Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Marlin XL-7

I can't speak to much on the Marlin XL-7's since I haven't owned one yet. But if it shoots and handles as nice as the MR-7B that I gave myself for Christmas back in 1999, I will be owning some soon.

Lucky dog to get a rare Marlin!

you forgot, M70 bolt stop/release

Question on the Savage barrel interchangeability...which size shank?

I had no idea there were different ones. Mine came off a standard Savage sporter model like they sell @ Wally World.

It is the older, standard, smaller size.

Bruce

Thanks Bruce

If the barrel wasn't factory chambered in either SAUM or WSM it will have the proper diameter and 20 TPI thread specs, but because of the slightly deeper bolt face on the Marlin bolt, you will probably need to shorten the barrel at least 0.05" and recut the chamber.

Jeff

While some Marlins may have that problem from what I have read most don't...
See link for barrel changing.. Lots of good info on this site regarding the Marlin..

http://www.usa-shooters.com/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=346
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But you see the root of the problem. Some shadetree 'smith screws a Savage barrel into a Marlin receiver, drops a headspace gauge into the chamber, closes the bolt, and then screws the barrel in and/or out until the bolt is just a little hard to close. Then he tightens the nut and he has acheived "match-tight" headspace.

OR HAS HE?

Since the recess of the Marlin's bolt face might be 2/100" deeper than the Savage bolt faces, the friction/tightness that feels like the headspace gauge coming into contact against the shoulder of the chamber MIGHT actually be the front of the Marlin's bolt coming into contact with the rear of the Savage barrel. Since headspace is measured in incriments of 1/1000", this scenario would put the headspace too long/loose/excess at 20/1000". I don't know if excess headspace in the neighborhood of 20/1000" would cause case seperation the 1st time you fired a new cartridge, but it might.

I think that a lot of people are swapping their barrels and encountering this scenario without realizing that their "match-tight" headspace is actually loose/excess headspace, but probably at something less than 20/1000", so the case stretching doesn't show up immediately.

I wonder if Marlin went with a deeper recess in the bolt face specifically to discourage folks from swapping Savage barrels onto their Marlin receivers.

Jeff

Jeff,
I see the problem..
Maybe the smart thing to do is to take the material off the Marlin bolt "nose" if you are going to use barrels fitted for Sav. actions.
That way you wouldn't have to set the barrel back and re chamber.
Could you still use the original Marlin barrel if you did that, or would you have to lengthen the chamber using a bolt with a shorter nose? Or have two bolt heads eh?
If I can find a .358 up here that doesn't cost more than the rifle I will go the switch barrel route with my XS7..
And yes I am a shadetree'er..

Yeah, same here, hence my question. I'm thinking .260 Rem and .338 Fed...

I don't think that shortening the bolt is the best course of action, but there are almost always most ways than 1 to skin a cat.

If you did trim the "nose", you'd almost certainly have to lengthen the original factory fitted barrel's chamber to achieve the proper headspace.

I don't know if Marlin has bolt heads available.

MidwayUSA has A&B barrel in 358 for about $130.

Jeff

MidwayUSA has A&B barrels in 338 Federal for $130, but they are no longer having these barrels made up in 260. I have 1 that I bought for a switch-barrel project in 2006 and it is a pretty good shooter.

Jeff

NO!!! don't screw with the bolt. When I did my 22-06, I headspaced on a min gauge. A no-go will not go in, not even close. So obviously the bolt face and barrel face are not hitting, nor controlling the head space.
Here's pic of fired cartridges from the 22-250 barrel in 22-250 before rechambering and 22-06 after. Both were fired multiple times with just NECK sizing.... Note the big bulge from excess headspace (LOL) and, BTW, both are right at correct OAL. The few 1000th in any non coned breech action, of the cartridge, that is "unsupported" means nothing as it's in the web.
Then we have the millions & millions of 03s', M54s and M70s with coned breeches have tons of unsupported case web and are not known for cartridge failures!

Yawn.............!

Yup, go to sleep, you might awake with some regrown brain cells....

I was thinking that 20/1000" of excess headspace might cause the case to stretch and then seperate at the top of the web. A properly headspaced rifle with a cone breech won't stretch or seperate cases any more or any less than any properly headspaced rifle.

Jeff

If you could have a free bolt action rifle from any of these manufacturers-Remington, Ruger, Winchester, Browning, Sako, Tikka or Marlin; I doubt anyone would choose the Marlin. The reasons that you would choose one of the others is what you are paying extra for. Don't tell me that "ugly" does'nt matter. Attractiveness is something that costs extra whether we are talking about cars, trucks, women or guns. I don't have a problem with the the Marlin X rifles. Great price for a very capable hunting tool. I would rather carry my tricked out Mountain Rifle than the Marlin (so would most on this site). This is not a knock on the Marlin, I may buy one to kick around with because I love messing with rifles. But don't try to pitch it as the same as the Remingtons/Rugers etc..

BIG "IF".

To me, attractiveness is relative and I don't find the Marlin XL/XS-7 to be an ugly rifle.

The Marlin XL/XS-7 are designed/intended as entry-level CF bolt action rifles. No frills, but good basic rifles that, IMO, are the best option currently on the market. You can't buy as much performance potential in a new CF rifle anywhere for the same $$ on 01/10/10, you just can't. Heck, they were so cheap that I gave them as stocking stuffers to some of my friends!

I didn't think that I was "pitching" the Marlin as the as the Remingtons/Rugers etc. I doubt that I'll ever own more than a couple of these rifles, far fewer than my Husqvarnas, Mausers, Remingtons, Rugers, Sakos, Savages, S&Ws, Winchesters, etc.

Jeff