lever problems with marlin 336

[carlrodd]

i have a marlin 336 in .35 remington. i took it to a local gun shop the other day in hopes to trade for something else. the first shop i went to, the guy looked at it, fiddled with the lever a bit and made his offer. the second shop i went to, the guy fiddled with the lever as well, and said he wouldn't take it because there was something up with the lever.

in a nutshell, the lever does not stick, or lock up against the stock as it should, according to the second guy. it sticks, but if you jiggle the gun it unlocks. i have never owned a lever gun, so i don't know what is normal. when stuck in place against the stock, should the lever remain stuck there, no matter how roughly it is handled?

the gun functions fine at the range....you simply have to ensure that you have a firm grip on the lever, as the trigger will not pull if the lever is even down a fraction of an inch. i kind of thought that was an intentional safety feature, and so did an older guy at the range that was firing a 30-30.

lastly, if this is not normal, is it dangerous? the guy at the shop said it was, but it did not really make any sense to me...after all the trigger won't pull if the lever hangs down a bit.

 

[Chawbaccer]

Check out the plunger and spring on the lever.

 

[treeprof]

Yep, check the lever spring and plunger (a spring-loaded triangular piece protruding from the lever). It might be sticking, and I've also seen them rounded-off as a result from some home gunsmithing. Some ppl don't like the stiff lockup from the factory. Not sure if you're the original owner, but if not the previous one may have done this.

 

[Chawbaccer]

I got cut off before. I wanted to mention the pin in the trigger plate that the plunger latches onto. It can wear or break. Numrich will have all these parts, probably less than ten dollars.

 

[T.R.]

I would not trade off a good 35 just because it needed a repair.
TR

 

[carlrodd]

found the problem, but i'm a little perplexed by it. i removed the butt stock, and the lever locks into place perfectly. without screwing it back on, i fiddled with it a bit. conclusion: the lever will not lock in place perfectly because the butt stock gets in the way just slightly in the well where the lever rests. i don't think that butt stock had been removed previously, so i assume it was bought that way. anybody recommend digging out just a bit of the wood on the stock where the problem is?

 

[Chawbaccer]

Yep, go ahead and fix it if you got the abilities.