Newbie needs some 336 help.

SGT.Cap · Post by **SGT.Cap** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 5:29 pm

I have a Marlin 336 in 30-30 thats in pretty rough shape. Its seen a lot of time in the woods and riding around in my truck. IT still shoots better than I ever dreamed it would but it looks a little rough. I pulled it apart the other day for a thorough cleaning and to inspect and replace worn parts. I was wondering if there were any tips y'all could give me on smoothing out the action while its apart. On inpection I realise that the machining is very rough and it looks like some time with a few stones, some sandpaper and a polishing tip on my dremel could do a world of good. Are there any links with tips on what ti polish and smooth up?

Also, short of sending the whole thing out to be reblue are there any good refinishing options? The barrel doesn't look to bad but the sides of the reciever are pitted.

junkbug · Post by **junkbug** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:30 pm

Welcome SGT.

My personal experience is that a poor reblue job looks worse than a small or even moderate amount of silver showing through worn blue, along with a few brushed out pits. Blued over pits look crummy, at least to me. To reblue properly, the old pits need to be draw filed out of the metal. That is way out of my skill level.

The beauty of the Marlin 336 action is that it needs to be highly polished in just a few places to work smoothly. Did you notice any roughness before you took it comletely apart?

Many people enjoy refinishing their own wooden forearms and buttstocks. Nicely redone wood can add alot of personal satisfaction and pride of ownership.

Just as a quick way of smoothing the action out a little, tooth paste can be smeared over the bolt and lever contact surfaces, and the action worked several hundred times. Then it can be cleaned out and the rifle reassembled.

Good luck, and take care.

Sean

cjm135 · Post by **cjm135** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:33 pm

Welcome SGT.Cap

First I would check the Finger Lever Plunger (35). If the Lever has a hitch and requires extra effort when you start swinging the lever the Finger Lever Spring (36) might need an adjustment. I had to shorten the spring about a turn so that it was easier to start the lever. I had to give it a good pull to start it before. The plunger keeps the lever closed. If you remove too much spring compression it will allow the lever to drop. So take off a little and try it. A word of caution, the spring is under great compression. When you push out the Lever Plunger Pin (37) the Plunger and Spring will shoot out of there. I used a small wood clamp to compress the Plunger then I removed the Pin and slowly loosened the clamp.

Another fix that I still need to perform is removing the heavy rub of the bolt riding over the hammer as it is being cocked. It's like going over a speed bump on the return stroke. Check yours and see if it's causing a rough spot during the cycle. I'm a bit shy at trying to fix this because I'm not sure if it's better to smooth out the bolt ramp or remove some off the crest of the hammer. I read someone had removed material from the hammer.

jdad · Post by **jdad** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:42 pm

Marlin will reblue most firearms 50 years or newer very reasonably IIRC. I've been told that buggered screws, missing sight hoods, etc. are replaced at the same time.

I know, for a fact, that they will not reblue any 39A older than 1957....the year the "Golden 39A" was introduced.

TedH · Post by **TedH** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:49 pm

Yep, somebody here sent them one to reblue and it came back with new wood too!

Pisgah · Post by **Pisgah** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:09 pm

A fun project that can give you great satisfaction and a tough, good-looking finish, is browning your 336. Laurel Mountain Forge Browning/Degreasing solution is easy to use and gives great results. It takes a couple of days to go through the whole process, but the results are well worth the labor and time. If you like something even more distinctive, the same solution can be used to put a rich rust blue on the small parts like barrel bands and levers

salvo · Post by **salvo** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:41 pm

Here is a great web page on slicking up the Marlin action.

http://www.marauder.homestead.com/files ... M_1894.htm

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:09 pm

Welcome aboard SGT!

On refinishing, is it just going to be a hunting/woods/truck gun again? If so, why invest a lot of money into the finish. You may want to try your hand at a Duracoat finish, or something along those lines. One of the board members on the old forum also used truck-bed liner on the wood to make something essentially impervious to the weather and rough handling. All depends on what your going to do with it and how much you want to spend...

Good luck!

horsesoldier03 · Post by **horsesoldier03** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:08 am

I would only clean the metal up with oil and 0000 steel wool if you have any rust on it. Let it wear the way it should. Mind you, only LIGHTLY rub the wool in any area with RUST. Pull the lever off and take 000 steel wool and ensure any burrs or machine marks are removed from the finger that slips into the bolt and then go over it again with 0000 steel wool. Then do the same thing to the bolt after removing it from the receiver. Clean it up good, put it together and oil it. It should be slick.

Post by **Hobie** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:26 am

I'm with HorseSoldier. Nothing slicks them up like use and good maintenance. Noting looks better than a used but well-cared for firearm. Character is the operating word. Sometimes I have to laugh at all the folks who take an old gun and try to make it look brand new and buy a new gun and try to make it look original, i.e. old (you see people aging the USFA SAs all the time).