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Hi there
You will find more than one fellow that can help you out with your problem.
Some people here just do not like and never will like the REMLINS - but, I have seen members that are happy with theirs.
There have been some issues with them, that I have to admit.
You certainly have enough gun there for hunting elk & much more.
Welcome anyway and enjoy the forum!
:elefant:

 

 

Welcome from "Way out Here" in Ga!!! Congrats to Ya on Your First Lever Gun!!!

 

Thank you, very much! Might I ask why the Remlins are disliked? I very literally saw the rifle and thought to myself "I'm going to look just like John Wayne" and did very little research prior to purchasing. Got a killer deal, too!

 

Put You a Big Loop Lever on it to Look Like John Wayne(The Duke and Lucas McCain/Rifleman)
"Here's My Big Loop 45-70, A Rossi Rio Grande"

 

Remlins are not seen as true Marlins as they are produced by Remington after they took over the Marlin name and production.
They had some serious teething issues but seem to be producing better rifles lately.
The transition was not done in a clean honest manner and many of the employees were treated rather badly.
Bad workmanship seems to be the biggest issue and the fact that there were some obvious quality issues did not contribute favourably to the cause.
But, fundamentally the Marlin LA is a time proven design and the 45-70 a most respectable round.
:bandit:

 

Bam Bam, she sure is purdy! Will this help get rid of the occasional sticking?

 

Big Loop Levers are for Big Hands or Wearing Gloves!

 

Welcome from CA....or the cancerous state for gun rights

 

Thanks, Quiet! Based on your picture, looks like you still have some awesome rifles, though! Plenty of room in AZ if you feel like having a few less gun laws!

 

try cycling the lever with authority - some of them will hang up if you don't...

 

Welcome to the forum!

Make sure you rack the lever smartly, with some authority. That helped me get one broken in. If not someone will be along shortly to give you a hand.

One of the things a lot of people do is replace the rear semi-buckhorn with a receiver sight (aperture sight and peep sight are other names for it). Skinner, a site contributor, makes some very nice ones. I have used Williams Fool Proof receiver sights and really like them as well. It will probably require a different height front sight as well.

My current favorite setup is a Williams FP with a Skinner post front sight painted a bright orange. Very simple and easy site picture.

I sometimes use a ScotchBrite pad to rub out scratches on my stainless firearms.

 

Hey Bucs,

Welcome to MO.

Way to go, pics of your "stable".........right from the get go!

Later, Mark

 

Open the action. Check the two points on the back of the bolt, inside the notch for the hammer, for burrs, or high spots. I had a high spot on both the tips that the mill, and QC had missed. One of those would sometimes bind with the hammer, causing the same type of lockup you're expereiencing. A few minutes with a file and some 600grit paper fixed mine. Hope this helps, and welcome aboard fellow tenderfoot.

 

Guys, I greatly appreciate the responses! It's clear that you folks are the leading forum on lever guns. Is there a particular type of file you would suggest, TBilly?

 

A sharp one. They cut better than dull ones. Lol. Ok. Sorry, couldn't help myself. I just used a flat file, fairly fine, that I had in my tool box. Once I knocked the high spots down with it, I went over it with 600grit to polish it up, and break the sharp edges a bit. I also polished the hammer face where it contacts the bolt. Does your bolt have high spots on the points?

 

Just purchased first lever gun.

My only question is: What the heck took you so long to buy a lever gun?

Congratulations ! you're about to discover why we all love them soooo much !

 

Welcome to Marlin Owners,
A great place for friends to gather around the campfire and visit

 

Welcome to the forum. tbilly has given you some good advice. When you work the bolt slow can you tell where it is hanging up or rough. There is really no mods that I would recommend before taking it out and shooting it. After you have shot some rounds through it then you may like to change the sights to a peep on the rear or some other configuration. As far as how old she is, can you give us the first part of the serial number. Also on the left side of the barrel in front of the receiver there should be two letters. If it is a "JM" then you have a Marlin made rifle. If there is other letters let us know what they are and someone here can tell you the date of manufacture. Once you get the hanging problem solved and take her out and shoot her your going to really fall in love. You have a great gun for elk. I got mine last year with my 45-70 and it was pretty much a bang flop as well as members here getting deer, moose, bear etc. Let us know how your coming along. I'm kind of hesitant about removing any scratches from my guns. Even though it says it is stainless, stainless can still rust if not taken care of properly it just takes a little longer for it to happen. I own blued and stainless guns. You new purchase sure looks great.:congrats:

 

Trust me when I say it wasn't my choice to wait, Marlin Man. The wife holds her opinions about my hobbies. Oh, and all my bank cards. Haha. As for high spots and serial numbers, I will have to check once I get home. It seems that when I try and "drive it home", it wants to lock up, maybe half an inch away from being fully closed. At first, I thought I was being too tender, tried it harder and it did the same. I ended up having to pull the trigger and lower the hammer to a certain point, then push/pull/push on the lever till it broke free. It would be fine for a few more tries, then do it again.

 

I will say that I am not made of money, and sending it to a gunsmith may be out of my limit. But, based on the outpouring of help I've already received, I know I can get this action as smooth as the oldies! If I could do it with my Mosin, I can do it with this . Oh! One thing I forgot to mention, is that next to the serial number is what appears to be a QR code.

 

Serial number is MR5xxxxF (X's are numbers). Found it on my receipt. Just to verify, since this is (most likely) a Remlin, is $330 after tax a good price? Reading more info on them is... Interesting. Especially with my lock up issues.

 

There's at least one tutorial on this forum on disassembly, and reassembly. I used it to work on mine. The ejector groove in my bolt was pretty darn rough. It got the file and paper treatment too. The bolt had the worst finish work of any part on my rifle by far. Deburring and polishing it smoothed out the action on mine considerably. Whatever is causing your hang up is probably shiny from wear. Shouldn't be too hard to find. Seems to be plenty of knowledgeable folks around here, that are happy to help. Good luck with it. Your gonna like it after you get it running right.

 

Stamped on the barrel is "LK"

 

I do believe that it was made Feb of 2016

 

Thank you for all the pointers, TBilly! Looks like I have my work cut out for me!

 

Congrats.....I think you will get it all figured out eventually like we all do. Start slow and do what you want to after you see how she performs.Reloading is the KEY......well it was for me anyway.I am going to invest in a bit bigger loop on my GS me thinks because it's hard to get my fingers in there and when the recoil happens that first finger gets whacked....but it's probably my inexperience with guns that is causing that.I would however check it to make sure it's not pregnant (yup serious about that statement)....I got one and woke up one day and thee were THREE in the cabinet jer

 

Spend an hour on the couch cycling the action. That should create a wear pattern for you to remove the bolt and do some polishing on. Then give it a good spray with balistol and make sure the ejector is fully seated when you reassemble.

A more thorough disassembly isn't hard at all if you really want to open it up. Watch a few YouTube videos and you'll be a pro before you know it.

 

Glad to hear you got one of the rifles that reproduces, JerBear! I've really enjoyed it this far. I will be attempting to take it apart tonight to try and smooth her out... Wish me luck!