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Marlins' Texans

259K views 549 replies 238 participants last post by  jertex 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I originally wrote this for a Texas Hunting Forum but would like to fine tune it for my web site that I'm remodeling. I plan on having information such as this, that would take a bit to research. If you have any comments, corrections, or photos that I could use please post them.

Marlin catalogs remain the best source of models and years. If you have additional information directly from a catalog, please post a reply and I will update the info.

Serial numbers often bled over either side, before or after, the model run dates. The information Marlin printed in their catalogs is what is considered the date range of the model run.

The firearms of interest are described as follows:
  • 336 Action[SUB]1[/SUB]
  • Carbine Stock[SUB]2[/SUB]
  • Barrel:
      • 30-30, 35 Rem, and 44 Mag
        • 20" only if identified by roll stamp as "T" or "Texan". 44 Mag might also be identified as "336-44"
        • All barrels less than 20" if 336 action and carbine stocked
      • 444 Marlin
        • 24" barrel only
    [SUB]1[/SUB]Yes, the 444 is and will always be a 444 action. No, the 39 and 1894 are not based on 336 action
    [SUB]2[/SUB]Straight lower comb on the stock, no pistol grips, with a rounded or square lever

    _________________________________________________

    In 1951 Marlin introduced the Texan. It differed from the "rifle" in that it had the carbine stock. As the years went by, it became a true carbine as the barrel was shortened from 20" to 18 1/2" and finally 16 1/4". Here is a look at the rifle and I've listed the features as the years progressed.

    Firearm Gun Trigger Rifle Ranged weapon


    336T
    1951 - 1984
    30-30 Win & 35 Rem
    20" barrel
    Notes:
    1962 - Marlin roll stamps 336T "Royal Canadian" for the Canadian market.
    1963 - "Royal Canadian" production ceases (123 rifles sold).

    1964 - Stopped chambering in 35 Rem
    1965 - Also chambered in 44 Rem Mag (some barrels roll stamped "336-44").Western Auto Supply Co marketed this rifle as #200-2554.
    1965 - Added saddle ring to left side of receiver
    1967 - Stopped chambering in 44 Rem Mag
    1970 - Rounded lever squared
    1972 - Saddle ring discontinued
    1979 - Glenfield 30GT introduced. Same as 336T but with 18 1/2" barrel.
    1980 - 336T barrel changed to 18 1/2". Production of Glenfield 30GT stopped.
    1988 - Production stopped, now 336TS

    Firearm Gun Trigger Rifle Ranged weapon

    1979 Glenfield 30GT. 1980 model added deer head in butt stock and leaves in the forearm stock checkering

    336DT (Deluxe Texan)
    1962 - 1963
    30-30 Win & 35 Rem
    20" barrel
    Select walnut stocks with hand-carved longhorn steer and Texas map in oval on buttstock.

    Gun Firearm Trigger Rifle Gun accessory



    Two other rifles played a part in this timeline and they are quite rare. The Marauder's 16 1/2" barrel was reintroduced many years down the road and the Magnum gave us the 44 Rem Mag in this carbine stocked 336.

    336 Marauder
    1963-1964
    30-30 Win & 35 Rem
    16 1/4" barrel
    Dropped in favor of 336T above.
    Serial number starts with W, Y, or Z

    336 Magnum
    1963-1964
    44 Rem Mag
    20" barrel
    Dropped in favor of 336T above.

    The 336T became the 336TS with the introduction of the cross-block saftey but only had a few years to go before production stopped.

    336TS
    1984 - 1988
    30-30 Win
    18 1/2" barrel
    Notes:
    Replaced 336T
    Change is side safety (S)

    The 336T resurfaced as the LTS in the late eighties with the 16 1/4" barrel of the Marauder.

    Firearm Gun Rifle Trigger Air gun


    336LTS
    1988 - 1989
    30-30 Win
    16 1/4" barrel

    Marlin has made many rifles under the private brand agreements; J.C. Penney, Sears, etc., but as far as I am aware, the only Texan manufactured under these agreements was the 30TK for K-Mart Stores. With a 1990 manufacture date, these rifles represent the last Texans manufactured.



    30TK
    1989-1990
    Manufactured under a private brand agreement with K-Mart Stores
    30-30 Win
    18 1/2" barrel
    3/4 tube magazine

    The T, the TS, and the LTS were a huge influnence on the introduction of the Guide Gun and Outfitter series of rifles and a discussion of Marlin's Texans would not be complete without including the Big Bore Marlin gave us.

    In 1966 Marlin introduced the 444 Marlin. This rifle had a 24" barrel and Monte Carlo stock to help manage recoil with scope use. This rifle is still in production today but in 1971 there was a design change that reduced the barrel to 22" and changed the stock to the lower comb and pistol grip of the standard 336. Marlin threw us Texans a bone by stamping the barrels 444T in 1971! The early 444s, those with rifles without the pistol grip, have all become known as the "Texans".

    Firearm Gun Rifle Trigger Ranged weapon


    Marlin didn't know it, but they introduced the 444 to Texans as the as the original "Sendero" rifle! The cartridge is quite capable of delivering devasting energy to whitetails at good distances.

    "Sendero" hunting isn't the same as it is now. During this time period no one hunted feeders, we hunted seismic lines, pipelines, and power line right-of-ways as the South Texas Brush was simply to vast and deer densities where to low. In fact we didn't hunt much until the rut as you simply didn't see the deer you do now. You would see a doe cross the sendero and you would try to shoot at the buck following it as it crossed. Deer where lost from bad hits and blood trails were hard to follow in the cactus and sand. The hunting was totally different than it is now.

    Hunting shows were also different than they are now. A show would be hosted by some known hunting personality at a local theater where a series of films would be shown. In the late sixties at Ayers Theater in Corpus Christi, I attended one such event. One of the feature films was a 16mm movie that featured Marlin 444s being used to hunt rutting whitetails in Zapata County. From 50 to 300 yards the cartridge knocked these testosterone charged whitetails in the dirt!

    This made quite an impact on me at my young age as my dad and I where hunting in Zapata County and I had seen first hand how difficult it was to stop bucks on the rut. Seeing these buck fold up when whacked with that big bullet made me want one of those big rifles bad! Of course, all the old guys around the campfire liked to laugh themselves silly. The 270 Win and 30-06 ruled. Well, Marlin was right and they were wrong. I shoot a 1972 444T and have never lost a buck! My rifle is unusual in that it carries the 1972 serial number dispite production ending in 1971. It was built to complete an order but I like it because it was the year I graduated from High School and entered the Army!


    Whitetail taken "rut trailing" doe with Marlin 444T. DRT!

    The 336Ts are common especially those chambered in 30-30 Win. The rifles that represent the "lions", we know they are out there but they are rarely seen, are the 336T chambered in 35 Rem or 44 Mag, The Marauder, the Magnum,and the 444T. The "Chupacabra" rifles, said to exist, are the Marauder chambered in 35 Rem.

    This last sentence was written for South Texans, we all know lions are in the brush but few see them. The Chupacabra is... well, the Chupacabra!
 
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#3 ·
Re: Marlin's Texans

Abel, although my 30TK is nice (humble opinion ;D) someone here on the forum bought a beauty of one and that represents what the 30TK looked like more than mine does, I think it's in the 336 forum, I'll see if I can find it. Mr fixit
 
#5 ·
#6 ·
Re: Marlin's Texans

Great read, R-dog. Well done.

When my then-thirteen year-old nephew and I started shooting a few years ago it was with a well-experienced .30-30 336TS generously loaned by one of the many fine hunters who helped us along. I could have bought it, and should have. Fine shootin' iron. . .
 
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#7 ·
Re: Marlin's Texans

Perhaps you should include the 336DT - The Deluxe Texan - Manufactured in 1962 and 1963 only and produced in 30/30 and 35 Rem. This model is a rare bird when it comes to finding an example today; but it featured highly figured wood having a buttstock carving in an oval that featrued a long-horned steer super-imposed over the state of Texas. The pic below is copied from the 1963 catalog; but is the best I could do.
 
#9 ·
Re: Marlin's Texans

I thought at first you had left the 336T 44 mag off the list. I didn’t know that they referred to it as the 336 Magnum.

By the way I think Ranch Dogs post should be a sticky.

Marlin 336T- 44 Mag
 
#11 ·
Re: Marlin's Texans

Ranch Dog, interesting info. you've gathered. I like seeing those straight gripped carbines. The Marlin version of the Chupacabra is no myth, it was sighted in Maine last week. It's hiding in the next room as we speak. Right between an 1895G and an 1894. All those straight stocked carbines are a north woods hunters dream.
 
#12 ·
Re: Marlin's Texans

greyowl said:
Ranch Dog, interesting info. you've gathered. I like seeing those straight gripped carbines. The Marlin version of the Chupacabra is no myth, it was sighted in Maine last week. It's hiding in the next room as we speak. Right between an 1895G and an 1894. All those straight stocked carbines are a north woods hunters dream.
I'm glad to hear one is out there! I been looking for the Marauder in 35 Remington for quite some time as it would make a great Texan for Texas whitetails!
 
#13 ·
Re: Marlin's Texans

Abel said:
You have left out the Glenfield Model 30GT & the Marlin 30TK.
I added the Glenfield 30GT. The 30TK is going to be tough to document as Marlin did not do well documenting the dates of private brand models. If you don't mind, what is the first two characters of your serial number.
 
#21 ·
Re: Marlin's Texans

I am not aware of Marlin using a fat red rubber buttpad, ever, on any rifle!? The standard rifle buttplate in the 60s was black rubber or plastic. In the 30s, some aftermarket buttpads were offered by Marlin, but primarily for gunsmith/dealers, and primarily for shotgun applications.
 
#24 ·
Re: Marlin's Texans

To my knowledge the first Marlin 336 type rifle I can ever recall with a factory installed rubber pad occured with the introduction of the model 444 in the mid-1960's (confirmation of this fact, and of the information below was done by a review of period catalogs). The pad on the model 444 was a brown rubber ventilated pad with a white-line spacer(Pachmayr style); and continued to be used on the model 444 thru 1979 (I believe the pad on the old 444 I used to own was marked with the name Marlin, or Marlin logo?). All other 336 models from this period, regardless of caliber (to include the Model 1895, which was a straight-gripped gun thru 1979), came with the standard black plastic/hard-rubber butt plate with white line spacer and Marlin logo. In 1980 Marlin introduced the M375 and modified the 45/70 to a pistol grip gun; and in that same year began factory installation of a solid brown thin rubber pad with a white-line spacer and Marlin logo on models M1895, M444, and M375. All other Marlin levers still had the black plastic buttplate w/spacer.
Based on the above catalog research, the pad on your 336/44 is not original, but is aftermarket. I can't tell from the above photo; but is the comb fluted on your 336/44? If so, then the stock is correct; if not the stock may not be original either, as all Marlin stocks from this period featured a nice fluted comb as is seen on the other Marlins in your photo.
 
#25 ·
Re: Marlin's Texans

Well I guess ya'll let all the air out of my balloon.I recieved that gun as a gift 45 years ago,it was in the box and looked new. I presumed it was.The dealer where my wife bought it is long dead.Hope I didn't misslead anyone.I will remove my previous post.
 
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