Quick and dirty on the 336 please

T

turtlehead

New member
I have an early 40's Winchester 94 and know the "pre 64's" are the desirable ones.

Before I start researching are there some bullet points you can give me on the 336's?

Much appreciated. Feel a little ashamed I know nothing of these rifles... :o
 
The cross-bolt safety was introduced in 1984.

Some models dropped the Micro-Groove rifling in favor of more traditional "Ballard style" rifling in 1998 (through today).

There have been different versions available with 1/2 length magazine tubes, 3/4 length magazine tubes, and full length magazines. Some are highly sought-after, some are not.

Barrel lengths have been available for most cartridges from as short as 16.25" to over 30". Most common production models have 19" barrels, 21.5" barrels, or 23.5" barrels. (Marlin lists these barrels as 1/2" longer, because they, stupidly, include a portion of the barrel that's inside the action, but behind the breech face - which doesn't count for the legal measurement.)

There are two types of fore-ends: barrel band style, and tip-cap style.
The barrel band style is exactly as it sounds... the fore-end and magazine tube are held on with barrel bands.
The tip-cap style fore-end uses a decorative cap and a tenon in a dovetail slot to hold the fore-end. The magazine is also held in place by a hanger stud in a dovetail slot.

"Hardwood" stocks will have the "Marlin Bullseye" on the bottom of the buttstock. Birch stocks have no bullseye.

336Ws can now be found in the inventory of many dealers, but it was originally designed for a WalMart contract - to be a lower priced variant (and the Ws are still lower quality, today).

Most 336s made between 1965 and 2003 are drilled and tapped for a receiver-mounted peep sight on the left side of the receiver. Most (nearly all after 1983) are also drilled and tapped on top of the receiver for a scope base.

"Big Bore" Marlins are derivatives of the model 336 (and share the same exterior dimensions).
In 1964, the Model 444 was created by slightly modifying the 336 receiver to work with the then-new .444 Marlin cartridge.
When Marlin decided to build a .45-70 rifle, they used the Model 444 as the base. Slightly modified, it became known as the 'new model' 1895.
And, when the .450 Marlin came along about 15 years ago, it was, 'lather, rinse, repeat': Marlin tweaked the 1895 a bit, and came out with the first rifle officially bearing the 'big bore' name.
Any 336 can be turned into a 444 or 1895 with minor modifications and some parts changes, and most 444s and 1895s can run 336 cartridges with a few parts changes.


For more information on variants, configurations, history, or dating by serial number prefix, head over to the 336 forum at MarlinOwners.com.

For 1970-2000 rifles (I think it's '70), you subtract the first two digits of the serial number from 2000 to get the year of manufacture. If the first two digits are 01-87, you subtract the number from 2100.
A serial number of 21045599, for example, has a '21' prefix. Subracted from 2000, you get a 1979 production year.
A serial number of 983388993, for example, has a '98' prefix. Subtracted from 2100, it shows that it is a 2002 rifle.
'MR' and 'MM' prefixes are Remington rifles built late 2012 or later. (Only Marlin/Remington can give you more specific information.)
Other letter prefixes are pre-1970, and you need a chart to reference the year (some letters were skipped).
 
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The 336 is Marlin's benchmark lever action rifle. Due to some quality concerns since Remington took over production a couple years ago, the older models stamped JM are considered the best that were ever built. Some say that Remington fixed their quality problems but I have no first hand experience to share.

Jack
 
Good stuff Frank!
How about this also, the 36 (336's predecessor) had a square bolt as compared to the 336's round bolt. The 1893 was the Grand Pappy of them both.
 
The cross-bolt safety was introduced in 1984.
Click to expand...

Most 336s made between 1965 and 2003 are drilled and tapped for a receiver-mounted peep sight on the left side of the receiver. Most (nearly all after 1983) are also drilled and tapped on top of the receiver for a scope base.
Click to expand...

Cross-Bolt Safety was introduced in 1983...By '84 all Marlin lever production included it...

The factory side drilling for a peep sight started long before 1965, at least during the Model 36 Era...

All 336's after the 'Waffle Tops' are D&T'd for scope mounts...That would be after 1955...
 
My 1947 36 has the receiver and tang drilled and tapped for peep sights. The top of the receiver has the "Marlin Safety" script.
 
Very good info from all on the Marlins. What is lesser quality from Walmart aside from wood ? I see these 336W's fer sale but retain high price due to jm stamp.
Any help, suggestions ?

Mike
 
One of my many collaborations with Santa Claus required me to take delivery of a Marlin 336 at Walmart. The wood was good. The metal was good. The rifle functions slick and hits. The crossbolt safety lets you carry the piece hammer back, which is a good look for a saddle gun (see "Rio Bravo" for this fashion tip). When the "old ones were great, the new ones are junk" chorus begins it is usually a good idea to smile, nod, and say nothing.
 
There are two different 36 models. Model 1936 which was made in 1936 and manufactured prior to the model 36 of which is the predecessor to the 336 model.
I currently own a model 36 SC manufactured in the late 40s I believe. Owned/had a 1953 336 S> sporting C> carbine once years ago. I liked it for its shortened 16"barrel and micro-groove. Handy little rifle. Piece a cake to clean. Decent little shooter of most anyone's 30-30s too. Don't see many SC anything being sold anymore. Far more longer barrel models seen in those used gun racks today. If there is any miss information in my comment. Its only because I'm not that knowledgeable on Marlin levers. I prefer commenting about 94s and Savage 99s of which I've read more on.
 
The old Glenfield 30-30's used to be the cheaper line of 336's. I would say that if it has a walnut stock it would be a top of the line 336, if it's birch then this would probably be the economy priced model. The Walmart and chain store branded models can add some confusion here. The pre-Remington guns seem to command a premium do to quality issues from the first Remington owned Marlins. Some say they are past these early issues, I haven't experienced this myself. I hope they are, I would love to have an 1895 45-70 Cowboy.
 
Aside from wood, I've heard sooo many different tails of " Out of tolorence parts, weaker cheaper metal, firearms not meeting QC specs. Internal parts not machined or polished as on higher more expensive firearms. Etc...

I dislike Walmart for the way they treat their employees, China products and being the first to meet with Obummer after the Conn shooting.

Just wondered if anyone had any real proof of these tails ! As large as they are I can see purchasing bulk and being able to have lower prices.

Mike
 
I have a 336 w I bought from academy. Guessing here it is the same 336 w that walmat would sell but I dont know. I have no complaints about the gun, I got it to keep in the truck and its a good shooter. Its not "smooth as glass" but it is accurate and very dependable. and a blast to shoot.
 
FrankenMauser,

Wow! Thank you so much for your time and excellent post. I really appreciate it.

A lot of great information here. Thanks all!
 
Very good info from all on the Marlins. What is lesser quality from Walmart aside from wood ? I see these 336W's fer sale but retain high price due to jm stamp.
Any help, suggestions ?
Click to expand...
The general formula for a 'W' model is:
Cheaper wood (typically Birch).
Cheaper sights.
Lower grade fit and finish.
No sling swivels/studs.

The parts used, standards held, and quantity produced varied greatly over the years. But most - not all, but most - of the more recent examples (roughly 1998 to 2008) used aluminum sights instead of steel; really cheap, soft birch stocks with minimal machine time (utilitarian styling); a cheap, easily damaged finish on the wood; and more of a wire-wheel (rougher) finish on the metal than the '220 grit' type of finish on other 336s.

My own biggest complaint about the more recent 336Ws (again, roughly 1998-2008) is that the Birch stocks were very poorly fitted to the receivers around the upper and lower tangs. That being where all of the recoil gets concentrated, can be a problem. They are more prone to splitting at the tang than other 336 stocks, and repairs seem to be more difficult to hide, due to the softer wood used.


That being said...
I actually prefer the cheap, aluminum Williams rear sight that Marlin used (on and off) on the 336Ws in the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s. For me, it gives a better sight picture than the standard steel leaf. It is also secured in the rear sight dovetail by a set screw, so it can't be bumped out of alignment like the standard sight. I don't really care for the aluminum front sight, but they're easily replaced with aftermarket blades and bases.

And, slightly lower finish quality, or not, the receivers are machined exactly the same, are made of the same steel, and are heat-treated to be just as strong as any other 336.
Right now, I am building a custom .444 Marlin with a 336W receiver (2002 production). I have no reservations about longevity or reliability from extra 'abuse' that the more powerful cartridge will give the action.

I never really liked that 2002 336W as a .30-30, but I also never had any doubts that it would continue to function as intended for a long time to come....
(Until I tore it apart and put it on steroids... ;))
 
Barrel lengths have been available for most cartridges from as short as 16.25" to over 30". Most common production models have 19" barrels, 21.5" barrels, or 23.5" barrels. (Marlin lists these barrels as 1/2" longer, because they, stupidly, include a portion of the barrel that's inside the action, but behind the breech face - which doesn't count for the legal measurement.)
Click to expand...

Sorry but barrels are measured from the breech face to the end of the muzzle. Marlin isn't nearly as stupid as you think they are.

http://thegunwiki.com/Gunwiki/ProcMeasureBarrelLength
 
Sorry but barrels are measured from the breech face to the end of the muzzle. Marlin isn't nearly as stupid as you think they are.
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Re-read my post, and note the words "...BEHIND the breech face..."

Marlin 336, 444, and 1895 barrels (and other models) have a "hood" machined into them that serves as a feeding aid in the receiver - a bit of an inverted feed ramp, if you will.
In 336s and 336 derivative actions, that hood extends behind the breech by 3/8" to 5/8" depending upon year and chambering.

The problem with Marlin's advertised barrel length is that they include the hood in their measurements. If you measure your barrel for LEGAL length (such as demonstrated in your link, and mentioned in my post), the hood is NOT included in that measurement. Marlin is/was selling you 3/8" to 5/8" of 'phantom' barrel. Sure, there's metal there that's integral to the barrel, but it doesn't count for legal barrel length, doesn't aid in cartridge performance, and doesn't increase sight radius. It's a feed ramp.


Here are two photos of a 336 barrel, with the hood clearly shown. (Second and fourth photos in the post.)
 
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Over the years the stock shape has evolved and changed. For some reason the ones made since the mid-80's have a huge fore end with way more wood and bulk than needed. Some older models have the same issue. The ones made during the 1970's up into the 80's have a much trimmer and better fore end in my opinion.



I don't think there is anything functionally wrong with any of the new versions. But these older guns are available, are better guns than the new versions and sell for less. That is the way I'd be looking.
 
The problem with Marlin's advertised barrel length is that they include the hood in their measurements.
Click to expand...

Not that I have ever come across...

My 'advertised' 20" barrels measure 20" from bolt face to muzzle...

One is from 1958, and the other is from 1990...
 
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