Tim Sundies told me his 220 grain Buffalo Bore .35 Remington loads were safe in any Marlin 336 in good condition, regardless of age. Ranger Point Precision told me they would only do a .36 RPP conversion on a 336 made from the mid 70;s on because of a difference in the metal in the guns. A lady I spoke with from Marlin told me the type of metal and heat treatment on Marlin lever guns changed for the better in the mid 70's.
Where does that leave me? Leaning towards safety as every time I shoulder a 336 or similar designed lever gun it appears as though the bolt and my eye ball line up closely and it makes me ponder how much penetration that bolt would get on my face if some thing went wrong. I also wonder why a .356 Win. caliber 336 can't be made to reliably function with .358 Win. brass. Ya got me.
