Marlin 336A restoration project

[stagpanther]

Decided to take a break from trying to blow myself up with a 350 Legend AR project to catch-up on a back-burner project, friend of mine found this 336A 30-30 marlin which I've dated to 1979-- and yes it's JM stamped non-safety.

He told me it hadn't been used in 20 years, and at first glance I thought it was hopeless, the stock finish was stripped off and damaged in many locations, and much of the metal was covered in what looked like "rust fungus." I didn't ask, but I'm guessing it's a family heirloom piece--probably owned by a father or grandfather. The rifle also had lots of "goo" on it which, for lack of better description, looked like axle grease but smelled like dead fish. Somebody added an aftermarket base at some point--but the weaver 1.5 micro-track scout scope that was on it I think is a perfect period match for the rifle. The owner told me he wanted to replace it with a new scout scope--I told him I had just bought a new loopy scout scope for my 336 which costs much more than this is worth--but that I would trade it in a heartbeat for his, at which point he had second thoughts. My mistake.



As I got the gun progressively cleaned I realized just what a sleeping beauty it is, the burled walnut is magnificent and even though I didn't take out all of the worst gouges I refinished the stock and foreend instead of replacing it, you can't see them now unless you're looking mere inches away. The insides were of course filthy and I've cleaned them as best I could, I don't yet know to what extent the micro-groove rifling may or may not be damaged. I figure I'll test fire (the owner is only interested in using it as a hunting tool) before getting really deep into improving the action etc.

The hardest part of doing this is resisting the temptation of telling the owner it's a piece of junk and offering to buy it off him. I do believe in Karma though.

[FrankenMauser]

Looks like the finger smashy part fell off.




I really like working on the 336 family (336, 444, 1895). I've had, and arguably still have, way too many. They just feel so nice once stoned and timed properly.

What was the spider count in the guts?
The '79 336("C") that came to me about seven years ago had only two.
But the current '69 336("C") project (an epic adventure in stupidity and excess) was packed full of insect carcasses - especially spiders.
My '70 Glenfield 30A arrived horrendously filthy and full of carpet beetles.

[stagpanther]

Looks like there was a bit of "bashing about" of the lever so I'm going to see if I can get it a little better aligned. Frankly--the rifle looked and smelled like it was stored under a grease trap of a fried clam broiler--it's filled with fuzzy/gunky goo that smells like rancid fish oil. The guy who owns it is sure going to be surprised when he gets it back, it looks almost new compared to what he handed me.

[reinert]

Looks like you're doing a very nice job bringing it back to life. I have 2 nice old vintage 336s and love 'em both; one with open sights and Ballard rifling, and the other with M.G. topped with a Leupold 4X compact. They're both very accurate, too. Hope that nice old Marlin shoots for ya once you get it range ready!

Is that a 22" barrel on that one?

[jmr40]

I really like the trimmer forend used on rifles of that vintage. And the longer barreled versions were not common at all. I wouldn't worry about getting all the deep gouges out, a rifle of that age should have some 'character marks" on it. Looks good

[stagpanther]

Thanks guys--I straightened and cleaned out everything to where I think it's safe to take her out for a spin. Very cold out--owner wants to set everything to hornady reduced recoil ammo. It is a 22" barrel and gold trigger. If it shoots as well as I hope--I may have to tell the owner I accidentally left it on the tailgate and lost it on the way home.

[FrankenMauser]

Reduced recoil .30-30.
Isn't that like "Lite Diet Soda"?

Looks like there was a bit of "bashing about" of the lever so I'm going to see if I can get it a little better aligned. Frankly--the rifle looked and smelled like it was stored under a grease trap of a fried clam broiler--it's filled with fuzzy/gunky goo that smells like rancid fish oil. The guy who owns it is sure going to be surprised when he gets it back, it looks almost new compared to what he handed me.

I have two firearms that suffer from a stink that I believe may be the same thing, and have had at least two others in the past. I believe it comes from the use of WD-40, "3-in-One" oil, and whatever else was in reach when Bubba felt the need to do his once-a-decade 'cleaning'.

[stagpanther]

Just got back, rifle shoots fine though accuracy with the factory ammo was nothing to write home about--about 2.5" at 100 yds so far. Maybe that's OK considering 1.5 mag scope.

[Scorch]

I always love reading about old rifles being put back in usable condition. I just finished the same thing with an old Winchester 1892 that was a parts mix-master. It started life as a Trapper saddle ring carbine, and somewhere along the line somebody decided to put a different barrel on it, then someone refinished it badly after it had rusted a bit, and sanded the wood so it was undersized. I restocked it, rebarreld it, and color cased the receiver to hide the rust pits I couldn't get out. But I think it turned out OK.

[stagpanther]

Secondary project for the owner's daughter; a circa 1997 winchester 70 sporter in 270 Weatherby magnum. Did the stock at the same time as the 336's. Although newer, this gun is much heavier used. Bolt looks like it's been binded by over-driven mount screws--I see that a lot. The barrel outside is heavily dinged; depending on how well it shoots I might suggest a new barrel. The barrel is not free-floated--but none of the Weatherby MK5's I've worked have been either.



Beauty job there scorch.

[bamaranger]

I've got a soft spot for those half magazine lever rifles. One of the "rifles I shoulda bought" was a 336 in .35 Rem, so configured.

[stagpanther]

One of the "rifles I shoulda bought" was a 336 in .35 Rem, so configured.

I know precisely that feeling--A LGS had one in 35 rem and I hemmed and hawed while trying to talk them down on the price--it was immaculate but they wanted 1K for it. One day they finally lowered the price--but someone else (jerk ) snatched it before me.

[stagpanther]

The old weaver K3-1 scope is fascinating, I researched it as best I could but couldn't come up with too much information. Best as I could guesstimate--it was made in the post-war period--maybe the 1950's--here in the US. Although the glass tends to distort towards the edge of the lens--the glass clarity is extraordinary. For my old eyes that have trouble even with 3 x 9 modern scopes--I found I could almost as easily make out the center of the target with sharpness with the 1.5 mag of the weaver @ 100 yds as I could with a modern consumer 3 x 9 at high magnification. The part I couldn't quite figure out is that the turrets are clearly ticked with 1/4 clicks--but I found that 4 clicks at 100 yds was closer to 2 MOA than one (both windage and elevation). Was this intended as a 50 yd zero maybe???

[jmr40]

I've got a soft spot for those half magazine lever rifles. One of the "rifles I shoulda bought" was a 336 in .35 Rem, so configured.

They only made 500 of those in blue and a few years later 500 in SS. I bought one of the SS versions new in 2005. $1000 is a good price for one today.

[stagpanther]

$1000 is a good price for one today.

I knew I blew it.

[jmr40]

The problem is finding a buyer who knows how rare they are. I made a similar mistake a few years ago. I have several 336 T's with 20" barrels. Those are somewhat rare, but I bought one years ago with an 18.5" barrel and at some point sold it for about the same price as a standard 336. Which was about what I paid for it. I've since found that the ones with 18.5" barrels are quite rare and the last one I saw was priced at $1000.

[reinert]

Nice work! Indeed!

As an aside, and FWIW, Both my old Marlins (post #4) are zeroed @ 100 yds. Using my SCOPED 336 (the m-groove one) with that zero and shooting over my daypack at 50 yards, it's pretty much dead-on zero there, too (for this hunting rifle, and for me, no compensation with the cross-hair hold is needed). At 200 yds. with a solid rest, that rifle will consistently group 5 and 1/2 inches low holding dead-on center; easy to compensate for in the field. I have a target I use for reference with that rifle, and I just looked at it. It has a 5 shot group that measures center to center on the widest shots right @ 2 and 3/16ths inches. That rifle is generally that accurate all the time if I'm shooting well.

Presently, I use exclusively the Speer 150 grn. SPFN bullet for both rifles. My reloads are always full length resized, trimmed to 2.030" with the bullet crimped well in the cannelure. I'm liking 34 grns. of VARGET in these loads lately (same ammo, both rifles). Killed two whitetails with two shots the past 2 years using that rifle with that load.

My old 336 with the Ballard rifling shoots very well at 50 and 100 yards over my daypack. Because it has open sights, I don't shoot the groups I can with my scoped rifle (go figure). I know if I put a scope on it, it would shoot every bit as well as the micro grooved rifle (maybe better? Ha!). It's old enough to where it's not drilled and tapped for a scope, and I'd never have one on it anyway. I find taking that one for a walk and plinking these days is quite enjoyable. Light and straight stocked, it's a cool old, accurate rifle. For some reason, the sights on the thing are positioned on the barrel about as perfectly as could be, as I get a really nice sight picture with the arrangement (both rifles have 20" barrels). That's a real treat for my old eyes! Full bead in the rear notch, holding dead-on at 50 and 100. All good.

Again, good job on the restore. Love the old Marlins!

[stagpanther]

Well--here's the latest, and it's a tangled web I weave.

I went out again trying to improve the groupings, but I couldn't--worse yet when I changed ammo I wasn't even getting on paper anymore. I love the old weaver scope--the glass is so spectacularly clear. But I was just spraying the groups--and when I adjusted the elevation and windage it was as if it had no effect. I wasted two boxes of ammo and finally figured that the rifling must be worn out, and was going to contact the customer and tell him that if he wanted to actually use the thing he's need to consider getting it re-barreled or relined (if they can do that, I'm not sure?).

Then my feeble brain kicked in and said--"what if the turrets are kaput and you're not getting anything from them?" So as a last resort I took the Leupold rifleman that had been on his daughter's model 70 and put it on the 336. Using the cheapest ammo I could find at Wally World it took me 5 shots to get onto the target board at 100 yds, after adjusting the elevation and windage the next three shots were around MOA. Happy days!

[jmr40]

While they look nice and are period correct for some rifles I don't trust a scope over about 30 years old. The glass may be just fine, but internal parts wear out as do rubber seals. And the glass on a $200 scope made today is probably as good, if not better than one of the Alpha scopes from 30 years ago.

[stagpanther]

While they look nice and are period correct for some rifles I don't trust a scope over about 30 years old. The glass may be just fine, but internal parts wear out as do rubber seals. And the glass on a $200 scope made today is probably as good, if not better than one of the Alpha scopes from 30 years ago.

I agree about the internals wearing out--which I'm sure is the case with this scope. Not so sure I agree with the glass quality comparison though.

[stagpanther]

My heart broke as I returned the rifle to the owner today. However--it turns out it was his daddy's and possibly even his granddaddy used it (we're both north of 60). I told him I'd be quite upset if he bashed it up--he promised he wouldn't.

[gb_in_ga]

Reduced recoil .30-30.
Isn't that like "Lite Diet Soda"?

Heh! No, seriously, there actually are viable needs for reduced recoil .30-30 ammo, never mind that .30-30 has fairly mild recoil with normal factory loads. Mostly, for youth and ladies' use. Also, there are some people who are really recoil averse, sometimes it is a result of a medical condition. Were it legal to hunt with conventional rifle calibers in Ill-Annoys, my BIL would fit the mold. Due to old football injuries, he has had multiple shoulder surgeries. Also, if she were so inclined as to hunt (which she isn't), SWMBO has Rheumatoid Arthritis which means she has a lot of joint pain, and is thus very averse to recoil. In both cases, a reduced recoil .30-30 load would be just the ticket.

[stagpanther]

In both cases, a reduced recoil .30-30 load would be just the ticket.

I honestly can't tell any difference between the reduced recoil and full power stuff in this particular rifle--but then I'm a pretty dull guy and heavier hitting stuff doesn't bother me all that much--I get headaches from my small brain rattling around from the report concussion far sooner than I get a sore shoulder.

[ocharry]

so stag,,,,what became of the old weaver scope??? i bet you can have it rebuilt ,,,

i know i have an old lyman all american 4power on one of my rifles,,it works great,,,and i have an old t10 target dot weaver on another and it is still ticking along,,,those older scopes just have that vintage look on certain rifles,,,a look i like myself

but anyway i bet if you didnt trash it somebody can rebuild it,,,heck maybe even weaver,,,and if you or the owner dont want it maybe i would take it and resurrect it to its former glory

ocharry

[stagpanther]

so stag,,,,what became of the old weaver scope??? i bet you can have it rebuilt ,,,

i know i have an old lyman all american 4power on one of my rifles,,it works great,,,and i have an old t10 target dot weaver on another and it is still ticking along,,,those older scopes just have that vintage look on certain rifles,,,a look i like myself

but anyway i bet if you didnt trash it somebody can rebuild it,,,heck maybe even weaver,,,and if you or the owner dont want it maybe i would take it and resurrect it to its former glory

ocharry

I'm one step ahead of you--the owner absolutely insisted he didn't want it and said I could have it. I totally agree with you on the restoration--it will likely cost more than the scope itself is worth, but having already shot it I know how good the glass is, you can trade a whole lot of magnification power for clearer glass IMO. Apparently there's a guy out in El Paso where the original weaver made many of the K series scopes, in fact this guys used to work at that factory, and he still restores these. I'm going to see if I can track him down--I have plenty of lever guns I would love to put it on. This particular one has the brass turret tops--which apparently are more desirable than the later ones which switched to aluminum.