Marlin quality improved?

[peacebutready]

A gentleman here very recently claimed Marlin is made at the Remington NY factory and another factory, IIRC. He also seems to claim they are where they used to be in terms of quality, I guess before they went down hill.

Is it true Marlin is back to the level of quality they were before they started going downhill around '07?

 

[DPris]

Marlin leverguns are built in separate sections of the Remington plant in Ilion, New York.
Quality is back on the rise.
Denis

 

[samweller]

On the rise? Not really encouraging. Let me know when they arrive.

 

[dh1633pm]

According to those who work at the plant in Ilion and current reviews of Marlin products. The equipment that was shipped from CT to Ilion didn't do well. Some say it was vandalized. An understatement. The other side of the coin was none of the Marlin workers were retained. So you had a brain drain, old equipment that was broken before shipment. That doesn't paint a pretty picture.

They are better now. New equipment and experience gained. I know more than one person who works at the plant. They make Remingtons, Marlins, Bushmasters, and Handy Rifles.

 

[ilmonster]

I recently looked over an 1895 at a Cabela's and it looked quite good. Wood to metal fit was tight, sights were straight (had a bad run of canted front sights), action cycled as well at my 1894c, screws weren't buggered up, bluing was nice. Thinking of picking up one of their full length 1895's in the near future.

 

[200Apples]

.
I own a pre-Marlington (1989 manufacture) 1894CS357 that wouldn't feed correctly and the forearm furniture fit was sloppy... it was pre-owned when I bought it but in brand-new condition.

Thanks to the published tips and tricks by guys that run these in cowboy action shooting, I was able to 'smith on it myself to cure it's ills. It's a good rifle now, but it took some work.

 

[Schwing]

I recently purchased a marlin 1894 in .44. Fit and finish were excellent and the action was as smooth as any gun I have had out of the box.

 

[GooseGestapo]

You'll get better, more knowledgeable advice, info at www.marlinowners.com.
Yes, generally, the Marlins are "back", though the stocks/wood could stand some improvement on the ones I've examined.

 

[Old Dog]

Anyone know if the new 1894s in .357/.38 have hit the stores yet? They're cataloged, but I haven't seen one in person so far ...

 

[DPris]

No, they have not.
Further delays.

Marlin's trying to get their program together, I'm on hold for the new .45-70 that was also supposed to be out by now.

They'll be changing their marketing to roughly the same process as what Ruger does- they won't be announcing new models till they're actually in inventory.
Denis

 

[shootstraight57]

Marlin, Remington, DPMS (Panther Arms) and Bushmaster are all owned by the Freedom Group. I have a common problem with DPMS on the staking of the gas to the bolt carrier, go figure!

 

[mshootnit]

My hangups:
The checkering (if you can call it that) is horrible on the new rifles. It seems as though made with some type of wire brush. Secondly the front sight is held on with one screw. Other than that, hey its an open sights 30-30, how perfect does it need to be for its intended purpose?
I still dont cozy up to the new production philosophy. ( As much product out the door as cheaply as possible.)

 

[mshootnit]

Also it will never be proven that Marlin quality went downhill at the end. First it was 2008, now its 2007. I suppose it will be internet truth ten years from now that you should avoid any post 2002 Marlin. I had a gorgeous 2009 made by Marlin in Conn. after the takeover. No issues.

 

[DPris]

Wow.
Head in sand there.
I've seen & handled & returned VERY poorly made post-buy Marlin leverguns.
Marlin/Remington admits they dropped the ball.
There are hundreds of Internet posts by people with similar experiences.
It is far from a myth.

They weren't ALL bad, but many should have shipped directly to the nearest seaport & dumped into the ocean.

Checkering, by the way, is laser-cut.
Marlin was aware of complaints & was supposedly addressing the two machines involved over a year ago.
Denis

 

[mshootnit]

You've seen hundreds of poorly made Marlin Conn. produced 2008, 2009 336's? I dont think so.

 

[tdstout]

There are hundreds of Internet posts by people with similar experiences

You've seen hundreds of poorly made Marlin Conn. produced 2008, 2009 336's? I dont think so.

Internet posts, not first hand experience. I sure hope they are better, cause I'm thinking about seeing if I can talk my wife into getting me one for Christmas.

 

[DPris]

I own and/or have worked with Marlin leverguns made over the past 10 years or so.
I have seen among those, among new Marlins at my dealer (two of which had severely messed up stocks, including one that swiveled between the tangs), and even among display samples at the Marlin booth at SHOT Show (where you'd expect them to be showing off their BEST stuff), a steady decline in levergun quality that began before the move to Ilion & severely nose-dived after the move.

I have not seen hundreds of 336s. I have seen hundreds of posts across multiple forums detailing first-hand accounts of similar poor quality experiences.
Including the die-hard Marlin fan Marlin Forum.

I have seen poorly built examples of their short-lived .410 shotgun, .44s, .357s, .45-70s, and a couple 336s.

Since the buyout, I have seen more Marlins WITH major manufacturing glitches than I have without.

As I said- not all were bad, but many were, which is why Marlin put some models on hold pending re-training, re-engineering, equipment upgrades, and creating new manufacturing drawings.

The quality overall IS returning, but things like canted sights, daylight UNDER sights, large gaps between wood & steel (either left open or filled with what looks like bubblegum), rough actions, busted stocks, lousy frame machining, and downright non-functional actions, are NOT Internet myths.
Denis

 

[DPris]

OD,
Looks like Spring for the .357 re-intro.
Denis

 

[OMCHamlin]

I just bought a Remlin 1895G. Rear sight would not stay folded down. Horribly cross threaded plug screw in receiver. Crunchy, long, heavy trigger pull. Unless you rack it like the devil, 100% jam. If you rack it as fast as you can 70% feed rate. Impressed? No, me neither...

 

[larbear]

Really

I purchased a 45-70 marlin and very pleased with this weapon. Good fit. no blemishes. I am surprised to hear that so many expierenced people would buy a defective gun. When I bought mine I a) cycled the action several times, b) looked down the barrel to check the rifling c) checked the sights and looked at the finish. All this prior to putting money on the counter. I dont consider myself an expert but I did the same when I purchased my ruger and winchester.

 

[ilmonster]

Well, I picked up up a new Marlin 1895 with 22" barrel today. I looked at it real carefully before putting down my cash (it was on sale at Cabela's for $550 plus you got $50 in Cabela's bucks). Barrel on straight, metal to wood fit good, cycled a bit stiff but smooth, screws were screwed in without bunging up the screw heads, etc. They just went on sale today, but this was the last one they had (they had these in the back last week for the sale per the manager, and had a good half dozen to start with. Went fast). So far, satisfied!

Should be able to get out this Sunday and get some 405 gr. Remington JSP's down the tube. Will report back.

 

[Milkmaster]

The checkering (if you can call it that) is horrible on the new rifles. It seems as though made with some type of wire brush.

Yep! That is my primary complaint with my 336 in stainless. I kept it because I ordered it rather than being off the shelf. It went back to Marlin for cycling issues. Took me calling and asking about my rifle for them to trace it down and remember to send it back to me. Was not a good experience. Poor enough quality that I am ashamed to show it to my shooting buddies. I just shoot it and keep my mouth shut unless they ask.

 

[DPris]

Asked on the checkering status.
Was told the walnut stocks are improved, but the laminates are giving them problems.
Denis

 

[ilmonster]

Considering this is a $600 gun, the checkering on my walnut stocked version was fine. Certainly don't expect hand checkering on a rifle at this price these days.

Cycled (not shot) a few Remington 405 gr. rounds through the gun last night (aimed at a cinder block basement wall with the safety on!) and they all cycled smoothly. I made sure to give the rifle a cursory cleaning before (lever, bolt, barrel).

One point of interest was that it is much more challenging to feed 45-70 rounds into a tube magazine than the much smaller .357 rounds into my 1894c.

 

[morcey2]

I can't speak from a lot of experience, but I have a Remlin 336W that shoots quite well. I've seen several remlins with sight and fit issues, but this wasn't one of them. I had to buy a new band and retaining screw because the original screw was broken and the threaded hole in the band was stripped out. The forend was held on with electrical tape. It was a really good deal from the pawn shop.

I've heard an apocryphal tale that some of the soon-to-be-terminated employees from Marlin messed with the machinery prior to it being moved to New York and that is one of the causes of the issues. Can anyone verify this one way or another?

Matt