Marlin Lever Rifles

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RinkRat

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Can you all please help me here. What is the difference between a Marlin 336C a 336A, and a 336W.

They are all lever action 30-30's but they all cost different. What makes one more expensive then the other. Is it really worth it to pay more for one over the other. If so why.
 
336c is a carbine version with a barrel band and a walnut stock.
336a is a birch or some other hardwood without much grain stock, no barrel band.
336w is a walnut stocked version without a barrel band.

all the metal parts other than the method of attaching the forend are the same on all versions.
 
336c is a carbine version with a barrel band and a walnut stock.
336a is a birch or some other hardwood without much grain stock, no barrel band.
336w is a walnut stocked version without a barrel band.

Actually, the 336W is birch stocks with double barrel bands, the 336A is birch with a fore end cap and one barrel band, and the 336C is walnut and double bands.

The 336A used to be a walnut stock, half mag instead of full length, a fore end cap, and had a 24" barrel. Sort of like a walnut/blued 336XLR. I think they stopped that back in the 70's though.

A 336SC is the same as the old 336A, but with a 20" barrel. There are about twenty other configurations, but too many to list here and now. Google is your friend.
 
What Abel said.

I have a Glenfield Mod30. This was a "really-really" economy model sold by K-Mart in the '70's. Mine has a birch stock, forend cap, and half magazine. Finish is a "semi-matte/semi polish blue. It weighs about a pound less than my M336C in .35Rem, that has the full length magazine, really nice Walnut stock and barrel band across the barrel and forend.

As far as accuracy, there is no difference. My Glenfield M30 shoots just as good as a 336A (24" bbl, half magazine, walnut stock and hi-luster blue, '70's production) I had back in the late '80's. Three shot groups of 1.25" are the norm, and occasional sub 1" are not unusual with my typical hunting loads (150gr Rem. CorLokt or 150gr BallisticSilverTip, or 170gr Remington Corlokt over 36.0 (150gr) or 34.0gr (170gr) of Reloader15. (3-shots @ 100yds from bench).

The only Marlins to be leary of are those produced from early '09 thru '10. Some were made with some left-over "rejected" recievers when Marlin sold out to the "Freedom Group" that had the barrel opening in the reciever bored off center and had what is called the "Marlin barrel droop".... Even though these had some sloppy wood fitting, they shoot well with iron sights, but scope mounting may require shimming the bases to get proper alignment of the scope such as to have adequate elevation adjustments to get them on the "paper"...

I have Marlins in .30/30, .35Rem, .45/70, and .338MarlinExpress. All four will stay with most of my bolt-actions for accuracy. Only a .22-250 and a .243 with "select" ammo will out shoot them on a regular basis. I have a MkX Mauser "custom" in .338/06 that won't shoot as tight of groupssas the the .338Marlin..... Which is my favorite "big-game" rifle... Every deer I've shot with it has been a "bang-flop", even those that weren't spine hits..... And all bullets have exited with 2-3" exit wounds.... A superlative cartridge/rifle...Even better than the .358 BLR. with my "warm" handloads.
 
Able's right. I thought the W was a birched stock gun as well, but I checked the marlin site before I posted to make sure and they have it as a walnut gun. But on double checking the site just now they call it "walnut finished" so it's probably birch.

The important take home part is that all the actions are the same and the stocks are different. Walnut will cost you more than birch. So if walnut is worth a premium to you, then it's worth it, if not find a birch one.
 
Actually, the 336W is birch stocks with double barrel bands, the 336A is birch with a fore end cap and one barrel band, and the 336C is walnut and double bands.

The 336A used to be a walnut stock, half mag instead of full length, a fore end cap, and had a 24" barrel. Sort of like a walnut/blued 336XLR. I think they stopped that back in the 70's though.

A 336SC is the same as the old 336A, but with a 20" barrel. There are about twenty other configurations, but too many to list here and now. Google is your friend.

So the main differences between the three are.

The 336c is a carbine version with a walnut stock, with double barrel bands, and a fore end cap.

The 336w is a walnut stained birch stock, with double barrel band and no fore end cap. (the one I saw also had a gold trigger?

The 336a is a walnut stained birch stock, with no barrel bands, and no fore end cap.


Trying to learn something here so I can pick which rifle is the best to get, so I appreciate all the help. I’m new to these type of rifles.

Question:
(1. What do the barrel bands do? Do they add in accuracy or precision?

(2. What makes the 336c a carbine version and not the others?

(3. Is a walnut stock better then a birch stock?

(4. If all the metal parts are the same then why does the 336w have a gold trigger?

(5. What does a fore end cap do, what is it for?

(6. How are the methods of attaching the fore ends different between the three? Is one way better then the other?

It seems the only difference between the 336c and the 336w is the 366c has a walnut stock, is a carbine version, no gold trigger, and has a fore end cap. Do these differences make the 336c a better choice?
 
The local guy says he can't/won't sell a 336W because the W stands for Walmart special. The "stuff" you hear at gun shops never ceases to amaze.
 
1) barrel bands hold the barrel, mag tube, and forend together. Don't really affect accuracy much that I can tell.

2, 5 & 6) carbine's traditionally have a barrel band and perhaps a saddle ring, and were shorter barreled. These days...................? The 336 carbine has a band that wraps around the top of the barrel and under the forend holding the forend on that way. The versions with the end cap have a dovetail cut into the bottom of the barrel, and a a piece sliding inside that the forend cap screws to. Functionally the end cap and the band are the same. The difference is mostly cosmetic.

3) Walnut stocks are prettier, the birch or beech or whatever hardwood they use typically has little to no grain to it.

I would rather have a 336c because I value wood a great deal. Now, I would totally buy an A or W if the price was less and I could get it restocked. However, if you don't care what the wood looks like, get whatever is cheaper.

4) gold trigger is cosmetic.

PS: you can buy synthetic stocks for the C version, but not the A or W versions.
 
The 336A has a forend cap. The 336W and the 336C do not. Use Google images and search all three. Then you can see the differences for yourself.

It seems the only difference between the 336c and the 336w is the 366c has a walnut stock, is a carbine version, no gold trigger, and has a fore end cap. Do these differences make the 336c a better choice?

Again, the 336C does not have a forearm cap. It, like the 336W, has double barrel bands. The only difference between the C & the W is that the C is walnut. Maybe the brand new 336C is different, but traditionally, it has a gold trigger too. Go to Google, click on "images" and type in 336C.
 
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