Wierd coloring on trigger plate

F

fotojake

New member
This is kinda weird. I took my recently purchased, circa 1978, Marlin 336C to a gunsmith to get it cleaned and lubed. When I got it back I noticed that half the trigger plate was off-color, brownish like; the half closest to the breech. On top of that, someone long ago had taken something sharp and carved their name onto the trigger plate. The Bubba form of ID? Then, it looks like someone else tried to scratch it out. Looks like crappy kid penmanship, and a crappier attempt at erasing. What I can't figure out is what the brown color is. I did take some gun oil and 4/0 steel wool and gave it a rub-down. When I wiped it off I got brown residue on the cloth. I don't think it's rust. It's only on the trigger plate, nothing on the receiver where the trigger plate slots in. In a corner of the plate is the original finish, then it switches to that brown color.

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Name carving image in on top. Brown color runs to where the lever screw hole is, and then normal finish to the other end of the plate, is image on bottom.

I never even noticed this until after I got the rifle back from getting cleaned and lubed.

I've also posted this on the Marlin Owners forum. Posting here to hit up as many resources as possible.

I am befuddled, to say the least! Thanks for any insight.
 
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Serial number check confirms that I got the right gun back. Believe me, it crossed my mind that the trigger plate must be from another gun but the gunsmith is a nice guy; we spent close to an hour chatting. He has been doing his line of work for 10 years.

I can't imagine that someone would deliberately do something like switching parts, esp. if it's so obvious. I'm gonna chalk it up to me just not noticing it at first (which, in my OCD nature I find hard to believe...). Now, inadvertently switching parts by accident is another story.
 
My parents had owened a mom and pop hunting store and my dad was into old lever actions along with other ones and everyone gun he would buy/trade he would take the butt plate of and put his initials on the back side of it with the date he bought/traded the rifle. I continue to do this with every rifle/pistol I own just to see if by chance in the future I come across the gun again.
 
As I posted in your thread on MarlinOwners, I suspect someone tried to sand off the markings, used too coarse a grit, and then went much finer.
It was topped with cold blue, which has mostly worn off.
And now there's just rust.
 
Hey FrankenMauser - I did see your post replying to my situation on the Marlin forum. I can't access that forum at work, so have to use my cellphone. It's a mofo to have to type out replies on the phone. For some reason, I can access Firing Line forums...

Thanks for the informative reply. What you said makes a lot of sense; the file marks on the foregrip from filing too harshly, and so on. Good detective work!

Regarding re-finishing, should I just use 240 grit through out the whole process? Will this also get rid of the insipid Bubba scrawl? Should I do the entire plate, or just up to where the rust ends? I know if I re-blue myself that I may not get an exact match with the half of the plate that isn't rusting, but anything will look better than it does now.

Last question: can the trigger plate be removed easily?

Thanks again.
 
Name carving was done with an electric pencil engraver. It'll need more than sanding to remove as it goes into the metal several thou. Needs light grinding and that'll show.
The colour may be oxidized cold bluing or the guy may have used cold browning(BP firearms). Easy to remove to bare metal with any rust remover like plain white vinegar. Then cold blue the whole thing. Doing part of it will show like a sore thumb.
The trigger plate is a fairly major part($70 at Gunparts. If it's for a pistol grip stock.), being the whole bottom of the receiver. Most of the internal parts connect to it one way or another. Your rifle looks partially disassembled any way so take out the fore and aft screws and see what happens. Might just take the trigger group with it with no fuss. Do not disassemble the trigger group.
http://stevespages.com/ipb-marlin-336.html
 
Removing the trigger plate properly requires removing:
Butt stock.
Finger lever.
Hammer spring plate and spring.
Hammer (w/ strut).

...Which involves 5 screws: tang screw, finger lever screw, hammer screw, left-hand trigger plate screw (side of receiver, at bottom), and forward trigger plate screw (bottom of receiver).

For refinishing, you'll want to strip all parts from the trigger plate, including the finger lever latch pin.
It isn't a difficult job, if you're mechanically-inclined, have the tools necessary to knock the pins out without distorting the trigger plate, and have a good method for holding the piece while you work on it (again, without distortion).
But, if you're hesitant or don't want to take a chance, it's an easy job for a 'smith.

The real gunsmiths may have better suggestions, but if I were doing the job, I'd strip the whole thing:
I would start around 120 grit for metal removal. Working across the existing 'grain' until satisfied with the finish or unable to go further. Then working in the opposite direction with the same grit or moving up to 150 or 180. And repeating to 220/240 with the final sanding running length-wise down the trigger plate.

The ideal way to refinish is to strip the entire action, re-install the trigger plate, and reshape both at the same time, so that the profile matches exactly. (And then remove the trigger plate and blend the two sections of receiver that were blocked by the finger lever bosses while the trigger plate was installed.)
But, that's a lot more work, and requires refinishing the receiver as well. (That's what I should have done on the rifle shown in the photo on MarlinOwners, as that trigger plate doesn't match the receiver contour very well. But... I was too lazy, and that rifle was never meant to be perfect, cosmetically.)


Or... you could skip all the trouble and pick up a complete trigger plate assembly on eBay for ~$30 to $50 + shipping. There are several listed right now that appear to have good finish. Occasionally, I run into a trigger plate and receiver that don't get along without some massaging, but most drop right in. (Right now, I think only one of my 336s/444s has its original trigger plate installed; and only two have their original finger levers. ...I just can't leave things alone. :rolleyes: :D)
 
Thanks, I appreciate the how-to. I know there are a lot of video's on YouTube, but having it in writing helps, too.

I'm swinging by the LGS to have one of their gunsmiths look at it and see what can be done. Been checking out eBay, too. Will an older trigger plate fit either a pistol grip stock or a straight one, or do they have to be made for a specific butt stock? How about Remlin trigger plates, will they work in an older JM stamped 336?
 
An addendum...

Something occurred to me just a bit ago as to why I may not have noticed the scrawl and rust on the trigger plate before.

Before I took the gun to the gunsmith I spent a couple of hours wiping of small patches off rust that were on the barrel and the mag tube. When I got the rifle back is when I noticed that big ol' patch of rust on the trigger plate. It really stood out, which in turn made the scrawling stand out. I also noticed that every spot I had wiped clean of rust with 4/0 steel wool was rusty again. It was like a virus had struck. I bet the 'smith kept that rifle in a very humid room while it was at his place. I did notice that his house was kept very warm. Much too warm for my taste. Must to keep exterior of gun better oiled.

Again, thanks for the help and advice. This forum is a great resource, as we all know!
 
Any trigger plate made after about 1960 should work (I think '52 or '53 is the true cutoff), including Remlins parts.
Just make sure it's for a 336, 444, or 1895. None of the other models will work.
Most of the levers and trigger plates that I work with on my 336 and 444 projects are actually from Remlin 1895s.


The pistol grip trigger plates make up the vast majority of the parts available, with straight-grip trigger plates generally costing notably more and being specifically identified as such.

I don't have a good photo of a factory straight-grip trigger plate, but here are two photos -- one with a pistol-grip trigger plate, and one with a trigger plate that has been cut straight but not fully shaped.
Note that both have the step in thickness of the trigger plate tang, but the pistol grip version is thicker at the rear and follows the pistol grip profile, while the straight version is just that - straight. (Minus final shaping, in this case.)

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Oh! And now that I've dug up that second photo... That's another shot of the wire-wheel finish on the (oily) receiver mentioned over on MO.
... And the mis-matched trigger plate I mentioned above in regards to 'should have done it right'.
 

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To me, the color looks like a rust browning solution (like Birchwood Casey Plum Brown) or maybe improperly applied/protected cold blue.

If I were going to refinish it with cold blue, I would see if I could blend those heavy machining marks a little bit and take the finish up to at least 320 or 400 grit. Personal preference. 220 or rougher shows too much roughness in the final product for me.

When you used the steel wool to remove the rust, did you apply oil at the time?
 
That trigger plate is where the hand is when the gun is being carried in the field. It usually rusts both because of sweaty hands but also due to blood on the hands after dressing out a deer. The rust can be deep and it looks like someone tried to remove it with some tool. Worse, the name is put on with an electric pencil, which does not remove metal; the mark is made by driving metal inward, making the mark deep and requiring a lot of metal removal to eliminate. I suggest seeing if you can buy a new trigger plate if you want to restore the looks; that will cost money, but removing enough metal from the plate to remove the markings will result in a misfit plate that will be (IMHO) pretty horrible looking.

Jim
 
Hey Dakota - I did put down a bit of gun oil on the rust before going after the rusty spots with steel wool, though, I have read where some recommend NOT using any oil at all with the steel wool. All looks ok to me after removing the rust.
 
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