[MrSecMan]

Greetings,

Hopefully, I will be the proud owner of a new 94c-357 within the next couple of days. I have been in sponge mode soaking up all I can about this rifle. This will be my first Marlin and I hope its a keeper. After reading some of the quality control issues surrounding the newly produced REMs, I am having safety concerns surrounding my purchase... As I planned to introduce the wife and kids to recreational shooting and also serve as their home defense weapon.

The reference section has a great posting on disassembly and cleaning. However; I was unable to find an inspection checklist of known common problems to check for. All suggestions are welcomed!


Thanks In Advance!

 

[papajohn]

Welcome to the forum, MrSecMan! Always nice to get some new blood on these boards.

When looking over a prospective 1894 purchase, all the basic things apply. Wood to metal fit, finish issues, how the iron sights line up, any unseeming looseness, and how smoothly the action works, if possible. But bear in mind new guns aren't generally very smooth, as the parts haven't had a chance to mate yet. That only comes with time and use.

Were it up to me, I'd prefer a pre-Remington gun, they don't seem to have Marlin-building down very well yet. I'd be VERY meticulous about inspecting a Remlin, I'm not hearing much good about the new guns as yet. Of course, those that find issues crow the loudest, satisfied new customers are far less vocal, or so it seems. Caveat Emptor (Let the Buyer Beware) certainly applies now more than ever.

The action itself is a remarkably simple design, so there's not much that can go wrong there. Timing issues CAN occur, but are relatively easy to cure with new parts or a little tweaking. On a new gun, make THEM fix it. You're supposed to be buying a working gun, not just something that looks like it should. Be firm about that, and if there are issues, keep that ball squarely in their court.

I happen to think you have chosen one of the handiest, most utilitarian weapons on the planet, fun to shoot, easy and relatively cheap to feed, and amazingly accurate with the ammo it likes. Take the time to feed it a variety of ammunition, it's bound to have a favorite. Recoil is a highly subjective issue, but the 1894's design and chambering make it barely worth mentioning, especially in 357. A great many women and children have found that they can shoot it well the first time out, and not just off the bench. One of my favorite pasttimes is bouncing clays and cans at 50 yards offhand, and all it takes is a little practice to keep them hopping until the magazine runs dry. Even fully loaded, that happens with remarkable frequency! Budget accordingly. 8)

And again, welcome to the forum. We like answering thoughtful questions, and are happy to share our experiences. It's a VERY friendly place. But it seems you figured that out already.

 

[planeflyer21]

Yup...what he said!

And welcome to MO!

Jon

 

[MJ]

Be SURE SURE and extra SURE to look over everything John mentioned IN THE STORE.... BEFORE YOU BUY!

If they have a problem with that then walk. I mean you cant take it down but you can look at all screws, lever the action lightly ( this is where MINE hangs up) look at the wood like he said...

just look at it good and don't buy one like we've been seeing here.

 

[stans4]

Like the other posters have said, inspect it well at the gunshop and make the company fix initial problems.

If and when you get it home, you should probably at least run a dry patch down the bore to remove any factory gunk. If you have the proper screwdrivers, you can strip the action, it's very simple, and look for burrs. I had a ton on my economy-level .44, but then it only cost $220 from Big 5. Brownell's sells a 1/4" screwdriver bit set for just Marlins, I'd recommend getting it if you're going to do more than just drop the lever to get the bolt out, not expensive. The cost of replacement screws is more than the cost of the bit set.

If this is your first Marlin, be careful when pulling the bolt, that will release the ejector and the floor monster will get it. Likewise, the left side trigger plate screw and the bottom will interchange, one is longer than the other and will lock the action up if it's in the wrong hole. The other just won't hold if it's in the bottom hole.

First time at the range, look at your ejected brass for deep longitudinal scratches on the case sides and nicks in the rims. Means the ejector and extractor might need some stoning to remove sharp edges. Was a bad problem on the second 1894 I've had.

One thing I've noticed on several new guns that have passed through my hands is that the lever edges tend to be rough where the carrier stud slides. Can be fixed with a little stoning but those rough edges lead to hard levering opening and closing. You can observe how the carrier works against the lever by leaving the bolt and ejector out and just putting the lever back in. Another potential problem is the carrier stud, this is spring-loaded and riveted into the late carriers, most I've handled have had very sharp edges, they tend to dig a groove in the lever where they snap over at the ends of the stroke. Again, a little stoning on the sharp edges pays off. I try to put a radius on the edge. I've also had a couple of guns that had burrs on the chamber mouths, I used a spherical mounted stone, by hand, to remove it. Fed much better afterwards and just took a light touch. There are other places to polish, eventually I ended up with a .44 that is reliable and can be operated with one finger. Leave the Dremel in the box, stoning means using a Arkansas stone, by hand.

Marlins like to run wet, so use a rag and coat all the parts with oil when you have them out.

Stan S.

 

[MrSecMan]

I picked up the rifle today from my local shop. It's a Remlin. To the best of my limited knowledge, everything appeared fine except for the swirl marks on the receiver. It looks like someone may have used steel wool to buff out the receiver. I am also not that crazy about the light colored wood. Looks synthetic to me.

If I can get the swirls out, I'll keep it. I just don't know the best method. All recommendations welcomed!


Thanks everyone for your tips and responses.