SDT First Impressions
336SDT impressions and mini range report (Cross post)
I took custody of the SDT and here are my first impressions.
It looks and feels noticeably more compact, it handles nicely and should be ideal where portability is required. Despite its diminutive size it has the fit and feel of a full sized rifle - no sacrifice of proportion or adjustment of cheek weld or forend grip, the ergonomics are the same as my longer 336's. I haven't weighed it but there doesn't appear to be much of a weight difference between it and the more common 20" variations - I suspect the laminated stocks are heavier than the walnut versions.
My preference is for Blued and Walnut but I will admit to liking the looks of this carbine. The other three guys in the shop were also attracted to it. As a practical matter, it is pretty tough to beat stainless - my 1895GS looks great despite having a lot of hunting mileage on it. The laminated stock looks good (better) paired with the stainless too. The Marauder is a prettier, but I can't complain out this one.
I like the recoil pad on my Guide Gun. I'm not sure I like it or even need it on a 30-30. Wearing a sweatshirt I noticed the pad to be quite grippy. It didn't seem to slow handling much but I did notice a few tugs.
Family Portrait of my 336 collection - Top to bottom: 70's vintage Texan, 60's vintage Saddle Ring, Cowboy, SDT
Cycling the action feels very smooth for a new rifle. Actually all of the Marlins I've purchased new have been good. The trigger feels good - just a hint of creep before breaking and very smooth. Safety and hammer both operate crisp and cleanly.
The Hi-Viz sights are easy for 50 year old eyes to pick up. We'll see how they do at the range, the front bead looks pretty thick for real precision but is a lot more visible. I like the adjustability of the rear sights - small screwdriver instead of a punch and hammer. I believe the green dots will make it easier to get a consistent sight picture too. I'm not sure about the "wide-scan" front sight cover. It has a big cut-out in it to gather light and looks like it will protect the front sight well but I suspect I'll like shooting with it off better.
I tested a variety of ammo to see how it cycled through. 150 & 170 grain Jacketed reloads and factory offerings from Remington all cycled through without a hitch. Even "Buckshot" loads (a '0' buckshot over pistol power) fed and ejected easily from the magazine. The first hiccup from this rifle is using the excellent Ranch Dog 30 caliber bullet - closing the lever the last little bit required some force. Upon ejecting the rounds the bullets showed that they were engraving on the rifling. Bummer as this is a very accurate bullet at a multitude of velocities from my other Marlins and at today's ammo prices the bullet I shoot the most.
Rifling engraving on Ranch Dog bullets after being cycled through the SDT
The weather isn't conducive to shooting paper targets today - rain! rain! rain! so I went to a pards place to do a little indoor shooting in his 25' shop range. The upside is at least I get to do a little shooting and it was dry. The downside short range and a bit on the dark side, we did manage to get the chronograph to work using an electric light though.
I figured a gallery load would be just right for this situation so I used a single 0 buckshot over 3.3grains of Red Dot (all disclaimers apply, use at your own risk). Sitting on the ground using the as delivered sight setting I sent a few down range. The point of impact (POI) was about an inch higher than the point of aim (POA) and shot about a quarter sized five shot group. Next I shot three more at the bull above it and then lowered the rear sight and shot three more.
The chronograph showed a WIDE extreme spread for the eleven shots - low=931, high 1106 with an average of 1034 fps for the string. This load leaves the case necks very sooty. We also had one of those cheapo decibel meters (which probably doesn't work for gun shots) and it registered 99.4 db MAX which is about the same as my Single Six 22lr shoots.
Next up I shot a 3 shot string of the Ranch Dog Bullet over 5 grains of Red Dot. Got 903, 895 and 919 fps. Accuracy on par with the buckshot loads which is promising - I'm sure I'll do better shooting in better light not worrying about shooting a chronograph. The decibel meter recorded a 94.7 max.
Feeling more confident I decided to try a moderate Ranch Dog Bullet Load using 20 grains of AA5744. The load spit out at 1786 fps and knocked our 6" x 12" x 12" block target holder off its stand. The muzzle blast kicked up some sawdust that was on the floor. The POI was over and inch lower than the previous loads. db reading of 100.3.
Not wanting to ruin his target stand I ended my experiment and called it a day. I was glad to make some noise with the new SDT but looks like I'll have to wait until later to try some more loads (including the most excellent and famous PapaJohn load) at longer range.