Got 2 Marlin rifles from girlfriend's grandma

[sttaffy]

I was at her grandma's house doing a few odd jobs. Her aunt and I went to home depot to get some hardware, and it came up that there were two old rifles in a closet in the house, and they had just been sitting there for decades. After I finished up she took them out to show me.

There was a Marlin 336A 30-30 and a 39A .22 that were in incredible shape. I put them away and went downstairs and her grandma said that her late husband's rifles had been sitting there for forever, and one else was interested in them. She said if I wanted them they were mine! Her husband did a really nice diamond inlay pattern in the stock on the 336. At dinner that night, at my girlfriend's, I asked her dad and her brother if they wanted them to keep them in the family, but they said they didn't really want them.

I got home and searched the serials - the 39 was made in '48 and the 336 in '52! They look almost new! the stocks have a few slight blemishes, there is a touch of rust on the underside of the 336's receiver, there is some marring on the butt plates, but other than that they are tight, clean and ship-shape.

So, my only experience with long guns was in the Marines with M-4's and M-16's. I shot quite a few MG's but never a lever action! I now have these two great, old, well-kept rifles that I want to clean up, put through their paces, and maintain to the best of my ability. If I ever have kids they'll learn on this .22.

I can find take-down videos and all of that, but:

Aare there any special tips or tricks for these two guns?

Any cleaning tips?

How do I care for the wood stocks?

I can only assume CLP will screw up the wood, so how do you keep the oil off the wood? take the stock off every time?

Any special concerns about the blueing?

They cycle cleanly, but are there any other checks I can do to ensure that they are safe to fire?

Any 30-30 ammo recommendations?

What about a good place to shoot rifles near Philly?

I'm pretty excited about this! Thanks in advance for any advice about these guns that anyone can offer.

[knight0334]

Its not that complicated..

Open the action, then clean from the muzzle. Oil the bearing spots where metal parts slide on each other.

I use household 3-in-1 oil on everything, including the wood.

[Rundownfid]

One of the best things about Marlins is that they do not need to be cleaned from the muzzle. Go on the internet or contact Marlin for specific instructions, but in general here is how to dissemble a Marlin for cleaning. On the 336, loosen the screw that holds the lever on the frame. Then the bolt can be removed from the rear of the frame. look in side and you will see the ejector remove and set aside or it may fall out and be lost. The rifle will now allow you to clen it from the breech end and avoid damage to the muzzle.

As to cleaning products, generally speaking keep it off of the stock. For the bore I like butch's or anyone of the bore scrubbers. I follow up with Hoppe's, admittedly this is because I like the smell and have been doing this for 50 years.
However, yo9u will learn to like the smell and it may reassure you that the bore is clean. The interior of the action can be cleaned with solvent (Hoppe's) and Q-tips. Crud can build up under the ejector, so be sure to use a tooth brush or some other tool to clean this every 200 rounds or so.

Your Marlins are fine rifles, made to last a number of lifetimes. Congratulations on getting such fine rifles, the 39 is probably the finest lever action .22. The 336 is the best of the 30-30 lever actions, in my opinion.

[Enfielder]

I inherited a 1948 vintage 39A (serial number begins with an E)
There's one large captive screw on the receiver; loosen it up and wiggle the halves apart. Then you can clean the barrel from the receiver end; I use a Tipton carbon cleaning rod which is flexible. With the rifle in half, unless you are a real slob with chemicals the wood should be safe. Take care not to beat up the little leaf spring you see in the path of the cleaning rod near the breach.

If you need parts "Numrich gun parts" is a good place.

Notice it shoots .22 Shorts, as well as plain ol' .22 LR, and 22 Longs. The CCI .22 CB shorts are very quiet.

Mine has been very accurate with iron sights. It can be scoped but you'll have to really search for a side-mount, unless you want to drill & tap it. I had a Williams side-mounted peep sight on it but the rest of the family hated it so I got rid of it.

[indianjack]

As for 30-30 ammo, one of the problems with tubular magazines is round or flat nose ammo only causing poor ballistics. This can be overcome with the "hornady leverevolution" Ammo that has a soft point. Improves the ballistics substantially.

[keystoneman 85]

I'm jel - if ya ever wana sell that 39a hit me up!

[dewalt-2]

You really scored there, wonderful rifles. You can download manuals from the the Marlin site.
Go over to Marlin Owners and sign up and post there. Those guys would kill for what you just picked up.
Where are the pictures????

[shooker8]

Nice job! Who doesn't love quality old guns.