Just joined and why I'm not real happy right now.

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:34 pm

For the past few years I have been without any long guns (other than my Winchester 1300 12g, so old it has walnut stock instead of polymer) and I have been shooting only handguns. I recently found this site while researching which long gun I wanted as my reintroduction.

I knew I wanted either a .44 mag or .357 mag for my uses. I ordered the Marlin Cowboy in .44 mag and picked it up January 17. Of course, the weather turned rainy for several days.

Anyway, the first night I broke down the gun to clean it before shooting as I usually do with new or used guns I acquire. First thing I noticed was how rough the wood was at the stock to receiver fit. There were actually slivers of wood sticking out where it had been milled. I figured, 'not that big a deal, I'll take the stock off eventually and sand the edges smooth'. Ran a bore snake through the barrel then discovered some nicks on the outside of the barrel close to where it fits in the receiver; looks like the lathe chuck slipped or something. I know they were there when it left the factory because they were blued over. Again, I rationalized; 'it's only a rifle, I'll live with it'. I then decided to do the slight modification to the lever to avoid the dreaded "marlin jam". With the gun in "shoot ready" condition I placed it in the safe to await better weather.

Then on the 24th I thought that since I can't shoot the gun due to the weather, at least I'll take the stock off and smooth out the edges. I did both the area where it fits to the receiver and at the butt plate. Used a brown permanent marker to hide any unfinished wood (not a lot because I didn't take any wood off, just smoothed things a little). Now that it looked a lot better, I went to put the stock back on the receiver when I noticed the front site was way off center of the barrel. I knew it wasn't like that when I picked up the gun so I took my thumb and pushed on the sight. It just slid over in the dovetail very easily.

So, I went back to the dealer and he said his in house gunsmith could tighten the sight the same way Marlin would and I said fine. A few minutes later the gunsmith found me and said the gun needs to go back because the dovetail wasn't cut deep enough in the barrel. I'm sure Marlin will make it right; it just irritates me that I haven't even been able to shoot the gun yet and it has to go back to the factory. Hope Marlins service is as good as Henry has a reputation for. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Marlin; it is just my luck that if one out of several thousand will have a problem, guess which one I'll get.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:46 pm

Welcome to the forum. You are not the only one here that has had problems with Marlin. However they do seem keen to put things right.

bsaride · Post by **bsaride** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:46 pm

Don't feel bad, that's the same kind of luck I have.

From what I've heard on this forum Marlin has been good with returns.

Jay

Ben_Rumson · Post by **Ben_Rumson** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:48 pm

It might be prudent to run a few rounds thru it before you send it back jsut to see if there are any other bugs to be found..
BTW Welcome !... Always glad to have another pard

redeux · Post by **redeux** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:51 pm

my nib marlin 1894cb was a joke...
i will never buy another marlin product again...
its obvious they just don't care what makes it out the door ...

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:08 pm

Ben_Rumson wrote:It might be prudent to run a few rounds thru it before you send it back jsut to see if there are any other bugs to be found..
BTW Welcome !... Always glad to have another pard

I was gonna say that but Ben beat me to it. Make a list and since it has to go back get it all fixed at once.

Also besides being loose verify that the front and rear sights are perfectly vertical. Any tilt will affect the way you shoot it.

Joe

Bigahh · Post by **Bigahh** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:16 pm

1st things 1st..Welcome aboard!
In my opinion you may be unhappy at the moment, but from past incidents from fellow members Marlin will make it right I'm sure of it. Good luck, and fill us in on the outcome.

Post by **Hobie** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:35 pm

I'm a firm believer that any gun that is substandard should go back to the maker (preferably before you buy it). That said, you might notice that darn few people on the internet who buy guns ever tell about their perfect guns, only those with problems. Sounds like you got one of the .4% (or whatever is statistically expected). Bummer, but Marlin will make it right.

Swampman · Post by **Swampman** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:39 pm

I've never owned (or even heard of) a defective Marlin. I love all nine of mine.

1886 · Post by **1886** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:39 pm

Welcome aboard. The boys are quite correct. Make a list and Marlin will make it right. Best Wishes and please keep us abreast. 1886.

TedH · Post by **TedH** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:39 pm

It stinks to have those kind of problems with a new rifle. You should never have to return a rifle to the manufacturer before you even shoot it, but this seems commonplace with Marlin. The only good thing is that they seem to take care of the repairs in good order.

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:51 pm

I sent my Marlin 1894SS .44mag. back last year to have the barrel replaced due to an oversized bore. They had it in my hands 16 days after I put it on the brown truck. It was taken care of, done properly and FAST.

Have no fear,they will make it good.
As others said,make a list. Dont forget to mention those marks and the stock fit.

WELCOME !!!

OH by the way, I own a bunch of Marlins and my next new rifle will be a MARLIN !

jazman · Post by **jazman** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:20 pm

Welcome! Sorry to hear about your problem with the new gun, just shouldn't happen but unfortunately it does.

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:23 pm

[the gunsmith said the gun needs to go back because the dovetail wasn't cut deep enough in the barrel.]

BS. If the dovetail was too shallow, the sight wouldn't even enter the dovetail slot - it would be too small.

Either the female/barrel dovetail's slightly bigger than the sight's male dovetail, or (more likely) the sight's male dovetail a little undersized, and should be shimmed (underneath) to fit/tighten the sight.

Granted, the factory Q.C. should have caught it - but it's nothing I woulda sent a gun back for.

marlinman93 · Post by **marlinman93** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:33 pm

Welcome Dennis!
Jdad can give you an earfull on new Marlins!

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... ght=marlin

jdad · Post by **jdad** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:38 pm

Welcome aboard!

To make a long story short.........

I bought a 2007 1894CL that could not cycle/shoot/function the first time I tried it. Fit and finish was so-so also. Marlin sent a UPS call tag and I had everything, but the receiver frame and mag tube replaced. It functioned fine for 15 rounds, then 2 rounds went up under the carrier. Marlin took it back again and I received a call that they could not guarantee 100% reliability, so they were going to scrap that rifle and replace it. Boy did they replace it. It's basically a custom gun! Nothing about this rifle was standard Marlin. Marlinman93 got to check it out. It was built on a 2006 receiver, high grade walnut, perfect fit and finish, tuned action/trigger, and it shot .625" 5-shot groups, at the factory. I did notice that Marlin dropped the 1894CL from their catalog this year, so maybe the tooling is worn.

Moral of the story is that Marlin sells thousands of firearms every year and a few lemons make it out, but they will go out of their way to make it right.

Ben_Rumson · Post by **Ben_Rumson** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:34 pm

It may happen more now than it used to but defects have always slipped out on factory produced guns.. Just dicovered some on a Savage 99E that was made in 1960.. I'll post about it in another thread.... Like the guys have said..Send it back
PS Sometimes I wonder if we the customer now take the place of the final inspectors...

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:49 pm

Thanks for the welcome everyone and also for the condolences. I wish I could have shot the gun before returning it but since the gunshop is sending it in for me I just let them keep it that day. One strike would have been ok but three made me decide to send it back (loose sight, nicks in barrel, bad stock to receiver fit). If there is another problem when I get it back maybe I'll be lucky like jdad.

BS. If the dovetail was too shallow, the sight wouldn't even enter the dovetail slot - it would be too small.[/quote]

Maybe someone with more machining experience than me can correct me, but I thought the bit that cut the dovetail moved across from one side of the barrel to the other. If this is the case then the bottom of the cut will always be the same width no matter how deep or shallow the cut since the bit size doesn't change at the bottom.

Could someone else tell me if the front sight on their 1894CB fits to where the blade is against the barrel. There was a pretty big gap between the bottom of the blade and the barrel on mine.

brucew44guns · Post by **brucew44guns** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:52 pm

My new 1894 44 mag had a butt stock so ill fitted to the reciever that it would have broke off if anyone attempted to hunt with or use the rifle for shooting. I thought to myself that QC must have all been on vacation for 3 weeks when this rifle came through. But they did put a brand new stock on it, fitted real nice, and did it all in about a weeks turn around time. Letter of apology in the return package too. I've got 5 or 6 new Marlins in the last year, all of the others were very nicely fitted. Bruce

jdad · Post by **jdad** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:07 pm

I will say that the new XLR/MX rifles that I have seen were really well assembled. Several shooters in our silhouette league use the 336XLR and they have been 100% trouble free.

Scott64A · Post by **Scott64A** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:32 pm

Welcome aboard.

Why didn't you get a Winchester?

Seriously, I bet Marlin will make it all better.
From all of the things I read here, they are pretty good at this sort of thing.

Say, how about a range report when you get it back?

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:08 am

Don't get me wrong; I wasn't trying to start a Marlin bashing thread. After all, I looked at Marlin, Henry, Winchester, Cimarron and Puma when shopping. I decided that Marlin was the best fit for my needs in a lever gun.

Why didn't you get a Winchester?

Actually, I looked at quite a few used (and well used) ones but the prices...

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:56 am

I'm just glad you're not made at us - thought so from the subject line!

Welcome aboard!!! Good luck on the Marlin!

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:01 am

I'm just glad you're not made at us - thought so from the subject line!

That was the grabber to get people to read my post...

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:04 am

DennisD wrote:
I'm just glad you're not made at us - thought so from the subject line!
That was the grabber to get people to read my post...

It worked!

I have heard others here having problems with Marlins. The three I own are all older, and shoot really fine. My son's works well too. I have found that Marlin customer service it top notch - and they seem to try really hard to make things right. Given the competitive price they sell their guns for, problems are bound to happen - and as long as they are willing to make it right, I don't fault them.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:07 am

DennisD wrote:Thanks for the welcome everyone and also for the condolences. I wish I could have shot the gun before returning it but since the gunshop is sending it in for me I just let them keep it that day. One strike would have been ok but three made me decide to send it back (loose sight, nicks in barrel, bad stock to receiver fit). If there is another problem when I get it back maybe I'll be lucky like jdad.

BS. If the dovetail was too shallow, the sight wouldn't even enter the dovetail slot - it would be too small.

Maybe someone with more machining experience than me can correct me, but I thought the bit that cut the dovetail moved across from one side of the barrel to the other. If this is the case then the bottom of the cut will always be the same width no matter how deep or shallow the cut since the bit size doesn't change at the bottom.

Could someone else tell me if the front sight on their 1894CB fits to where the blade is against the barrel. There was a pretty big gap between the bottom of the blade and the barrel on mine.[/quote]

Dennis,

You are correct about the dovetail. At one time I had a Rossi 92 with a barrel band front sight. The band would not stay put so I had a gunsmith cut a shallow dovetail in the barrel. Very shallow compared to a standard depth dovetail, but regular sight fit.

There is only a tiny minuscule gap under the front sight of my 2005 vintage 1894 Cowboy .45 Colt, but it's not the factory front sight. I've replaced the factory Marbles front sight with a shorter Lyman sight. The dovetails on this rifle are TIGHT. darn hard to move or change the sights. I'll bet you got one with a defective sight.

Joe

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:31 am

You are correct about the dovetail. At one time I had a Rossi 92 with a barrel band front sight. The band would not stay put so I had a gunsmith cut a shallow dovetail in the barrel. Very shallow compared to a standard depth dovetail, but regular sight fit.

There is only a tiny minuscule gap under the front sight of my 2005 vintage 1894 Cowboy .45 Colt, but it's not the factory front sight. I've replaced the factory Marbles front sight with a shorter Lyman sight. The dovetails on this rifle are TIGHT. darn hard to move or change the sights. I'll bet you got one with a defective sight.

Thanks, I was pretty sure about that. At first I kinda took offense to Pete44ru's response but then I remembered that he was probably just trying to be helpful. Like I said; I didn't even notice it until the gunsmith pointed it out to me that there was a pretty wide gap between the blade and barrel. And now that I think about it, the rear sight elevation was set at the maximum trying to adjust for it.

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:24 pm

I didn't mean to offend - sorry I came on so strong (I hadn't had my morning coffee yet).

I've owned over thirty different Marlins, and the only one I had to repair was a 50 year-old .22 that had it's magazine tube nearly pulled off the barrel - dovetailed retaining/hanger ring & all.

This thread's got me wondering, though - Does Marlin make their own front sight blades now, or some sub-contractor ?

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:55 pm

I didn't mean to offend - sorry I came on so strong

It went in one eye and out the other very quickly (like in one ear and out the other... nothing in the way to stop it

).

I've only owned one other Marlin back in the '70s. I was very happy with it but like I said originally, I've not owned any rifles for probably a decade or more; only handguns.

I might have tried to tighten up the sight myself by shimming under it (I actually thought about that before I took it back to the gun shop) but since it had the nicks in the barrel and it was a NIB gun I decided to let them fix it. Then when the gunsmith showed me that only about half of the male dovetail on the sight was in the slot in the barrel (because it was not cut deep enough); I knew it needed to go back. They had a 45-70 cowboy in stock at the shop and the front sight fit much deeper in the barrel on it.

marlinman93 · Post by **marlinman93** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:23 pm

Pete,
I'm not sure if Marlin EVER made their own sights! Even back in the 1800's they used jobbers like Bridgeport Tool to make sights, as did most the other makers.
If you look at old Marlins, Savages, and Remingtons, you'll see they all used the same front and rear sights, right down to that old "harpoon" style elevator.
I'm pretty sure they still job them out to someone.

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:24 pm

Dennis, I would wait an apropriate amount of time to let Marlin recieve it and then call them and tell your tale. With the name of the shipper, they will know what rifle it is and make the repairs you request.