Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin 336 Lever Actions Marlin made 336 Sears rifle

Yesterday I spotted a used Marlin 336 in .35 Rem. on the rack of the little local gun shop. When I looked closer at it, I realized it was labeled as a Sears rifle. I understand that it was not uncommon for gunmakers to produce a line of guns for a distributor or and rebadge them.

This particular gun has a steel forend cap. I don't recall that it had a barrel band. Possibly it didn't. The metal and wood were in fair shape with just some honest use on them. The original (apparently) sights are still on the gun. It also has see thru mounts and a beat up old Tasco scope. I would definitely be pulling the mounts and scope off and maybe going with a set of XS sights.

When I compared it to another 336 they had on the used rack, also in .35 Rem., it appeared to be mechanically identical. Number and location of screws, etc. Oh, and the price tag was $290. Anybody here know anything about Sears labeled guns produced by Marlin? How about the quality? Were there any known workmanship or materials shortcuts?

Marlin was one of many manufacturers that made their most common guns for Sears usually under the J.C. Higgins or Ted Williams brands. As you noticed they are mechanically identitcal to the Marlin branded products usually with only minor cosmetic differences. They also used the Glenfield name for department store guns probably saving the "Marlin" marked guns for the smaller gunshops who couldn't otherwise compete with the retail giants. Hope that helps; Mike

The only draw back to Sears branded guns that I have found was resale value. Of course, you don't pay as much when you buy them so it's a wash.

Buy it!

I'm hoping to. I just need to figure out a way to make it happen. I've got a .17HMR that I could part with. That'd get me most of the way there.

Thanks for advice guys. It is much appreciated.

those .17hmr's are pretty popular here in NJ with the folks that hunt wood chucks

I whacked a lot of little critters with mine. I decided to bump up in size a little bit and went and bought a .22 Hornet. That way I have enough gun for some of the larger critters and I can brew my own ammo.

Took a second look at it yesterday. It's a model 45 Sears in .35 Rem. Fair condition. $290 seems on the high side from what I've read on the net. Still considering picking it up though. I need another rifle like a hole in the head, but I think I could enjoy playing with some cast bullets and reduced loads in it.

Well, I took my 17 HMR into the gunshop to see about working some kind of deal on the Sears in .35 and walked out with the .35 as an even swap. Even got a gallon of chainsaw bar oil in trade for the leftover .17 HMR ammo I had.

I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but I did strip it down part way and also cleaned the bore, which was very dirty. I was a little worried that the filthy bore might be concealing some nasty surprises. Some foaming bore cleaner, a little time and a few patches revealed a clean, shiny and pit-free bore.

Things are looking good so far. I've already got a short list of modifications/add-ons in mind for it.

even with the aforementioned decreased value in 'store brand' guns, I wouldn't shy away from the Higgins or Williams Sears Marlins. Occasionally, one can find a very good deal on one, I did once on a 57M short-throw lever action 22wmr made for Sears by Marlin. Although sometimes 'cheapened' up a tad (maybe by the use of birch instead of walnut for stocks), the mechanicals are the same. I think $290 might be just a tad bit high for that 336 clone, even if in perfect condition.

I did a little looking on the .net and I agree with you that $290 was a little high. It should have been more along the lines of about $250, but since the store owner was willing to do an even swap for my .17 HMR, I was happy with the swap. I had attempted to trade that .17 in a couple other times on much pricier guns than the Sears and was never offered more than about $180 for it.

I used that .17 for about 6 years on a lot of little critters and figure that I pretty well got my money's worth.

Happy shooting! I love my 336!.
I had a .17 as well, but I've been a 22wmr addict for 40 years, and although not quite as bench accurate, it packs more varmint wallup out here on the farm, is a little less affected by wind at distance, and has a much larger choice of ammunition.

noticed you mentioned a 57M, Ive got one that I found in a pawn shop 20yrs ago and it's still a sweet shooter. Got a 17HMR Marlin but I think I'll dust off the old 22mag this squirrel season..

The .17 was very effective on the little critters like red squirrels and such, less than impressive on things like raccoons. Ammo started to climb in price and the last couple boxes that I bought seemed less consistent than previous lots. Dirtier too.

A thread on the gunwriters forum last fall about the .22 Hornet convinced me to take the plunge and get my own Hornet. Mine (a CZ 527) proved to be very accurate, and since I can load my own ammo for it, the .17 became obsolete to me.