Yup thats it. My 336Y will still do it and loading gate screw is tight
A loose loading gate screw would cause the action to stick on the return stroke. In other words, you wouldn't be able to close the lever after the down stroke as the lifter would bind on the loading gate as it tried to rise. A properly functioning Marlin will not do what is shown in that video. My 1894C, purchased new in 1986 has never bound up like that after thousands of cycles. Neither has my current 336 which has also been cycled thousands of times since purchased in 1992. Neither did my previous 1894 .44 mag. or any of the half dozen 336's I've owned previously. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you cycle them or in what position. Upside down, tilted left or right or pointed straight up or down, they operate smoothly with no binding. I would not tolerate that.
I don’t tolerate it. My Marlins are in the back of the closet and I use Winchesters these days for a lever fix.
But it is a problem that appears in some rifles that no one can diagnose with any consistency. Sometimes it is new rifles, sometimes it is old rifles that have worked for hundreds or even thousands of rounds. I”ve read it is mostly in well worn examples. I think it is something that is/was related to the 100 year old equipment Marlin was using to manufacture its rifles there at the end and something was producing parts that were out of tolerance or something. My rifle is slicker that cat schit but will do that about every fifth or sixth stroke.
