JM stamping signifies the gun was made before Remington took over Marlin. It's a "real" Marlin and purportedly of better quality than a newish offering. I've never personally had any trouble with the newer guns, but will say the JM rifles certainly offer better fit and finish. With that said...some folks pay a premium for JM guns, and their value on the used market often exceeds a brand new Remington made rifle of the same designation.

 

The jm stamp is from the original Marlin factory and production. When Remington bought them out the quality of the rifle was poor, so the JM stamped rifles became in demand.

 

Help your self out.........do a little home work on the subject. Lots to be learned on the net.

 

.....just the "pre-64" of the Marlin world

 

All info and suggestions offered above are valuable. However, keep in mind what the "JM" stamp signifies. It is a proof mark applied to the barrel of a rifle that has been proof fired after assembly. The serial number is the most credible means of determining the DOM and lineage of a rifle.

There have been incidents of unscrupulous sellers applying fake proof stamps to barrels not originally proofed by the old Marlin company in an effort to raise the perceived value of a newer rifle. Some Remington built rifles have had older JM proof stamped barrels installed for the same reason. Some barrels on Marlin built rifles have been replaced with factory replacement barrels by competent gunsmiths. Those barrels, if not proofed by the factory, will not bear the JM stamp but are perfectly fine rifles. My wife's '62 336 Texan is one such rifle. A new old stock Marlin factory made barrel circa mid-80's was installed by an excellent gunsmith. It bears no proof mark but is 100% authentic.

Know the stamp for what it is and what it signifies. It alone is only one of a few indicators of a rifle's history and quality. It is almost superfluous to point out that one owns a 1956 336SC with a "JM stamped barrel" because it is accepted that it would be just that unless it has been modified.

 

Thanks for your help everyone. So @BFPGW what you are saying is that since the serial number on mine dates it to 1971, it would just be assumed that it would have a stamped JM barrel then?

 

It should. If it doesn't then something happened to it since it left the factory. Granted, some of those proof stamps have been known to be poorly stamped. My 2002 1894C proof stamp looked like the employee had a blood alcohol level of .30 when it was stamped. But I bought it new so I was certain it was just a slip up.

 

The Final "JM" Proofmarked Rifles at North Haven Marlin were made in August 2010.
By September 2010 we had "Bagged & Tagged" ALL the Assembly Equipment, and shipped them off to Remington.

pa_emt, your rifle would have been made in North Haven Marlin.
North Haven Marlin on Kenna Drive was built in 1968, and all the Equipment was moved from the Original 1870 New Haven Marlin Factory on State Street back then.

 

There are a handful of remington employees on this forum who will tell you that the new guns are far better than the JM guns too. lol

 

Although I've owned Marlin 336s off and on for 35 years I was not aware of the Remington buy out until I came here to MO. At the time I was in the market for a 336 to replace the few I'd had in the past. I saw a Remlin in Walmart and thought as I looked at the laminated stock, matte finish and black bolt "something is wrong here". Thats when I came here and learned of such terms as "Remlin", "JM", "QC" or lack thereof.
My hunt began in earnest for one with a "JM" on the barrel.... nothing else would do.
I love it, its traditional, its pretty and functions as I remember.

 

It is my understanding that a certain number of "JM" stamped barrels went to the NY Remlin plant in 2010, along with other components from the old North Haven plant. So that means that there are some Remlin built rifles with the JM roll marked barrel's out there.

IMO the "JM" thing is over used and confuseing to some. In about every add I read with a Marlin for sale, no matter what the DOM is, it's stated "JM" stamped. I seen one in a 1949 336 add. That's about 60 years before the roll mark was changed.

Some of the old store brand 336's didn't have a JM stamp. I have a 69 Westernfield (Marlin 336) that has a "P" roll mark. But that don't mean it's not a genuine New Haven or North Haven made Marlin.

 

It is my understanding that a certain number of "JM" stamped barrels went to the NY Remlin plant in 2010, along with other components from the old North Haven plant. So that means that there are some Remlin built rifles with the JM roll marked barrel's out there.

IMO the "JM" thing is over used and confuseing to some. In about every add I read with a Marlin for sale, no matter what the DOM is, it's stated "JM" stamped. I seen one in a 1949 336 add. That's about 60 years before the roll mark was changed.

Some of the old store brand 336's didn't have a JM stamp. I have a 69 Westernfield (Marlin 336) that has a "P" roll mark. But that don't mean it's not a genuine New Haven or North Haven made Marlin.

I once thought your statement was correct about left over barrels being sent to Illion with the JM stamp, but former North Haven employees have said that the stamp was only applied to fully assembled 'proof tested' Connecticut-built rifles. Barrels sent to the new plant weren't stamped, we were told.

The stamp may not have been applied to other brands like Westernfield. It was a Marlin proof mark.

In my opinion, the vast majority of JM stamped rifles are genuine Marlins. There may be a few counterfit stamps on Remlins or a few Remlins with barrels salvaged from junk Marlins, but I think those are few and far between.

As BFPWG has stated, the serial number is the only valid test for a Marlin pedigree. If we stick with that test, the JM stamp essentially becomes a preliminary screen for authenticity and a traditional marking for the rifles we take so much pride in owning. For genuine Marlins, the JM stamp does mean the barrel was proof tested.

 

All things being equal you got yourself a nice rifle. Remington did have quality control issues at the beginning of their take over and they may not have treated the original Marlin staff very well after the take over which has a number of people upset at Remington. Arms companies are bought and sold all the time.
I will say I recently purchased a NIB 336C in .35 Remington and found it to be every bit as good as my JM rifle. Fit and finish is excellent; smooth action and accurate out of the box.
If this is your first lever action it will most likely not be your last. There's just so damn cool and nice to shoot you have to have another one!

 

Strange, I read this forum almost daily. I do not recall an "old Marlin hand" ever having said that the remington produced products were better.

On the other hand, another forum that I follow mostly states that if you want a Remington 700, go to the used market and find one. The new production ones are rapidly becoming known as "donner rifles", that is the action is still strong and very usable after some modifications, but discard the rest.

I own four Remington firearms. They are fine guns. One is an 1880s rolling block rifle. Two are .22 rifles from the thirties and the fifties or sixties, the other is an 870 pump shotgun that is at least thirty to thirty five years old. I think the roller is again out of print. I would not trade any of the other three for a brand new equivalent. Remington's are not what they used to be either.

 

I would have thought the North Haven components would have been depleted too, but in April I sent a Remington GBL back to Illion for a barrel replacement. To my surprise, it came back with a North Haven barrel with an April, 2014 Remington date code and Remington proof.

-Keith

 

kah64, that is interesting you would get a North Haven Rollstamp this far past 2012.
2012 was when we saw the first pictures of Ilion,NY Rollstamped on the Barrels posted here on Marlin Owners.
When we "Bagged & Tagged" the Barrel Department in December 2010 the Rollstamp Machines went to Remington.
They were allowed to continue to Rollstamp North Haven on the Barrels they produced in Ilion,NY.
My only guess is that it may have been a line that was part of the shutdown during the "Transition Period", and they had those Barrels sitting in a stock pile.

 

My last 1894C was made from parts made in Conn. and put together at the Rem plant in NY. As Kon stated, the serial number on the receiver indicated Marlin made, but after I got it out to the truck, the barrel stamp was REP. This one looks and functions great but I was suspect until I had put a bunch of rounds down range. DP

 

How would one know if its a genuine JM stamp or an imposter?