Another Marlin in the house (now with pics)

[Dave]

The other day I was at a store that sells police stuff buying a Streamlight Microstream. If you haven't seen them check them out. They are really small, bright and cost less than $20. The owner said he just got back from buying a group of guns from a small dept in Mississippi. Of course that got my attention. He said it would be a while before he got them sorted and logged in. I let it go since my money is funny anyway.

Then it hit me. I asked him if there were any levers in the bunch. He said yes and produced a Marlin 336 pistol grip carbine with a Tasco straight four power on it. It looked rough. Thin blue with a lot of freckles of rust. Very little of the Mar Shield finish left on the stocks. Dark bore. I am strangely attracted to guns like that of course.

As I kept looking at it I saw a couple of good signs. Mainly the fact the none of the screw heads had even the slightest boogering on them. That and the muzzle wasn't dinked up at the crown. It just looked real used but not abused.

He said he would go $150 which seemed high but on the other hand even pawn shop guns have gone up and a new one is like $400. I said OK call me when you get it logged in and ready to go.

I picked it up the other day and when I got it home I ran a patch down the bore and voila a bright perfect bore. No pits no nothing. It is actually better than the bore on my pet gun. So I guess I have another 30-30. I still have to take it completely apart and clean it for real but it is looking good. I may redo it or I may just leave it. If anyone has a Williams 5D rear sight they want to sell bump me.

I just can't resist a beater 30-30.

Here it is. Not much of a beauty contest winner but who can resist a truck grade Marlin for a buck fifty? It looks a lot better in the pics than in real life.

[gamekeeper]

Sounds like a real good deal Any chance of a picture?

[Hobie]

[doorgunner]

That's the beauty of a 30-30, you just can't have too may of them!

[DBW]

Good score. Much cheaper than what I put out for two new 336s earlier this year. I only wish I hadn't lost mine in a boating accident soon after.

[pokey]

nothing wrong with that.

[jlchucker]

The Marlin in those pics look a whole lot better than the gussied up new ones that are being sold today. The forearm even looks slimmer, and the lack of ugly "checkering" gives it a certain utilitarian elegance of its own.

[wecsoger]

$150? Even with tax and title, you're complaining about that? (grin)

Seriously, that is a _very_ good deal. In my area (sw Ohio, e. Ky) similiar condition goes $275 - $350

Bottom line. It's a tangible asset that will hold it's value. It won't eat much and cost you money. At some future time, with good marketing you should be able to double your money.

You had better buy that owner a cup of coffee or put him on your Christmas list.

Yeah, those Streamlights are wayyyy cool. I've pretty much converted everything I own (except an old Kel-lite) over to LED

[Dave]

I took the finish off the stocks with Minwax Furniture Refinisher. It melted the ragged Mar Shield off along with the white paint speckles that were on the stocks. I just put the first coat of Tru Oil on the wood and it soaked it right up. I may do one more coat today and then one more later this week. I am not going to sand the stocks. They aren't that bad and I'm not that good.

I took the gun completely apart and it wasn't near as bad as I imagined. Usually a Mississippi gun will have dirt, twigs, grass, and maybe a dead bug or two inside but it was very clean with almost no crud inside the receiver.

No rust in the mag tube and looking at the wear on the lever the gun really hasn't been shot all that much. I guess it spent a lot of time bouncing around in someone's truck and then rusting up in the police gun room before the dept sold it.

Other than one of the ears on the butt stock that fits into the rear of the receiver being cracked it was not bad at all. The ear was not cracked bad so I put a little epoxy on the crack, blew it down into the break, and wedged a 38 Special case in there to hold it while it dried. It is fine now. Those ears crack a lot.

The front sight was bent and battered and I had a new factory one in my stuff so I put it on. Didn't need much fitting at all. Looks a lot better.

I am going to leave the scope on it and shoot it a little when I put it back together to see how it does. I bet it will make a gun. The serial number says it was made in 1976.

[TedH]

Any 30-30 that is complete and will fire is worth a buck fifty. I'd say ya done real good.

[Old Savage]

That is a classic - like the one that hung on my wife's grandfather's wall.

[marlinman93]

That's a super bargain, and a gun that looks darn nice too!

[Sixgun]

Beater?? It looks to me like a decent 336 with a few handling marks. A "beater" would have a sewer pipe bore, mismatched and banged up wood and an action thats looser than a %%%$# on saturday night.

You did exactly what I would have done---cleaned the metal and True Oiled the wood with no sanding. Paint stripper usually swells out the small dings.

Nice snag--ya done well-------------Sixgun