Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin 336 Lever Actions 336 Nonsense....

My father gave my brother and I each a 336 last year, as his office used to be next door to a pawn shop and he just couldn't help himself when it came to bargains on solid guns (still can't for that matter). Mine is a pre-safety 336 in .35Rem, and that's really about all I know about it. I scrubbed a few decades of goop out of the bore, mounted a 2-7x33 Redfield Revolution as low as I could get it, and bought some LeverEvolution ammo. The first and only 3-shot group I shot at 100yds was about an inch. I was hoping for 2MOA or better, so I was pleasantly surprised. My uncle likes working on these rifles, so I had him do a trigger job for me and he returned it at a crisp 3lbs. I took it back to the range and put 3 on paper this weekend.






That's a shade over 1/2MOA at 100yds. Color me impressed.

Now my dad and uncle both have older 336's in 30-30 that have good triggers and both shoot between 1/2 and 1 MOA at 100yds for 3-shot groups, one with handloads and the other with factory ammo. This is with the factory barrel bands and all. None of us can explain why we've never heard that these rifles can shoot like this, as good or better than some of our bolt actions. Have they always been this accurate?

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Yes as far as I know. I’ve shot a literal ton of marlins from the bench and they pretty commonly shoot an inch or better. Caliber doesn’t seem to matter either, I’ve seen them shoot like yours in 30/30, 35, 444, 45/70, as well as the Marlin Express cartridges. Had one guy call me a liar when I sent him a test target from his 1895 conversion to 50AK. He’d sent it back claiming 4-6” groups and I shot 3 consecutive groups of 1”-1 1/4” for three at 100yds. He refused to believe his shooting and the brutal recoil may have had something to do with his large groups.

Great accuracy with a great bullet for the .35 Remington which will put a deer down...DRT.

LOL, great shooting, I have one too, have put two rounds on 200 yard steel less than three inches apart, Twice. congrats on the rifle, I'm going to use mine for all hunting this fall, if I can get game inside 200 yards they're smoked, I'm using the 220 gr Speer hot-cors over a max charge of leverevolution powder for a velocity of 2175 fps.

That sounds like a potent load with the 220 Speer. I chronographed the FTX loads at 2,150 from my 20" barrel.

Try the 180gr Speers, they are hell on deer. The 220's can be a little stout.

And yes, Marlins shoot.

My 336 .30-30 shoots neat little 3/4" triangle groups repeatedly with 170 gr. Federal factory loads.

That's the same ammo my father's rifle likes. Cheap 170 Federals.

Yes, it's a good +P safe load, beretzs gave me the hit on the powder, talked to an old lever bud of mine about that, he says they rechamber Marlins to 358 Winchester quite frequently, plus they made a Marlin in 356 Winchester as well, both miles above my load pressure wise.

Steelhead is right on the 220 Speers, being as I'm going to use this rifle for all game hunted this year, I'll have to leave it be, deer running into the rattling horns will be shot in the chest or quartering in shoulder shots, deer sneaking out will be shot up through the ham or last rib headed for the shoulders and hopefully exit wounds, cow elk in Colorado and Nilgai bull in SE Texas are also on the menu, may be some S Texas pigs in the Spring of '19 as well.

It's going to be a hell of a fun hunting fall with this old lever rifle, I do not expect to have many recovered bullets for weights and measurements.

I am rolling 220 at about 1950/1975 fps

Yes, the 336 is definitely not afforded the respect it deserves.

Gunner500,
Have you ever hunted hogs at the Boars Nest in Kenefic , OK?

Below is my biggest ever taken there.



Headed back there next Saturday to run the boars with dogs- good sport.

That is huge. Looks more like a beef. What did you shoot it with?

my glenfield shoots 150 grain federals into a 1/2-3/4 inch at a 100 regularly. 200 and under schitt is in trouble

CaribouJack,
Nothing very interesting, just my old .308 Model 70 deer rifle. Still hunting down a little ridge looking for an eating pig and Shazam, this big baby dwarfed all in the field. So, I shot it and broke the spine.
No scales, but ranch folks estimated between 500 and 600 pounds, so I went the bigger number - 600. Took three men to wrestle it into the front end loader of the farm tractor. I paid the staff to clean it and doubled their usual fee. I have actually seen similar sized hogs taken along the Red River up north of Wichita Falls, and 500 pound show boars in FFA, so 600 sounded OK.

WE had all but tenderloins and back strap ground into breakfast sausage.

PS Gun Note - taking my .45-70 double rifle this weekend to pop a boar over dogs - good sport!

No Sir, have never hunted there, never heard of them either that's a monster, being a sow should have made for some pretty good eating, from the looks of her milk nozzles, she's never been breed or had piglets.

Bring that 30-30 to the pig hunt this year Bobby, if I get to go I'll bring mine, maybe EdM and DVD will bring theirs too, we can leverize some bacon!

Double barreled 45-70 hogging, you dang right fun, you're going to have a blast!

i have a bunch of marlins and they all shoot really good. my davidson's limited editions like the 336D and 336 SS LTD are MOA or less. someday i'd like to temporarily mount a good, big scope on them and see how they do at 200 but i have 1-4x20's on most of them so that makes 200 yards a little tough for tight groups.