Marlin 336 Questions

[CmdrSlander]

My gun budget just took a nose dive, unexpected expenses mean I now have only about $400 (at maximum) to spend on a rifle as a Christmas gift to myself. So Remingtons, Savages, all have gone out the window but one excellent value, it appears, remains...

The Marlin 336.

It does everything I need.

And has all the qualities I want:

-Manual Action
-Trusted Brand
-Smart Looking
-Good multipurpose caliber
-Fairly compact
-Good base base for customization later on (new irons, scout rail, etc)

Its easy to find used, and new from Bud's it is only a little over my budget ($424).

But I have few questions:

-How's the trigger? (I've been a handgunner for most of shooting career and have been spoiled the the light crisp trigger of the 1911's I favor.)

-Is it reliable (I've heard that Marlin QC took a nose dive lately, it that true?)

-Never shot a 30-30, what is the kick like compared to say mid length AR-15 shooting 55 Grain .223? (give me multiples: ex: its twice as hard, 3x as hard etc.)

-Accurate? I'm not looking for a competition grade gun, but I'd at least like to hit the bullseye at 50 yards (If I do my part of course).

-Finally, what's a good source of inexpensive 30-30?

Thanks all.

P.S. I know about the entry level bolt guns (Remington 770, Savage Axis) and I am not interested, so don't suggest them in response to my money situation.

 

[rcmodel]

I would seek out an older nice used 336 over a new one any day.

30-30 accuracy at 50 yards?
Even the worst one ever made will shoot very good groups at 50 yards.

Triggers range all over the place.
I have a Marlin 1894P with a clean & crisp 4 pound trigger.

A new one today?
Maybe 6+ pounds and gritty with creep.

Recoil maybe compares to light target loads in a 12 ga shotgun?
It is for sure a lot more then a .223, but not objectionable at all compared to shooting a .300 Mag or something.

I'd haunt the used gun racks at gun shops, watch the newspaper add's etc.
TYhere is a lot of good used ones out there and they turn up all the time.

rc

 

[CmdrSlander]

@rcmodel

Hey, know any good shops for used guns in Eastern KS? my Central Texas location is outdated, I live in Kansas City Ks now.

 

[CPLofMARINES]

Can't comment on the new ones. Mine is 26 yrs. old. I have a Redfield
tracker 2x7 mounted on it, and shoots 1.5 inch groups @ 100 yds. with
Win. Super-X 170 grn. Great rifle.

Semper Fi

 

[rcmodel]

Well, Cabala's would be were I would start.
The used gun rack seems to always have a few Marlins on it.

rc

 

[greyling22]

+1 to finding a good used one. recoil is a whole lot more than a 223, but the muzzle blast blast is less. I'm recoil shy, and it kind of hurt to use it from a bench, but was fine when shooting offhand. You can do a very good action job yourself. I got mine to a crisp 3# trigger with minor effort. it was good for about 2.5" at 100yds with winchester ammo.

 

[RevDerb]

Please don't buy a new one! For every happy newly mfg Marlin owner that I read over on Marlinowners.com there are 8-10 unhappy ones. The name is being dragged through the mud something terrible. The price of used is going up quickly so the time to act is now. $00.02

 

[slowr1der]

Yeah, you should be able to find a used one for well under your budget.

That said, I don't know much about the Marlins like you are looking at as I've never had one. I've got a few friends that do, and have handled them, but never owned them.

That said, what do you want to do with this? You said you had to rule out the other rifles you wanted?

There is nothing wrong with a 30-30 if you use it for it's intended purpose imo and I have friends that kill deer with them year after year. However, My suggestion is if you want a different caliber to look at the Savage Model 10/110 depending on the caliber, that they sell at Walmart. It sells for right at $400 and is a very nice gun. These also come with the accu trigger which is the best factory trigger I've ever used. It comes as a package deal with a cheap scope, which imo I'd probably sell and replace, but it should get you by until you can do that. IMO this is one of the best deals out there for a quality rifle. You can get a very nice gun, for slightly over what the entry level Remingtons and Savages cost, and imo this is the way to go if you are on a budget.

 

[plumbernater]

Here in Alabama we have what is called Armslist. Type it in for your area and see if you got any for sell

 

[Walkalong]

seek out an older nice used 336

That's what I did. Love it.

 

[CaliCoastie]

New ones are a crap shoot, I wouldn't buy one sight unseen. Check armslist.com and pawn shop in your area. Check out marlinowners.com for other info. Buying used you should be able to easily meet your budget.
Recoil? Surprised me the first couple of times but now??? No big deal, I don't have a.223 to compare to.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

I am also in the buy an old one club. No way in hell I would buy a new one nowadays.

As far as recoil verses a .223, there is a pretty hefty difference but the .30/30 is by far NOT a punishing cartridge out of a lever gun. Very manageable.

As for the "multipurpose", The .30/30 has downed more big game than any other cartridge on earth. From White-tailed Deer to Moose, they have all fallen to the venerable old girl.

Trigger, on both my older ones (which my boys now own, damn kids) the triggers were acceptable. They aren't target rifles nor are they meant to be so they don't have the finest of triggers. But they are pretty good for hunting purposes.

Reliability, again on the older ones, I never had problem one out of mine. Always went bang when needed.

 

[Gimmered]

I bought a used Marlin from a neighbor this summer for $250. I'm not a hunter so I'm giving it to my son for christmas. My daughter shoots my AR quite a bit with no problem, the 30/30 rocks her back pretty good, 2 or 3 shots and she's done for the day but keeps wanting to take it out again.

 

[Walkalong]

2 or 3 shots and she's done for the day but keeps wanting to take it out again.

A case full of Trail Boss under a 110 Gr .30 Carbine bullet in .30-30 brass gives around 1200 FPS and has very little recoil. It would allow her to shoot the gun more.

 

[Sam1911]

This is probably going to sound crazy, but I'd consider a used one.

You should be able to find several local to you without having to shell out quite $400.

.30-30 is going to push you quite a bit more than .223 (which basically has no recoil at all) but not nearly so much as a .30-'06 or a heavy 12 ga. slug/buck load. Using proper form, and especially offhand or kneeling, even a teenager should be able to handle the recoil of a .30-30 -- and many youngsters have started deer hunting with one before moving up to a heavier round in adulthood.

Accurate? That's more of a function of ammo selection. If you have to shoot factory ammo, you'll need to buy boxes of various loads/brands to see what your rifle prefers. If you handload, you'll probably be able to beat the best factory load accuracy with your rifle's favorite handload. I have two or three handloads I've developed for my .35 Rem 336 that will print just a nudge over 1.25" at 100 yds.

 

[TnBigBore]

You should be able to get a very decent presafety Marlin 336 30-30 for under $300. I have had several that were MOA shooters, some even with factory ammo. When equipped with a Williams or Lyman aperture sight or compact, low powered scope they remain handy and your accuracy potential is greatly increased over factory irons.

 

[Gimmered]

A case full of Trail Boss under a 110 Gr .30 Carbine bullet in .30-30 brass gives around 1200 FPS and has very little recoil. It would allow her to shoot the gun more.

Her 10/22 cost about 4 cents and my AR about 30 cents a round. I'm OK with her wanting to stop after 3 30/30 rounds.