels and came in 30-30 , 32 Special , 35 REM and 219 Zipper . Killed deer with all of them except the 219 Zipper using homecast of course .

 

[Smellydog]

Just my humble opinion and all that, but I wouldn't put a scope on a 30-30, unless you have really short arms!

I'm short of everything!

 

[cjm1066]

Impressed, then a noticed the "new safety"

 

[Smellydog]

Impressed, then a noticed the "new safety"

Doesn't matter much.
How about this one.

That was a great shooting rifle.

 

[cjm1066]

That's more like it!

 

[LeftHandGuy]

I'm short of everything!

I see you at least had the good sense to use QD rings.

When I first got my 336 I tried a few different ways to mount a scope but there was just no way I could get one far enough forward for reasonable eye relief (for me and my gibbon-like arms that is). Initially I was pretty gutted as the flat-top of the 336 and it's consequent suitability for scope mounting had been widely touted as one of the main advantages of the Marlin vs the Winchester.

Fortunately, somewhere or other (probably on here) I read about Skinner Sights, took a chance, and almost literally "haven't looked back":
Either way, if I was in the OPs position, and knowing what I now do, I would probably get the Marlin or Win 94 that was closest to me in terms of distance, and wasn't being sold for silly money. 30-30 is a fantastic round.