dating a marlin?

[troy_mclure]

id like to find when-abouts my grandfathers(now my) marlin 336 was made.

im pretty sure it is as or older than me(30ish) but id like to know for sure.

anybody know how to get this info?

[jmr40]

Go to www.armscollectors.com Find the link to Marlins and enter the SN. Scroll down and look on the left side.

If it was made after 1972 you subtract the 1st 2 digits of the SN from 100 to find the DOM. For example if the 1st 2 numbers are 25, the gun was made in 1975.

[troy_mclure]

i was a little off on my timeline!

1967!!! lol

i was thinking late 70's.

now ill just have to get the serial # for his model 12 that my dad has.

[wingspar]

Go to www.armscollectors.com Find the link to Marlins and enter the SN. Scroll down and look on the left side.

If it was made after 1972 you subtract the 1st 2 digits of the SN from 100 to find the DOM. For example if the 1st 2 numbers are 25, the gun was made in 1975.

I have a Marlin Camp-9. Bought it new, but it’s been so long, and I’ve no idea where the receipt is, that I am curious as to when it was manufactured, so I can narrow down my purchase date. If I had to guess, I bought the gun between 1982 and 1985. However, if the first two numbers designate the year of manufacture, that can’t be true. Or if after 1972, you subtract the 1st 2 digits of the SN from 100 to find the date of manufacture, that will never work for me either. The first two digits of my serial number are 00. That’s right. Two zeros. Subtract that from 100, and you still get 100. That page just tells me “No match was found”.

[jmr40]

The code of subtracting from 100 works with MOST centerfire lever guns. I think they use a different system with others. The code does not work with every rifle. Some special runs of certain rifles have a different system. But it is a good way to tell at a glance when picking up a rifle in a gun shop.

To be 100% sure it is best to call the manufacturer. Sometimes guns sit in gunshops inventory for years before being sold so finding the receipt from when you purchased it is not a good indicator of when it may have been made.

Sometimes the receivers sit in storage for a few years before they are assembled into rifles and sold. You could have a SN on a receiver made in 2005, but it may not have been assembled into a rifle until 2010.

[wingspar]

The code of subtracting from 100 works with MOST centerfire lever guns. I think they use a different system with others. The code does not work with every rifle. Some special runs of certain rifles have a different system. But it is a good way to tell at a glance when picking up a rifle in a gun shop.

Well, here is what it said just above where I entered my serial number from this page (http://oldguns.net/sn_php/marlinlookup.php).

All Marlins manufactured from 1969 to 1990:
The first two digits of the serial number designate the year of manufacture, either as the last two digits of the year (in 1969-71) or as a number code (1971 and later)..

Doesn’t sound like there should even be any serial numbers that begin with 00. Oh well. Thanks for the link.

[jmr40]

It is possible 00 could be for the year 2000. I'm pretty sure they are still using the same system on most of their rifles. Unless I'm mistaken 99 would be for 2001. A rifle made in 2010 would start with 90.

Most of mine are from the 70's back into the 50's. Most work with the system I described or will come up on the link I gave you. I've got a couple of rifles that were small limited runs that have a different series of numbers. One was made in 2005, the other probably in 1989 or possible 1988.

I also have an 1895 from 1972 when they were first re-introduced that does not work with that site. If you really want to know for sure contact Marlin.

[jmr40]

Go back to the link and read it closer. Those SN's are only for specific models. The Camp carbine is not one of the models listed. I don't know of any place to look for info on that rifle.

[wingspar]

I can’t read it any different than I have, and I’ve read it many times trying to read something that isn’t there. It’s pretty clear.

MARLINS MADE 1948 and LATER
Marlin Model 336 and Models 39-A and 39-M manufactured from 1948 to 1968:
A one or two letter code was used to designate the year of manufacture.

All Marlins (except lever action) manufactured from 1962-1968
A two letter code was used to designate month and year of manufacture.

All Marlins manufactured from 1969 to 1990:
The first two digits of the serial number designate the year of manufacture, either as the last two digits of the year (in 1969-71) or as a number code (1971 and later)..

Since I bought the gun new sometime in the 1980's, it should be on the list. I suppose it’s possible I bought the gun in the first couple years of the 1990's, but I don’t think so. I know that receipt is in this house somewhere, but I wouldn’t begin to know where to look. If I knew where that was, I wouldn’t have this desire to know the date of manufacture. Since the first two numbers of the serial number are 00, and that didn’t happen till the year 2000, years after I bought the gun, that page just doesn’t work for me.

[troy_mclure]

are you sure that the 00 isnt an OO ?

my 336 has 2 leters first.

[jmr40]

All I can say is that he site works for MOST guns. I think it is pretty accurate for the 336, which is Marlins most common centerfire. Less common guns are not listed.

I have one of the stainless guide guns in 35rem. Marlin made 500 of them in 2005. In reality it is simply a stainless 336 action. Marlin calls it a LTD model. The SN is 336SS***. The last 3 digits are from 001-500 for the 500 made. That rifle does not work with the code and does not come up on the site.

Neither does my LTS. This was a limited run during 1988-89. Marlin made about 2,700 and simply numbered them LTS****. It is still a 336 with 16" barrel and straight stock. But because Marlin chose to call it something other than a 336 and use a different code on the SN it does not work either.

[PetahW]

Model 336: June 1948 to 2006

Early serial numbers located on the lower tang under the lever. Later ones on upper tang.
These serial codes also work for the 22lr leverguns as well.

C-1946
D-1947
E-1948
F-1949
G-1950
H-1951
J-1952
K-1953
L-1954
M-1955
N-1956
P-1957
R-1958
S-1959
T-1960
U-1961
V-1962
W-1963
Y-1964
Z-1964
AA-1965
AB-1966
AC-1967
AD-early 1968
68-late 1968
69-1969
70-1970
71-1971
72-1972
27-1973
26-1974
25-1975
24-1976
23-1977
22-1978
21-1979
20=1980
19-1981
18-1982
17-1983
16-1984
15-1985
14-1986
13-1987
12-1988
11-1989
10-1990
09-1991
08-1992
07-1993
06-1994
05-1995
04-1996
03-1997
02-1998
01-1999
00-2000
99-2001
98-2002
97-2003
96-2004
95-2005
94-2006

.

[wingspar]

are you sure that the 00 isnt an OO ?

I tried 00 and OO. Neither works.

All I can say is that he site works for MOST guns.

Apparently, not for the Marlin Camp 9. I did some researching, and found that the Camp 9 was manufactured from 1985 to 1999. I thought I’d bought the gun in the early 80's, but it turns out that I could not have. Finding out when I bought it or when it was manufactured is just some info I would like to know. I put all guns in the closet in the late 1980's till last summer when I got them out, and have even added 3 new guns, and will be adding another in a couple of weeks. My life went directions that didn’t involve guns for years, and now I’m back to shooting again. The Camp 9 is one of my favorite guns, and I’ll never sell it. I have another gun I know I bought in 1984, and would love to find the receipt for that one too, as I’m curious as to what I paid for both guns.