Marlin lever vs Henry lever action

Not to me. Might be to you. Go fondle them both and pick the one that says it wants to go home with you. Lots of used Winchester 94’s out there too.

New? Perhaps. But were I in that market, I'd be looking for a Marlin 336 Texan (of which there are at least three on GB right now).

I've got an older 336 30-30 and really like it and think it compares favorably to a 94. I've never shot a Henry so I can't really say how it compares to it.

If Henry’s were gate loaded I’d prefer a Henry, better fit, finish and trigger. Since they aren’t I’ll take a Marlin and install a Wild West Happy Trigger.

cdb1 said:

If Henry’s were gate loaded I’d prefer a Henry, better fit, finish and trigger. Since they aren’t I’ll take a Marlin and install a Wild West Happy Trigger.

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I am 100% with you. That's why I sold my Brass Henry .357.

Which is what I did - get a 336 and install a Happy Trigger.

How about a savage/stevens 340 bolt action?

I would rather have an older JM Marlin than a new Henry.

I think you’d be happy taking the time to find a JM stamped 336. Mine is fantastic and I prefer it over either of my win 94s. The Henry’s would have a good run at the top 30/30 lever action in new production if they’d get rid of that front load tube mag.

I have a 1974 336 Texan on layaway right now. Gonna have to pick that up soon.

I can't get over the Henry not having a loading gate and the large font on the barrel. I rather go used/new Marlin or used Winchester 94. I have a 1972 Winchester 94 in 30-30 and it is sweet.

I recently picked up a Winchester Canadian Centennial '94 rifle at a good price and love it. Looking down that long 26" octagon barrel while I pulled the trigger just felt right. Love the crescent buttstock too. I'm afraid I'll never shoot my old '94 carbine again, cause this one is such fun.

The 336 is my favorite. I like them a lot more than than the Winchester 94 or the Henry. I especially like the older ones with dark walnut and no checkering

Marlin. All day. Everyday.

I have handled Henry's and they are really smooth actions. Just pick one up, and a Marlin, and decide which one you like more. If you like the Henry more, pay the extra $$ and be happy.

If the loading gate's an issue & there's no immediate hurry, might just want to hold off on the buy for a bit.
Denis

Thus, the repeated suggestions for a North Haven Marlin.

Based on talks with a guy who was part of a plant tour at the manufacturing facility in Alabama, the twenty somethings at the end of the production line did not have files and were not doing anything but screwing parts together. They also did not have chairs to sit on! That is apparently the production philosophy, no hand fitting at the end of the production line. So if the assemblers had noticed anything off, assuming they understood the problem, they could not fix it, and were not expected to fix it. And, from what I have heard, the weapons are not targeted, they are function tested. As long as it goes bang, it does not matter if the bullet is landing 20 feet away from the point of aim. From what I understood, the New Haven Marlins were assembled by handfitters who understood alignment issues. My New Haven Marlins are correctly assembled, except the M336 has a huge chamber. I talked with New Haven Customer service at the turn of the century, they were building rifles for brush hunters, not target shooters, or for that fact, reloaders.

I am not surprised you received subsequent defective rifles. I don't know if Remington is actually fixing rifles, or just shipping new replacements out of a pile of inventory. That would explain canted sights on your replacement rifles, the same problem, from a batch of rifles, that had not shipped yet. They might not have a repair facility, or real gunsmiths in the plant.

DPris said:

If the loading gate's an issue & there's no immediate hurry, might just want to hold off on the buy for a bit.
Denis

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I wonder if anyone read that besides me....Care to elaborate oh yee with inside knowledge?

Yes, I can elaborate.
Patience is a virtue frequently rewarded.
Some dreams do occasionally come true.
Denis

Slamfire said:

I am not surprised you received subsequent defective rifles. I don't know if Remington is actually fixing rifles, or just shipping new replacements out of a pile of inventory. That would explain canted sights on your replacement rifles, the same problem, from a batch of rifles, that had not shipped yet. They might not have a repair facility, or real gunsmiths in the plant.

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To clarify, I was just referencing and quoting a recent post from the posted link. My Remlin experience was not as bad.

I bought an 1894 in .45 Colt in January in order to modify it as a camp carbine. Since I had previously owned a JM 1894 in .357 Magnum, I was shocked at the degradation in quality and function.

My old 1894 was a thing of beauty with great bluing, checkering, polish, and a smooth and reliable action.

The new one arrived with machine marks, screws that split apart when removed, a cracked magazine follower, wouldn't cycle rounds, and since I ordered a new stainless steel magazine follower to replace the factory broken one, I had technically altered the firearm so Marlin wouldn't warranty it.

I did a few tweaks and now it is about 90% reliable and a good shooter, but I decided to go with the lighter AR in .450 Bushmaster for a better camp gun.

My guide gun had a canted front sight. I sent it back and they returned it with the barrel indexed slightly so as to make the rear sight canted. I did not have the energy to complain as I was already planning on putting a dovetail filler on the rear and a receiver sight. I will say I've not seen this problem on the 336. They are no doubt built on different tooling.

About 10 years ago, I bought a new Marlin Deluxe 39A that was a beautiful rifle, but it had several flaws, not the least of which was canted sights. The extractor was not working well, and it left fired rounds in the chamber often. (I bought and adjusted the new one so it worked okay, but the design is poor.) The scope mounting holes were not in line, the rear one being about 1/8" off. (I compensated for that by grooving the rear hole of the one-piece mount base.) The firing pin was so blunt, it had many misfires, so I ground the tip to a proper shape.

Despite the faults, it was a pretty rifle and shot quite accurately, but I'd had enough and sold it at at gunshow last year. This is the second Marlin I've owned in over 50 years and will certainly be the last.

cdb1 said:

If Henry’s were gate loaded I’d prefer a Henry, better fit, finish and trigger. Since they aren’t I’ll take a Marlin and install a Wild West Happy Trigger.

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New, vs New I would agree with this, old vs new....nope. I would even go as far to say I think Marlin has gotten their act together, and are making better things now.

But even if they are the same quality (this will go back to our gate question) I would take the Marlin, and make it go....Henry and their cheapo, 22 rimfire loading is a deal breaker for me.

There are a lot of Henry fanboi's out there however.

Pick what you like and go for it, IMHO the marlin is a better rifle even the new ones.