[35Beargun]

Hello Marlinowners. First off this is a great site, lots of great info and seems to be lacking the typical web forum nonsense and hotheads. I am a Colorado transplant now living in Missouri, been that way for close to 3 years now. I have two Marlin leverguns, one that I inheirited from my grandpa and one that I just aquired. My pride and joy Marlin is the 336 in .219 zipper that I inheirited from my grandpa. It is in about 95% condition and I am slowly collecting the form dies so that I can start shooting this neat levergun. I did buy a box of factory brass new from precision cartidge company ( ouch!) but I have not loaded them as I am saving them for reference cases when I finally get the second form die. The second Marlin I have is a pre crossbolt safety 336 in .35 Remington. I have never hunted with a .30-30 and have had the itch to re-connect with the past so I have been looking for a cheap one for quite some time ( I am a hopeless cheapskate). I found a westernfield at a pawn shop that was in great shape but couldn't get them talked down to the 275 with tax I was hoping for. In the back of my mind I was glad because I have an affliction for oddball or not so common guns and calibers and I was really wanting a 35 Remington. (my bolt action is a sporterized Mauser in 300 H&H that my grandpa built). The very next week in another pawn shop I found my 35. 80% but nice shiny bore and no cracks in the stock, just worn bluing and scatches in the stock. I didn't get away real cheap but I think I did ok. I also bought the box and a half of win western 200 grn ammo circa late 70's (yellow box) so I could shoot it before I could get dies and compenents gathered. Midway had the Williams 5D sight ( the one without micrometer clicks) on sale for $27, I took the tasco scope off and now have that williams sight on the gun. I lined the new sight up with the factory irons and then took the elevator out. I will be taking the factory iron all the way out when I get the dovetail blank. I have fired two shots at a piece of newspaper pinned to a round bale of hay, to my surprise both shots were pretty dang close to point of aim. I am really looking forward to the arrival of my dies and components so that I can get to shooting this gun in earnest. The grand plan for this gun is a bear hunt in Wisconsin with my buddies hounds, and eventually a mountain lion hound hunt in my native Colorado. In the mean time I am going to do my learning with it on the whitetails. Thanks for reading my long winded post, and thanks for the great resource!

 

[35Beargun]

Thank you guys for the kind welcome. I can't believe I forgot it but I do have another marlin lever gun. I think I forgot because I don't shoot it much. About two years ago I bought a 410 from Cabelas when it was on sale. I was in the market for a unique 410 and when I saw that Cabelas had the Marlin 410 I just had to have it. This was just months before I met my wife and the last new gun I have bought. I got it with great plans to hunt rabbits with it but that plan has not come together quite yet. I have shot one round of skeet with it, more to see the looks on people's faces than anything but I did ok, a 15 or 16. I have hunted with it once. My father in law (to be at the time) had a corral that was grown up in pig weeds and the doves were pouring into it after I mowed the weeds down. I stood under a locust tree near the corral and managed to bag 4 or 5 doves, something I thought was pretty cool all things considered. The shots were all under 20 yards at incoming birds, if I would have had all day to hunt I bet I could have filled my limit. I love how the rear sight folds down flat, it is almost like looking down the rib of my trap gun. I have a couple boxes of slug loads but have yet to shoot any of them, if I get that close to a critter I will get my first revolver kill! Anyways, thank again.