Brand new Marlin .357 Lever gun, rear sight not fully seated...quick fix??

[cowboyL1FE]

I purchased a Marlin lever-action from Big-5. I'm a little disappointed with the overall fit and feel of it. It feels poorly made, loose and not put together well.

The rear sight is crooked and not fully seated to the center. Is there a tool like a drift for front sights that is used or can I CAREFULLY use a punch to move it to the center??

 

[ArmedBear]

A brass punch is the common tool.

My Big 5 1894C F&F was quite good, though. Is there anything else wrong with yours?

Marlin will fix stuff if you send them the gun (sometimes the store will send it for you), or perhaps you can exchange the gun if it's sub-par overall. Most of them are fine.

 

[cowboyL1FE]

The lever it self feels loose. Like there's too much side to side wiggle. The first couple times shooting the action felt rough and grity and it didn't feed properly 100% of the time.

The front sight was bent. Not the bottom part but the "U" shaped hoop that encloses the sight.

I'm not fully versed on all the 1894 models, but it just feels much worse than the other Marlin 1894's I've handled.

 

[Bullet Bob]

Before I adjusted the sight, I'd shoot the gun first. It may be moved over there for a reason