In Walmart Today...

Walmart is well known for demanding that the companies with which it does business cut unit cost as far as possible, and that frequently involves lower standards of finish, swapping out more expensive parts made of metal with plastic, lower quality wood, etc.
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No different than the big box home improvement stores, like Home Depot.

I remember many years ago when HD was just coming up...
I used to have crews framing homes, and had a framing nailer take a crap. Nothing unusual about that, but I was under the "gun" (sorry...), every other one was in use and no time to get it repaired so I needed a new one, quick.
Rather than go to my usual tool supplier, I went to HD instead since they were closer.

Went down the aisle, and there was the same Bostitch gun that I had at least a half dozen others, of. Good price, snatched it up and ran back to the jobsite with it.

Some time later, it needed a re-build (as they all do), and took it in for repair.
My tool guy looked at it, and said "Home Depot gun"...and I said "So what? It's the same as the others".

"Nope" he said. "Looks the same, same model number. But Bostitch makes these specifically for Home Depot, and there are NO REPLACEMENT PARTS available for it."

That's when I began to learn that DeWalt, wasn't the same DeWalt...Bosch wasn't the same Bosch... In fact, none of the high-quality, made-in-America brands that I'd come to know would ever be the same anymore.

Rant over...back O.T.
 
"That's when I began to learn that DeWalt, wasn't the same DeWalt...Bosch wasn't the same Bosch... In fact, none of the high-quality, made-in-America brands that I'd come to know would ever be the same anymore."

That's been a fact of life for as long as large stores have been around.

You think Sears, Roebuck, and Company was any different?

It wasn't.

Iver Johnson, a manufacturer of low-cost handguns (especially compared to similar S&W models) came out with an even lower cost line of handguns, stamped US Revolver Company, that were sold exclusively through Monkey Ward, Sears, etc.
 
It's not just guns, either.
The big box brand name sink faucets aren't the same either.
They look the same, might even have the same model numbers, but aren't necessarily the same, as we recently found out.
 
Maintaining a constant level of quality requires ever-increasing sales prices. Exterior finish is an area which doesn't affect the "shootability" of a firearm.
 
Deerslayer -
I don't have a problem with some of the cheaper variants out there. Most of them are good shooters. I just wanted to address the fact that they do exist.

The Marlin 336W, in particular, is a good rifle that's just wearing cheap wood, outfitted with cheaper sights, and not finished quite as well as the nicer models.
But... I actually prefer the one-piece, aluminum Williams sight that Marlin put on them for about 10 years, over the sights used on standard 336s.

Functionally, they're usually exactly the same as anything else sold by Marlin. Same barrels. Same receivers. Same internals.

My own 336W didn't really appeal to me, being a .30-30 and coming to me through a trade of "red-headed-step-child" rifles.
It had the Williams sight that I like, functioned just fine, and shot pretty well. But it had crappy wood that didn't fit, a wire-brush finish on the metal, quite a few sharp edges on the lever and receiver, the action was very rough and stiff - even after 600+ rounds - and it had the common pistol-grip lever that I don't like (regardless of "Walmart" model, or not).

One thing led to another, and it's now a .444 Marlin. Starting with a 336W as the base, rather than a "regular" 336 saved me about $200 on the project, but the end result will be the same.

This photo is a few months old, and the project is nearly finished now, but I don't have a decent photo that's more recent.
The lever droop is due to the lever lock plunger not being installed at the time, there are fingerprints all over it, the Skinner sights have some light rust on them, and the stocks are covered in dust. So don't read too much into the appearance here. ;)

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That looks VERY COOL!! I like it alot. If you can get some updated pics of that monster, please share! In my post I was just reiterating your comment that the rifles sold by walmart are INDEED made for Wal Mart. I hate the furniture on my dirty dirty and one day I'll find something better to outfit it with. But I just carry it hunting so I don't fret about it too much.
 
I see it as no different than buying a Tahoe vs a Yukon Denali or Escalade. Same basic vehicle, will do the same job, but not as many oohs and ahhhs.
 
I bought a Beretta 390 from the Gainesville Walmart, and my brother ordered one three months later through Bud's gun shop...they were identical in both fit and finish, as well as internal parts.
 
One corner I always hate to see cut is the proliferation of flat top rifles. I get it but I still hate it. It ain't a gun without a sight.
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I'd really rather not pay for a cheap sight I am just going to replace. There are a few companies I wish would sell barreled actions with no stock and no sight.
 
Glad to see there are still some responses. I will go to WM again by thursday and will look at the two guns again. I will have them get them out of the display so I can run my hands over the barrels. I have a couple of SS rugers and they aren't polished but still have a smooth look to them. I have a bead blasted model 65 and none of the guns I have look like these two from WM. My GP-100 from about 1990 is a pretty slick gun.

I am like most you, I look at guns all the time and these guns were shockers. Maybe a second look will be better. But the first look I thought they looked horrid.
 
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