Nasty marlin

[cavebear803]

I had heard on this site that Marlin quality control was bad but I finally got to see it first hand. A friend of mine won a raffle and his prize was a new in the box 336 in 30/30. Well as the fall crept on last week he decided to take it out and shoot it and get ready for deer season. He fired two shots and had problems with both extracting. At work I am known as the gun guy so he asked me to see if it needed cleaning. To make a long story short it didn't need cleaning it needs to be recycled!The butt stock wobbles all over, even with the stock bolt tight. The fit is truly lousey and you can see on the end next to the reciever that the wood was not sealed. There is like no pressure on the extractor, I had to hold pressure against it with my thumb to get it to extract the last round he had fired at the range. There was abig scratch on the case and one visible in the chamber as well. The primer was backed out almost all of the way! Both empties look like this. When you drop the hammer on an empty chamber you can actually see the hammer drive the bolt ahead! The lever stroke is very rough and gritty and the front sight is barely held on the gun! This is a brand new rifle from a well respected company; even worse is that the morons who had orderred it for the raffle had never openned the box to check if it was even the correct serial number. It came factory taped and had never been openned till this last week when it was taken out to the range. A very poor showing not only from Marlin but from the FFL moron who would accept the printing on the box as proof of the serial of the firearm enclosed in it!! I for one will not do business with eather again! All my marlins will be off the used gun rack from here on out. PS we ran all the rest of the box of 30/30 ammo through my ancient savage bolt with out a problem one!!

[kimwcook]

Really sad, but I'd get a hold of Marlin and have them fix it. I'd ask for a new rifle, but you'd probably get one just like it. It's hard for me to fathom a gunmaker, Remington, allowing these rifles to be shipped. They know the difference between a viable product and one that's just not gonna make it. I don't get it.

[FWiedner]

When powers that be decide that a staff member needs to be "managed out", they create a non-viable, un-productive, unfulfilling, or hostile work environment which encourages the subject to "move on".

When a manufacturer has a product line that they want to discontinue because it may not be the income generator they'd hoped for, they manage it in a fashion that diminshes product quality, customer service, and market share, and they sit back and wait for low-ball offers to start coming in.

I'm thinking that while Remington is experiencing a series of growing pangs, they actually have very little interest in maintaining the Marlin product line.

[earlmck]

Sad, sad, sad. As a long-time Marlin lover I want to cry.

[kimwcook]

I'm thinking that while Remington is experiencing a series of growing pangs, they actually have very little interest in maintaining the Marlin product line.

Then just drop the product if your not going to do the job right. In my mind there's no excuse for turning your eye and allowing something out the door with the level of quality a 15 year old would do when you make firearms for a living.

[Pete44ru]

Well............. If Remington, etc, lets Marlin depreciate due to QC or whatever, they can take it as a nice fat corporate tax break, right off the top (capital gains/loss) - much larger than if they would have simply discontinued the product.

Morals has zip to do with corporate bottom lines.

.

[O.S.O.K.]

Tell him to remove the stock and look inside - he will most likely see broken chips - something strange was going on - either at the plant or afterwards as there have been quite a few with this problem - they received a sever blow that caused the stocks to break inside... he needs to call Marlin up and tell them the problems - they will have him send it in and if it's like mine, they'll fix everthing and turn it in a few weeks - will ship it right back to him.

[1894c]

I am really sorry to read this post--saddens me--nobody should recieve a product in that condition, especially as a prize--don't get it

[DPris]

The latest new Marlin lever I've seen was one of the large-loop levers about a month ago, its laminated stock was wobbly on the frame.
It's incredible that these people are putting out such absolute junk.
The longer this goes on the less respect I have for the organization.
Denis

[Pitchy]

Picked up another new GBL at the gun store where i bought mine the other day and levered it. The gun jammed up and wouldn`t close, very poor , very poor. Had to send mine back to have the barrel re indexed but it`s a good gun now. One nice thing about these Marlins is ya can smooth one up by yourself pretty easy. Not that a person should have to do anything to a new gun.
I hope Remington gets it together and makes a good name for Marlin again.

[Nath]

You know when the world is going to hell in a hand cart when you can't even buy a new made levergun without isssues!

N

[65bee]

Well, only upside to this is the fact that those of us who have been picking up and socking away nice Conn.-made Marlins will see them start increasing in value. These earlier Marlins are still available out there and at bargain prices, but won't be for long.

[wecsoger]

will see them start increasing in value.

Not necessarily. See the other thread on Win. 94 values.

Been more than several threads here and other places about the 'new' Marlin quality, there's been enough comments to make it more than sour grapes. What is sounds like is systemic, the new owners cut the workforce to the bone and folks that have are turning out bad parts and assembling them into bad guns, guns that are passing factory inspection. By the way, are they proof-firing these guns assembled? Or just proofing the barrels in a frame? Or neither?

Low paid workers with low experience and a lack of corporate culture will get you that.

I can't subscribe to the theory they're being kept alive just as a tax write-off.

For right now though, the newer Marlin's name is mud, along with the Mossberg levers. Shame too, both American made products.

I'm willing to bet neither model will be with us in a year or so.

[Old Ranger]

I retired from the gunsmithing business shortly after I retired from police work. That said, I still help out a local shop with some of the weapons he gets in that are the ones that make him scratch his head and wonder how to fix it, and calls me. In the past month, I have repaired three brand new, or near new, Remingtons that hit his shop. All were poorly fitted. Parts not adjusted or not complete in their finishings. In short, Remington is producing lousy firearms period! Two of the weapons that I repaired had already been to the factory on warranty repairs and they were not repaired. I would not have a new weapon built by that firm, nor any of the others that are owned by their parent company. Ever!

Off the soapbox now.....

Wade

[wecsoger]

Remington is producing lousy firearms......

Uh-oh. That ain't soundin' good.

[Old Ranger]

There was a rumor going around that Remington has a "Production Clock" in parts of the factory that dictate the number of weapons required to roll off the assembly line every so many minutes. Whether this is true or not, I have no idea. I do know this; that company has placed demands upon their employees to crank out as many weapons they can in as little time possible. This was from a source pretty close to the location of mfg. and is a supplier of tools and other equipment to the factory. He sees things that the employees will not discuss outside the firm.

Take a look at some of the Remingtons that are brand new....look close and you'll see the same thing as on the Marlins...mismatched parts and such are now the norm, rather than the rare occasion like it was some years back.

I rarely make many entries in posts here. I rather like just watching what some folks are doing and having fun as they enjoy their leverguns like the rest of us. But every so often I will jump in and have a say if I know I can help. Otherwise, I remain quiet and enjoy the forum. Like it here and most all folks are simply top notch in my book. But as far as the Remington/Marlin issue, I agree that the weapons are far from what they once were since they moved production to the Remington plant. A sad day, I'm sure....

Opps! I fell off my soapbox again!

Wade

[scarville]

In short, Remington is producing lousy firearms period!

I can believe that. About two years ago I bought a 700 VTR that had several little things wrong with it. Nothing I couldn't fix and it was a pretty decent shooter by the time I sold it. The Marlin 336 I bought recently seemed pretty nice but the extractor only extracts about four of every five rounds. I'm going to see if Marlin will fix it.

I do hope Remington can fix the problem with the Marlin lever guns. I only have two -- an 1894C I bought in 2001 and the aforementioned 336 -- and I'd like to get a couple more. The 1894 is an amazing gun and I'd like another in 357 and/or 44. Maybe I'll have to look to a Winchester or Rossi 1892.

[DPris]

Remington's investing a bunch of money in new CNC for the Marlin leverguns, there may be hope on the horizon.
Denis

[.45colt]

Too Bad Remington didn't INVEST in Managment with a Third Grade amount of COMMON SENSE. Gunmakers have been building firearms for how long before CNC... 400 years????
How many shooters have opened a box with a piece of junk being passed off as new and inspected? these jerks should have never allowed this to happen much less keep letting substandard products out the door. what they have done to the Marlin Name is a Shame.

[TNBigBore]

Although I have seen a handful of NY made Marlins that had good fit and finish, most I have personally inspected are pure junk. Even if Remington gets their act together and starts producing quality Marlin rifles again, the damage already done to brand may be too much to overcome.

[DPris]

It may, but what I'm hearing from them gives me reason to hang off for a few months & take another look.
Denis

[93marshooter]

Ain't I been sayin!!!!! I put a fairly new 336 on lay-a-way at a pawn shop for my son in law. I plan to get it to a range and a gun smith before presenting it to him. Don't want to give him junk