[SammyC]

Hello guys, new to lever guns and Marlins. I picked up a used 308MX at a gun show and fell in love. I have only recently become aware of the problems with these guns, so I will start with the beginning serial.

My rifle is a MR56XXX prefix and does not seem to suffer "barrel droop", I have hit paper with an unadjusted scope from approx. 150 yards so I feel confident there. I noticed when I took the gun down for a cleaning the bolt was very tight coming out of the back of the receiver. After reassembly I noticed the bolt looks "crooked" when closed as in the right side sits flush with the receiver and the left protrudes about 1/16 of an inch. The gun seemed to shoot fine, so am i nitpicking or could this be a sign of a headspacing problem? I love the gun even if it is a "Remlin", and want to head of any problems before the gun or I get damaged . Since it is a used gun would I have any recourse with Marlin/Remington?

 

[Scorpiusb]

Welcome from Alabama... I've found on mine that the bolt seems hard to remove because the hammer is pushing up on the bolt. I have a hammer spur on mine and push down on it as I'm removing the bolt. No more resistance, bolt slides right out...

 

[JACKTW]

SammyC, welcome to Marlin Owners.

I trust watching this video may help you learn the proper method of pulling your bolt. What Scorpiusb said about depressing the hammer while pulling out the bolt does make it much easier to slide out plus instructs what not to do. Installing a hammer spur definitely helps too. Let us know if your bolt is still difficult to pull after viewing the video below.

Jack

Disassembly of the marlin 336

 

[Bill2311]

Sammy,
some of the bolts do extend slightly past the end of the receiver. Not an issue so far as function or safety.

 

[winterlands]

What you describe is not normal, the bolt should not be crooked or cocked to one side, that is a definite sign of barrel droop. If you are not having problems with sight in, and you bought the gun used, I would look for some kind of shimming the previous owned used to fix or band aid the problem. Send the rifle back to Remington and have them check it out!

 

[SammyC]

Thank you all for the replies and the excellent video. I have downloaded the pdf owners manual so I had the basic tear down directions before I attempted it :biggrin:. The rifle had a DNZ base on it when I bought it, no shims or mods that I can see. I had removed and reinstalled the mount and put a new scope in it. The bolt gets very tight right as it is about to clear the receiver even when clear of the hammer. I have to bump it with a wooden dowel to get it clear of the receiver. When closed only one side sticks out the other is flush with the receiver. Is it better to contact Remington or Marlin about service? Is the rifle even in the service window at this point?

 

[Eli Chaps]

Are ya sure your scope mount screws aren't in too far?

 

[SammyC]

Are ya sure your scope mount screws aren't in too far?

I will check that tonight!

 

[JACKTW]

+1 to Eli's question. While your bolt is out use a bore light to see if a scope mount screw isn't too long and protruding into the receiver. It wouldn't take much to make it difficult to slide your bolt out.

Other than that pictures of what you are describing would help but something isn't right. When holding down the hammer the bolt should slide out with relative ease. All my Marlins ease of sliding out their respective bolts vary just a tad but I would say all are easy to slide out.

As far as who to contact, Marlin. Which, Marlin has been absorbed by Remington at Illion.

Jack

 

[SammyC]

+1 to Eli's question. While your bolt is out use a bore light to see if a scope mount screw isn't too long and protruding into the receiver. It wouldn't take much to make it difficult to slide your bolt out.

Other than that pictures of what you are describing would help but something isn't right. When holding down the hammer the bolt should slide out with relative ease. All my Marlins ease of sliding out their respective bolts vary just a tad but I would say all are easy to slide out.

As far as who to contact, Marlin. Which, Marlin has been absorbed by Remington at Illion.

Jack

Alright removed the bolt and checked the mount screws. They still have a round of threads before they reach the bottom of the hole so I'm good there. But! the bolt was easier to pull out tonight than it ever has been! I have been oiling and working the action in front of the T.V. at night (read about doing that in several other threads) and it seems to have helped. Its not super smooth but I was able to pull it out by hand this time with a little yank. Since I have a MR# could it be a replacement receiver already thats just tight? Could Marlin tell me if the gun had been previously repaired by the serial?

Update before bed.
I oiled the bolt and action and just worked again. I notice oil begins to turn black as I work it, like some small amout of material is being filed away somewhere in the assembly. The action is becoming very smooth and the bolt is getting easier to remove.

I also took a really hard look at the hammer end of the bolt where it looks cocked at the end of the receiver. I think the bolt may have been machined more on one side than the other. I am going to take it to the shop and try to figure a way to measure it to see if one of the "spurs" is shorter than the other.

 

[JACKTW]

SammyC, many tight Marlins are loosened up by just working the action, however, it appears you gun may be like some Remlins I've handled that are just plain filthy inside. Did you do a field strip and clean your rifle before all of this? If not, the oil turning black indicates it needs a thorough cleaning which could help smooth things up some.

That said, I would equally and thoroughly check for burrs in moving parts and within the receiver where the bolt is engaging in the receiver. It might be something besides a burr too, more like machining debris left inside and trust me, I have seen many a Remlin left in this condition throughout the inner workings. Do a field strip on her and clean clean clean. If you do an advanced search for field strip 336 you'll find how to threads.

Good luck

Jack

 

[Eli Chaps]

Take the ejector out and see if the bolt is easier to pull/insert.

 

[SammyC]

Sorry for the delay guys but here is the final verdict. I stripped the gun down completely (all parts out not just the bolt and ejector). I really took time and looked at everything inside the receiver and to my dismay (and delight!) discovered this thing was filthy! What I thought were rough machining marks the first teardown was in fact layers of friggin' gunk that I cannot imagine the gun being used enough to build up. I scrubbed it with a toothbrush and flushed with CLP a few times and it looks good; feels even better. The bolt comes out now with no trouble and the action works great. I feel pretty dumb to miss something so simple, but my knee jerked when I read all the bad press about Remington built Marlins and realized that I had one.

As for the bolt looking off when fully forward in the chamber. The machining is actually a little off on my bolt. The "spur" is actually shorter on one side than the other, so when the bolt is closed it sits flush while the top and other side protrude just slightly.

THANK YOU for the level headed advice guys! I will check back with some range results when I get a chance to shoot some more!

 

[JACKTW]

SammyC, I thought that you would find a filthy rifle once you dived into it. It isn't the first time this has happened but certainly a happy ending for you. Glad to hear it.

Now you need to post some pictures of your Marlin. :biggrin:

Jack