Marlin 336 30-30

M

mitchntx

New member
At the gun show today and I just kept walking past this Marlin lever action.

I recall my Dad had one, said it was his favorite gun. So I stopped and looked.
(I took the inbound pass)

Made in 1971 which is pre-safety. Some prefer the safety button and some prefer the "half-cocked" safety. My dad always told me I was going off half-cocked, so ....
(dribbled across mid-court)

Nice wood, wear marks on the barrel and receiver, but nothing that indicated it had been beat up. There were slip marks on the take-down screw. While not recent appearing, it told me it had been maintained. Very few wear marks on the bolt, bore was crystal clean, action was smooth, trigger was a little tight. The asking price was $375, but said he had some room.
(I pull up at the top of the key)

He said $X, I said $Z
(behind the back dribble, fake a drive up the lane, I pull up and shoot ....)

We met at $Y
(Swoosh ... drained it)

Wasn't the greatest deal in the world, but it certainly brought back a lot of really good times I had with my Dad. Worth the price ... :cool:
 
I got this Marlin 30-30 in May 2010 off a gunshow table.

He wanted $185.
I offered $150
We settled $165.

If buying guns could be scored, I would be competitive.

I thought I might re barrel it to 25/35, but I have not shot it or done anything with it yet.
 

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(he blocks the shot, takes the ball coast to coast and slams it home)

You win! I didn't get nearly that good of a deal.
 
Took it to the range today.

What a nice shooter.

Mar_30-30_1_1200.jpg
 
It's hard to beat a nice .30-30. Great rifles, all of them. Be careful with those lever actions, though, they're addictive.
 
They shoot great. $300 or so is a fair price for a used 336C in good condition.

How do you like that 50mm scope? I am seriously considering a 40mm on a 336 with the rear sight removed so that I can get it as low as possible.
 
I understand ... I'm already jones-ing for another hit tomorrow.


The scope is cheap and seems to be OK. But it really did screw up the overall appearance of the gun.

One of the draws to the gun was its patina. The gun looked like it had led a "colorful" life.

The scope just looks out of place ...

It's probably coming off and I'll put it on my MP15-22.

One thing that happened today that seemed odd ... I couldn't load more than 4 rounds. I couldn't get the 5th round to catch behind the window.

It went in far enough because as I kept pushing it in try to get it to seat, the window finally closed and the round was laying loose in the open receiver.

I never tried it again with the bolt closed. Could that be the problem?

It's been a really long time.


I bore sighted it at ~25yds and it shot ~10" right and ~2" low first 3 rounds @ 100 yds.

I hate to post my shooting results because I'm just not that great of a shot. And there is always some one coming in and explaining to me what I already know ... I'm not that great of a shot. But ...

So I moved the sight a few clicks left and up and got the results shown.

Mar_30-30_results.jpg


4 rounds down range is the grouping on the right side.

A couple more clicks and got the grouping in the center.

By now the barrel was getting pretty warm, so I set it aside and plinked a few rounds with the AR15.

After it cooled, I shot 3 more for a sanity check and got the 3 round grouping in the lower left.

This was all Winchester 150g soft point.

For me, that's pretty dad-gum good. Very pleased.
 
The Marlin 336 isn't a good rifle for a scope. It's too high to get a decent cheek weld. Ditch the chinese scope and get a Williams FP or 5d receiver sight, and a Skinner front sight.
 
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The Marlin 336 isn't a good rifle for a scope.
Click to expand...

That is just not true. You simply use a smaller scope and mount it lower. A 40mm objective is as large as I would personally go, but 20mm and 32mm objective scopes can be mounted low enough to get a very good cheek weld. You just have to use medium or low rings.

Everyone's face and cheekbones are of course different, so your mileage may vary.

:)
 
There's a simple test. Close your eyes, shoulder the rifle and find your NPOA, then open your eyes. If you have to move your head at all to see through the scope, it's in the wrong place and you don't have a good cheek weld.

I had a Weaver 1-3x20 scope mounted low enough it only had a couple thousandths clearance on my Marlin, and everybody that tried had to lift their head.
 
There's a simple test. Close your eyes, shoulder the rifle and find your NPOA, then open your eyes. If you have to move your head at all to see through the scope, it's in the wrong place and you don't have a good cheek weld.

I had a Weaver 1-3x20 scope mounted low enough it only had a couple thousandths clearance on my Marlin, and everybody that tried had to lift their head.
Click to expand...

That is a great test. I do not have this issue on any of my 336's, even the one with medium Weaver quad-lock rings. If I had the OP's setup, I would have to switch both scope and rings to pass your test.
 
I love my 336. It's topped off with a Leupold V-X II 3 x 9 mounted very low and works just fine for me. For hunting I would recommend 170 grainers as they seem to hit harder. Remington makes a good Core Lokt hollow point that does wonders on deer. Just remember the range limits with the 30-30.
 
Love the look of the "honest wear" on your 336. Character, baby!:)

Next on my wish list is a 336 in Stainless with the nice stock.

JB
 
Take a good look at the magazine tube. See if the tube is dented or crimped, especially where the front swivel stud is clamped on. That mag tube swivel stud is aftermarket, and may not have been put on correctly.
 
The Marlin 336 isn't a good rifle for a scope.
Click to expand...

While it is true that it is not a good rifle for the large "moonscopes" that require high mounts due to their large objectives, low power scopes on low mounts are just fine...... any small rise in sighting height can be fixed with a comb raising kit ......

http://www.gandermountain.com/modpe...&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=343032393435&cID=GSHOP_402945

With the relatively low velocity and poor ballistic coefficients of the .30/30 bullets, there is no good reason for a large scope on one...... if it so far out there that you need a 40mm objective lense and more than 4X magnification to see it, then maybe it is a bit too far out there to be shooting at with a brush gun......

We put a fixed 2.5 IER on a scout mount on my daughter's Marlin 30A .... much more precise than the irons and just as fast, if not faster.
 
Mine has the old 2.5 Weaver. Looks just like the one pictured on Madcratebuilder's rifle. That is what you need - 50 to 100 clams on a certain internet auction site. The scope rings mount onto a scoperail tht screws into the top of the rifle.
 
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