I have never come across one down here in Australia but have wanted one for a long time.

Firstly what varriations did they come in rifle & carbine ? I would like to see photos if anyone has one.

What sort of price would a really top condition rifle make?

The export/import costs might make it impossible to do but thought this the best place to start out

Thanks
Johno

around here i occasionally see them in the marlin 336. they are pricey though at 1500 or more. they made them in the winchester 64 but i have never seen one and imagine it would be very pricey. i think thompson center made a barrel for either the contender or encore at one time too.

I know nothing about it except I love the idea of it and the name. I'm imagining Paul Hogan saying 219 Zipper in his Dundee persona and I think you should tear the sleeves off all your shirts, check to see if your knife is big enough and do whatever you must to get one.

Good stuff Johno, but honestly I'd do the Zipper improved.

I want to keep the tapered case so it will work through a sav 99 22 h.p. rotor if I go that way. was actually offered improved dies at a great price

Johno

You can change the rotor real easy.

I think Ken Waters did a write-up on a Marlin 336 regular carbine, though the barrel profile was a bit heavier than the .30/30 profile. That was in the old three-ring Pet Loads book I have someplace around here.

It shot quite well, IIRC. The cases are made from .25/35 or .30/30 cases, if need be.

I think it would be an interesting little rifle, but frankly, I'd rather have my little CZ 527s.............

Alreadi got 3 of those, 19 hornet, 19 badger & 7.62x39 Love the 527.

It would nice to find a reasonable priced marlin in zipper I would certainly look into getting exported over here

Johno

Johno it seems more feasible to build a Zipper than to find an original reasonably priced. Have you checked into it? Would it be a simple rebarrel affair?

Marlin made them in the Model 336 SC, Sporting Carbine, style and Winchester made them in the Model 64.

The 219 Zipper is a nice little cartridge, but there are lots of other nice little cartridges that are a whole lot easier to own and shoot. I have owned Zippers in the H&R 158, rechambered from 22 Hornet, the Marlin 336 SC, and a Savage 1899 parts gun that had been rebarreled with a recycled Winchester 70 220 Swift barrel. I don't own any of them now and don't miss them.

The 219Z and 22HP are so close dimensionally that you can only tell visually by the long neck on the HP.

The zipper works great in a 22HP rotor, but I'll bet the improved case will too.

finding brass is always the issue, no matter which one you choose.

Here's my 219Z

I just read a story in one of my old Outdoor Life magazines entitled: “Ross and His rifle”
February 1963, by Don Peck, Ross’s father. Hunt took place in BC.

His rifle was a Marlin 336sc in .219 Zipper......the reason I looked up this old thread.
Ross was 10 years old at the time, which means he’s about my age now.

His first big game was a mountain goat, which he fairly shot up the country before he got down.
The second kill was a nice bull elk with one or two shots. I was impressed!

The Zipper sounds interesting and I think it would still be a fun round to play with.

Glad you resurrected this old thread of mine as I missed Jeff's rifle, its a beauty Jeff. Unfortunately the project never came together due to health issues and other things

Johno

Like Jeff, I rebarreled a Bubba'd grey rat 1899 take down in 22 HP into 219 Zipper. I did that a few years ago and am now waiting to dedicate the funds to fit a new stock. The gun is usable but a bit short for me at the moment. It looks like a previous owner took a belt sander to the stock to make it into a Cresent butt. The brass plate that was fitted to the butt isn't much to look at either.

The Zipper feeds great from the magazine with no alterations. The smith kept it as a takedown so I can switch between the barrels if I wish.

It was cheap so it had that going for it. My only regret was to use the traditional 1:14" twist rather than 1:8". The latter would have allowed me to use bullets up to 75 grs which would then have made it into a .224" High Power.

I've sometimes been characterized as "bit slow to react". But even for me... pushing half a decade to comply with a request, probably beating my last tortoise race record!
A request for photo of Marlin 336 in .219 Zipper... See below. Accomplihsed if for no reason beyond posterity. Perhaps more truthfully, often for poserior, as in getting 'off & on'!

Marlin made only the Model "336SC", Sporting Carbine version. These were made from 56 to 58, were drilled & tapped as well as having the newer sandblast receiver top.
Pix below...
Best & Happy Holidays!
John

Okay, original post from 2016, but here is a 219 Zipper story.

Not sure if these names mean anything to you in Australia, but there was a good 219 zipper story on the Johnny Carson tv show back in 1969(?).

The guest was baseball great Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. Williams was a hunter fisherman, and true outdoorsman/sportsman. Williams was a guest on the Carson show, and told a story that was pretty funny. Williams bought a Winchester Lever gun in 219 Zipper, and wanted to know how it shot. He brought the rifle into an empty Fenway Park baseball stadium ( his home stadium) in downtown Boston well before a game. Williams set up a target on the outfield fence, and then walked back the home plate, and fired few shots from his 219 Zipper into the target. People working at the stadium and the front office scrambled like crazy down to the field to stop Ted Williams from shooting his rifle. Being the superstar he was, he got away with a polite " please don't ever do that again" warning.

So there you go. Hall of gamer Ted Williams shot a 219 Zipper Winchester right in the middle of Fenway Park, in downtown Boston.

What a great story, wonder how someone would do trying that today lol I can hear the choppers and see the black pajama boys repelling down.

That's a real nice Marlin, never to late to join the party mate.

I used to buy sav 99's over here for $350.00 AUD thats about $200.00 USD not so many years ago now its hard to find one

Johno