marlin 336 help

S

scottycoyote

New member
I have a 336 in 3030 that i got out the other day to take to the range, and the lever wont function, the bolt is locked in the closed position and the lever will just open away from the gun about an inch and then it stops. A little back history in to the problem, last year i shot a nice buck with this gun and in all the hubub i think i never ejected the spent shell, and i never did anything else with the gun. I dont know if this has anything to do with my problem but i thought id mention it (and i will feel like an idiot if this is what caused my problem lol).

Ive watched a couple of videos and have done searches, all the screws on the gun are tight, and the gun is unloaded other than the possible spent shell in the chamber. Does anyone have suggestions or solutions? i thought about soaking everything in liquid wrench.
 
the gun is unloaded other than the possible spent shell in the chamber.
Click to expand...

Really? how do you know that?

Was the one shot that took your deer, (the one you forget to eject) the ONLY shell in the gun? IF not, How did you unload it, without opening the action?

Take it to a gunsmith, and pay him what he wants to repair your NEGLECT.
 
Those lever actions don't have all the camming power of a bolt action, and you probably just have a little corrosion between the spent casing and the chamber walls. If you are sure it's fired, you might just tap the empty case with a cleaning rod through the barrel and it will probably jog it loose. Shouldn't be a big deal.
 
Open the lever as much as you can and tap a rod down the barrel. It should come free.

But before that use the rod to measure how deep in the barrel you can go and then confirm that with the outside of the barrel so you know if it's a live round or not.
 
I would guess you have a live round stuck in the feed tube/magazine of your rifle that is stuck. You could try putting a cleaning rod in the feed and push the round back into the magazine while opening the lever.

I can not see you loading only one round when you went hunting last year. I doubt that the gun was unloaded from last year.

Jim
 
This will be interesting to follow. What blindstitch said about measuring your cleaning rod to find out if it's a live round in there is right on. And keep that thing pointed in a safe direction.
 
Measuring the ramrod down the barrel sounds like the first priority, a healthy does of solvent down the barrel/ sprayed in action could help if that is the problem but to me it sounds like you need to push a round trying to come out of the magazine tube back in. I always clean my gun before i take off my boots after I've shot, sounds like its a habit that could help you too bud.
 
Short version.... Take it to a gunsmith.

Long version.... Get the case out and take it to a gunsmith.
Spray penetrating oil (or at least a solvent/oil mixture) down the barrel and let it work on the chamber for a while.
Open the lever and keep moderate pressure on it.
Slide a rod down the barrel (I prefer 0.302" drill rod or ~0.260" rod with electrical tape), and tap the rod until the case breaks loose. Once it moves, it should slide right out as the action opens.
After ensuring the rifle is completely empty....
Take it to a gunsmith. If the cartridge corroded in the chamber enough to get stuck, it likely caused pitting to the chamber walls. You're best off having a gunsmith closely inspect the chamber, and/or take a casting. If the chamber is pitted, you'll have constant issues with sticky ejection or stuck cases, from now on.
 
Another possibility (though remote) is that the ejector is broken, and that it is preventing the bolt from moving rearward...

As mentioned, measure a cleaning rod down the barrel...If it is an empty, simply dribble some penetrant down the barrel and let sit for a while...

Then tap the case with the rod...
 
Highly unlikly...but I had an "ear" on the buttstock break off and lodge in the action of my 1895 Marlin. It jammed the action tight but was easily remedied by removing buttstock
 
Really? how do you know that?

Was the one shot that took your deer, (the one you forget to eject) the ONLY shell in the gun? IF not, How did you unload it, without opening the action?

Take it to a gunsmith, and pay him what he wants to repair your NEGLECT._quote

i KNOW its not loaded cuz i opened up the loading gate and was able to get the other 2 bullets out of it, if youre familiar with the 336 then you know its not that difficult
 
hey blindstitch,
i put some kroil down the barrel last night and letting it soak for 24 hours, im going to do like some have suggested and put a cleaning rod on the outside to make sure i have a fired shell in it, then try lightly tapping it out

ill let you know how it goes tomorrow
 
So you've had a loaded firearm in your house for a year that you didn't bother to clean in a year. If there's rust in the chamber, you'll need a new barrel. No amount of solvent will fix that. If the innards are rusted together, they'll need replacing.
"...I KNOW its not loaded..." Now. You take the cases out too or just the bullets? snicker.
Can you get the bolt out? The safety work? Disassemble as per the manual( Page 7) and go from there.
http://stevespages.com/pdf/marlin_336_444_1895.pdf
A smithy will start with a 1/4" brass rod and a mallet. Even though levers are kind of delicate.
 
i know i messed up lol, i dont need the point belabored over and over back to me...i messed up, i get it, just needed opinions on how to fix it.
 
I've made much worse mistakes.....probably not with guns, though. I take that back, I've let more than one go that I count as a huge mistake. On a practical note, there's been some good advice. First make sure you don't have a loaded round in the chamber as previously mentioned. It could be a lot bigger mistake to go hammering a rod down the barrel of a loaded rifle.:eek: If it passes the no-live-round test, then tap on the rod gently with the lever open as far as it will go without forcing it. If you don't get encouraging results right away, you might not be getting the breech fully unlocked and no amount of hammering on that rod will free it until the lever has opened enough to unlock the bolt. If that's the case, use generous amounts of penetrating oil on the bolt, lever and any other parts you can reach that might be involved. Then work the lever open and closed a dozen times or so, as far open as it will go with mild pressure and see if you can gain further travel with increased repetitions. Leave it at its furthest open position, and if it's still stuck, go back to the mallet. Stopping short of causing damage, there is a time for professional help. If you do have a stuck loaded round in the chamber, that time is now. Good luck, be safe, and let us know how it all turns out. Perhaps I'm not above learning from another's mistake. By the way, I think it was big of you to just lay bare your mistake at the risk of being ridiculed. For a good laugh about not airing one's ignorance before others, I recommend reading Mark Twain's, "Roughing It", the part about the broken thoroughbrace on the overland stage.
 
i KNOW its not loaded cuz i opened up the loading gate and was able to get the other 2 bullets out of it, if youre familiar with the 336 then you know its not that difficult
Click to expand...

Ok, fine. I do have a 336 and I know all about that. If you had said that in your original post, we wouldn't have gone down that particular road.

And yes, a tip of the hat to you for being a big enough person to admit your mistake, and take the flak for it.

some good advice has been given. Let me tell you a bout a couple of things I had to do once...

My Dad passed in 03. We live on opposite sides of the country, and I flew back east. Dad still had several guns, but apparently had not touched them in the last decade of his life. Most were ok, (reasonably well stored), but two were not. One was a Model 99 Savage, one of the older ones with the safety on the lever, that locks it shut. The safety was ON...

That rifle was frozen shut. The safety could not be moved, and so the action could not be opened. Had to use a rod to find out if it was loaded. A generous application of WD-40, a couple hours soak time, and the safety came unstuck after a few light taps from a small mallet. Action opened, ok, everything turned out fine. The oil had congealed, turned to a lacquer, gluing things shut.

Same thing (almost) with a Colt Government model I found in his dresser drawer. Mag out (loaded 5 rnds ball ammo), checked the chamber (empty), and when I released the slide, it moved sloooowly forward, stopping about half way. again, thickened oil was the problem.

Cleaned of the old gunk the guns were ok, although the .45 has some serious finish blemish in a couple places. Mechanically fine.
 
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