Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Who's the resident lever action expert?

I inherited my Dad's saddle-ring Marlin 336 and it needs some care.

Buehler?

Buehler?

Buehler?

I guess the next post should be, what problems are you having?

I’ve been inside several thousand of them. What seems to be the trouble?

Not even reading between the lines of this Post. Reading beyond, into the void...
Perhaps the category is "urgent care" and "needs" for the O/P, rather than the gun.
My take.

Problem: The loading spring dropped down somewhat into the receiver and moved upwards out of it's track/alignment. I was able to move it back into proper alignment, however now, the finger lever assembly will not close tight enough to depress the hammer spring adjusting plate (I think this is the proper part) to allow the hammer to fall. It's as if the finger lever assembly has dropped downwards away from the receiver.

I'll try to post a picture if I'm not explaining it clearly.

Thanks!

You need to post that picture.

The lever assemble will not close tight enough to depress the "plunger" at the end of my finger. This must be depressed to allow the trigger to be pulled and the hammer to fall.

Thoughts?

If you look at the top bar of the lever it is not parallel to the tang. Is it possible that enough force was applied to the lever trying to seat a faulty round that the lever at the trigger guard was bent.? That is what the picture shows me. Somewhere close straight below the trigger? MB

Great observation. I honestly don't know. Dad hunted with it in 2018 and unfortunately it was his last season. It took almost 2 years after his death for the rifle to reach me. I took it out opening morning this year and it wouldn't chamber a round due to the loading spring getting out of kilter. I did apply some force to the lever trying to seat a round, but damn I didn't think it was enough to bend the lever. I guess that's why I'm still called Stud Duck, lol.

Question is; how to best correct it or can I?

Take the lever out and clamp it in a vise. You will be able to straighten it by using a mallet or a prying instrument. Be gentle as it won’t take much and one whack in the wrong spot could collapse the loop if you’re getting fresh with the mallet.

You could probably get a used lever that would drop right in for a few bucks on eBay or the Marlin forum, if it comes to that.

i may regret this but here goes. you tube or one of the books that show you how to fully dis-assemble the gun may be your friend. i would totally take it apart and make sure everything in the action is spotless and then re-assemble it. the loading cover is actually a spring held by a screw. you got it back in its track but is it seated properly and is the screw tight to arrest the movement of the part, if not it could block or drag on the lifter which would alter the whole sequence of the action working. When you have it apart you can also check for damage to the internal parts from the action attempting to work with the parts out of place, there may be burrs, gouges, or just bluing removal.
if you do decide to take it apart be aware; 1.the ejector is captive by the bolt and may fall out. 2 the trigger plate screws look similar but are actually different lengths and it matters what hole the go back into.

Thanks guys.

I do have a manual on how to fully disassemble the rifle, I've done it once or twice while Dad was alive. He didn't have a habit of cleaning the rifle like it should've been. I figured it would come to this and I was hoping for someone more knowledgeable on lever actions could look at it; first one I've ever owned.

Could you tape a shim onto that part of the lever that is supposed to push up on the lock stud so that it is pushed up enough to unlock? Just to verify that is the problem. Then you could start wrestling the bent steel of the lever.

No way that lever got bent just cycling the action. Pounding on it with a 3 lb sledgehammer maybe.

That was my thoughts and please correct me if I'm wrong, but it would be bent in the opposite direction if it was bent while cycling the action.

No. They are surprisingly soft and can be tweaked while trying to force the lever on a jam. It’s not going to get bent by Joe average working the lever shooting at a deer but if a strong man gets ham handed with it. I’ve seen enough of them bent to believe that it can happen without a hammer or prybar.

I'm guilty of being "ham handed" with it.

Seems unlikely, but I'm glad to take your word for it with your experience level. Can't hardly imagine they're that weak.

Tell you what, nobodies bending a Savage lever getting ham-handed.