$45.50 for a couple screwdrivers is alot of money.

I bought 2 good screwdrivers from WalMart, shaped em for 2 screw sizes and use them exclusively on my 1894's.

Cost was about 4-5 bucks.


..........Widder

 

I have owned a Grace screwdriver set for my Marlins for years and find them first rate, dealing with Grace is also a pleasure and they stand behind their products.

 

meaning you have one set that you use for several Marlins? I saw one set that was 8 drivers..I had enquired and he emailed me back that he had sent me a 5 driver set for my Marlin 336..and gave me the price to send a check if I liked them. So I guess I will be buying the 5 screwdriver set for the 336..hope it works for the 1894 as well..I'm thinking with square bolt vs round bolt there may be some differences.

also while I'm on the suject..I did take the lever and bolt out of the 1894 357, and shot it with Gunblaster and oiled it with Remoil..but I didn't take the stock off..should I?

 

I've used Grace, Chapman, Brownell's, Forster, and etc....and as any true gunsmith knows, sometimes you have to make your own for an exact fit. I'm not a gunsmith but I had two old school old gunsmiths show me their screwdrivers and Brownell's grinding wheel that they used to make their own. If the blade breaks, 99% of the time is because there was room to rock and not a perfect fit.

 

What he said.......

I've found that my Marlins have different sized slots in the screw heads within the same model, hence, the blade that fits the lever crew on one 336 might be too fat the fit the lever screw on the next 336 (usually newer model Ct. made guns). There were many various differences over the years, and one had to adjust accordingly.

 

I too spoke with Dan several years ago and he sent me a Marlin set before I even got a check in the mail. I have used them on all of my Marlins and have found them to be top notch tools. Well worth every penny. I would not hesitate sending business his way because I'm extremely satisfied with the set I received.

1895gunner

 

I too spoke with Dan several years ago and he sent me a Marlin set before I even got a check in the mail. I have used them on all of my Marlins and have found them to be top notch tools. Well worth every penny. I would not hesitate sending business his way because I'm extremely satisfied with the set I received.

+1 on 1895Gunner's comments. I have been very happy with my set. I used to use an el cheapo set that kept breaking off tips. I bought Grace's and have never looked back. Screwdriver set was sent before I even sent them payment. Good people to deal with. Sometimes you do get what you pay for :flute:.

 

A couple of years ago, I bought a 'Marlin' set of Grace screwdrivers in one of the group buys. I think they were about $20 then. I was unsatisfied with the way they fitted the Marlin screws so I sold them ( I informed the buyer why I was selling them) and got a set from Brownells. The Brownell's set fit the screws correctly and the bits fit in the handle for storage and they were magnetic also.

" Dan told me there is a specific set for the 1894, in production now, and he has received specs from Marlin Owners Forum member(s) for the 336 set which is not in production as of yet." this quote acknowledges to me that previous sets were a collection of the regular screwdrivers with 'Mar' marked on the handles thrown together without reguard to fit.

For a screwdriver to fit properly, it should fit all the way to the bottom of the screw slot, and be as wide as the diameter of the screw slot.
These photos of Grace screwdrivers were included with my previous post informing Marlin Owners of the poor fit of these screwdrivers.




Notice the screwdriver blades were not wide enough to fit the diameter of the screws. You can't fully tighten the screws without damaging them.
Let the buyer BEWARE!
M.

 

There was a group buy for these a few years back. My set works on the 1895, and the Winnie 94.
Ive used them on other levers too.
Great set, they sell punches too

Maybe someone should talk to them about another group buy. Id be in for another set

 

I bought the Marlin set and the zip up set with 8oz hammer and punches and love them
Now the 1/16 punches make sure you start the pins with the starter punch as one good rap not centered is not good.
The punches work on the lever catch pin which looks very small but thats what the 1/16 punch is for

 

I've been looking at screw driver sets in Lowes, Home Depot, and Commie Mart, and have found the same thing others have observed..............standard screwdriver sets are useless for firearms. I was about to buy a set of Brownell Gunsmithing screwdrivers, but the day I went to order them, they were on BACKORDER. In some ways separate screwdrivers with handles are more convenient because you can put more weight behind the screwdriver and have less chance to mess up the screw head, but the COST of those tools are high. I'd be IN on a group buy if anyone has done business with either Dan and/or Brownell. $$$ is getting tight and some screws on my rifles are getting loose. :wink:

Anyone willing to pitch a group buy?



Mike T.

 

I've been looking at screw driver sets in Lowes, Home Depot, and Commie Mart, and have found the same thing others have observed..............standard screwdriver sets are useless for firearms. I was about to buy a set of Brownell Gunsmithing screwdrivers, but the day I went to order them, they were on BACKORDER. In some ways separate screwdrivers with handles are more convenient because you can put more weight behind the screwdriver and have less chance to mess up the screw head, but the COST of those tools are high. I'd be IN on a group buy if anyone has done business with either Dan and/or Brownell. $$$ is getting tight and some screws on my rifles are getting loose. :wink:



Anyone willing to pitch a group buy?



Mike T.

Try Midway. I just bought the 88 piece gunsmithing set. A little pricy, but the screw driver heads fit perfectly in the many different sized screw slots. WOW!!! No more buggered slot heads :biggrin:

 

I have all 5 of the screwdriver from Dan Grace. Mine are a perfect fit for all my 336s. They are flawless and if one should break, Grace stands behind them . I also have a set of his drift pins and brass hammer. I have never had a problem with these tools. I got them when Marlin Owens had group purchase. If I recall everything was about $60.

 

Don't have a set myself but would definitely be in on a group buy if the price was right!

 

I don't know about Midway Blackbarry. Many of the veterans of this Forum have had bad experiences with them. If you place an order through their system and it shows all items are in STOCK, by the time your order is processed some of the items may have run out. They ship you what they have and charge you shipping. When the backorder items start to come in they ship to you and charge you for shipping again.

I have found a number of places that sell the same stuff Midway shows on its website for much less. Midway charges LIST PRICE and kills you on shipping. I suggest you look around for other suppliers.



Cheers!


Mike T.

 

80hp, for a screwdriver to fit the screw, you must put the bit in the screw, not off set to one side to make it look too small and sellect the proper bit for the screw, not a narrow bit for a wide screw.

 

I don't have an 1894 but I use my Grace Marlin set on pretty much everything from 336's to 1895's to 795's and even non-Marlins. Love em. I also love having the Grace brass hammer and brass punch set. Excellent tools from a great guy. If you have issues with his tools, I'm pretty sure Dan will find a way to make it right. We've had folks report getting replacements years and years after the original purchase.

I bought all my Grace tools (also have the steel punches) during the MO group buys that member Gonzo headed up. Many of us are very grateful to Gonzo for doing that and I can assure you, it was a HUGE undertaking. I certainly wouldn't do and put up with what he did. Just know that if someone wants to head it up, there is a lot that goes into it but it sure is sweet for those who get in on it.

 

I don't have an 1894

Git a rope....

 

Brownell's will happily sell you a subset of their Magnabits that will fit Marlins(also one for Smiths and for Winchesters). Mine cost about $6 for 5 bits several years back, the price always goes up, though. They ride in a hollow magnetic stub handle I picked up at Home Despot after Christmas one year for a buck. They're carried in the toolkit that goes on the hunt with me, along with the other handles and sets. Full-size drivers take up too much space to do that. Has saved the day many times.

Alternative is to find some cheap screwdrivers and hollow-grind to fit, downside is that they take up a lot of space in a kit and the steel on cheapies isn't going to be much above the average tomato can.

Don't go honking down on the lever screw, it'll bend the trigger plate and you WILL have problems then. The screw should just be slightly tight. One of the gripes I've got with the design is that they didn't use a shouldered screw in that spot. You CAN bend things with a gorrilla grip.

There's a 1/4" hex multi-bit set that fits decently that some wally worlds carry under the Winchester label, has a bunch of flat driver bits of various widths and thicknesses. Red plastic blow-molded case on it. Price was in the $8 range. Don't expect great steel for that price or US-made. But they will work as long as a gorilla didn't drive the screws in or bubba didn't use red Loctite on them. This one has long round Phillips bits that I use on butt pads.

Drivers on hand are a must for long hunting trips, I find that after about a week's hard hunting, all the screws need tightening, some more than a turn.

Stan S.

 

PB Swiss drivers are the best of the best. Parallel ground tips make all the difference. Parallel ground tips fit fasteners perfect as opposed to a tapered tip.
This is just one mans opinion, but PB swiss drivers make Snap on look silly. I am also a fan of Wera drivers.

Just used my PB Swiss drivers to take apart my 1894S. no boogered fasteners here

 

Caddy or Volkswagon! I bought a set for $5.00 at Gander. It's the type with the handle that takes various sized hollow ground heads. There is every type for all my Marlins fitting perfectly as far as not only width, but thickness of the blade. There's also torx and allen heads for scope rings and other various jobs. Only a blade perfect in width and thickness of the screw slot should be used for zero damage to the screw slot! All money I saved goes towards components!:biggrin: I will ad I don't like a screw driver that's 6,8 or 10" long to remove screws from a rifle. A handle with a shaft about 3" is perfect for less accidents!

 

Which set is it?