[edogg]

Hi everyone,

I've just picked up my first lever action rifle over the weekend - a 336A. According to the serial number, it was made in 1951. The inside of the barrel is perfect and except for some worn blueing and a couple of very small rust spots, the rifle is in great shape. The action feels smooth and tight along with the trigger and hammer.

The sights seem to be pretty small, though, and I'd like to upgrade them to something that works a little better. But being that it's a vintage rifle, I don't want to make any modifications to it.

Will one of the receiver sights fit on it? There are 3 screw holes on the left side (2 of them have screws and the middle one is empty). And is the rear sight removable/replaceable? It looks like there might be a very small dovetail which seems to be smaller than the dovetail on the current 336 rifles. Is it possible to swap out the front sight for something with higher visibility?

Is there anything else I should check out before taking it to the range? I bought it from my friend's dad who has had it for years and never shot it.

Thanks all!

 

[pisgah]

Will one of the receiver sights fit on it? There are 3 screw holes on the left side (2 of them have screws and the middle one is empty). And is the rear sight removable/replaceable? It looks like there might be a very small dovetail which seems to be smaller than the dovetail on the current 336 rifles. Is it possible to swap out the front sight for something with higher visibility?

The two small holes on the side with filler screws are for side-mount Williams, Lyman or Redfield receiver sights. My favorite is the vintage all-steel Lyman, but all are good. The third hole is for the little stud that holds the ejector assembly in place -- if you ever remove the bolt, the ejector assembly will likely fall out and you will soon learn how that stud fits in to that hole. The rear sight an be driven out of the dovetail. The dovetail is a standard size, and any rear sight made for a 3/8" dovetail will fit it. Yes, the front sight can be drven out of its dovetail and replaced. Caution -- if it is mounted on a ramp, the ramp needs to be solidly supported while you are driving out the sight. The two screws that hold it on the barrel are not very long, and can easily be stripped out. Don't ask me how I know...

 

[Gunjunkie]

Like he said that third hole needs the stud for the ejector in it.. I hope it has it.. if not easy fix they are not expensive at all.. I use white out on front site rather than change out any.. I have a williams and I like it also..

The dovetail should tap out easy I put paper under the rear if the leaf with the elevator removed so I don't scratch the rifle.. same with re install

I don't know if Marlin even sodiered on the rear site.. but wait till an expert can attest to it.. I am not one of them

 

[Kaweskar]

Welcome Edogg:

You should go to the Skinner Sights section of this forum. Tons of information there. You can also visit the Skinner Sight website at:
http://www.skinnersights.com/1895_sight_4.html

I already installed one their sights on my 1894 and it was a huge improvement.

Cheers

 

[edogg]

Thanks for the info and welcome, everyone!

I just took a look at the side of the receiver again, and the 3rd hole does appear to have the bar/pin/stud in it...so I'm set there. I found an instruction manual online and watched a couple of Youtube videos of removing the bolt for cleaning. I wondered how I'd figure out how to put the ejector back in - sounds like it's pretty straightforward.

As for the sights, I'll keep an eye out for one of the older receiver sights mentioned (to keep with the older rifle, of course!). It looks like the steel Lymans are still available for about $70. Funny 'cause that's almost half of what I spent on the rifle itself!

Anything else I should know or check out on the rifle before I take it to the range this weekend? I know I shouldn't be, but I'm a little nervous about taking a 60 year old rifle out even though everything feels nice and tight.

Interesting side note...it came with a leather sling, and I just noticed that it's a George Lawrence.

 

[LT]

Thanks for the info and welcome, everyone!

I just took a look at the side of the receiver again, and the 3rd hole does appear to have the bar/pin/stud in it...so I'm set there. I found an instruction manual online and watched a couple of Youtube videos of removing the bolt for cleaning. I wondered how I'd figure out how to put the ejector back in - sounds like it's pretty straightforward.

As for the sights, I'll keep an eye out for one of the older receiver sights mentioned (to keep with the older rifle, of course!). It looks like the steel Lymans are still available for about $70. Funny 'cause that's almost half of what I spent on the rifle itself!

Anything else I should know or check out on the rifle before I take it to the range this weekend? I know I shouldn't be, but I'm a little nervous about taking a 60 year old rifle out even though everything feels nice and tight.

Interesting side note...it came with a leather sling, and I just noticed that it's a George Lawrence.

There's no worries taking a 60yr old Marlin 336 out... it'll probably outlast all of us ;D I take my Grandfather's old 1951 Savage Model 99 in .300Sav out to the range on occasion without concern... it ain't gonna blow up ;D

 

[edogg]

There's no worries taking a 60yr old Marlin 336 out... it'll probably outlast all of us ;D I take my Grandfather's old 1951 Savage Model 99 in .300Sav out to the range on occasion without concern... it ain't gonna blow up ;D

Thanks for the reassurance.

Dunno why I'm a little nervous about it...I've shot old rifles before (M1 Garand, WWI-era Springfield) and loved every minute of it.

 

[yukondog]

Welcome edogg,It'll be fine, shoot and enjoy.Once you pull the bolt and ejector you'll see how easy it is to reassembale, after the first time, it's all down hill after that, the marlin is one of the easer ones to break down and work on.

 

[biggog]

I've got a 1951 336A. It shoots great. It will probably last longer than you do. They were made to use. Shoot it and enjoy it.

 

[Plumber]

No one mentioned this, and you may already know but, drive sights out from left to right, an install from right to left.

 

[Time Bomb]

I hadn't heard of george lawrence until my wifes grandmother gave me one of his holsters for a gun I don't have but turns out his stuff is worth money.