Marlin 336 questions

R

reaper_t_r

Inactive
Even though I have been shooting fo a while, this is my first lever action. I bought it used from a reliable source, but I am having a few problems.

1.) My gun has extraction problems. Every 4-5 rounds, the lever doesn't want to open to extract the case. Once I force it open, the rest of the cycle works smoothly. The next 4-5 ronds are great, and then another jam. The ammo I have been shooting is really cheap (Monarch), and it seems like a stuck case type problem that I had in a Remington 700 a while back. Anyone have any experience with this type of problem in a Marlin?

2.)The guns sights were removed and lost along with the screws a long time before I bought it. What size screws are the front sight srews and the receiver scope mount screws on a Marlin 336?

3.) I am planning on machining my own peep sight for the receiver and front sight for the barrel. I am a competent machinist and it will be free for me to make it. Any recomendations?
 
What do the empty cases look like?

Difficult extraction can be a sign of excessive pressure...... or a really dirty chamber.....
 
The cases look fine. No signs of excessive pressure on the primers, heads, or necks. The only isue with the cases that I saw was a slight bit of flashback around the necks. But I encounter that problem regularly with Monarch.

The chamber, however, could be dirty. I'll have to give it a good cleaning.
 
Try some other ammo and see if that corrects your problem. It may be a combination of a dirty chamber and "hard" brass. I had that problem with some older reloads when the cases were improperly annealed.
Also check that the lever screw is tight. If it is loose it allows the lever to cant off to the side during use and imparts a bind on the bolt.

Look at the Speed Sights (Ashley Express type) and the Williams receiver sights for ideas on some nice style peeps.

Joat
 
Those are for the front sight, right?

Thanks for all the help so far. The chamber didn't come out as dirty as I thought it would, but it is sqeaky claen now. I will pick up some new ammo today and hopefully get some rounds off by the end of the week.
 
FWIW, Marlin uses a size larger than 6-48 for their barrel sight & scope mount screws - IIRC they're 8-40, but could also be 10-32, since it's been 30 years from the last time I actually measured one.

Since you intend to make your own sights, you could do worse than emulate these:

1894picture.jpg


BS_lo-pro.jpg


Lo-ProSight2.JPG


.
 
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I had a similar extraction problem with my 336. I took it to a gunsmith who smoothed out the chamber, but that did not solve the problem.

Then, I took the action apart and polished some parts... no help either.

After a little more investigating, I decided the problem had to be the actual brass that was being ejected, not the rifle. I had been shooting factory loaded PRVI .30-30. I switched to shooting Federal or Winchester ammunition, and I have never had another jam.

There is a good chance the problem is with the brass over-expanding.

Chaz
 
I too had a slight problem with my 336: difficulty extracting and difficulty feeding. Problem was solved by tightening the exposed screws on the receiver. Blue Locktite keeps the screws in place.

Hope this helps.
 
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