You poor poor Marlin 336a... what have they done to you?

[R.W.Dale]

Local gun show pickup. A long barrelled Marlin 336 in 35 rem has always been a bucket list gun for me.

51 model with Ballard rifling. I paid a little on the low end of the current insane levergun pricing for reasons that will be obvious when you scroll down (may be disturbing or offensive content to some viewers)

It had a cheesy picitinny mount on it so I knew there were some drilling and tapping shenanigans but WOAH not like this.

I have a side mount Williams target knob sight coming for it and intend to shoot it in some big bore silhouette matches we may have soon. I'm not an originality snob and the gun appears to be completely functional still (range report one day). BUT GOOD GRIEF we gotta hide this at least.

What methods have you guys used to hide poor bubba gunsmithing? I don't want to add any more holes and the front two are too crooked and improperly spaced for a half picitinny mount.








One idea I have is to glue on a micro red dot mount to cover up the sins and provide a base for a future sighting system. Possibly one that co witnesses.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

PIC rail would cover them. Plus you can scope it then.

 

[Frulk]

I like the profile. Good looking rifle. A reputable smith could prob enlarge those rear holes to center them and then tap all of them for a one piece base. This would cover that mess up. Either picatinny or Leupold etc. After that’s done you would have some options.

Again…good looking rifle

 

[bluetopper]

What's the barrel length on that? I have a Marlin 35 Rem but it's a 336 RC (regular carbine).

 

[Charlie98]

Giving Bubba his due... I hope he pulled the bolt out before he drilled those holes...

 

[R.W.Dale]

Giving Bubba his due... I hope he pulled the bolt out before he drilled those holes...

Well....he drilled a hole big enough that it serves as an inspection port.

 

[jmorris]

If I was going to not use optics, I wouldn’t do anything except use it. Shouldn’t effect function or safety and it’s not a safe queen.

 

[3Crows]

Oh dear, oh my .

 

[adcoch1]

That is just sad... But a pic rail will hide it all. Been thinking about a micro reddot on a leverguns myself lately...

 

[Mosin77]

I guess theoretically a smith could weld them shut and refinish, or fit plugs and file them flat, you’d lose the lovely waffle top pattern though. So, picatinny rail? If you do that you may as well get the thing cerakoted while you’re at it.

 

[horsemen61]

Wow that’s bad yeah I’d cover it up somehow!

 

[R.W.Dale]

The Williams receiver sight will hide the rear holes well enough. So we really just need to dressed up the front ones

 

[chicharrones]

Well....he drilled a hole big enough that it serves as an inspection port.

That large hole is bringing out my curiosity. I wonder what fit into that cavity?

 

[jags]

I have a few waffle top Marlins that have been drilled and tapped. Plug screws or mount a scope has been my solution. That large hole is a head scratcher. As long as everything else works and it shoots good, what the heck the old girl is 71 years old just enjoy it.

 

[Jim Watson]

I'd just put plug screws in the crooked scope base holes.
Maybe peen and glue or solder them permanently and file flat, leaving a round blank spot in the texture.
If I went that far, I would see what the Big Hole would thread to and plug it likewise.

Shoot with peep sight and enjoy, you can't see the bad spots from behind the gun.

I briefly owned a rifle like that but traded it away when I found it would not feed my plinking load of a 158 grain revolver bullet.

 

[R.W.Dale]

That large hole is bringing out my curiosity. I wonder what fit into that cavity?

No idea. It is not threaded either...

Lol maybe for a cable lock lol

 

[chicharrones]

No idea. It is not threaded either...

Lol maybe for a cable lock lol

Cable lock

 

[doubleh]

Personally I think a pic rail would look as bad or worse than the holes on that nice old rifle. Find a smith that can tig weld. Even losing the lines would be better than a rail or holes and there is always laser engraving if you just have to have lines.

 

[jmr40]

What's the barrel length on that? I have a Marlin 35 Rem but it's a 336 RC (regular carbine).

The original 336 A had a 24" barrel and was considered a rifle. Later on Marlin made some budget 336's with 20" barrels that they also called 336 A's.

Interestingly barrel length has nothing to do with whether a lever gun is considered a rifle or a carbine. It is the use of barrel bands. Notice that the OP's rifle uses an end cap to attach the forend to the barrel instead of a barrel band. The budget versions of the 336 A also used an end cap and no barrel band and was considered a rifle while the same length barrel on a 336C was a carbine because they used barrel bands.

Rifles like the 45-70 guide gun have a short 18" barrel and are considered short rifles instead of carbines since they do not use barrel bands.

Actually back in the 1940's and 50's that wouldn't have been considered a Bubba special. Getting the holes drilled less than perfect was pretty common even for a qualified gunsmith. That is what the windage adjustable mounts made by Leupold and Redfield are made for. It was quite difficult to get the holes right but the mounts could be adjusted to compensate for it. I'm betting those holes match some version of Leupold windage adjustable mounts. If you can do some measuring you could probably find a 1 piece base that fits those holes. If you don't want to mount a scope just leaving the base on there.

But that still doesn't explain the big hole. At least a one piece base would cover it too. If not for it a set of 2 piece bases would be an option.

 

[HPJeep]

The big hole is for mounting the saddle ring. This was an early but short-lived 1950s tactical saddle ring extra large ghost ring sight for very fast shooting. It was short-lived due accuracy being larger than minute of barn.

 

[3Crows]

Will this not fit?

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1477189486

I am afraid I would have to have those holes welded and then grind the top smooth. The collector value is gone but make it a good hunter/shooter.

And get a proper Marlin butt pad on it! That looks like it was borrowed from a shotgun!

It is a pretty rifle otherwise.

3C

 

[Mark_Mark]

Holly Cheese Grader! looks like my Seattle Coffee punch card. And, it looks like your due for a free one.

I got nothing for suggestions except mabey nice wood strip.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Well a pic-rail or any scope rail/base would be as ugly as Bubba's mess. A very thin piece of brass, steel or aluminum could be laid over the whole mess, and a Williams sight, or a "Skinner" (I believe) could be mounted on top of that. Something thicker than shim stock, but not thick...? I don't know, like the thickness of the rim of a .303 or something like that. The rear sight could use the rearward holes and hold down the rear, and one of the forward holes could be used to screw it down in the front, assuming the threads are still okay.

Otherwise, yeah cool rifle with the long barrel and half-magazine. And .35" caliber. I like it.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Holly Cheese Grader! looks like my Seattle Coffee punch card. And, it looks like your due for a free one.

I got nothing for suggestions except mabey nice wood strip.

View attachment 1083920

That's the direction I'm leaning towards. Just hide it underneath something. Either a piece of black plastic or a strip of blued steel or possibly part of a rail depending on if it obscures the aperture sight picture

Wood is something I had not considered

The brass suggestion is a good one too. A daub of epoxy should be more than sufficient to hold something in place especially with the waffle texture

 

[Ugly Sauce]

And get a proper Marlin butt pad on it! That looks like it was borrowed from a shotgun!

My old Marlin had a shotgun recoil pad on it like that. I found me an old original black plastic like (not actually plastic) butt plate for it.