Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin 336 Lever Actions Should I hunt my new 336ER in 356 ??

I want to take it deer hunting , but don't want to devalue it too much. Is it that impressive on deer ? Anybody got any 180 Speer 358 bullets that they are not using? thanks, Mark.

Do you really expect it to become that collectible?

Have you checked the prices of ERs in excellent to new condition lately? They are going for well over 1K. There were less than 2000 made. I would say that is pretty collectable.

stick to your U-tube crap. John Wayne doesn't deserve that either.

I'm going to hunt with my 336ER 356 Win. To the stand and back to the truck. I'll be real carefull. Mine has the newer checkered wood so collector is out the window.

Ken

Any Marlin already worth over a K should be wrapped in a silicone cloth and put in the furthest corner of the safe.

[bleep], if I can manage to drive a $30K truck in [bleep] and submit my body to damage, I'm thinking a $1K rifle ain't worth worrying about.

Remember, they have a name for metal and wood that you don't shoot, GOLF CLUBS....

If your not going to hunt with it or use it, then why have it?

I say hunt it

I would hunt with one too if I still had one. Heck, I hunted with an 1892 Winchester 38-40 made in 1892 during this deer season. They were made to hunt with. I am sure it would have made John Browning happy to know that someone was hunting with one of his rifles 115 years after it was made.

I recently bought a 1892 Winchester, in 32-20 made in 1915. It gets packed in the woods every week-end that it isn't raining. I bought it to use.(grin!)

Thanks guys. I have been selling some of my Savage 99s for the same reasons that you guys have said, but this one might end up to be more than just any old Marlin(something like a Winchester .50 action express??) I think I will bloody it , if its not too wet out, then maybe retire it after a couple easy seasons.

Why did you buy it if not to use......did you need a trotline sinker?

Hunt it! Marlins are not safe queens. I understand your thinking, but realistically there is not much you can do to devalue it very much. Unless you really screw up, the worst thing would be scratches and dings. Even if you lost a couple of hundred bucks, the time you got to spend in the woods with such an awesome rifle would've been worth it.
I knew my chances were slim on finding a 356 at a reasonable price, so I bought the 308ME.
I make sure all of my Marlin levers get "woods time". It's just not right to keep them locked away .

I have been contemplating the same thing with my Marlin 356 Win. It is basically mint. A person would be foolish to really marr it up with hard use, but maybe short fair weather hunts like firearms44 suggested. I even thought about bringing a gun case with a strap to put it in to protect it while dragging a deer out. That seems to be when I put the most scratches on my rifles. I would suspect that most of us on this board have more than one rifle in the safe that we can reach for come deer season, so I say use it but don't abuse it.

If you knew what they are going for --and what I paid, You would have bought it too.

If I'm ever lucky enough to find one, it will go hunting.
It is what Marlin made it for. (But I will admit that it won't become my brush bashin', rough country rifle)

It's just too bad that they only made about 2440 of them.

I see some guys are reaming out the chambers on their 35 Remingtons to 356 Win.

Would be nice to see another run of 356's made.

Sounds to me like you must have gotten a good deal on it. Therefore, any normal light hunting use or wear would not result in you loosing and money. Therefore, I say hunt it!

Do you really think all the other 1,999 336ER's are all safe queens??? 20 years from now do you really think that there will be any more 336ER's? I don't think so!

I'd bet you have someone in mind right now that you would heir this gun to rather than sell it as an investment. This person I bet is very close to you, and I'd bet that person will probably have more sentimental value remembering you hunting and having success with that 356 than its worth in dollar value.

My grandfather handed down several guns. And while the bluebook value on some may be high and others nearly worthless, They are all priceless to me and, for this same reason that I would never sell them for any amount!

Just my 2 sense!

Good words---All true.

That gun was made to hunt. The Brits-who can afford them-go out and shoot in all kinds of weather with shotguns that cost as much as a house. When needed they are gone over and brought back to new. Still resell them for some high dollars.
That Marlin is a lot tougher than a Holland and Holland. Of course you can leave it in the safe and just think what a great value you have. It will not have any personal value, but jeewize 20 years from now it will put your kids thru MAYBE 1 day of school.
Are you serious?

Battue

Then again maybe that Marlin is the beginning of a successful career in gun brokering. It's yours do with it what you want.

Battue

Do you want to die a happy man? Don't warehouse your stuff. If you want to leave the gun to your kids or grandkids, they will be even more proud of it when they know that you killed a bunch of deer with it.

Steelhead made a great point. A 30K pickemup truck ends up in the junkpile, but the rifle will carry on despite being used.

Been there.........

...how about $1250+. One just sold on GunBroker the Saturday for $1250 and one just a few weeks ago for $1295...this is insane.

Too bad Marlin isn't bright enough to bring back the .307 and .356...apparently they could sell some.

Bob

At those prices I plan to sell mine, mint, likely unfired, will put it on auctionarms.com as I am blackballed by gunbroker.

GB blackballed me too for a couple of weeks. They said they had warned me three times about using an anonymous server. I never received any warnings. Finally, after I promised to be a good boy, they reinstated me. Thanks...Bill.

I have a healthy collection of firearms. They all get shot when I have time to do so. The hunting rifles get rotated out for hunting too. Kinda fun to hunt with a M95 Winchester chambered for 30 US (30-40 Krag) or an Enfield SMLE - all using my handloads. This is what makes me happy.

This is entirely a personal decision. Nothing wrong with having collectibles that you want to keep pristine if that's what makes YOU happy.

But you asked my opinion and my opinion is hunt it!

Marlin is busy promoting their own new calibers. I doubt that they'll be resurecting two failed Winchester offerings - unfortunately... we'll see a "350 Marlin" before they bring back the .356 Winny.

Yes do what you want of course - it's yours.

But since you asked for opinions, I have been hunting my 336ER since before is was a collectible. Its got honest hunting wear and tear and has killed a few big critters along the way. I wouldn't have it any other way. I have even loaned it to my son to hunt. Happy times. When I'm thru with it if I get a few extra $$$ thats all a bonus.

Birddog:

I had a somewhat similar conundrum recently when wanting both a piece of land on which to build a house and having several rifles, several still NIB and solved it by slowly selling off the unused rifles and handguns to either collectors or mostly to those wanting to blast away with leverguns. Someone made a comment to me like "they still make guns every day but no so with the land" or something similar.

My point is if you don't want to bugger up the finish or devalue the rifle with use and don't have any sentimental value to the rifle maybe sell it and get a "beater" to use. That caliber is a good one and pretty desirable to many so depending on what you paid, you could well get your purchase price back, a new lever gun in the deal and maybe just maybe a little extra if you are well bought with the 336 ER. I regret buying one when they came out but slaked my misery with a 1895 in 45-70 and all but forgot about my regret.


Be safe

Patty

After further review.

If you have no sentimental connection or desire to start a collection. Then I would say sell the 336ER and buy a new Malin 338ME when it comes out. You could take the difference in money and buy a second Marlin 336 in 35 Rem or 30-30. Isn't two guns better than one??????

To all that replied, I did take the rifle hunting this year---Killed a nice little 7 point on opening morning. It is now on gunbroker as I write this. It did not "float my boat" I am a die hard Savage 99 guy, and probably will be until I die. Marlins are nice--smooth , accurate, handy, but Savages are in a whole diff. league.

Good luck on the sale. Hope you make out well and have some left over for another 99. I havn't owned one yet but like the variety of caliber choices and possible takedown option...

Be safe

Patty

It is insane. They sell for that because people think they are worth it. However, $1000 is will not even turn your head on most other guns. Coopers, Noslers, Kimbers, and many others that cost substantially more than that are hunted with and hunted hard.

Why is that model so overpriced? Only 2500 made? How many Marlins can you name that have a smaller production number than the ER? Several no doubt and the price is not so inflated on those models.

Hunt with it if you wish and don't worry about surface scratches, they are extremely easy to fix/remove on a Marlin.

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