Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
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- Levergunner
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Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
I suspect the Winchester 94 vs. Marlin 336 (both in 30-30) comparison is a very Ford/Chevy thing that goes on forever. However, perhaps those with experience on both could definitively answer one question: which one functions the smoothest? I have fired 336's and have noticed they seem a little "clunky" and would sometimes mis-feed if not manipulated firmly. Is the Winchester slicker and more tolerant of operating technique, or is there little difference between the two? Thanks.
- Modoc ED
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Own both and shoot both. Six of one, half dozen of the other. Both are good solid rifles. Even the earlier post-64 Winchesters can be made to function flawlessly and smoothly.
Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Welcome to the forum. At least for me the Marlin is smoother and less likely to not chamber a round. The Marlin is also easier to disassemble for cleaning. With that said I do own more Winchesters than Marlins. Both are great lever guns and I enjoy them all.
Ricky
DWWC
DWWC
- Old Savage
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Depends on the particular rifle. Welcome. Smooth Marlins are smoother than any of the post 64s I have seen.
- AJMD429
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
An 'action job' makes either one smooth as butter, as does simply shooting a few tens of thousands of rounds out of it.
ONE reason the older ones generate comments about how "they don't make them like that anymore" is the simple fact that the older ones have been SHOT for thousands of rounds and smoothed up accordingly. There IS a valid point that current manufacturing lacks some of the 'careful hand-fitting' of days gone by, but I think most 'new' guns slick up pretty good with use. Do a simple 'action job' and that speeds up the process.
ONE reason the older ones generate comments about how "they don't make them like that anymore" is the simple fact that the older ones have been SHOT for thousands of rounds and smoothed up accordingly. There IS a valid point that current manufacturing lacks some of the 'careful hand-fitting' of days gone by, but I think most 'new' guns slick up pretty good with use. Do a simple 'action job' and that speeds up the process.
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
welcome home
way to kick over the coffee pot.
better post some pics so as to calm everyone down.
good luck, pokey
way to kick over the coffee pot.
better post some pics so as to calm everyone down.
good luck, pokey
careful what you wish for, you might just get it.
"BECAUSE I CAN"
"BECAUSE I CAN"
Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Own both, shoot both, like both, wouldn't turn either away.
Sincerely,
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
- Old Savage
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
The Pre 64s were to some extent essentially custom fitted and many were very smooth whether they had been shot a lot or not.
Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
I find it impossible for me so make any flat statement as to which is smoother. I've used examples of each that were as smooth as could be wished -- and others that were rough as a cob. Brand-new, neither is particularly smooth, but a light action job -- or just a BUNCH of working the action -- usually cures either action pretty swiftly.
In a choice between two worn-in examples, I MIGHT give a very slight advantage to the Marlin. Even when it gets as smooth as it's going to get, the 94 still feels a bit to me like exactly what it is -- a complex (comparatively) mechanism with lots of lever, cranks, and pivots. The Marlin action seems in some sense more "staightforward" to me.
In a choice between two worn-in examples, I MIGHT give a very slight advantage to the Marlin. Even when it gets as smooth as it's going to get, the 94 still feels a bit to me like exactly what it is -- a complex (comparatively) mechanism with lots of lever, cranks, and pivots. The Marlin action seems in some sense more "staightforward" to me.
- Griff
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Yep, stirrin' up controversy... good way to get noticed! Welcome to the Forum.
I have two Marlins and 24 or so Winchesters... the only answer is that you'll have to decide for yourself. Each has it's pros and cons. Enjoy the decision making process!
Griff,
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- Buck Elliott
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
"Short-stroke" either brand and you're in for a session of fussin' & fixin', trying to make everything inside play nice with each other.
For sheer smoothness, neither model mentioned takes the cake. For my money, the prize goes to a well-regulated Model 1873 WINCHESTER... (or a 9422...)
For sheer smoothness, neither model mentioned takes the cake. For my money, the prize goes to a well-regulated Model 1873 WINCHESTER... (or a 9422...)
Regards
Buck
Life has a way of making the foreseeable that which never happens, and the unforeseeable, that which your life becomes...
Buck
Life has a way of making the foreseeable that which never happens, and the unforeseeable, that which your life becomes...
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- Levergunner
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Silly me, I really thought this one little facet of the two rifles would be some sort of known quantity and my decision point. Thanks for all the input, everybody. I'll have to find a '94 to shoot for comparison.
Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
where abouts are you?
there just might be some one around you that has one [ or two or.....]
there just might be some one around you that has one [ or two or.....]
careful what you wish for, you might just get it.
"BECAUSE I CAN"
"BECAUSE I CAN"
- Old Savage
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
With all due respect, 94/336s are apples and oranges to 73/9422s.
- El Chivo
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
I would say the 94 is looser and the 336 is smoother, if equally easy to operate.
Once I had a small flake of brush get in my 336 action and it jammed it, due to the tight tolerances.
Once I had a small flake of brush get in my 336 action and it jammed it, due to the tight tolerances.
"I'll tell you what living is. You get up when you feel like it. You fry yourself some eggs. You see what kind of a day it is."
- Buck Elliott
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Ah, but they're ALL leverguns...Old Savage wrote:With all due respect, 94/336s are apples and oranges to 73/9422s.
Kinda like McIntosh & Golden delicious...
Regards
Buck
Life has a way of making the foreseeable that which never happens, and the unforeseeable, that which your life becomes...
Buck
Life has a way of making the foreseeable that which never happens, and the unforeseeable, that which your life becomes...
Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
The smoothest?? Why MY 336 of course.....duh.
Some people just need a sympathetic pat on the head.....with a hammer. Repeatedly.
Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Winchester. The Marlin has managed to have a malfunction named in its honor and in the event of a problem, the Winchester's top ejection port makes for easier access.
People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.
Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Unlike many on this forum, I am not an expert, ...and I don't own a 336. So, I'll just offer that my Marlin 1894C seems more sensitive to bullet design and cartridge OAL than my Winchester 1894 Trapper. As others have stated, the Wincester feels "looser."
Last edited by alnitak on Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
dorchester,dorchester wrote:Silly me, I really thought this one little facet of the two rifles would be some sort of known quantity and my decision point. Thanks for all the input, everybody. I'll have to find a '94 to shoot for comparison.
There really isn't a "smoother" action. Each action, Marlin, Winchester, and their various versions are so different you really are comparing apples to grapefruits.
Marlin has used the same basic action design since the beginning, so theirs share a very similar feel no matter which version you use.
Winchester on the other hand has so many different designs that all have their own distinct feel that you really can't compare them.
I've had Win 94s for over 40 years. In that time I've had a couple that just would not smooth up. The functioned OK, shot accurately but the actions were just atrocious. I've had a number of Marlin 1894s and all of them were basically similar. None of them stood out as smoother than the others.
If you are in central IL, I have three Win 94s I'd be happy to let you try out.
Joe
***Be sneaky, get closer, bust the cap on him when you can put the ball where it counts .***
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Howdy and welcome to the fire.
If we are discussing the current out of the box late model guns the marlin has the edge.
If we are talking pre-64 but post war 94's and Marlins from the same era there is very little difference.
From a gunsmith that does action work point of view of the current out of the box late models, the Marlin will clean up much better than the late model re-bounding hammer model 94's. To get the late model 94's anywhere as smooth as the late Marlins the lower tang and fire control parts have to be converted back to the pre-64 but post war style parts.
If we are discussing the current out of the box late model guns the marlin has the edge.
If we are talking pre-64 but post war 94's and Marlins from the same era there is very little difference.
From a gunsmith that does action work point of view of the current out of the box late models, the Marlin will clean up much better than the late model re-bounding hammer model 94's. To get the late model 94's anywhere as smooth as the late Marlins the lower tang and fire control parts have to be converted back to the pre-64 but post war style parts.
Steve Young aka Nate Kiowa Jones Sass# 6765
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Steve's Guns aka "Rossi 92 Specialists"
205 Antler lane
Lampasas, Texas 76550
http://www.stevesgunz.com
Email; steve@stevesgunz.com
Tel: 512-564-1015
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- Levergunner
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- Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:16 pm
Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Holy mackeral, a great bunch of replies everybody, thanks. I've got a pair of rifles lined up for a comparison shoot (thanks for the test offerings, folks). Pre-64 Winchester and an indeterminate age Marlin (sans hammer block, micro groove, great wood; so probably fairly old manufacture) for just a simple comparison. I understand this is very much an individual rifle kind of thing, now. When they're this close, I can quit worrying about it and just go for intangibles.
- Old Savage
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Re: Model 94 or 336 for smoothest operation?
Good choice - 79 was a particularly smooth year.