Think I'm gonna reblue this !

[6pt-sika]

This is my #2 circa 1967 First Model 444 Marlin . The finish is maybe 50% and the wood is worn a bit . Got this off a guy on Gunbroker back around thanksgiving I believe . Anyway it's a little to rough for me so i think I'll polish it a bit next week and have it dropped in the tank next wednesday . More then likely I'll remove any varnish from the wood and put a Tung Oil finish on this one as well !







Lets see the tape on the scope says I'm shooting the Lyman 429244HP in this one !
Might as well spiff it up a bit before DCP season in late july !

[pwl44m]

Looks like a good candidate, no rust that I can see. Just strip - polish and blue. Do You have Your own tanks at Home ? Nice project.
Perry

[1894c]

that's a great rifle...worthy of re-bluing...nice, very nice... :)

[chadbr]

What is the best way to strip and polish?

[Sixgun]

6 Point,
I believe your Marlin deserves a rust blue, along with antiquing of the lever and hammer, with a fireblued loading gate.. Strip off the nasty marlin wood finish and oil finish it.

Here's a .375 I did. Think I'm gonna give the CL 25-20 the same treatment.

[KirkD]

Nice project. I'll look forward to photos when it is finished.

[AJMD429]

That should be a beautiful result...!

Must post pics.

[L_Kilkenny]

That's a tough one. IMO, certain guns with some wear and tear (not to be confused with neglect) have an appeal but in general only if the current owner is the one to instill that character into the gun. Take my well used 870 slug gun. To me it looks better than it did when new. The thing screams hunting gun. Same with your Marlin. But I think your Marlin is a great candidate then you can proceed to use the heck outta the gun so it needs it again in 40 years.

LK

[6pt-sika]

Looks like a good candidate, no rust that I can see. Just strip - polish and blue. Do You have Your own tanks at Home ? Nice project.
Perry

No I don't have tanks . My gunsmith friend that I do the Gunbroker stuff for and for myself has tanks .

Kinda part of my pay is all in house work is done for me for FREE . I like that word (FREE)

[6pt-sika]

But I think your Marlin is a great candidate then you can proceed to use the heck outta the gun so it needs it again in 40 years.

I have over 2 dozen 444's . None of them will get the heck used outta them

Just to many to put that much wear on anyone in particular

[6pt-sika]

6 Point,
I believe your Marlin deserves a rust blue, along with antiquing of the lever and hammer, with a fireblued loading gate.. Strip off the nasty marlin wood finish and oil finish it.

Here's a .375 I did. Think I'm gonna give the CL 25-20 the same treatment.

Thats looks very nice

And while my buddy has the capacity to do a rust blue for me and the color cased lever and hammer would not be cost prohibitive thru the company we have for that . I kinda prefer to keep it as close to factory style finish as I'm able .

[6pt-sika]

Got the 1967 semi torn apart today .

Should get it stripped and knock off a couple rough spots early next week . And do the stock at home over the weekend !

[Charles]

Looking down the corridor of time, some gun collector will not think well of the person who did that.

[6pt-sika]

Looking down the corridor of time, some gun collector will not think well of the person who did that.

I'm a gun collector if you take into perspective how many of these I already have .

And what the heck , one more person not liking me won't make me miss any sleep

[6pt-sika]

Well I have two coats of Tung Oil on the stock already !

THink I'll see if I can get 10 or 12 on it by next thursday

[6pt-sika]

The stock off the 1967 rifle after 4 coats of Tung Oil !

Took it to the shop today and will maybe get 5 coats total today then 3 or 4 saturday and the same sunday . And then I'll let it sit until tuesday night and put one last coast .

[kimwcook]

Looks good. Personally, if the collector whose looking to buy it doesn't like it, oh well.

[6pt-sika]

Looks good. Personally, if the collector whose looking to buy it doesn't like it, oh well.

I suspect if a Marlin collector came to me looking for an early 444 Marlin in this style I have 16 more in nicer ORIGINAL shape . But then I never said I wanted to sell any of them either

This one and my circa 1966 Retro 444P are the only ones I've messed with . Now thats not to say I might not pick up a couple more in need of attention as well .

Still wouldn't mind getting one in not so great shape to chop down just like my Retro 444P for my fiancee .

[olyinaz]

6 Point,
I believe your Marlin deserves a rust blue, along with antiquing of the lever and hammer, with a fireblued loading gate.. Strip off the nasty marlin wood finish and oil finish it.

Here's a .375 I did. Think I'm gonna give the CL 25-20 the same treatment.

Very nice. Did you do real case colors or some sort of chemical process?

Oly

[olyinaz]

The stock off the 1967 rifle after 4 coats of Tung Oil !

Took it to the shop today and will maybe get 5 coats total today then 3 or 4 saturday and the same sunday . And then I'll let it sit until tuesday night and put one last coast .

Looks very nice and well used but not abused. I look forward to seeing the metal!

Oly

[6pt-sika]

I'm at 8 coats of Tung Oil on the stock and forend now !

Two on thursday afternoon . One friday morning before I left home , 4 at the shop today (friday) and another coat after we got thru with dinner a little while ago .

I'll shoot for 3 coats saturday and 3 coats sunday and be done with it until after I put it back together .

[6pt-sika]

I ended sunday with 12 coats of Tung Oil on the stock and forend for the 1967 rifle . It looks pretty good and kinda similar to some of what I've taken to be factory finishes on several of my 444's .

Before we went to the range today my gunsmith buddy blued all the metal work for this rifle . And while we were at the range he was telling me he thought it took very well !

So tommorrow that'll be my main objective (putting it back together).

[6pt-sika]

The finished product although my pics don't do it justice .









The stock ended up with 12 coats of Tung Oil . Perhaps in a couple weeks I'll add another coat or so . Need to see if it looks dried out or not then .

Also I expect it'll get resighted next wednesday !

All in all I'm pleased . It certainly looks better then it did before . Kinda a shame I couldn't have reblued the old Weaver KV scope as well

[Pitchy]

looks nice.

[Ji in Hawaii]

VERY nice, I MUCH prefer the straight grip 444 or any levergun for that matter. Nice work!

[6pt-sika]

After redoing the Retro 444P and now this one I think I'll keep my eye open for a 444S made from 1976 to 1980 thats in need of some refurbishment . If I can find one "reasonable" I might just reblue it and restock it in some nice curly maple with a monte carlo on the stock .

[Ysabel Kid]

VERY nice, I MUCH prefer the straight grip 444 or any levergun for that matter. Nice work!

+1 - looks great and I love that straight stock!

[6pt-sika]

VERY nice, I MUCH prefer the straight grip 444 or any levergun for that matter. Nice work!

+1 - looks great and I love that straight stock!

Wanna my next projects might be to have half a dozen of these stocks made or shall we say copied and just keep them in case I run across a rifle or two that someone in their infinite wisdon saw fit to remove the monte carlo .