Has Remlin gotten any better lately?

Nickel Plated · September 9, 2012, 04:19 PM

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

)

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.

warbirdlover · September 10, 2012, 08:50 AM

I don't know why everyone disses Remington so much. I bought a new 700 SPS Buckmasters .270 Win last summer and it's well made, the new trigger works great, it's a tackhammer, and I'd buy another.

The Marlin is a whole different design and I can't believe the company that owns Remington would change the design and risk disaster. Why would Remington (manufacturing and engineering) have anything to do with changing anything on this rifle?

BUT... I've heard that (for some reason) they are not made well anymore. If not, blame the company that owns them, not Remington.

Marlins are also made in NC. Not the Remington plant.

Remington74 · September 11, 2012, 07:15 AM

If you really like the Marlin in 30-30 and are concerned aboout recent production, there are plenty of excellent condition used ones in the gun shops and pawn shops.

I have seen in the used gun racks dozens of used, older Marlins that appear to be NIB examples, not a mark on them and literally no signs of being fired at all.

On the other hand I would not hesitate to buy a new Marlin 336. Just look it over closely, make sure everything looks correct, no uneven gaps anywhere and the lever cycles smoothly.

Nickel Plated · September 11, 2012, 09:18 PM

Yea I had visited MarlinOwners.com and checked out a thread asking people opinions on the newest made Marlins. Specifically all opinions, not just bad ones as is normal in their rants forum. And most people seemed to be pretty pleased with the newest (probably in the last year) production Marlins. The 336 seems to have less problems than some of the other models.

So I guess as long as I check the gun over before buying, I should be OK.

Though i may have to stick to a good used one. A NIB Marlin is still kinda pushing my budget. $350ish for a lightly used JM seems like a much nicer price. Especially taking into account some ammo, a set of peep sights and a decent sling.

Thank you for the replies guys.

FrankenMauser · September 11, 2012, 10:42 PM

Quote:

BUT... I've heard that (for some reason) they are not made well anymore. If not, blame the company that owns them, not Remington

In this case, it IS Remington that deserves the blame. Whether or not it was a decision made by people at higher levels, to move Marlin production, it was (still is?) Remington employees in Remington factories putting out firearms with major quality issues.

Quote:

Marlins are also made in NC. Not the Remington plant.

The vast majority of Marlin production and assembly is done in Ilion NY (Remington) and Mayfield KY (Remington).

If you're curious about how well the Mayfield plant is run, give this thread a read.

Big Shrek · September 11, 2012, 11:14 PM

All I know is what I hold in my hands...the quality is getting better...
the lever-actions are still a bit off...but better than the last round...still need some work in QC...

The semi-auto's & bolts are cooking right along!! Beat the heck out of the 2005-2011 ones!!

TheSILENTtype · September 11, 2012, 11:42 PM

The Marlin is worth its weight in gold.

I have easily dropped 4 lifetimes of yearly income on my collection, and this Marlin ALWAYS feels great in my hands.

For an equiv. numerical value you can pickup the FIRST Savage Avis in .308 , which makes a pretty awesome range gun.

GeauxTide · September 12, 2012, 02:59 PM

Don't buy anything from Remlin. Buy from Wugah or Mosbog.

Strafer Gott · September 12, 2012, 03:12 PM

Now if they would make the "D" model again they'd sell barrels of them. I'd take a chance on one of those. They have to be the slickest little companion rifle ever!

batmann · September 12, 2012, 03:32 PM

From what I understand from people that know, much of the tooling that Marlin had was pretty much shot and Remington had to start from scratch using OLD plans and specs. A lot of the Marlins were made by people who just made parts as they went along, nothing wrong with that except if someone has to follow you, like Remington.
The new ones I have looked at are much better built than some just a few years ago. This not to say that the new ones are better than Marlins of say 10-15 years ago, but the new ones have a solid feel to them that some of more recent ones lacked. Just my opnion and ask my wife what that is really worth-----LOL

jimbob86 · September 12, 2012, 03:36 PM

Quote:

If you really like the Marlin in 30-30 and are concerned aboout recent production, there are plenty of excellent condition used ones in the gun shops and pawn shops.

....though right before deer season is not the best time to buy a 30/30, as far as price and selection, particularly in pawn shops and on the consignment racks at the LGS ..... January to March time frame is best, as Christmas bills are coming due, construction work is at it's slowest, and the tax return checks have not showed up yet ......

baddarryl · September 12, 2012, 04:03 PM

Unsure of the 336 but I have a 2 year old xl7 in .270 and a 6 year old 981T .22lr and both are fine accurate rifles. The trigger on the xl7 is amazing.

langenc · September 12, 2012, 06:38 PM

If you want something accurate, good looking, well made, accurate, and good value check out the Savage bolt actions. Make sure it is a 'newer' model with the accu-trigger.

Nickel Plated · September 15, 2012, 04:37 PM

Quote:

If you want something accurate, good looking, well made, accurate, and good value check out the Savage bolt actions. Make sure it is a 'newer' model with the accu-trigger.

Not really interested in a bolt-action and never particularly liked the way Savages look anyway. A Ruger Hawkeye seems like it would be a nice rifle but out of my budget right now.

I got my eye ona few other guns but they are all abit out of my price range at the moment. Ithaca 37, Saiga-12 (converted ofcourse), Romy G build with some mods, Mini-14, or a Century C93.

So many guns to buy, so little money.

Quote:

....though right before deer season is not the best time to buy a 30/30, as far as price and selection, particularly in pawn shops and on the consignment racks at the LGS ..... January to March time frame is best, as Christmas bills are coming due, construction work is at it's slowest, and the tax return checks have not showed up yet ......

Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep that in mind.

btmj · September 16, 2012, 12:41 AM

We got a new 336C in April of this year. It's a "remlin". It is my wifes gun. She wanted something suitable for deer and hogs, and she always wanted a lever gun.

We haven't taken any game with it, just punced a lot of paper. We have put about 100 rounds down range so far, no feed problems, no extraction problems, accurracy is fine. Fit-n-finish is not quite as good as my weatherby, but hey, for a $500 rifle, it is pretty good. I shot a 336 back in the 1980's, and this new one seems indistinguishable.

Big Shrek · September 16, 2012, 08:56 AM

I forgot to say earlier, it ain't a bad idea to grab an old one...
Marlin 336 sells from $200-400 in pawn shops depending on condition...

Had recently finished a crib and decided the empty box would be a good background...
this 1952 Marlin 336RC in .30-30 makes TINY little groups...Happy Rifle!!
http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/900978_1

1ruralmailman · September 17, 2012, 05:30 AM

i bought a remington made 308mx marlin last year .it not only functions correctly,it shots the daylights out of anything i have owned.three shot groups are average quarter size at 100 yards.fit and finish are great for a production run gun,the only downer i have is the trigger is heavy,but i am looking at lightening that up.i say if you want a marlin dont be the least bit afraig to get one.

Picher · September 17, 2012, 06:07 AM

I recently pillar-bedded a friend's relatively new wood-stocked, Rem 700 BDL, .223 and tried it with a few reloads tailored for my Tikka yesterday.

At 100 yards in a swirly wind, it shot a 3-shot, 3/8" group and two shots in 1/16". I'd say the barrel quality is excellent. Workmanship otherwise appeared very good also.

My load of 25 grains of Accurate 2230, 50 grain Hornady SX, Federal primers and Rem cases is the most accurate I've found for my Tikka 595. OAL is 2.260".

thallub · September 17, 2012, 06:23 AM

Marlin has serious quality control issues long before Remington bought that company.

coldbeer · September 17, 2012, 07:40 PM

If it doesn't have any QC problems it's a Marlington, if it has poor workmanship it's a remlin

.

I was weary about Marlin quality but I took a forum members advice and bought an1895 GBL a couple of months ago for $539 at Dicks. I love the rifle but there are a cuople of minor is3sues like the stock fit and a crooked reciever screw that didn't want to come out. Marlin offered to fix it right away but I'm not OCD and I'm having too much fun shooting it a Theissues weren't a big deal to begin with, but some people demand perfection and that's fine. The rifle is very accurate for a lever and I've grown quite fond of it and the 45-70 round. It's lots of fun and to shoot and reload for.

September 9, 2012, 04:19 PM	#1
Nickel Plated Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2010 Location: Brooklyn, NYC Posts: 610	Has Remlin gotten any better lately? 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 ) 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.

September 11, 2012, 11:14 PM	#6
Big Shrek Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: NorthWest Florida Posts: 1,358	All I know is what I hold in my hands...the quality is getting better... the lever-actions are still a bit off...but better than the last round...still need some work in QC... The semi-auto's & bolts are cooking right along!! Beat the heck out of the 2005-2011 ones!! __________________ Marlin Specialist Calico Specialist A gun should be a tool in the hands of a deadly weapon, not a deadly weapon in the hands of a tool.

September 11, 2012, 11:42 PM	#7
TheSILENTtype Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2012 Posts: 139	The Marlin is worth its weight in gold. I have easily dropped 4 lifetimes of yearly income on my collection, and this Marlin ALWAYS feels great in my hands. For an equiv. numerical value you can pickup the FIRST Savage Avis in .308 , which makes a pretty awesome range gun. __________________ THE SILENT TYPE

September 16, 2012, 08:56 AM	#16
Big Shrek Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: NorthWest Florida Posts: 1,358	I forgot to say earlier, it ain't a bad idea to grab an old one... Marlin 336 sells from $200-400 in pawn shops depending on condition... Had recently finished a crib and decided the empty box would be a good background... this 1952 Marlin 336RC in .30-30 makes TINY little groups...Happy Rifle!! http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/900978_1 __________________ Marlin Specialist Calico Specialist A gun should be a tool in the hands of a deadly weapon, not a deadly weapon in the hands of a tool.

September 17, 2012, 07:40 PM	#20
coldbeer Junior member Join Date: February 21, 2012 Location: Woodhaven MI Posts: 477	If it doesn't have any QC problems it's a Marlington, if it has poor workmanship it's a remlin. I was weary about Marlin quality but I took a forum members advice and bought an1895 GBL a couple of months ago for $539 at Dicks. I love the rifle but there are a cuople of minor is3sues like the stock fit and a crooked reciever screw that didn't want to come out. Marlin offered to fix it right away but I'm not OCD and I'm having too much fun shooting it a Theissues weren't a big deal to begin with, but some people demand perfection and that's fine. The rifle is very accurate for a lever and I've grown quite fond of it and the 45-70 round. It's lots of fun and to shoot and reload for.

September 10, 2012, 08:50 AM	#2
warbirdlover Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2009 Location: central Wisconsin Posts: 2,324	I don't know why everyone disses Remington so much. I bought a new 700 SPS Buckmasters .270 Win last summer and it's well made, the new trigger works great, it's a tackhammer, and I'd buy another. The Marlin is a whole different design and I can't believe the company that owns Remington would change the design and risk disaster. Why would Remington (manufacturing and engineering) have anything to do with changing anything on this rifle? BUT... I've heard that (for some reason) they are not made well anymore. If not, blame the company that owns them, not Remington. Marlins are also made in NC. Not the Remington plant.

September 11, 2012, 07:15 AM	#3
Remington74 Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2012 Location: Carthage, NY Posts: 231	If you really like the Marlin in 30-30 and are concerned aboout recent production, there are plenty of excellent condition used ones in the gun shops and pawn shops. I have seen in the used gun racks dozens of used, older Marlins that appear to be NIB examples, not a mark on them and literally no signs of being fired at all. On the other hand I would not hesitate to buy a new Marlin 336. Just look it over closely, make sure everything looks correct, no uneven gaps anywhere and the lever cycles smoothly.

September 11, 2012, 09:18 PM	#4
Nickel Plated Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2010 Location: Brooklyn, NYC Posts: 610	Yea I had visited MarlinOwners.com and checked out a thread asking people opinions on the newest made Marlins. Specifically all opinions, not just bad ones as is normal in their rants forum. And most people seemed to be pretty pleased with the newest (probably in the last year) production Marlins. The 336 seems to have less problems than some of the other models. So I guess as long as I check the gun over before buying, I should be OK. Though i may have to stick to a good used one. A NIB Marlin is still kinda pushing my budget. $350ish for a lightly used JM seems like a much nicer price. Especially taking into account some ammo, a set of peep sights and a decent sling. Thank you for the replies guys.

September 12, 2012, 02:59 PM	#8
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 4,423	Don't buy anything from Remlin. Buy from Wugah or Mosbog.

September 12, 2012, 03:12 PM	#9
Strafer Gott Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2011 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,315	Now if they would make the "D" model again they'd sell barrels of them. I'd take a chance on one of those. They have to be the slickest little companion rifle ever!

September 12, 2012, 03:32 PM	#10
batmann Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 2004 Location: Greenwood, IN Posts: 773	From what I understand from people that know, much of the tooling that Marlin had was pretty much shot and Remington had to start from scratch using OLD plans and specs. A lot of the Marlins were made by people who just made parts as they went along, nothing wrong with that except if someone has to follow you, like Remington. The new ones I have looked at are much better built than some just a few years ago. This not to say that the new ones are better than Marlins of say 10-15 years ago, but the new ones have a solid feel to them that some of more recent ones lacked. Just my opnion and ask my wife what that is really worth-----LOL

September 12, 2012, 04:03 PM	#12
baddarryl Senior Member Join Date: March 29, 2011 Location: Cape Fear! Posts: 1,683	Unsure of the 336 but I have a 2 year old xl7 in .270 and a 6 year old 981T .22lr and both are fine accurate rifles. The trigger on the xl7 is amazing.

September 12, 2012, 06:38 PM	#13
langenc Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2007 Location: Montmorency Co, MI Posts: 1,551	If you want something accurate, good looking, well made, accurate, and good value check out the Savage bolt actions. Make sure it is a 'newer' model with the accu-trigger.

September 16, 2012, 12:41 AM	#15
btmj Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2011 Location: Near St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 864	We got a new 336C in April of this year. It's a "remlin". It is my wifes gun. She wanted something suitable for deer and hogs, and she always wanted a lever gun. We haven't taken any game with it, just punced a lot of paper. We have put about 100 rounds down range so far, no feed problems, no extraction problems, accurracy is fine. Fit-n-finish is not quite as good as my weatherby, but hey, for a $500 rifle, it is pretty good. I shot a 336 back in the 1980's, and this new one seems indistinguishable.

September 17, 2012, 05:30 AM	#17
1ruralmailman Junior Member Join Date: March 6, 2012 Posts: 11	i bought a remington made 308mx marlin last year .it not only functions correctly,it shots the daylights out of anything i have owned.three shot groups are average quarter size at 100 yards.fit and finish are great for a production run gun,the only downer i have is the trigger is heavy,but i am looking at lightening that up.i say if you want a marlin dont be the least bit afraig to get one.

September 17, 2012, 06:07 AM	#18
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	I recently pillar-bedded a friend's relatively new wood-stocked, Rem 700 BDL, .223 and tried it with a few reloads tailored for my Tikka yesterday. At 100 yards in a swirly wind, it shot a 3-shot, 3/8" group and two shots in 1/16". I'd say the barrel quality is excellent. Workmanship otherwise appeared very good also. My load of 25 grains of Accurate 2230, 50 grain Hornady SX, Federal primers and Rem cases is the most accurate I've found for my Tikka 595. OAL is 2.260".

September 17, 2012, 06:23 AM	#19
thallub Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2007 Location: South Western OK Posts: 3,112	Marlin has serious quality control issues long before Remington bought that company.

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