Marlin closing down

[Ji in Hawaii]

If I ever get a new 45/70 levergun looks like it'll be a Henry (coming out in the spring).

I've been hearing some horror stories on the H&R Handi rifles after Remington's takeover too.

[93marshooter]

I did put a 336 30-30 in a local pawn shop on lay-a-way today. The new products may be a different sort of thing. At least this one ( it has the safety) is an original Marlin rifle. The products may be better but I bet some short cuts will be evident.
I'll only have four leverguns

[444Hal]

This was not a smooth transition, and resulted in QC issues that were beyond fixing until they get a little better training.

I'll agree about the quality control. I ordered one of the new 336Y's a couple months ago. It came with the most terrible looking metal finish I'd ever seen on a new firearm. I sent the gun back and they returned it after several weeks. They'd reblued the rifle and according to a note in the box, fixed a headspace issue I was unaware of. Imagine sending out a brand new gun with a terrible finish plus headspace problems!

I can, I had to send my new (April/May) 336SS back because it was blowing the heads off of Rem & Win. factory loaded cases. I should have complained about the rear stock not matching up too well with the upper & lower tangs also. If I knew I'd be sending it back I would of had them finish/round the inside of the lever so I wouldn't slice up the back of my fingers. Heck, even the rear sight was half way off !Seems to shoot ok now.

Seems to me that the people building them don't have even a basic understanding of what they're making or they would understand the importance of proper headspace & chambering. No way was this gun test fired, cycled or even looked over befor it left the factory. Guess they're going to have to get a big injury lawsuit before they realize the seriousness in manufacturing & inspecting thier product.

[Bigahh]

I have said in the past I will wait until they figure out their QC problems to buy the new Marlin Lever I want. I hope this is the 1st step toward my dream !

[Old Time Hunter]

Wonder what a 1895M made in 2006, chambered for .450 Marlin will be worth in a couple of months???? Had ordered a Winchester 94 Timber Carbine in October of '05, store I bought it from thought that the new Marlin was fair compensation. Lawyers haggled, I ended up with both (they found a brand new Win TC .450 Marlin within their store system), and I got my money back.

Still...sad that it has come to this.

Wish someone would start building an exact replica of the Spencer in North America...only chmaber it in something useful like a .44 Mag.

[Richard]

Wow!!

Makes me wonder about that 1895 GBL I have for sale here. Keep it or sell it??

All said and done, I enjoy the Marlins I have collected.

[JB]

I wouldn't project a big increase in Marlin values. Production will get back to normal and there's a ton of them floating around already.

[marlinman93]

FWIW, here is a post from Mad Ogre about the new Marlins. He claims they are the best Marlins he has ever seen. I hope he is right. I have an 1894C made in 1998 that is and outstanding rifle but the 336 made in 2010 is just barely so-so. I am still hoping to add an 1894 CSS to my arsenal.

The "Ogre" can say what he wants !

But "The Best" Marlin's I've ever had in my hands were made from 1896 to about 1910 !

Fit finish etc was superb on all the ones I had in that time period and they were all 100 years old !

I also have a couple dozen that were made from 1964 to 1975 that are put together nicely and I dare say better then what was coming from the factory BEFORE they moved to New York state !

I'd give them an even wider range than that. The best Marlins were from 1870-WWII. I never had any issues with any of my Marlin pistols or Baalrads, and even after Marlin was sold the companies that took over made great guns. I've got no experience with post WWII Marlins, as I never got into the "newer" guns when I was collecting.

[6pt-sika]

FWIW, here is a post from Mad Ogre about the new Marlins. He claims they are the best Marlins he has ever seen. I hope he is right. I have an 1894C made in 1998 that is and outstanding rifle but the 336 made in 2010 is just barely so-so. I am still hoping to add an 1894 CSS to my arsenal.

The "Ogre" can say what he wants !

But "The Best" Marlin's I've ever had in my hands were made from 1896 to about 1910 !

Fit finish etc was superb on all the ones I had in that time period and they were all 100 years old !

I also have a couple dozen that were made from 1964 to 1975 that are put together nicely and I dare say better then what was coming from the factory BEFORE they moved to New York state !

I'd give them an even wider range than that. The best Marlins were from 1870-WWII. I never had any issues with any of my Marlin pistols or Baalrads, and even after Marlin was sold the companies that took over made great guns. I've got no experience with post WWII Marlins, as I never got into the "newer" guns when I was collecting.

MM93 , your collection/accumulation was far more vast then mine ever was so I will defer to what you say ! But the oldest marlin I ever owned was made in 1894 so I have nothing to base pre 1890 on And I think me newest 1892 , 1893 , 1894 or 1895 was maybe 1916 !

[Bill in Oregon]

According to posts by former New Haven Marlin employees at the Marlin Owners site, Freedom group offered fast-food wages and no moving assistance, so only one or two of the New Haven guys made the move to Ilion. We can thank the "equity partners" of Cerberus for this catastrophically bad juju.

What's really hard to understand is why Remlin would let so many rifles get into distribution with such obvious defects as canted sights and very difficult lever strokes. It's as though NO ONE was giving even the most cursory final inspection before the rifles were boxed and shipped. That's crazy stuff.

[DPris]

Email response this morning from Remington is that Marlin continues to produce leverguns on a daily basis.
Just FWIW.
Denis

[O.S.O.K.]

Well, given that Ogre report, I would say that they probably instituted a check system to head-off any QC problems so only gooduns were let out in the last year or so - but what they had was a pile of guns needing to go back for fixes.

I say this because it's only common sense to stop them before they get out - to let them out and then have to pay shipping back and forth is just stupid.

I hope the one I ordered is of good quality - you can bet I'll be going over it with a fine tooth comb!

[444Hal]

What's really hard to understand is why Remlin would let so many rifles get into distribution with such obvious defects as canted sights and very difficult lever strokes. It's as though NO ONE was giving even the most cursory final inspection before the rifles were boxed and shipped. That's crazy stuff.

Right on !
We as gun owners understand the seriousness & responsibility of operating a firearm. Heck, they even list all those responsibilities & warnings in the first few pages of their manuals. But they don’t themselves put in the effort to ensure that their product operates in a safe manner. Not to mention to the satisfaction of their customers. Firearm buyers tend to be more knowledgeable than say the average tire, power tool, etc buyer. And considering that Lever gun owner are a special niche in firearm owners, they tend to be even more seasoned/experienced in what they’ll be satisfied with. Either way the new Marlin Company is (in my opinion) not putting out a product that would sustain the company.
I wasn’t down on the new owners. I still ordered the 30-30 when the old Marlin employees were talking down the new owners, all with the idea of “we’ll see”. Well I saw and now I’m skeptical of their Marlin product at this time. What makes it even worse is knowing that the same corporation operates Remington & Bushmaster and have you noticed all those safety recalls of those products in the gun mags ? Makes me even more of a cynic of their products. Is it an ignorance of the product their producing ? I don’t know, but I’ll have to continue a “we’ll see” attitude.

[stretch]

Once it's owned by a conglomerate it's more about making as much
money as possible for investors than it is about making a quality American
product for a reasonable profit. The difference is between the Demming approach
to management and the Jack Welch approach to management. One is
about sustainable quality of product, quality of life, quality of country and
quality of the workplace. The other is about money and self-aggrandizement
for the owners and non-working shareholders.

There is absolutely NO reason why American workers in a well-managed American
factory cannot produce a world-class levergun at a price that an American worker can
afford. Henry might be an example that comes to mind.......

-Stretch

[olyinaz]

Regardless of a "learning process" there's no excuse for finish or fitment issues. Anyone with even basic gun skills can look at a new gun and see flaws. You don't have to be a seasoned Marlin factory worker to spot them. That's just sloppy workmanship, and poor QC.

Bingo.

[dsmith512]

From Marlin Firearms Facebook page

Question:
I hearing you guys are shutting down production?

Reply:
Mark Lewis From Remington..."Thanks to all of our Marlin® fans and customers for your questions and comments. There seems to be some incorrect information floating around. Be assured, Marlin® is doing great and continues to produce lever-action, bolt-action and rimfire rifles daily. We are currently focusing our production efforts on specific product offerings to ensure efficiencies for the immediate future, based on demand for certain models."

[J Miller]

Oooo, that Facebook reply was a smoke screen if I ever read one.

Joe

[claybob86]

Didn't really say a thing, did he?

[olyinaz]

Oooo, that Facebook reply was a smoke screen if I ever read one.

Bingo.

Oly

[Old Savage]

OSOK - last 45-70 I saw new was one I would have bought. Hope your rifle is top notch.

[DPris]

Emailed JT about this, his response was brief, just said he'd gotten a report the plant was closed last Friday because of QC concerns.
Denis

[jnyork]

So, can I take off my tinfoil hat now?

[DPris]

Well, considering we have one plugged-in source that says closed & one source that says open, I'd think maybe just remove half of the tinfoil hat. Then you're at least half covered no matter which way it goes.
Denis

[O.S.O.K.]

Thanks OS.

And I'm still with John T - he wouldn't BS us.

And that Facebook response just confirms it IMHO.

They probably have inventory that they want to continue to move - can't blame them.

Though, a plant closing confirmation would probably clear it out post haste!

[AJMD429]

Here's more on it from MarlinOwners - http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/inde ... 643.0.html

[O.S.O.K.]

Yep, there you go.

[Swampman]

Marlin had been going down hill for at least 10 years. Perhaps things will take a turn for the better.

Marlin isn't closing.

[Cliff]

Not to steal this thread and slightly off topic. Remember an outfit called Colt Industries. They came about as a result of the sucess of Colt Firearms. They made all kinds of stuff. At one staff meeting many of the executives was surpised that they even made firearms. At that time Colt guns were only five percent of their business. When they started making the AR-15 and military M-16's, some stockholders were upset to find out Colt also made handguns forsale to private citizens. Interesting times. Just a bit of trivia for the day. ATB

[1894c]

Just bought a new production Marlin 1894C .357 Magnum (7/27/2011)--this leveraction has the "REP" stamp on the right side of the barrel, so it was made in NY. It has the best, and I mean the best, action I have ever experienced in a Marlin, very smooth, very slick (I presently own 4 and have owned 5 others in the past).

This 1895C shoots well too, right now it's getting a Williams FP 94/336 peep-sight installed. The fit and finish were good--the only thing I noticed was that the forearm was a little uneven at the bottom near the receiver--looks like a newbie learning curve.

Marlin was bought for 40 Million Dollars (I think), that's not much in today's business climate--they were going down--they were in an old out-dated facility--slowly laying off workers--Remington came to their rescue in my opinion (just like what happened in the early 1900's, funny how history repeats itself)--and let's face it leverguns are a small niche market, not like it use to be a 130 years ago. Never seen a patrol levergun in my LE circles--although if policy permitted it I'd be the first.

[marlinman93]

Marlin was bought for 40 Million Dollars (I think), that's not much in today's business climate--they were going down--they were in an old out-dated facility--slowly laying off workers--Remington came to their rescue in my opinion (just like what happened in the early 1900's, funny how history repeats itself)

How did history repeat itself here? Marlin wasn't in trouble in the early 1900's. Business was booming, and leverguns were extremely popular, especially Marlins. The father (John Marlin) had recently died, the sons were older, and they were looking to sell. Rockwell wanted to get into the gun business and the war profits, so they bought Marlin.
No bail out for a business in financial trouble, or failing.

Now after WWI when Rockwell had reaped all the war profits, and sold the company to the officers of Marlin, the new Marlin Firearms Corp. did fail and go bankrupt. That's when Kenna owned the property and bought it from bankruptcy court. That happened later in 1923.

[O.S.O.K.]

My guide gun is in Mesquite Texas waiting to come south... 'anticipation is making me wait'

[Swampman]

I also have a new production Guide Gun and it's fine.

[O.S.O.K.]

Well, hopefully mine will be as I'm seeing described.

I ordered a set of XS sights for it - front and back. I like em. Not the best for making tiny groups, but they are fast and decent in low-light (as good as irons can be).

[Old Ironsights]

My guide gun is in Mesquite Texas waiting to come south... 'anticipation is making me wait'

Glad you found one. I wasn't able to swing by JJs to see what happened to the one I saw there...

[O.S.O.K.]

Oh yeah - I had that on order before you mentioned the one there. The guy said "they go quick".... I bet they do for $350! I'm happy that I got a brand new one for $508 shipped.

[MistWolf]

I guess I'm going to have to get serious about finding a Marlin 45 Colt Cowboy

[O.S.O.K.]

http://www.lipseys.com/itemdetail.aspx? ... stock=Wood

The actual wholesale price is around $670



I have the older model with 24" octagonal barrel, and checkered wood.

[Old Ironsights]

I just ordered a guide gun - just in case

Standard blue, 45-70, 18" non-ported barrel.

Been wanting one of those anyway

It was hard to choose -they had several models that I would like to have... the 18.5" barreled 30-30 with bigger loop and laminated stock was calling....

But the guide gun won out...

There's one just like it at my local shop used rack for something like $350...

Just got the chance to check back at JJs "Ammo Shack" (Torrington, WY)...

I goofed on the price, but the gun is still there (OSOK, I dunno what happened on your call)

There is a Blue, 18" Guide Gun on the Rack, (used, I'm sure), with hang tag (IIRC), for $575.

I was dumb, and forgot to note the SN#, but it's it close-to-new shape...

[O.S.O.K.]

Hey, no problem - mine arrived. The stock got whacked good during transit and broken inside which makes it wobbly but Marlin said they'd ship me a new one.

I paid $508 shipped for mine from Bud's Gun Shop

That shop probably just doesn't want to mess with shipping. It is getting to be more and more of a hassle...