Marlin 336 covered in (spray?) paint

[Wyosmith]

SUch a project should be done to make a rifle that is a bit special.
If I were you, I might think about re barreling it with a 26 to 30 inch barrel, maybe octagon to round. Also think about making a take-down out of it. If so you extend the magazine at the rear so the for-end hides the joint.

If the wood is good I'd re-shape it more to the way Marlin did their rifles in the 1890s and you can do the same with the lever.

You can turn that $150 rifle into a $1500 rifle with some work and some TLC.

 

[turtlehead]

Good luck. It's going to be an excellent learning experience. You're a brave man.

 

[Gunplummer]

Buying up a rifle to repair and sell once and a while will not get you in trouble. You own the rifle. Fire a few test rounds through it and you have used it. Repairing someones personal rifle at YOUR house without him present can get you in trouble if you have no FFL. It is called "Holding".

 

[Tactical Lever]

Man, you got a $60 worth of ammo, a (maybe) decent scope for a rimfire, and the base and rings for another decent scope. You made out like a bandit.

If the paint is already coming off, a little steel wool will probably polish it right up. And if you want, a little Birchwood Casey Superblue will make it black again.

 

[Slamfire]

Anybody have insight into why somebody would do this or what you've done to a rifle like this? It's clearly not factory

Bluing is a pretty finish, better at rust prevention than nothing, but it is not exactly great at rust prevention. There are lots of finishes that provide better rust protection than bluing. Lets assume that the original finish was neglected, turning rust red, carding off the rust and painting over bare metal will provide rust protection. I have not run any rust tests but I am of the opinion that with good surface preparation paint finishes provide better rust protection than bluing. Also, a paint finish is easy to reapply.

It may not be traditional but it does not mean it will not work.

 

[AK103K]

-Some people think spray paint is a good rust inhibitor.

Actually, its a very good rust inhibitor. Ive removed the paint from hunting shotguns that had been painted 25+ years, used constantly, and the original blued finish underneath (other than a couple of wear points where the paint wore off over the years) looked brand new when the paint was removed.

Ive been painting guns since the 60's. The paint I used the most, was Testors Military Flats, as they had the most colors to choose from, and they will come completely off (with a little work) if you change your mind later.

Back in the late 90's, early 2000's, I was trying Brownell's Aluma Hyde II, and had great results with it. Painted all sorts of stuff with it too, guns, scopes, bikes, knives, etc, and its still holding up on the stuff I still have. The only downside to it is, its "permanent", and isnt likely coming off if short of a bead blast, if you dont like it later. Its also a bit of a PITA to work with, but if you can follow the directions, it'll give you a good job.

 

[FrankenMauser]

AK103K,
I was writing more in a sense of "I'll spray it on the rust, to make it go away."

 

[William T. Watts]

Wyosmith has the right idea with rebarreling, If the barrel is like the rest of the rifle it no doubt has been neglected also!! HIGHLY unlikely what ever you do to the rifle will have a dramatic impact on value, what ever you see on the outside could be worse on the inside when disassembled.. William

 

[smee78]

I would go shoot it first before i thought about a barrel replacement. Congrats on picking it up for a good price. Please keep us updated if you start a thread on the rehab process.