Everything I have heard or read is very positive about the new Ruger made Marlins.

 

I had all the confidence in the world that Ruger would do Marlin right. I never expected a perfect product, or one superior to the JM rifles. But with modern technology... why not?

 

If I had no 336s was young and wanted a new 336. I would buy one for sure.

 

Thanks for posting. Good review. I only have one teeny-tiny nit-pick. "......... quality of these rifles is better than it has been in decades" ? Decades? We all know better. Call it a bad decade, a Remington Outdoors/Cerberus Capital disaster 2010-2020.

Otherwise, I'm saving a little from every Social Security check, and I intend to buy a new Ruger Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag.

 

Yes, and

"The only plastic I could find on the rifle was the grip cap, but it was of such high quality and fitted so well that one could assume it to be metal or bone."

Dude, put down the pom-poms.

 

I have JMs and a Ruger Marlin Trapper. I’ll catch flak I’m sure, but facts are facts the trapper is a superior gun to my 1895s, but only in avoidable ways.

my 1895S will absolutely not feed Hornady Leverevolution, my Trapper goobles up everything. And the unloading is a nice feature.

 

You'll catch no flak from me and I do not doubt the truth of your statement. I just hate to read supposed reviews that read like a paid advertisement.

 

Alas, the working man’s rifle is no longer. I’m glad Ruger bought Marlin. They will respect the brand and make high quality products. But in an era where 1 moa plastic stocked bolt action rifles are on sale for $399 with a scope, the lever action rifle is more of a rich man’s gun. Maybe they will eventually make a 336W.

 

the lever action rifle is more of a rich man’s gun.

I fear ditto1958 is correct.

 

I spotted a brand new 1894 44 last weekend at a show for $1,000. Sure, it’s not chump change but it shows prices trending into the reasonable area.

It’s tough to beat a Ruger American, a buddy of mine picked up a CVA in .270 not long ago for $150 and it’s crazy accurate.

 

All good things so far on the new Ruger Marlins. Eventually you will see some more budget friendly models but my guess is they will be slow coming. No real incentive for Ruger. In the mean time Rossi is getting great reviews on their R95. They look like well made rifles and are a close cousin to the 336. Lots of after market parts and accessories are already available. Rossi is quickly building a solid reputation of out of the box quality with above average fit, finish, and smoothness. Both the R92 and R95 are solid options vs the much higher priced Marlin, Winchester, and Henry's. And they seem readily available. They are the new "Working Man's Rifle". My guess is they will have a 45-70 before long as well as one of the straight wall calibers like the Buck Hammer.

 

Eventually you will see some more budget friendly models but my guess is they will be slow coming

phwebster is probably correct. Why offer a cheaper product when demand for a premium product can't be met?

 

The Rossi is not really that cheap. $8-900. While some of the cheap bolt actions may ascetically leave something to be desired, they do function. Its getting where the classic tube fed lever is now very close to the more modern levers like the BLR and the Long Ranger. Were I to bite on a new lever it would be either of them. Detachable box magazine and using cartridges like the 308. Just wish they used 22" barrels. If nothing more to cut back on muzzle blast. Still have classic lines.

DEP

 

It’s also worth noting that outside of gun nuts, or Yellowstone viewers, the lever gun is not the go-to home defense gun. We love them, but there is almost no demand for a defense gun and less than zero for any sort of military contract. So other than satisfying a relatively small percentage of prospective buyers, there is zero reason to make a budget lever action.

 

It’s also worth noting that outside of gun nuts, or Yellowstone viewers, the lever gun is not the go-to home defense gun. We love them, but there is almost no demand for a defense gun and less than zero for any sort of military contract. So other than satisfying a relatively small percentage of prospective buyers, there is zero reason to make a budget lever action.

Sure there is- to broaden that 'relatively small percentage of prospective buyers'. Ruger themselves introduced the Wrangler, to compete in the low-end 22 revolver market.

In addition to gun nuts and Yellowstone viewers, there are hunters. I was LE over 30 years and either worked or was familiar with numerous shootings, justified and unjustified. You'd be surprised how many of them involved an old hunting rifle or shotgun. Normal people tend to use what they're familiar with. Hoodrats use whatever they can steal or buy/barter from another hoodrat.

 

Glad that Ruger came out and did Marlin right, quite a while ago when Ruger bought Marlin I warned you all here that the working mans rifle is going to be gone and these would go for a chunk of change....and they do! Now we all know that even Remington Marlins are bringing in absurd money for their "quality", JMs are getting out of touch also. Just my $0.02 worth.

 

In 1982, my Marlin 336 30-30 cost $225. I was able to buy it making weekly payments at the Western Auto. Today, that same $225 is right in line with the $1,000-$1,200 that older Marlins and new Rugers are bringing.

 

RIGHT YOU ARE! All the carping about $400 Marlins, is in the same camp as wishing for an under $20K new pickup. When pigs have wings. Same with those old guys at gunshows who "fondly" (and loudly) remember $30 Enfields and Mausers. But on their table they are selling them at current market prices. Ruger as a publicly traded company is in business to make profit and STAY in business. As for the 'wishing' and 'whining' about the current prices vs. the 'old prices' they are LONG gone, and as the Grateful Dead used to sing, "Ain't nothin' gonna' bring 'em back."

I am 70, and remember $.29/gallon gas and bought a brand new Remington 700 with Redfield scope for $299 (in 1977!) But things change, and some times for the better. I also remember not calling long distance until after 7:00PM, and EVERY call being charged per minute. I am glad no one wants to roll back that clock.

Lots of folks are excited about the affordable budget rifles, and some of them had to compromise wants with fiscal reality, but when i bought that Remington 700 and Redfield, it was a compromise with my fiscal reality at that time and took a lot of saving. I really wanted a Colt Sauer or Sako. But deer season was coming in Fall of 1977 and I decided on Remington 700 vs. using the hard-kicking steel crescent buttplate .35 Remington 141 pump without a scope.

Part of the problem is also the tendency of gun makers to make 'runs' of a certain model. That keeps the demand high and supplies tight. But, as always, if you want one specific model, you have to pony up, because as other threads on this board about distributor exclusives and limited production series of Marlins under the original Marlin, (and Ruger has a long history of distributor exclusives and limited runs) what you want now, may never be offered again and will be MUCH higher. That also means waiting for the price to drop will not happen.

 

I'll just comment as someone who typically checks 2 or 3 gun sales sites daily. There's no doubt in my mind, owning a new 1895 Trapper, that the new 336 Classic is a fine rifle. But as mentioned here already, the price for this quality blue and walnut rifle today is also where some other fine blue and walnut rifles are selling for.

For the gun nut or collector, they will find a way to trade into or outright purchase a new 336. But for the person looking for an heirloom type firearm as an all-around hunting rifle nice rifles priced the same as the nice new 336 include the M70 Winchester Featherweight and the BLR , both seen today listed @ $1100. A SS version of the BLR can be had for an additional Benjamin. To my way of thinking this makes the new 336 a tough decision for the 1 or 2 rifle guy.

Not disparaging anything here, just saying a M70 in '06 or a BLR in .308 are both fine rifles and make the 1k buyer look closely at them as well.

 

Funny you mention the BLR. Cruising the used gun racks this afternoon a BLR chambered in 270 Winchester caught my eye. I already have a BLR Lightweight Takedown in 308 so was able to put the rifle back on the rack, but that is a FINE gun chambered in either cartridge.

 

I don't think Ruger will dip into the bargain lever gun Market either. The recent Mossberg 464 or whatever it was, would be about right for the low end. With the lever action market being crazy like it is, I'll be surprised if they don't reintroduce it.

The Italians make some very nice Winchester 92 and 94 clones, but they are priced accordingly. I'm referring to the Cimarron, I haven't seen a Chiappa.

 

I have a 464 Mossberg that is a cheap copy of a Winchester angle eject. They were more reasonably priced. Did .not seem to be popular. The designs are not easy to cheapen. Winchester tried to go with more stamped parts in 1964. Cost them a lot in reputation.

DEP

 

I've never watched an episode of Yellowstone, but plan to. I just love old leverguns. Well, I just love ALL old guns. Never got into the ARs. Never will.

 

One of the best shows on TV! Especially the spin-off prequel "1883" now running on Paramount. Yellowstone has something for everyone. Lever guns, ARs, suppressed ARs, bolt guns, you get the drift.

 

… I have a late 2016 made Remlin 336SS in 30-30 Win which is a superb rifle … Remlin was getting their stuff together toward the end but too little too late … I got my stainless Remlin 336SS for about 1/2 of what a Ruger 336 is fetching … I’m not sure if the stainless Ruger Marlins are out yet … the only ones I’ve seen are the blue versions

 

My FIL gave me an unfired Ted Williams Model 100, so I'm all set. I'm 73 and I remember 13¢/gallon gas. 😁

 

Right before I went on active duty in the Navy in 1972, I paid $.09/gal.
The value of our dollar has adjusted many, many times in those 51 years ! I'll spend what I feel I need to for quality, especially American Made.

 

$.09? When and where? Prior to the Arab oil embargo, gas here in Wisconsin was about $.33.9.

 

Crude oil traded between $ 4 - 5 +/- per barrel prior to the 73' oil embargo.
Time changes a lot of things.

 

Gas Wars were always local events. I am 79 years, the lowest gas war price I saw back in the mid-1950s was 19 cents per gallon. Gas wars were nothing new and apparently were driven by the abundance or over-stock of gasoline. The pricing of gasoline back in the day is interesting. Advertised price of gas was in large lettering while the tax was in smaller lettering. Hence 9 1/2 cents per gallon sounds good but the 4 cents per gallon tax totalled 13 1/2 cents per gallon. The tax was a "road tax" for building and maintaining roads. The photo advertising gasoline at 16 1/2 cents per gallon is interesting. "Oh boy, 16 1/2 cents, but we can get a bargain at 6 gallons for 99 cents." The thing is, 6 times 16 1/2 does total to 99 cents -- an advertised bargain. The photo advertising Tetra Ethyl gasoline at 19 9/10 cents is interesting. Ordinary gasoline back in the 1920 and 1930s generally had an octane rating of 5. As engine technology improved the low grade / low octane gas did not provide sufficient power and that resulted in knocking (pre-ignition) problems. Lead (tetra ethyl) was added to the gasoline to control ignition knock. I owned a 1935 Hudson Terraplane and it's big 88 HP straight six engine ran just fine on low grade gasoline or lamp oil (kerosene). Whatever our recollections about the "old days" it appears that our fearless leadership in this country is working overtime to have us all enjoying life as in the last photo.

 

I remember the bumper sticker from 1978 ; "Kiss Ethyl Goodbye" as ethyl (premium non ethanol gasoline) went away..

 

Well, good discussion (testing my memory for sure anyway). No offense meant to the OP or the thread.
I stopped by a gun shop while on a five hour round trip last Friday, I wanted to check if they had either of the new Ruger Marlin rifles (336 or 1894) in stock so I could see and handle one in person.
Luck would have it they received a new 1894 (44 mag) that morning and hadn't opened yet, so I did get to actually hold and fondle a new Marlin levergun.
Very nice, great fit and finish, cycled pretty slick.....for me anyway ! I'll spend the money for an 1894, 357 mag or a 336, 35 Rem ; when either of these show up.

 

I'm close to Scharnhorst's age and I don't ever remember seeing gas war prices being below $0.20/gal in the 60's with the average price (non gas war) for regular gas being around $0.32/gal. I also remember that driving on summer vacation we'd see gas prices at some Standard stations in California advertising the outrageous 😬 price of $0.44/gal, and sometimes in Arizona too.

 

I started driving in 1969, gas was usually around $.28.9 in Pennsylvania. There were occasional station wars and it might drop to around 25.9. When that happened my father and I would drive both cars to the station with spare cans in the back seat and an outboard tank in the trunk for the lawn mowers.

When the oil embargo hit, I was so happy I had a VW beetle with its gas filler in the trunk as it could not be siphoned. Folks slept in their cars and factory lots had armed guards to prevent gas thefts. Some local plants would not allow foreign cars in company lots. Wonderful fun times!!!

Sorry for my original comment causing thread drift.

 

Yeah, that reminds me of a term from many years ago, in a far away place -- Crispy Critters.