I thought about replacing mine, but Marlin uses Delrin for the followers and not plastic. Delrin is tougher than aluminum, won't rust like steel and needs no lubrication.

 

Never replaced one...no problems yet

 

In 30 years of shooting many different Marlin's....Many considerably older than myself....I have yet to ever see one fail.

 

I echo that comment..................

 

think of it like this... if an original JM marlin had it = got to be good. If remlin came out with It first= no way Jose I'd be worried it.....Ed

 

No.

I suppose if a guy just really has a thing against synthetics in guns, in could see changing it to a metal one. The stock followers seem to work just fine, though.

 

replaced mine with metal followers from beartooth mercantile. dont care for plastic things longterm- uv rays affect them. just my preference.

 

replaced mine with metal followers from beartooth mercantile. dont care for plastic things longterm- uv rays affect them. just my preference.

uv rays affecting a follower inside the mag tube of a levergun.
Where do you hunt? 3-mile Island?, Chernobyl? :hmmmm:

 

I have all original followers with no problems.

 

Uh...I've been doing the opposite, replacing the metal followers in my older Marlins with the newer Leverevolution ammo compatible followers.

 

I did have to replace the original follower in my wife's '62 336T. It appeared to have been boogered by Bubba while out of the mag tube, then reinserted as-is. It was binding during its travel up and down the tube. There was no doubt the follower self-destructed by the looks of it.

I hope you kept it, a "BI" follower (Bubba Improved) would bring big money on evilbay.:biggrin:

BB

 

Never even considered replacing the original followers. Never had a problem so why do it? In fact, I can't recall ever hearing of anyone who did have a problem with the originals. Anyone here who did? Just askin'.............

 

I did have to replace the original follower in my wife's '62 336T. It appeared to have been boogered by Bubba while out of the mag tube, then reinserted as-is. It was binding during its travel up and down the tube. There was no doubt the follower self-destructed by the looks of it.

 

I was going to replace the follower in 1977 336 with a Leverevolution friendly one. Then I saw a great idea on another post on this topic. Put a round nose in first and then the Hornady rounds. Brilliant. No problems.

 

This is a VERY interesting topic.

I have worked on a few 1894 Marlins. I have encountered ONE follower that was cracked and actually had a chip out of it. It actually appeared to have dry rotted.
And I've encountered ONE that was 'dishing' on the tip, which appeared to be from tooooo much pressure pushing on it. Maybe it had been left fully loaded for a few years under heavy spring tension, just a guess.

Anyhow, of others I have checked, there were NO problems.

NOW, in defense of the factory followers from Marlin, it is always possible that those 2 followers that I mentioned above could have been aftermarket followers.

Personally, I use Stainless followers in my Cowboy competition rifles. When I put them in the magtube and they are under PROPER spring tension, I check to see HOW MUCH movement they encounter when the front of the carrier pivots up/down against it. Then I polish it (the follower) down to where it just barely 'kisses' the front of the carrier during the pivot movement and round the corners nicely. Its just one of those things I do that make working the action alittle smoooooother when the rifle is empty.

I wouldn't be able to do that type of modification with the Delrin piece.


..........Widder

 

The Marlin followers (North Haven or New Haven) are as many have stated are just fine. If Remington uses the same material in their followers for the Remlins they use in the Rem 870 Express models I would be buying a replacement. I saw two two 870 express follows crack and 'Jam" a 870 express while pheasants were flushing. Luckily we bought two replacements from Bedlan's in Nebraska during the hunt.

C.D.

 

I do replace the plastic followers, as I just don't want any plastic, delrin, or any other type of plastic material on my Marlins. To me, they should be wood and steel only..........I'm just crazy that'a way.......

 

Replaced mine with stainless steel from Beartooth. Just a matter of what you like..

 

If the follower is indeed Delrin, it is a good choice for the follower. It is as good or better a bearing than nylon and doesn't absorb water. So it should slide in the tube better than anodized aluminum or stainless steel. As noted before it is tougher than nails. I wouldn't think twice about it.
tj

 

If it works don't fix it.

DEP

 

As already mentioned, I'm also under the impression the so-called "plastic" followers are made from Delrin, which is pretty tough and resilent stuff if they are. We used to use it in making tooling, fixtures and the like, no issues with oil and grease etc., and pretty easy to machine as well.
I replaced the follower in my 444 to the newer dimpled/concave design for use of the Hornady FTX ammo and went with a stainless one while I was at it, but haven't changed any in my smaller bore rifles that seem to feed the FTX fine without issues. I also bought a brass one as a spare to try, but haven't used it yet. I see no "need" to replace the plastic/delrin ones just for being that material alone myself, only if they are the old design and to avoid possible issues/jam with the flex tip ammo.

 

Yup. if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I swab the inside of my mag tube every once in a while with a patch that is very lightly oiled and swab it once again with a dry patch so any oil coating left on the inside walls to prevent rust would be of molecular thickness.
Oil is not good for primers so you don't want a mag tube so wet with oil that it will transfer some to the cartridges in the tube.
Also I never drown the parts inside the receiver in oil. I use just enough (a drop or two) of high quality machine oil to prevent rust and ensure smooth running of the action and work it throughout the moving parts by cycling several times.
A lot of oil and grease on a gun holds dirt and grit to form an abrasive amalgam that which will hasten wear.
My barrel cleaning regimen is usually with a bore snake with a little evaporating cleaning solution followed by a very lightly oiled bore snake followed by a dry bore snake. I don't leave cleaning solvents in the barrel.
I do a more aggressive copper brush & patch cleaning from the receiver end by removing the finger lever & bolt once or twice a year depending on use.
For anyone following proper cleaning and lubricating protocols at no time should the follower regardless of composition be "drowned" in oil and sovents.
The followers I checked were several years old and in pristine condition.
I won't be replacing any more followers with metal ones as there is obviously no need.

 

I replaced a couple as to not worry about using FTX bullets, but I have yet to see a single FTX not feed properly.

 

Interesting responses. Its nice to know that the followers are made of derlin instead of cheap plastic. I will probably replace mine with brass at some point, and keep the original for a spare. Mostly because I want a follower in my spare parts kit.

 

You can buy them at Brownells and other places - they're inexpensive.
I have several on hand.
I keep 1 or 2 in my "just in case" kit that stays in the truck along with a spare scope and mounts, scope/base screws, bag of Marlin screws and plugs, tools, spare ammo etc.
You never know and it's good to be ready for a break, failure or a loss of a part.
That kit has saved my bacon a few times.

 

The original follower in my 2002 1895 45-70 was in great shape when I removed it.

I needed to swap for a concave mag follower for use with Hornady ammo. Found Trivette's Gunsmithing out of Lenoir NC sold a SS concave follower on ebay.

So got it and also got a OE Marlin red delrin concave follower. Just in case......I do like the red delrin's for visibility reasons a little better.

Currently the SS one is in it. But I see nothing wrong with Marlin's delrin follower...the original had lasted just fine since 2002. Had it not been for using Hornady ammo in it it'd still be in there......and I might install the new Marlin red delrin concave mag follower.

I'm just a sucker for stainless steel parts............always have been.......but I kinda miss the easily viewed red marlin one.

 

I replace all my Lever Guns with the Stainless Steel followers.

 

I have had more Marlins that I can recall. Have never replaced a follower and do not plan to replace any. I do not use LeverEvolution ammo.

Other than needing to change the follower to accommodate the LeverEvolution bullet configuration, I think that any hype for a full-scale change-out of original Marlin followers is just a bunch of bull crap.

Who comes up with this nonsense? I call Bravo Sierra.

Dan

 

I don't have any issues with the JM's but the 1894 Remlin I have gives the same problem every time on the last shot, the follower prevents the lever/bolt from closing. As long as I leave the last one in the tube I don't have any problems. I am considering an aluminum follower from Brownells, hope that fixes the issue.

 

Never had any issues with the orginal followers. I always wonder if thoses making after market items don't spread rumors about these things.

 

Your not the only one who has those thoughts. I often think that those who brag about the NEW Remington 1894's might be Remington employees or have stock in the company.

BUT, I have view 2 of the recent 1894's that are Remingtons and I must also say they looked fine and actually felt o.k.......BUT, they could be smoother with the right touch of a gunsmith.

The truth of the matter is that some things to crack, break and wear out. Sometimes, even the best parts get abused and misused by gun owners. And then they either get replacement parts from the manufacturer or a parts vendor. BUT, I must admit that in most cases, the gun owner just wants to swap parts.....just for the heck of it.


..........Widder

 

Does anyone know if the new remlins' follower is plastic or delrin?