Hope this isn't any longer true about Marlin quality...

[AJMD429]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUOrbeQNi2E

I have to say that personally, the worst Marlin I've seen was actually quite normal by today's standards for an ordinary 'hunting gun'. It became my first "Night Scout" rifle. All the others, old AND new, have been fine, but I haven't exactly made a formal study of the issue.

[Dave]

The new Marlins are hard to take. It seems like the good ones are drying up. Pawn shops and gun shows around here used to be full of pre safety Marlins but lately they are not around. I don't know how true this is but supposedly according to an ex employee of Marlin two things are the problem.

One, not one of the real Marlin employees went to the new factory. All institutional knowledge was lost.

Second, once the receiver is made it has to be trued to get it all perfectly straight and true. The new receivers are not being trued correctly. Thus, every operation performed on them is not square. Every hole, every cut is off.

It is a crying shame but I know that when a guy can go to WalMart and buy a pre scoped promo bolt gun for $350 that shoots a more modern cartridge than the lever rounds it is hard for him to understand the advantage of buying a lever.

I think a man better buy any good Marlin that crosses his path at this point if he can.

[mikld]

Thanks AJ for this thread. I was on the verge of trying a new Marlin lever, mebbe an 1895 in 45-70. But in my small town there are no new '95s to be held/seen (only two places that sell new guns) so I was gonna buy one on line. Not now...

[Hagler]

...here is a screenshot, from that video, showing "tooling chatter" in the rifling:



Shawn

[cnjarvis]

For whatever reason, the lack of quality control is becoming commonplace. Two of the last three guns I've bought have had to go back to the factory for repair/replacement due either to scope holes/sights that were not centered on the action/barrel or a bore that looked like corrugated pipe and accuracy to match.

Looks like I won't be buying a Marlin now. Thanks for sharing.

[Eye-Bite!]

...here is a screenshot, from that video, showing "tooling chatter" in the rifling:



Shawn

Pictures are always worth a 1000 words... Ouch!

[harry]

Thats not chatter, its a improperly ground cutter, but just the same very bad QC

[AJMD429]

...here is a screenshot, from that video, showing "tooling chatter" in the rifling:



Shawn

Pictures are always worth a 1000 words... Ouch!

I actually do have a 1911 clone with a barrel like that and it shoots just fine, but I sure wouldn't want a rifle like that.

Hopefully there will be some stepping up to fill the niche of less-than-Turnbull quality but decent-enough-for-a-'shooter' pretty soon...

[1894c]

got rid of my REM-Marlin 336BL because it had chamber issues, too short--just picked up another 1979 Winchester 94 in .30wcf...i can't believe i'm saying this but i think i would buy a Rossi before i bought a new REM-Marlin...looks like the next generation of leverguners will be shooting our older stuff, because me thinks that new leverguns are going the way of the dinosaur...makes me sad... :(

[.45colt]

There is no reason to buy any of the junk that Marlington or Remington builds today. Marlin is gone with the wind..... Rem-lin has shipped 100's of Marlin of rifles that they made that were defective when they left the "PLANT". .They knew about them when they shipped them. The joke is on the American Consumer. Want a Good Marlin? look to the past.

[COSteve]

Done

[buckeyeshooter]

There is no reason to buy any of the junk that Marlington or Remington builds today. Marlin is gone with the wind..... Rem-lin has shipped 100's of Marlin of rifles that they made that were defective when they left the "PLANT". .They knew about them when they shipped them. The joke is on the American Consumer. Want a Good Marlin? look to the past.

Agree 100%!

[jdad]

If you're going to build someone else's product, then do it right.

USFA built an excellent Colt SAA.

Remington will never figure out how to build a Marlin lever.

[earlmck]

This looks bad for the future of the brand. But Remington is just continuing a Marlin tradition: Marlin also didn't bother making sure the rifles fed and fired before they shipped them. (I refer here to Marlin Jam #1 and Marlin Jam #2). Additionally I purchased a new 1895 about 12 years ago that had such a poorly shaped extractor it wouldn't allow a round to chamber.

That said, once you fix one of the old Marlins you have a nice rifle. The old Marlin folks at least looked at them before they shipped them...

[Sixgun]

That was quite a video. Its hard to believe junk like that escaped from the factory. I personally have looked at a half dozen Rem-Marlins that came through my bud's business and I was astounded by the lack of quality control.....there is none. It was easy to stick a nickel between the wood and the receiver. The actions were gritty. The wood was "proud" by 1/8".

When something gets this bad, there is a reason. Remington is purposely trying to destroy the Marlin name. Nobody or any business can be that stupid............so once again, there has to be a reason. It will probably give Remington a humongus tax write off if they fail on making Marlins and then they can concentrate on the junk they call Model 700's.

Remington's quality control on their name brand stuff is not much better. One out of 10 .22 L.R. had misfires. My bud gives me 100 .308 cases that he fired from his 901 Colt. This ammo was Remington's "Premier Match" with 168 gr. Sierra's. I go to load them and in every third case the new primer fell out.

Last month I was face to face with a hotshot from Federal and we talked at length on this issue about Remington. He smiled, knowing full well that Federal will have Remington's business in the future.

This is what I mean by "there has to be a reason". Quality control this bad is being done on purpose.----------Sixgun

[oldgerboy]

These are the same type problems we saw when Remington was purchased by the same group ... likewise with Bushmaster. The holding group that has these companies don't care and/or don't understand what they are doing as was explained above. We have guys asking every week about a new Marlin but all we can do is shrug our shoulders. We can also add Savage Arms to "sold out" category. Off the top of my head I can't remember who is getting them but to quote my boss at the shop ... naw, I can't quote him here ... inappropriate ... he has no respect for the level of quality the new owners have in their current weaponry. It looks like another good American brand is done for.

[Grizzly Adams]

I have never been impressed with the quality of Marlin rifles. Always fairly good value for the money, but never finely finished. IMHO. IF Remington could get their act together, they might actually be able to improve the product - but that seems like a big IF!

[olyinaz]

I have never been impressed with the quality of Marlin rifles. Always fairly good value for the money, but never finely finished. IMHO. IF Remington could get their act together, they might actually be able to improve the product - but that seems like a big IF!

In modern times I think that's exactly right - I've never been impressed. What's sad is that it got worse! Totally UNSAT.