I'm thinking bout this and back in the day they wouldn't have marked them with one X cause that was found on posion bottle's and other items meaning bad. So I guess they assumed that two Xs would be a step up and meant good. Now had they been of the mind set that we are today they would have marked them with triple XXX meaning beautiful sexy bad to the bone having extra wood feeling good to grip pleasing to the cheek creating for us something we now call gun porn.

 

Alan in GA,

Well............I've seen that, I may even have a rifle with those XX's, (Maybe my Zipper ??) but I DON"T recall the meaning...........

So I just sent some e-mails to two people who should know.........

I may have some info on this, shortly.

Tom

 

I told Alan last night that I bet someone like Tomray would know. Will be interesting to have the reason for it.

 

I believe Marlin would fit custom wood to Marlin rifles sent back to the factory..... Maybe the 'XX' was to signify origional production Deluxe models??

 

.

You guys are not thinking this morning, have another cup. How does the rifle assembler at the factory know what stock goes on the rifle without some special marking? Winchester did that for years with XX and XXX wood to indicate different grades of walnut stocks. Yes, they did take more care in fitting the wood to the gun. Then too, I have several Marlins with high grade wood in the stock but no markings on the tang. Go figure.

 

But why not just fit the deluxe wood - just as easy to see the different (checkered) wood upgrade as look at the tang.
It may have been a step taken to know and record the serial # in records as a 'Deluxe' before the wood was fitted.

 

"You guys are not thinking this morning, have another cup. How does the rifle assembler at the factory know what stock goes on the rifle without some special marking? Winchester did that for years with XX and XXX wood to indicate different grades of walnut stocks. Yes, they did take more care in fitting the wood to the gun. Then too, I have several Marlins with high grade wood in the stock but no markings on the tang. Go figure."


With all due respect JB, stocks were serialized to individual guns during the A-DL production period; so the assembler knew exactly which stocks went to which gun. The company obviously had another reason, as yet unknown to us, for the "XX" stamp application to A-DL tangs.

 

"You guys are not thinking this morning, have another cup. How does the rifle assembler at the factory know what stock goes on the rifle without some special marking? Winchester did that for years with XX and XXX wood to indicate different grades of walnut stocks. Yes, they did take more care in fitting the wood to the gun. Then too, I have several Marlins with high grade wood in the stock but no markings on the tang. Go figure."


With all due respect JB, stocks were serialized to individual guns during the A-DL production period; so the assembler knew exactly which stocks went to which gun. The company obviously had another reason, as yet unknown to us, for the "XX" stamp application to A-DL tangs.

The serial number didn't grow in the tree, someone had to stamp it in the stock. In order to do that they had to know which gun it was for use on. Somewhere in the manufacturing process someone needed to know that a certain gun is to get a Bishop stock. The XX was some system of identification. I don't think that some employee stamped those tangs just because he was bored.
But then, I don't know.....collectors smarter than I am have put forth that theory.

 

Finally got the dang tang screw out and found that my tang is not marked with XX but with an S. That answers that question but brings up more questions. As someone else on here stated they were marked with the S and so is the buttstock but the buttstock has a number stamped in it that doesn't match the serial number of the gun. The serial number on the rifle matches all numbers but why the different number on the buttstock. So the mystery continues and inquiring minds want to know more.

 

Every ADL and SCDL I have owned with the Bishop Stocks with full roll over cheekpiece has had XX stamped on the left side of the tang.

 

".........but the buttstock has a number stamped in it that doesn't match the serial number of the gun. The serial number on the rifle matches all numbers but why the different number on the buttstock".

Not a mystery at all my Friend, the stock on your gun is not original to the gun itself; the original stock has been changed out with a stock from another rifle. That is not uncommon; and I've done the same thing myself. Later stocks are not serialized to individual guns; so changing stocks sets on a later vintage gun is undetectable unless those stocks have features (checking, pads, etc.) that were not production features for the serial number/production period of that gun. I don't know the exact time frame when Marlin stopped the practice of stock serialization; but believe that occurred in the late 1960-'s.

 

well since everyone is pulling tang screws and stocks......

I figured I'd get my hollow ground bit out and......wa la!
I wonder if or how many stocks chipped off when hit that deep/hard with number punches! Appear to have been hit with a fast swing hammer!

My '61 336ADL 35

 

I figured I'd get my hollow ground bit out and......wa la!
I wonder if or how many stocks chipped off when hit that deep/hard with number punches! Appear to have been hit with a fast swing hammer!

My '61 336ADL 35
View attachment 161303 View attachment 161304 View attachment 161305

I pulled mine out tonight and it is the same as yours,XX and matching ss#'s

 

Could the s be for year model - 58-59 ?

 

I suppose it could be...won't be the first time I've heard of carry over parts to the next year. My serial # starts with an R on the bottom of the tang...then there's the S on the lower inside tang but has the correct serial number also on the inside of upper tang, then there's the different serial # on the buttstock that has the S in it. I have know Idea what's going on with this one.

 

Desperado, that one is fairly easy. It is not the original stock. BTW, not just the Bishops, my '48 ADL has the XX and a nice stock, but no Monte Carlo.

I have owned lots of guns. Bought and sold once upon a time. I have swapped wood on like rifles for various reasons. Such as, I liked a caliber better, the metal on one was hurt, wood was good, so the nicer wood went on nicer metal to enhance value, where as the bum wood/bad metal job was pretty much retaining whatever value it had to start with.

Im now considering swapping stocks and trigger plates to Texan my .35.

Besides all that, they do it to confuse us.

 

I received a response from the Master Gunsmith that built my special 444, and he said .........

"Those X's were stamped on receivers to indicate to me (him) the number of return trips to the Wood Room for a particular receiver to be re-fitted with a butt stock"..........

Back when stocks were "burned in" and Postmarked" to a specific receiver, sometimes a stock was lost or damaged and that required the receiver to re-fit to another stock. "Refits" were handled in special way, compared to standard process parts.

If you have X's, then I would think your butt stock carries the serial number of the rifle's receiver.............

I know the stock on my short 336/35 is numbered to the receiver, and that receiver has NO X's............just standard "Postmarked" processing at the time, in 1958.

I hope this info is helpful to you all.

Tom

 

Tomray, since you have a 58 model does it have an S stamped on the inside tang. I suppose mine as described has wood from another gun and I'm ok with that but still trying to figure out what the S is for. Serial # starts with an R so is the S for a carry over. It also has the S in the buttstock that has the different serial #.

 

Well, it certainly is NOT stamped "S" as a second...............Marlin did not do that.............Only components passing all inspections were used.

I suspect it may be an assembler's mark.............

Assemblers were assigned a alpha or numerical ID to "mark" their work so it could be identified in final testing, and functional testing in the gallery..That was the method of tracking the Assemblers work for defects or functional issues.

The "Mark" was usually stamped or etched in an obscure place........just once.

Tom

 

I have a 55 SC no S's or X's stamped on it, just serial #'s. On my 63 SD it has a S stamp on right side of the tang serial #'s on left.

 

I wish KON wood (misspelled intentionally)
chime inon this one

 

Tomray worked at the Marlin CT plant as well--he has given us some good info here.

 

I've wondered about these special editions, if they have a better barrel & such, or is it just cosmetic.

 

Hal,

CT Marlin Special Editions are same components as other Marlins, except some have a higher metal finish, and/or nicer figure in the wood.

Tom

 

.

My rifle is a SC, not a SD model. Has a Monte Carlo stock but plain straight grain walnut, however, it does not have a cheek rest but it does have a raised comb and checkering with sling swivel studs. There are no X's on the tang, but the lower tang does have the "S" stamped on it.
The stocks are serial numbered to the gun. Serial number begins with "R".

I don't know if the scope is factory but I think it was added at time of purchase. Scope is a Ted Williams 4x in old Weaver mounts. Oh yes, and the "JM" stamp is on the right side rather than the usual left side.

Jim

 

I guess our rifles were put together by the same guy.

 

"Assemblers were assigned a alpha or numerical ID to "mark" their work so it could be identified in final testing, and functional testing in the gallery..That was the method of tracking the Assemblers work for defects or functional issues.

The "Mark" was usually stamped or etched in an obscure place........just once."

Tom

Wonder if they still do that.
Boy, we could have a field day disassembling our "Remlins" looking for the marks & hitting'em with complaint mail now.

 

"Assemblers were assigned a alpha or numerical ID to "mark" their work so it could be identified in final testing, and functional testing in the gallery..That was the method of tracking the Assemblers work for defects or functional issues.

The "Mark" was usually stamped or etched in an obscure place........just once."

Tom

Wonder if they still do that.
Boy, we could have a field day disassembling our "Remlins" looking for the marks & hitting'em with complaint mail now.

I highly doubt it, 444Hal.
They would need to have a lot more pride in their work to sign it.
Lean Manufacturing Bean Counters would consider it ," An Extra Step That Tragically Increases The Takt Time Of Manufacturing And Assembly".

 

The SD's are not labeled SD. They are stamped SC. The stock is what makes it an SD. Or at least thats how mine is. According to Brophy the SC (and SD) models 1956 and later have a heavier barrel to improve accuracya d weigh one pound more. Does feel heftier than a RC.

 

I suppose an unknown put my R numbered zipper together. I just had it apart for likely the first cleaning of it's life. On the side of the upper tang is an R with the last four of the serial numbers, none on the stock (which looks to have grown from the metal), no stamps of any sort on the lower tang/trigger plate, and an etched R with the last three of the serial number on the bolt.

The stock could be a replacement, but the fit is flawless and the color and finish are perfectly matched and the age matches the forearm perfectly.

An an old acquaintance, who had been a factory rep for both Winchester and later Browning once told me to "never say never" about products from either place. Perhaps the same could be said of Marlin, back in the days of yore.