Seriously looking into getting my first rifle soon. Trying to hold off since it would be tough on the wallet but it's getting hard to resist. Just one, nothing too expensive (I'm sure everyone here keeps lying to themselves about that
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It will be a simple plinker to go to the range with once in a while. No hunting (not really an interest to me though I might try it once just so I can say I did)
The Marlin 336 in 30-30 keeps calling to me. However all the horror stories I keep reading about the new Remington-made Marlins is getting me seriously worried. I mean I'm a handy kinda guy, a rough action or some other minor problem is nothing I can't fix over a weekend. But there are things floating around about crooked barrels, misaligned sights, cracked and unfinished wood.
So has Remington-Marlin fixed their issues yet or are they still churning out junkers? I imagine that there would be some problems with the guns after you go through the whole issue of moving an entire factory and hiring a new workforce. But it's been what, four years now? I would hope these things have been dealt with by now.
I really want my first gun to be "new". But with some of these problems it seems the new Marlins may as well have been on this earth for 40 long years in the hands of someone who used them as baseball bats.
So would a newly manufactured (like, this year) Marlin be a safe choice if I make sure to look it over before purchase or should I just go with an older JM marked rifle? I was at a Cabellas today and they had a decent selection of used Marlins ranging from $300-$400. All of them seemed to be in good shape. But still something in me just wants a "new" gun.