I've bean lookin at 336,s and wondered if anyone knew what year the micro-groove barrel came out?
Thanks, J257
AFAIK about 1955.
I looked at several 336 SC models before buying mine which was made in 1955 and has Ballard rifling, while those made after 1955 have micro-groove rifling. So, I think they made the switch sometime during 1955.
Thank you, that's what I wanted to know. Is there any exterior tells, that would be noticeable?
None that I know of except the obvious roll marking on the barrel denoting micro-groove rifling, but I am far from an expert on these so if there is some other obvious tell then hopefully someone else may be able to identify what that is.
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In 1953 Marlin applied for a patent on Microgroove rifling (US Patent #3,100,358 was granted on Aug. 13, 1953).
On July 29, 1953, Marlin introduced Microgroove rifling in their .22 rimfire barrels.
In their 1954 catalog, they outlined numerous advantages that this new form of rifling had.
Marlin continued to experiment with Microgroove rifling in their centerfire barrels, primarily in the Model 322 chambered for the .222 Remington.
The results of this testing convinced the Marlin engineers that Microgroove rifling was indeed suitable for high-velocity centerfire rifles and in early 1956 Marlin announced that all of their high-powered rifles, including the Model 336 for the first time, would henceforth be equipped with Microgroove rifling.
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I have a 45/70 First issue Model 1895 w/out Micro Groove Rifling
I wouldn't have bought it if it had micro - groove rifling
It has a Classic straight grip western stock ;
look for it over on the classifieds or PM me