Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin Talk Unusual Marlin 322 (SAKO)

I recently purchased a very very clean Marlin 322 on a Vixen action, SN 163x. It is a heavy barrel (not an un tapered 1 inch) but heavy with a slight taper to about 3/4 inch. It has the JM in a circle stamp right next to the receiver on the right side.Dull satin finish but the SAKO frame is normal high luster. No markings on the barrel what so ever. (not refinished) Also, inside the trigger guard toward the front, a lever about 1/4 inch extends downward. It is a set trigger lever. Gun has the normal white line Marlin butt plate. Is this an early version of the 322 , a proto type or what????

Bob

CORRECTION to my previous post 322 Marlin. The serial number is 1647X. The serial number I had given was for a SAKO Finnwolf. Sorry----Bob

Unusual Marlin 322???? Another correction. I am getting DUMBER by the minute. I wish I could retract the last two posts.?? Must be my 80 plus age!!!!!

The lever in the trigger guard is of course the magazine release.

I did see a picture of a Marlin 422 and the checkering pattern on the pistol grip and the monty carlo cheek piece is typical of the 422. It appears to be a blued stainless barrel also. Somewhat less attraction to a magnet I think.
Only question is the heavy unmarked barrel except for the John Marlin marking. What now??/

Check the rifling. 322 came with micro-groove. 422 with Ballard rifling. Possibly rebarreled also, as it was common the Micro-groove to wear out quickly.

And look for other markings on the barrel with a magnifying glass. Should at least have the chambering of the barrel stamped on it, I would think.

Caliber?

I believe I have the same rifle, I will dig it out of the deep hole and check in the next few days. Your description is almost exactly what I remember mine to be.

I had one chambered for the 222 Remington. Gun had a heavy barrel that was stamped.

I dug it out, and it isn't what I thought it was. It is a SAKO Riihimaki ,, 795x serial no. with the gearbox safety, bright blue. No markings on the barrel except the caliber in fine script 222 Rem. Rifling has 6+ grooves but looks deeper than micro groove, and the barrel bluing is going to light reddish patina color, 24 inch, .625 at the muzzle.. Stock is custom, checkered and bedded, Bishop pad so i assume the wood is also Bishop. 6 power Kollmorgen Bear Cub scope in old SAKO mount rings.

I suppose its a custom and not a Marlin after all. Still a Very nice piece of work. Glad I dug it out, forgot how pretty the old Fly Picker is.. A late 50s' early 60s' custom build by some one that knew what He was about. I first fired it in 1969 when if belonged to my then room mate, both of us fresh back from Nam..

Thanks for the info gang. The rifling is very fine, I believe microgroove. However I do not know what Ballard rifling is. Will research it. Being the barrel is not marked except for the JM brand, it is most likely re-barreled. The action and stock are about 99 % mint. It is a 422 stock also Just does not seem to have been used much to have needed a new barrel . As soon as this arctic climate leaves us I will shoot the rifle. Might just be a good one anyway.
Regards

Micro groove has about 12 lands and grooves.

I have 2, what do you want to know about them? One of mine wears a Lilja 1:9 17 FB barrel now. The other is .222 original. It was going to be a donor but was so accurate I left it alone. same action as a Sako L 46. Lots of info on Sako Collectors site. As I recall roughly 5600 or so were made by Marlin. Great little bolt actions and a bargain in the world of Sako L 46's. There is a persistent rumor about the .222 shooting out the microgroove barrel in a short period of time and accuracy becoming an issue...lots of folks carrying that story forward have never owned or fed one......The 422 has a stainless barrel which was Marlin's attempt to address the criticism. Anyhow, have fun and...wash your hands!

Here you go:
Marlin's First Bolt Guns


Actually, the MR-7 is not really the first of Marlin's bolt-action
centerfires.

The Model 322, introduced in 1954, was chambered
for .222 Remington and was built on Sako's miniature Mauser receiver.
The late Bill Brophy, author of Marlin Firearms, wrote
of the Model 322: "After numerous complaints about deterioration
of accuracy from the Micro-Groove rifle barrel (after as few as
500 rounds), Marlin attempted to resolve the problem by fitting
a 24-inch stainless-steel barrel of featherweight configuration.
The new rifle was identified as the Varmint King (Model 422) and,
except for the new barrel and a new design of Monte Carlo stock
that had a cheek piece, all other features remained the same.


"A total of 5859 Model 322 rifles were manufactured,
and 354 Model 422 rifles were produced from 1954 to 1958."
With a total production of 6213 rifles in both models, the .222
was not setting any production records.