anyone got any intel on marlin bolt action rifle quality?

Neighbor kid bought one.....It shoots well but in it's first year the bolt locked up and refused to open.

The cause was an extractor that didn't return to the normal position and locked the bolt to the receiver ring.

I fixed it for him both times....luckily a small pin through the bleed hole in the receiver ring was able to puch the extractor back to the normal position.

If this happens in the field you're screwed until you spend the time to fix it.....assuming you know what has happened!

Do you know if he was using factory ammo? You think this is an inherent problem or just that he got a lemon?

quote:

Originally posted by Doc:
Do you know if he was using factory ammo? You think this is an inherent problem or just that he got a lemon?

Definitely factory ammo and the incident isn't at all ammo related.

I cannot say if this is common with the Marlin bolt rifle as it's the only one I know of around here.

Ok, thanks.

Saw one last week at the shop that you couldn't boresight the scope after mounting it because the barrel was off center to the receiver. This is after it came back from the factory after being sent back for the same reason. They returned it as being repaired but obviously not. You could look at it and see the barrel was not on the same axis as the receiver. I quess Remington has now taken over Marlin, NEF, etc.. Says alot for their quality control.

I have a Marlin X gun. I love it, it's accurate and it has an awesome recoil pad. They're not too heavy, as I've been lugging mine around in the mountains for the past 3 days hunting deer and the weight has not bothered me at all(junior deer season is open here in PA). I'd say my Marlin, weighs about 7 1/2 lbs with a scope. It does not feel chincy, which is a rare quality in a budget bolt rifle. Overall, I think they are the best value on the firearm market.


BTW, I got mine for 300 dollars.

Heard that if you have nothin good to say, keep your mouth shut. . . . . . so. . . . I got nothin!

I have one of the Marlin XL-7's in 30-06. It is a good shooter, and the trigger is crist and light, similar trigger to the Savage Accutrigger. Most people who have one of these rifles have good things to say about them. I will say this, it is a low cost production rifle, nuff said. Some people expect a custom rifle at a discount production rifle cost, aint never going to happen. Would I buy another one, yes, and I have plenty of other bolt rifles. The Marlin is a winner for the money.

They are very accurate for the money.I bought three of them for grand kids.They all shoot good and have had no problems with them.I am talkin 1MOA and less!!!!

The young man interested is a poor engineering student. He is looking for an "entry level deer rifle" and mentioned the Marlin. He said his research tells him it is a decent rifle for the money. He also stated he's probably going to buy a 30-30 soon.

Doc,

My youngest son bought a Marlin 336 in 30-30 many years ago. Based on its accuracy, 3 shot into a 1" group at 100 yards, his father bought an SC 336 last year. It's also accurate and is fitted with a Williams rear peep and a firefly front. All I can say is it is a classy lever action rifle, and my kid has shot lots of Deer with his.
Best bullets we've found are Nosler's 170 gn Partitions. That's the bullet used to shoot the 1" group mentioned. They are pricy, but good killers.
I see them for sale often used for $300 to $400.

quote:

Originally posted by DWright:
Heard that if you have nothin good to say, keep your mouth shut. . . . . . so. . . . I got nothin!

So, if you're supposed to keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything good to say, then why didn't you keep YOUR mouth shut ? If you have something bad to say about Marlin X guns then just say it, don't play games.

quote:

Originally posted by DMB:
Doc,

My youngest son bought a Marlin 336 in 30-30 many years ago. Based on its accuracy, 3 shot into a 1" group at 100 yards, his father bought an SC 336 last year. It's also accurate and is fitted with a Williams rear peep and a firefly front. All I can say is it is a classy lever action rifle, and my kid has shot lots of Deer with his.
Best bullets we've found are Nosler's 170 gn Partitions. That's the bullet used to shoot the 1" group mentioned. They are pricy, but good killers.
I see them for sale often used for $300 to $400.

The OP was talking Marlin bolt actions not Marlin lever actions.

Knew a guy who bought one of the Marlin Bolt guns in .308 when they first came out. He said it shot like an accurized target rifle. Loved it!

RS

quote:

Originally posted by Christian Snyder:

quote:

Originally posted by DMB:
Doc,

My youngest son bought a Marlin 336 in 30-30 many years ago. Based on its accuracy, 3 shot into a 1" group at 100 yards, his father bought an SC 336 last year. It's also accurate and is fitted with a Williams rear peep and a firefly front. All I can say is it is a classy lever action rifle, and my kid has shot lots of Deer with his.
Best bullets we've found are Nosler's 170 gn Partitions. That's the bullet used to shoot the 1" group mentioned. They are pricy, but good killers.
I see them for sale often used for $300 to $400.

The OP was talking Marlin bolt actions not Marlin lever actions.

You are correct. DMB likely picked up on my recent post where the student also stated he may buy a 30-30 (which would be in lieu of a bolt rifle).

I don't know anything about the Marlin bolt rifles and I don't know much of anything about 30-30s either. I appreciate all the responses.

I told the student to save his money and not buy a 30-30, to go ahead with a bolt action if it is only a little more in cost.

quote:

Originally posted by Doc:
The young man interested is a poor engineering student. He is looking for an "entry level deer rifle" and mentioned the Marlin.

Then he oughta buy a used rifle.
(This is no statement at all on Marlin rifles. I have a .22 and I'm plenty pleased. Sure is bang for the buck!!!!!!!!!!)

- Lars/Finland

yes, he was telling me something about some 30-30s in the price range of 179-ish. I thought he mentioned some used firearms. I have never priced a 30-30 so I don't know what the price ranges are.

A 30-30 for $179.00 wouldn't be much of a 30-30.
Maybe a New Enland single shot. If it's a Marlin or Winchester, either in sad condition or someone's offering damn a good deal. Not a thing wrong with a good 30-30.

RS

279....sorry

I've bought one recently for a bad weather rifle. I duracoated it and painted the stock OD green. I have not shot it yet. I'm waiting for the paint to cure. I will say it's very impressive for a $300 rifle. The trigger is fantastic. If it shoots accurately, it will be the best value in a bolt action rifle. It compares favorable to the Savage but comes with an "accu" type trigger that Savage reserves for it's more expensive lines.

I have one in .243 Win. It is a real shooter. I adjusted the trigger as light as I could get it and with as little creep as possible and it's pretty decent. My grandson killed a large whitetail doe with it this youth season.

I really like it--time will tell about the quality, but for the price it would be very hard to beat it! I have been able to develop loads that it will shoot well from 58 grains up to 90 grains. Not all .243s will shoot both ends of the bullet spectrum, but mine does.

quote:

Originally posted by Christian Snyder:

quote:

Originally posted by DWright:
Heard that if you have nothin good to say, keep your mouth shut. . . . . . so. . . . I got nothin!

So, if you're supposed to keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything good to say, then why didn't you keep YOUR mouth shut ? If you have something bad to say about Marlin X guns then just say it, don't play games.

The question was asked of what we thought of the marlin bolt guns.
My response was a polite way of saying that I think they are CRAP. Was hoping that my polite approach would suffice to anyone with any intellegence.
I sell firearms and am quite familiar with them. We sold them for a short period of time, but most came back with all kinds of issues.
There, you wanted me to be a little more blunt; you got it.
If you disagree with my evaluation, that's the way it goes.

quote:

Originally posted by DWright:

quote:

Originally posted by Christian Snyder:

quote:

Originally posted by DWright:
Heard that if you have nothin good to say, keep your mouth shut. . . . . . so. . . . I got nothin!

So, if you're supposed to keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything good to say, then why didn't you keep YOUR mouth shut ? If you have something bad to say about Marlin X guns then just say it, don't play games.

The question was asked of what we thought of the marlin bolt guns.
My response was a polite way of saying that I think they are CRAP. Was hoping that my polite approach would suffice to anyone with any intellegence.
I sell firearms and am quite familiar with them. We sold them for a short period of time, but most came back with all kinds of issues.
There, you wanted me to be a little more blunt; you got it.
If you disagree with my evaluation, that's the way it goes.

There, that is what I was looking for... A reason for your previous comment. What kind of problems are they having? What do you mean by "most"? Do you mean more than 50 % or is "most" an exaggeration? Not trying to be a jerk, I just want to hear a more in-depth evaluation of them from you.

Buy a Salvage, oh SAVAGE, lol. They are ugly, but they shoot and are pretty reliable. I have no experience with a Marlin that isn't a lever gun.

For the subject at hand, I have one and will not sell it since I don't believe in passing bad guns to other people. Mine has all of the issues listed above. The barrel is not concentric to the action and I have to put a cheap scope on it with LOTS allowance for windage. The trigger worked the first three shots before the "accu" thingy fell out in my hand. The extractor won't. Maybe it was a Friday gun. Don't know.

quote:

So, if you're supposed to keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything good to say, then why didn't you keep YOUR mouth shut ? If you have something bad to say about Marlin X guns then just say it, don't play games.

And therein lies the respect taught to our youth today. I 13 year old kid with almost no experience that does not even understand toung-in-cheek answers trying to be board posting police to folks much older and surely wiser than himself. I would have cut him some slack for being a green kid until he posted his next post.

quote:

There, that is what I was looking for...

Who cares what YOU were looking for, it is Doc's post.

Doc, I'm sorry if I bothered you by this.

quote:

Originally posted by larrys:
For the subject at hand, I have one and will not sell it since I don't believe in passing bad guns to other people. Mine has all of the issues listed above. The barrel is not concentric to the action and I have to put a cheap scope on it with LOTS allowance for windage. The trigger worked the first three shots before the "accu" thingy fell out in my hand. The extractor won't. Maybe it was a Friday gun. Don't know.

quote:

So, if you're supposed to keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything good to say, then why didn't you keep YOUR mouth shut ? If you have something bad to say about Marlin X guns then just say it, don't play games.

And therein lies the respect taught to our youth today. I 13 year old kid with almost no experience that does not even understand toung-in-cheek answers trying to be board posting police to folks much older and surely wiser than himself. I would have cut him some slack for being a green kid until he posted his next post.

quote:

There, that is what I was looking for...

Who cares what YOU were looking for, it is Doc's post.

Doc, I'm sorry if I bothered you by this.

I guess I'm lost. Who is 13?

Christian Snyder

quote:

Originally posted by scottfromdallas:

quote:

Originally posted by larrys:
For the subject at hand, I have one and will not sell it since I don't believe in passing bad guns to other people. Mine has all of the issues listed above. The barrel is not concentric to the action and I have to put a cheap scope on it with LOTS allowance for windage. The trigger worked the first three shots before the "accu" thingy fell out in my hand. The extractor won't. Maybe it was a Friday gun. Don't know.

quote:

So, if you're supposed to keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything good to say, then why didn't you keep YOUR mouth shut ? If you have something bad to say about Marlin X guns then just say it, don't play games.

And therein lies the respect taught to our youth today. I 13 year old kid with almost no experience that does not even understand toung-in-cheek answers trying to be board posting police to folks much older and surely wiser than himself. I would have cut him some slack for being a green kid until he posted his next post.

quote:

There, that is what I was looking for...

Who cares what YOU were looking for, it is Doc's post.

Doc, I'm sorry if I bothered you by this.

I guess I'm lost. Who is 13?

I am. I have no idea what I did wrong all I did was ask for a more in depth answer from some guy about his complaint on X guns. I am also no idiot when it comes to rifles & cartridges. I have read books, articles, and have just plain read enough about rifles & cartridges to know something. Not being proud, it is just now I'm fired up. I have fired over 3,000 rds out of rifles and have nhandles literally 100's of rifles. My dad has owned over 100 rifles and I have handles and shot a decent chunk of them. I myself have owned over 15 rifles from military surplus to hunting rifles. From jungle carbines to an Husqvarna 8X57 mauser, from a Mosin Nagant to a marlin XL7, and a lot more. If I have to list all the rifles I have owned then tell me too, I will.

As far as hunting experience, I have been big game hunting for 3 years now and I have been hunting with my dad since age 4.


BTW, if I come off proud, that is not how I mean to come off. I am just mad about one of the previous comments. If I said something innapropriate, tell me, I will do the best I can to make it right.

I am sorry for being disrespectful, I have looked around this thread and have seen what I did wrong. I realize what I said to DWright was both cocky and disrespectful and I owe him an appology. DWright, I am sorry and wore rill attempt to be a more respectful member.

quote:

Originally posted by Christian Snyder:
I am sorry for being disrespectful, I have looked around this thread and have seen what I did wrong. I realize what I said to DWright was both cocky and disrespectful and I owe him an appology. DWright, I am sorry and wore rill attempt to be a more respectful member.

No sweat. Believe me, a lot of us adults that post on this thread tend to act like we are 8 years old.

quote:

Originally posted by icemanls2:
Buy a Salvage, oh SAVAGE, lol. They are ugly, but they shoot and are pretty reliable. I have no experience with a Marlin that isn't a lever gun.

Savage's are ugly, but they work well. I love to shoot tight groups around over proud Rem or Win owners!

Having said that, the only Marlin I see at the range seems to be a good gun. The owner does not reload, but is getting decent groups with it. He let me shoot it a few times, and it "feels" a lot like my Savage's. To the point I was wondering if they weren't made by Savage and branded Marlins!

I currently have 4 of them and think that they are THE BEST <$300 retail CF rifle for sale in the U.S. on 10/29/10. Much better then the competition in the sub-$300 market niche, like the Remington 710/770, Savage Edge, or Stevens 200. In addition to the 4 that I own, I've sold several and sighted in somewhere around 30. The only problem that anyone has raised is that Marlin isn't making them in a quick twist 223 or 22-250. The 243 that I own is a pure ranch/truck rifle, no TLC, and it has been shooting Federal 80 grain factory loads into MOA+/- groups since it was NIB. I leave it at my MIL's ranch in southwest SD, so that I don't have to both carrying a rifle if I have to fly from Omaha to Rapid City via commercial air. The other 3 have been rebarreled, 2 via A&B barrels from MidwayUSA and 1 via a Stevens 200 take-off. The A&B barrels are the Savage drop-in barrels that I've cut 0.20" off the shank and recut the chambers to insure tight/minimum headspace, a 257 on an XS-7 action and a 7x57 on an XL-7 action. The Stevens 200 barrel is a 1-9" ROT 223 barrel that I rechambered to 22-250. It shoots so well that I took it doe hunting earlier this month an punched 4 tags with it, using the 60 grain Partition. I have several Savage 110 series rifles, both A/T and pre-A/T, but the ergs of the Marlin stock work much better for me. I think that Marlin has a vehicle for knocking Savage out of the <$300 market niche if they would add quick twist 223s and 22-250s to the XS-7 line and the 7mm Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag to the XL-7 line.

Christian, I also apologize. I came off too strongly. I hope we can learn from each other.

Bought my nephews one of these rifles in .270. It was accurate from day one. In fact, my brother left his Model 70 at home and took the Marlin on a recent deer hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by NEJack:

quote:

Originally posted by icemanls2:
Buy a Salvage, oh SAVAGE, lol. They are ugly, but they shoot and are pretty reliable. I have no experience with a Marlin that isn't a lever gun.

Savage's are ugly, but they work well. I love to shoot tight groups around over proud Rem or Win owners!

Having said that, the only Marlin I see at the range seems to be a good gun. The owner does not reload, but is getting decent groups with it. He let me shoot it a few times, and it "feels" a lot like my Savage's. To the point I was wondering if they weren't made by Savage and branded Marlins!

I don't think Savages are ugly, not very pretty but not ugly. I'd rather have a Savage 110 right now over a Remington 700 or 7 right now with all the problemns they're having. Savages are built rather strongly and they're overall just good bubdget rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by scottfromdallas:

quote:

Originally posted by Christian Snyder:
I am sorry for being disrespectful, I have looked around this thread and have seen what I did wrong. I realize what I said to DWright was both cocky and disrespectful and I owe him an appology. DWright, I am sorry and wore rill attempt to be a more respectful member.

No sweat. Believe me, a lot of us adults that post on this thread tend to act like we are 8 years old.

That does not excuse me though. But thanks anyway.


DWright, I still want you to answer my questions. What problems are they having? How many are actually coming back?

No one has ruffled my feathers. Christian, if someone comments about an item you like or have had luck with, but they haven't, don't let that get to you (if in fact that's what made you mad). For the rest of your life you will have those who disagree with you or do not experience what you do. Thanks for posting your experience with the rifle. I will fwd to the person who is interested in them.

As for Marlin bolt rifles, if they are what we can refer to as "hit and miss" meaning you can certainly have a good chance at buying one that is crap, then I'll talk to the student in question who is looking at them and let him make his own decision. From the comments so far, I'm guessing there is an equal chance at buying a good one v. one I'd rather throw in a garbage can.

quote:

Originally posted by Doc:
No one has ruffled my feathers. Christian, if someone comments about an item you like or have had luck with, but they haven't, don't let that get to you (if in fact that's what made you mad). For the rest of your life you will have those who disagree with you or do not experience what you do. Thanks for posting your experience with the rifle. I will fwd to the person who is interested in them.

As for Marlin bolt rifles, if they are what we can refer to as "hit and miss" meaning you can certainly have a good chance at buying one that is crap, then I'll talk to the student in question who is looking at them and let him make his own decision. From the comments so far, I'm guessing there is an equal chance at buying a good one v. one I'd rather throw in a garbage can.

That IS NOT what got me mad. It was the way DWright presented his comment. He said that he heard that if you have nothing good to say, then keep your mout shut, and in making his post he " dropped a dime ". He was playing games instead of posting why he doesn't like them. I wanted a post explaining why he didn't like them. I personally, have heard very little bad about them. I have been looking all over the net and people that complain about them are about as rare as hen's teeth. That is, until I came here.


Another reason I got mad is because a member said that I had no experience and that was insulting. I may not have much experience, but I do have a little experience. I actually was just Squirrel hunting with my dad TODAY, gaining a little bit more experience.

I can't speak for others, but I have one of these "pieces of junk" as some seem to think of them. It is a .243 and as I stated earlier, it shoots GREAT! I paid $269 for it, new--they were on sale. It is much, much, better than any of my New England Handi-Rifles. I have approximately 80 rounds through it with no problems. Maybe I just got lucky! No, it certainly isn't a Weatherby, but for the price it would be very hard to beat. I suppose time will tell on the quality of the thing, but my feeling now is that I'd buy another one.

All that said, I'm glad there are those who will honestly, and frankly present the cons as well. If I were in the market for one for the first time, I'd really want to know the pros and the CONS.