I bought a 336er a while back that had the forearm replaced with a thinner one. It does not fit correctly and moves front to back about a10th of an inch and the finish doesn't match the butstock. Is there a way to make the forearm fit if I was to refinish both to match, or should I buy a new set that matches?

I've seen several lever guns that use forend caps with a shim between the wood and receiver. Also have seen bedding compound used to fill the gap. If you use a shim, make sure it's waterproof.

Cardboard/cardstock shims at first to find out just where and how big and thick they should be.

Brass shims cut from brass shim stock, or even shims cut from a soda-pop can work well and neither will ever rust or deteriorate. If you cut them small enough, and place them properly, they wont be visible.

shimming against the barrel can cause some accuracy issues if too much pressure is created.

Dave

My father slightly shortened the forearm on his M64 Winchester because, as he put it, it would shoot a foot higher in wet weather. The wood would swell and change the POI. I still have it and after being kept out of bad weather for many years the forend moves back and forth about 1/16".

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Everyone wants to take any movement out of the forearm. I go the other way and sand or trim my forearm down as needed to get 1/16 to 1/8 inch of play (looseness) in my forearms. It makes for better accuracy....some of the reasons are listed above, stock swell in bad weather, pressure on barrel, etc.

Would a tight forend be a source of cracking as well?

My Marlin forearms move that much since I have "Free Floated" them and they shoot right at an inch. The forearm movement can be annoying but the accuracy never is.

Great info on this in Mic MacPherson’s book about Accurizing Rifles.

The forearms on my Marlin and Winchester lever guns are bedded to both the barrels and receivers to eliminate all play. They are also well sealed inside and out and on the ends with spar polurethane. They shoot exceptionally well {under an inch for 3 shots at 100 yards.} don't swell or change point of impact in the rain or string shots when the barrels get warm. The notion that forearms need to be loose for good accuracy and to not string shots is complete bullshyt and I've experimented a bunch with these things.

The attachment point that goes into the dovetail cut on the bottom of the barrel had most likely bent. My '76 1894 44 mag is this way, it's a stamped steel part and recoil had bent it, I cold bent it back, but after a dozen or less hot rods it bends again, and loosens up. I'm eventually going to replace it with a newer version that is machined out of a solid chunk of steel, but I'm affraid it may start shearing screws off.

I make mine a bit loose and seal the heck out of em.

Get the screws in straight and snug and you’ll have no need to worry about shearing them. I’ve built north of 100 Marlins in 50AK and never had one shear a screw from recoil. Good idea replacing the tenon though, the sheet metal ones were a joke.

And I bed mine with MarineTex and make sure they’re sealed, not sure I could abide a forend rattling back and forth an 8th of an inch. Probably drive me nuts.

I would make a pad out of silicone .