The Marlin MR7

GunnyUSMC · Feb 19, 2018

I got this rifle back in the late 90’s on the Marlin one free for five gun program. It was a dealer program where for every five guns sold from a select group you got a free gun from a select group.
The store where I worked let us pick and keep the free gun as a prize.

The MR7 was new on the market. It was built to compete with the top selling gun. Marlin took the best feature of the top sellers and rolled them into one rifle.

It had a Winchester style bolt and safety, Ruger bolt handle and Remington bolt face.

GunnyUSMC · Feb 19, 2018

It has a Browning A-bolt detachable magazine, a nice counter sunk muzzle and cut checkering on a Walnut stock

It’s a well made rifle with a very nice fit and finish. The price point was around $650, but it just didn’t get the sales and was dropped from their lineup in 2000.

My plans were to use the rifle for deer hunting, but it just stayed in the box.

someguy2800 · Feb 19, 2018

That's a pretty nice looking gun. I don't remember them.

dranrab · Feb 19, 2018

Those were very good rifles.

LoonWulf · Feb 19, 2018

A friend bought a couple on closeout, one was supposed to be mine....i never got it.......

JeffG · Feb 19, 2018

Looks like a nice rifle.

bannockburn · Feb 19, 2018

Gunny

I think I saw one of them at one of the sporting goods stores in my area many years ago. Looked to be well made with very clean lines, a nice blued finish, and a good looking wood stock with decent cut checkering. I thought it was definitely a bit upscale in a bolt action for Marlin.

chicharrones · Feb 19, 2018

That is one good lookin' Marlin, Gunny. :thumbup:

someguy2800 · Feb 19, 2018

I wasn't going to say it but the biggest thing I see wrong with it is that it says marlin on it. I've always liked marlin but there name is not exactly associated with high end craftsmanship.

Sistema1927 · Feb 19, 2018

I am surprised that they felt that the Remington bolt face was the best. IMHO that, and it's extractor, is a serious weakness on the Remingtons.

LoonWulf · Feb 19, 2018

Its a solid proven design, even if the extractors arnt as strong or as durable as other designs its pretty rare (considering the number out there) to have one fail in normal use. (They dont take well to being removed once installed)

Personally i like other designs better, but from a production standpoint its a hards system to argue with.

As amalgamation guns go these were very good, the one i was supposed to get from my buddy still sits in his gun rack. Ive shot both of them a few times, and if these were still in production i bet they would have a much better chance at taking off now.

jmr40 · Feb 19, 2018

I remember them well. Liked them OK, but not enough to buy one. They borrowed a lot of ideas from other companies, but not necessarily the best from each. Part of it was bad timing. They came along just about the time that synthetic stocks were being accepted by shooters and walnut was less desirable. Some of the early factory synthetics were pretty good, if not too heavy.

I've always liked marlin but there name is not exactly associated with high end craftsmanship.

All of the Marlin lever actions up until very recently had some of the best craftsmanship of any guns ever made. Due to the design those guns required a lot of hand fitting and finishing. I'm always amazed at how closely the wood and metal are fitted. Even metal to metal is very well done. And lever actions are probably the most complex rifles ever designed.

You may be thinking about some of the more modern budget guns made by Marlin

Shimitup · Feb 19, 2018

Nice rifle, looks like your buddy was testing the corner of the box as soon as you propped it up. What is it with cats and boxes?

someguy2800 · Feb 19, 2018

jmr40 said:
All of the Marlin lever actions up until very recently had some of the best craftsmanship of any guns ever made. Due to the design those guns required a lot of hand fitting and finishing. I'm always amazed at how closely the wood and metal are fitted. Even metal to metal is very well done. And lever actions are probably the most complex rifles ever designed.

You may be thinking about some of the more modern budget guns made by Marlin

They make a quality rifle, and I'm quite pleased with mine but I've never seen a single one I would hold up as a symbol of fine craftsmanship, and that's fine for the price point they sell into. $650 in the late 90's seams like a lot to me for that rifle.

GunnyUSMC · Feb 20, 2018

someguy2800 said:
They make a quality rifle, and I'm quite pleased with mine but I've never seen a single one I would hold up as a symbol of fine craftsmanship, and that's fine for the price point they sell into. $650 in the late 90's seams like a lot to me for that rifle.

They were in the same price point as the Remington 700 BDL, Browning A-Bolt, Ruger M77 MkII, and the Winchester Model 70. It had better wood then the Ruger and a better finish then thr Remington. Marlin went all out on the MR7, but the mid to late 90’s there was a change growing in the world of hunting rifles, and that was synthetic stocks. I think that if the MR7 would have hit the market 5 or 10 years sooner, it would have done much better.
They had plans to come out with a shot action MR7, but we know that never came to be.

GunnyUSMC · Mar 11, 2018

Look at what I found when cleaning up.

LoonWulf · Mar 11, 2018

I think i remember seeing that add in our lgs back in highschool lol.
Still hoping to run across one of those rifles here.

22250Rem · Mar 11, 2018

Wow..... A Marlin MR-7.... N.I.B. ( New In Box ) ! I remember seeing new ones on dealer tables at gun shows back then. I looked at a few and thought they were nice. But at that time I just wasn't in the market for something like that. Over the years I've heard that they are very good shooters and can recall hearing them recommended as a solid value on the used rifle market. That's only what I've heard and I have zero experience with them personally. So what are the plans for this MR-7? You could keep it and probably have a nice .270 hunting rifle or sell it as is, probably for a nice premium considering the new condition.

GunnyUSMC · Mar 11, 2018

22250Rem said:
Wow..... A Marlin MR-7.... N.I.B. ( New In Box ) ! I remember seeing new ones on dealer tables at gun shows back then. I looked at a few and thought they were nice. But at that time I just wasn't in the market for something like that. Over the years I've heard that they are very good shooters and can recall hearing them recommended as a solid value on the used rifle market. That's only what I've heard and I have zero experience with them personally. So what are the plans for this MR-7? You could keep it and probably have a nice .270 hunting rifle or sell it as is, probably for a nice premium considering the new condition.

I really have no plans for it. May just keep it in the box for another 20 years.

The Marlin MR7

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