I've owned Marlin lever guns for about 50 years now...and most will hold 3-4" at 100 yds, from rest. So I'd say that your gun is about average, accuracy wise. Marlins do respond to bedding improvements however. All of mine will hold about 2" now, for three shots from rest after some tinkering.
A scoped, stock lever gun that will throw its first three rounds from a cold barrel into an inch at 100 yds, is a very rare gun in my experience. Even with tweaking the bedding, loads, etc., it's an extremely rare gun.
I don't 'compete' with my Marlins nor with a cpl of Winchesters, so 10 shot groups are a waste of time and ammunition for me. It's the first three rounds that I'm interested in, and from a cold barrel at that...if they group consistently, I'm happy...and yes I do check with multiple 3-shot groups.
For some in depth instructions on how to tweak your Marlin, try the Marlin Owner's Forum. There are some very talented people over there who will help you. With a lever gun you have barrel bands, fore end screws, front sight ramps/hoods, tubular magazines plus magazine springs; all of which complicate the tweaking process.
All of the above affect barrel vibration and hence, grouping ability adversely. But, assuming you have a good crown on your barrel, and a decent chamber, it is possible to find a sweet spot in that mess, to produce good hunting accuracy. It just takes time and ammunition, and sometimes, a lot of both.
To check your Marlin's inherent accuracy try the following: remove the barrel bands, fore end and sight hood, as well as the magazine tube and spring. Then bench the gun from sandbag at 100 yds, scoped if possible. That alone (with all that wood and metal removed) revealed that my .30-30 Texan was capable of 1-1/4" 3-shot gps with my pet hand load. By tweaking each of those appendages, one at a time and reinstalling them sequentially, I isolated the offending parts, and ended up with a gun that'll shoot two inches....I was happy to say the least.
Personally, I've used 3031, with 170 grain bullets of Hornady or Sierra make in my guns with good success. 30 grains is the load, though you should check it with a good manual and work up if interested. BTW, I've always had better luck with 170 grain bullets than with 150's. 748 is another good powder.
A scoped, stock lever gun that will throw its first three rounds from a cold barrel into an inch at 100 yds, is a very rare gun in my experience. Even with tweaking the bedding, loads, etc., it's an extremely rare gun.
I don't 'compete' with my Marlins nor with a cpl of Winchesters, so 10 shot groups are a waste of time and ammunition for me. It's the first three rounds that I'm interested in, and from a cold barrel at that...if they group consistently, I'm happy...and yes I do check with multiple 3-shot groups.
For some in depth instructions on how to tweak your Marlin, try the Marlin Owner's Forum. There are some very talented people over there who will help you. With a lever gun you have barrel bands, fore end screws, front sight ramps/hoods, tubular magazines plus magazine springs; all of which complicate the tweaking process.
All of the above affect barrel vibration and hence, grouping ability adversely. But, assuming you have a good crown on your barrel, and a decent chamber, it is possible to find a sweet spot in that mess, to produce good hunting accuracy. It just takes time and ammunition, and sometimes, a lot of both.
To check your Marlin's inherent accuracy try the following: remove the barrel bands, fore end and sight hood, as well as the magazine tube and spring. Then bench the gun from sandbag at 100 yds, scoped if possible. That alone (with all that wood and metal removed) revealed that my .30-30 Texan was capable of 1-1/4" 3-shot gps with my pet hand load. By tweaking each of those appendages, one at a time and reinstalling them sequentially, I isolated the offending parts, and ended up with a gun that'll shoot two inches....I was happy to say the least.
Personally, I've used 3031, with 170 grain bullets of Hornady or Sierra make in my guns with good success. 30 grains is the load, though you should check it with a good manual and work up if interested. BTW, I've always had better luck with 170 grain bullets than with 150's. 748 is another good powder.
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