Marlin experts needed- 336TS with 18.5" barrel and no cross bolt safety

.455_Hunter

.455_Hunter

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A LGS has an unmodified .30-30 336TS in good/very good condition with the somewhat rare (?) 18.5 barrel and is NOT fitted with the cross bolt safety. From some interwebz searching, it sounds like such a a gun would only be in 1980-1984 timeframe. I need a .30-30 lever gun, and I like this one due to its straight stock, straight lever, shorter, but not too short barrel, normal blued trigger (not dumb brass/gold) and not being a pristine museum specimen. Is something in the $800-900 range acceptable for this carbine? Thanks!
 
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Hold on. Don't do anything yet. I am a Marlin expert and if you will give me the name of that gun shop and their phone number I will call and do a little checking for you to make sure you aren't buying a pig in a poke. I also need to see if they will ship to Texas. This is what friends are for. :evil:

Seriously if you like the gun and it looks good to you make them a CASH offer and see what they say. I'm a sucker for a 30-30 lever action and that sounds like a dandy. I don't care if they have a few dings and scratches. It saves me the trouble of putting them there myself and it doesn't hurt how the gun shoots.

You are asking the wrong group of people about buying a gun. We will never tell you not to.
 
The 'TS' suffix indicates a Texan (straight grip) model made after the cross bolt safety was added. If the safety is not obviously present, a previous owner my have replaced it with a 'delete kit'.

Texans are the only Marlins I will buy, Here's how the whole thing got started, from the July 1952 Edition of Outdoor Life.

marlin_ad.jpg
 
Just buy it. Now. You will not loose money on an unaltered Marin gun with or without a CBS.
 
Quanah said:
The 'TS' suffix indicates a Texan (straight grip) model made after the cross bolt safety was added. If the safety is not obviously present, a previous owner my have replaced it with a 'delete kit'.

Texans are the only Marlins I will buy, Here's how the whole thing got started, from the July 1952 Edition of Outdoor Life.

marlin_ad.jpg
Click to expand...

It may or may not have the TS marking, but definitely is a non-safety TS configuration. I got the model type only after comparing interwebz pictures. The question is do I want this one, or wait for a nice 80's - early 90's machined receiver Winchester 1894 AE?
 
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.455_Hunter said:
It may or may not have the TS marking, but definitely is a non-safety TS configuration. I got the model type only after comparing interwebz pictures. The question is do I want this one, or wait for a nice 80's - early 90's machined receiver Winchester 1894 AE?
Click to expand...

Learning more as I go...

I am sure it's marked 336T, which makes sense now. I will probably go take a look at it again tomorrow.
 
I have that rifle and it is my favorite 336. The barrel length is perfect and I like the straight grip Marlins.

I would be running back for that one.
 
Those are pretty rare and I believe only made 1 year. They made quite a few with 20" barrels and a handful with 16" barrels in that configuration. I'd buy that one.

You can determine date of manufacture on those by subtracting the 1st 2 digits of the SN from 100. For example, if the 1st 2 digits are 25, the rifle was made in 1975. That is true of MOST Marlins made from about 1972 until the early 2000's. There are a few exceptions for special runs of rifles.
 
Having a 30TK with short mag tube, 18.5 in barrel, this got my interest up. Apparently the "T" models were before the safety's and microgroove barrels starting in the mid 1950's?
 
The 30TK was a special run just sold at K-Mart. They were considered a budget gun at the time with hardwood rather than walnut stocks. But the short barrel and 1/2 mag tube handled so well that those have reached cult like status among many Marlin enthusiasts. My brother had one for a while until he found out how much they sold for. He made a nice little profit on it.

Not all "Texan" Marlins have the T stamped on them. They have been made off and on for a while. Some going back to at least the 1950's and others at least as late as the 1980's. They all had straight stocks and newer ones had square levers. Most had 20" barrels but a handful came with 18.5" barrels. They were never produced in large numbers, but there are some out there if you look

My 1958 Marlin Texan alongside a 1958 Winchester 94.

levers 004.JPG

The ones with 16" barrels were known as Trappers. Marlin made some in the 50's and 60's known as the Maurader. This was 1988 or 89 production. Same as the Maurader, but actually far fewer were made. Only about 2000 of these out there.

levers 006.JPG

They made 500 of the rifle on the right in 2005. It's a Guide gun configuration in 35 Rem. I paid $500 for this one new, got $2500 for it a couple of years ago. Alongside my Marlin 44 Mag.

levers 005.JPG
 
Buy it. If you wait for a different one, you'll have neither. Also, gold triggers aren't that bad. ;)
 
1955 Ballard rifled 336SC, 35 Remington; an early Texan as depicted in the ad above. I gas the thirty-five up a little, sat this doe down hard at 135 yards. Marlin completed the changeover of the 336 to micro-groove rifling, sometime in 1956.

20211206_170338-1-1.jpg
 
The half cock safety is fine by itself. The cross bolt is a second safety for past export market requirements. Browning did the same thing to Winchesters for a larger market when they took it over. Think Malin followed suit.

A new 336 is around 1800$ if you can find one. If its in good shape its a good buy. If its a microgroove you will have to shoot jacketed or downloaded hardball cast vs the later 6 land rifling barrels. If only shooting factory ammo it doesn't matter if it has micro groove rifling. The barrel will have microgroove on it if it has that type rifling.
 
OS/N said:
The half cock safety is fine by itself. The cross bolt is a second safety for past export market requirements. Browning did the same thing to Winchesters for a larger market when they took it over. Think Malin followed suit.

A new 336 is around 1800$ if you can find one. If its in good shape its a good buy. If its a microgroove you will have to shoot jacketed or downloaded hardball cast vs the later 6 land rifling barrels. If only shooting factory ammo it doesn't matter if it has micro groove rifling. The barrel will have microgroove on it if it has that type rifling.
Click to expand...
Now you’ve done it! The microgroove cast shooters are going to take issue! FWIW, in my experience, boolits at BHN 12 sized .310 for a 30-30 mg barrel and kept to 1500 fps or less shoot brilliantly. Faster than that yields diminishing accuracy. I have had no luck with hard cast in microgroove barrels, but others may have.
 
Well, I am the new owner, but it's in the new three day Polis Purgatory.

Some details...

Model 336 (No T or TS marking).
1982 production.
18.5" barrel.
No safety.
Straight lever.
Slim, non-checkered factory Marlin straight stock with "bullseye".
All sight components in place, including front hood.
Never looks to have been mounted with a scope.
Bore is perfect.
Mechanicals are perfect.
Metal is close to excellent, stock is very good.
No dumb gold trigger.

Looks like it was purchased, shot a small amount (<100 rounds), hunted within the brush for a few seasons, and then forgotten.

I am satisfied- Kinda like a S&W Model 10, it's everything you need, and nothing you don't.
 
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