Marlin 336 Pro & Cons

[Karys]

I own two Marlin 336 CS's, one in .35 Rem and the other in .30-30.

My .35 was built in 1999. I bought it brand new and currently have a Sightron 3-9x40 on it. It has never failed me in the deer woods and I've taken a few with it. Accuracy is good with either Remington or Winchester 200 grain loads. Interestingly, both the Federal and Winchester 200 grainers shoot to exactly the same point of aim in my rifle.

My .30-30 was built in 1987 and I picked it up used and cheap a couple of years ago. I can see why the original owner let it go. Although the bluing was good, the stock and fore end were all dinged up. It had a goofy fixed 4 power scope mounted on see-through mounts. The scope wasn't mounted correctly and the extra height of the see through rings made it impossible to get a proper cheek weld or sight picture. I never shot it with the original fixed 4 power on it but I think that accuracy wasn't very good with that set up. I ditched the original stock and fore end for black plastic Ram Line replacements. Then I ordered new factory front and rear sight assemblies from Marlin and I get acceptable hunting accuracy with it with both 150 and 170 grain loads. This gun will never wear a scope and will be my backup or rainy day deer rifle.

My only complaint with the 336 is the plastic rear buckhorn sight. I broke two of them on my .35 Rem, which is why it's wearing a scope. I may keep the factory sights on my .30-30, but I might try the rail system that XS makes. I like the ghost ring in the rear and this system moves the rear sight back over the receiver and gives me a little longer sight radius. I also think the ghost ring system will be better on a hunting rifle and easier to line up at low light than the factory post and notch.

If you're looking for a hunting rifle, I'd go with the .35 Remington. For what they are the .35 Rem and .30-30 are essentially identical ballistically. With the .35 Rem you get bullet weights up to 220 grains which will work for deer but are better on bears if that's your thing.

I tried the new Hornady Leverevolution ammo in both my .30-30 and .35 Rem. Accuracy was identical to the loads I typically use but I've heard too many stories of poor performance on deer, particularly with the .30-30. I also have a Marlin 1895M in .450 Marlin and the Leverevolution is really the only ammo available for that round. I took one deer and one bear with it and I have no complaints. The .450 is a monster compared to the .30-30 and .35 Rem though.

I agree with what others have said about the quality of the newer Remington produced Marlins. Quality seems to be improving now but I would look the rifle over carefully before putting any money down. You really can't go wrong with an older, used, JM marked Marlin that's in good shape.

[Beerbaron18]

I have a 336 from 1977 and I love it!!! When I have "Western" dreams I always have my 336 in a leather sleeve on the side of my horse. Don't judge me!!
I had some feeding issues when I first bought it a few years ago, but I just needed to clean the magazine tube and that made all the difference. I haven't had a single issue ever since.

[Bang]

Marlin 336 Pro & Cons June 2nd, 2013, 11:30 AM

[ScotsGuards]

As others have stated the older rifles are better. If you can find one dating from the late 40s to the late 70s, that is best.The Marlin 336 is a fine design and none are finer than the older ones. I have several from all those eras. The pre-button safety rifles are more traditional. I'm a bit of a purist in this issue. Some are not so concerned with that feature.

[Beerbaron18]

Marlin 336 Pro & Cons June 2nd, 2013, 11:30 AM

I saw the date. I was just trying to stoke up the conversation again. There's nothing wrong with that right?

[R L Suehr]

I saw the date. I was just trying to stoke up the conversation again. There's nothing wrong with that right?

And if you would have started a new thread, you'd have people bitching you should have used the search function. I personally never understood the rationale with either complaint.

I've always been a Winchester fan boy when it came to lever guns. I might have to pick up a 336 someday though, probably in .35, just because.

[RBELARDI]

A few years ago I won a 336 in 30-30 or .35 I can t remember. Anyway I get to the dealer to do the paperwork and he has an option to take the $$$ that is for the won gun and put it toward any gun they have in stock and just pay the difference out of pocket. I wasn't impressed with the quality of the 336 at all. The stock wasn't finished nicely and the action seemed sticky. Anyway the dealer had an 1895 big bore in 45-70 that I was a lot more impressed with that I ended up taking with some $$$ added to the deal. It was a lot smoother, the stock was laminate and the overall look of the gun was just plain nicer then the 336.

[Beerbaron18]

And if you would have started a new thread, you'd have people bitching you should have used the search function. I personally never understood the rationale with either complaint.

I've always been a Winchester fan boy when it came to lever guns. I might have to pick up a 336 someday though, probably in .35, just because.

I've always wanted a Winchester as well. Such a simple yet elegant design. The 336 I purchased came with a scope on it, which only lasted about 8 seconds before I removed it...hahahaha

[Bang]

March 30th, 2018, 01:13 PM

[R L Suehr]

March 30th, 2018, 01:13 PM

Yep, that's the date and time..