keeping a marlin 336 loaded

[carlrodd]

i know there have been other threads concerning keeping detachable magazines loaded, wear on springs over time etc., but what about the internal tubular magazine of the 336? has anyone experienced any problems keeping an older lever gun loaded?

i have two other questions as well: mine is .35 rem 'R.C.' how many rounds is this supposed to hold? i've read a bunch of different things on-line. most sites said six in the tube. also, aside from the .35 rem, can it take handgun ammo? from my googling it seems like people are saying it can fire .357 magnum????? thanks.

 

[doubleaes2]

carlrodd,

DO NOT put anything other than .35 remington into that firearm.

 

[Chawbaccer]

.35 Remington ONLY. But you can hand load the .35 Rem with .38-357 bullets.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Marlin 336 has been made in .30-30, .35 Remington, .444 Marlin,
.45-70, .38-55. etc. Marlin does make a .357 1894 rifle, but the
casing for the .35 Remington is much fatter than the .357 and
if a .357 could fire in a .35 Remington chamber it would split
and leak high pressure gas like crazy. I did handload .357 pistol
bullets in .35 Renington casings for cheap practice loads.

 

[JohnKSa]

I have heard/read of a few unintentional discharges from rimfire guns with tubular magazines as a result of weakened springs. The person unloaded but the weakened spring failed to deliver the last round. Later the action was operated again on a supposedly empty magazine and for whatever reason the spring coughed up the round and the gun went bang when a click was expected.

I have read at least one "expert" who recommends downloading shotgun tubular magazines for long-term storage, but he did not give a reference or even an anecdote to support his recommendation.

I have not read/heard any recommendations nor read/heard any anecdotes suggesting that one should underload the magazine of a centerfire rifle to prevent the spring from weakening.

 

[MCgunner]

I don't leave my Rossi M92 in .357 loaded because over time the bullet noses tend to deform. I can load it with hard cast 158SWCs to avoid that, but hollow points will deform if left in it for too long I guess just from bumps and stuff and the spring pressure on the rounds.

I don't like leaving magazines loaded very long anyway. I've had magazines "set" on me, meaning the rounds get sticky in the magazine from sitting so long, maybe a little dry over time, anyway, they'll not feed when needed. I rotate my semiauto handgun mags frequently and I don't leave long guns loaded.

However, I've found the magazines on SKSs won't "set". Must be due to the design, has a rather unique follower design, but I've left an SKS loaded for several years and not had it malfunction. They're handy little rifles, too, and cheap! Some guns have this problem, some don't seem to. But, I don't leave the Rossi loaded.

 

[JNewell]

I have read at least one "expert" who recommends downloading shotgun tubular magazines for long-term storage, but he did not give a reference or even an anecdote to support his recommendation.

I'd worry more about a full magazine in a shotgun bulging the plastic cases and I download my stored SG for that reason, not to preserve the spring. Bulged plastic shotshells, unlike weakened springs, are not a hypothetical problem!

 

[CZguy]

Physics

Springs wear out from cycles (being compressed and uncompressed) not from staying compressed over a long period of time.

I'm sure you have all heard stories about old .45 autos left loaded since WWII that still functioned perfectly.

A good source of info on this is Wolff Gun Springs.

http://www.gunsprings.com/

 

[Cosmoline]

The only problem I can see from leaving it loaded is if you simply neglect it for too long and let it get wet and rusty inside the tube. I've seen more than one old levergun or shotgun where this had happened. But the spring won't "wear out" from being loaded.

 

[JohnKSa]

CZGuy--here's a quote from the link you listed as a good source of information.

5. Should I unload my magazines, rotate magazines, load with fewer than the maximum rounds? How often should I change magazine springs?

Magazine springs in semi-auto pistols are one of the most critical springs and the subject of much debate and concern. Magazines which are kept fully loaded for long periods of time, such as law enforcement applications, will generally be subject to more fatigue than the weekend shooter's magazine springs which are loaded up only when shooting. Magazine design and capacity also affect the longevity of the spring. Older designs where maximum capacity was not the goal such as the 7 round 1911 Colt magazines will last for years fully loaded. There was a lot of room for a lot of spring which reduced the overall stress on the spring. In recent hi-capacity magazines, the magazines were designed to hold more rounds with less spring material. This puts more stress on the spring and will cause fatigue at a faster rate. Unloading these magazines a round or two will help the life of the spring. Rotating fully loaded magazines will also help the problem somewhat but is not always practical. In applications where the magazine must be kept loaded, a high quality magazine spring such as Wolff extra power magazine springs, will provide maximum life. Regular shooting will verify reliability and regular replacement of magazine springs will provide the best defense against failure from weak magazine springs.

 

[dmckean44]

I wouldn't really worry about it, a new spring is around $10 and takes 5 minutes to replace.

 

[loandr.]

"Springs wear out from cycles (being compressed and uncompressed) not from staying compressed over a long period of time."


What he said!

 

[1911 guy]

Both.

I personally have replaced two springs that failed due to compression.

One was a 1911 magazine that I'd left in my drawer for about a year with eight rounds in it. Other mags of the same manufacture were also left like that for the same amount of time but were not ruined.

The other was the magazine spring in a 12 guage shotgun we keep on the wall in our bedroom. It was loaded for about a year, also. Went to the range, fast shucking was out of the question. Spring couldn't keep up with the bolt. Spring replacement cured the problem.

While it may not be the norm, it is a possibility. Check your gear from time to time.

 

[CZguy]

JohnKSa,

CZGuy--here's a quote from the link you listed as a good source of information.

I stand corrected. They no longer have a fact page on metallurgy on their site. And that is a correct quote from their FAQ page.

However, I stand by my position that springs do not wear out from being compressed, they were out from cycles.

 

[JohnKSa]

However, I stand by my position that springs do not wear out from being compressed, they were out from cycles.

Did you read the quote immediately above yours?

It is correct to say that "springs do not wear out from being compressed", but ONLY if you include some caveats.

Springs do not wear out from being compressed if:

1. They are not overcompressed.
AND
2. They are made of high quality spring steel.
AND
3. They are manufactured properly.

Number #1, which seems a given, is actually a major player in this discussion. A magazine should hold the maximum number of rounds possible, in as small a package as possible, be easy to load and yet positive in feeding the rounds. That's a tall order, and trying to get all of those parameters maxed out puts a lot of stress on the springs.

A similar situation is found in spring-piston airguns. The cocking effort has practical limits, as do the size and weight of the airgun. Yet the customer typically wants maximum power. The result is that many spring-piston airguns effectively "overcompress" the springs when cocked. That is why it is well known in the airgunning community that leaving a gun cocked (the spring compressed) will fatigue it more than shooting it (cycling it).

The effect can be (and has been) measured in reproducible tests.

So, it IS definitely possible to wear out or fatigue a spring from leaving it compressed if it is overcompressed, if it is not manufactured properly or is not of sufficient quality.

 

[CZguy]

I read it. It just hasn't been my experience.