I'm fairly new to lever guns and this morning picked this up from a pawn shop I frequent. Now that I get it into my head to pick up a lever action, seems that they're getting about as rare as ARs and AKs. And unfortunately, the shop where I could usually get a deal has a strict no-deal policy in this time of Covid. But as it was the best of available options, I went for it at $420 OTD. Marlin customer service says it's a 1978 gun. I'd rate it at very good, even excellent mostly, wood and metal.

Any thoughts are welcome.

p.s. the light and dark patches are just the sunlight dappling it while in the trunk of my car.

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That was actually a good price on a very well made rifle. All forged parts, strong, reliable action, and most 336's shoot very well. I don't think they do the gold trigger and bullseye inlayed in the stock anymore.

Larry

Nice find and the price was not bad.

Yes, it wasn’t a steal but very reasonable price for JM pre safety 336. Well taken care of you can’t go wrong. Marlins are the new sleepers. There are thousands of them out there. Remington has ruined the brand but even they may turn out to be collector items since Remington is circling the bowl.

Looks pretty mint from here! Am envious myself. My friend bought a 336 back in 1974 new for slightly over $100. Sure felt solid and was in 35 Remington caliber. Great quality for reasonable money back. Nice touch having the gold triggers from that era. Love the 1894 model in 357 and 44 mag myself.

I have several lever rifles Winchester and Marlins...I have a 336 just like yours DOM 1977, fit and finish as good as Pre 64 Winchesters. Good Price.

I got one like it, similar vintage. Was used, in a pawnshop outside Fort Stewart in 1981, still had the Marlin stickers on the stock. Got it for $75, even a spec four could afford that. Put a Williams 5D (?) on the receiver after busting the rear leaf---hugely more workable.

My 336 is pre safety in .35 Remington. Hits like a sledgehammer. My grandson will eventually receive it.

I have been wanting to add a lever to my herd. PRices I have seen lately have me thinking maybe wait until the insanity dies down a bit.
Congratulations to you OP that is a nice looking 336

You got a sweet deal OP. They’re great old guns. My college roommate used an old, worn 336 in 30-30 and took a lot of BIG deer with it. Nice score

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Some Might Say.

I got a 336 RC for free of course it was a ball of rust had been under the bunk in a commercial fishing boat used to shoot sharks and large swordfish before bringing onboard. Got it cleaned up to bad to blue so I painted with Awl grip marine paint that was over 20 yrs ago still no signs of rust. Killed some deer and hogs with it looking bad did not hurt the accuracy at all. I also have a 336 CB in 38-55 amazing rifle will shoot my cast bullets i the same hole at 100 yds. off bench with williams peep sights. You will never regret getting that Marlin
Bob

Best 30-30 out there. I buy every one I come across for sale.

I wouldn't wait... lever guns are experiencing a resurgence in popularity because they are the new defense weapon as semi-auto long guns and "large cap" magazines are under attack by state anti-gun politicians.

Lever guns tend to fly under the radar when the so called "assault weapon" bans are passed that affect all semi-auto long guns.

People and manufacturers are catching on to that, Henry with their X model and Marlin with the Dark Series.

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Conrad
SWCA #1830 SWHF #222

In my neck of the woods, I assumed that when the ARs and AKs were gone, that would be it for rifle sales. Uh-uh. When I finally decided to pick up a lever gun after years of considering it from time to time, I found there were practically none to be found in my price range (not really interested in a $1400 gun of any stripe). For a 50 mile radius, between LGS, big boxes, and pawn shops, I'd say there are maybe a dozen or so lever guns in stock at the moment, other than some .22lr Henrys that have been popping up here and there lately. 30-30 is about the toughest to find, except for .357, of which I know only one for sale. Anyway, that's why I went ahead and picked this one up. Some of the other used guns I looked at had definitely seen better days and would probably only sell to someone desperate for one or someone with some serious refinishing skills.

BTW the Marlin 336 I picked up is in 30-30.

In 1978 I was working at a Lumberyard / Hdwe store in Az . A customer drove in and stopped me . Said he had just gotten a divorce , was headed back to Texas to work in the oil fields but he was short of gas money and offered me his Marlin 336 for $75 . He got the $ , I got the Marlin . I still have it . It has the micro groove barrel so when shooting cast they need to be sized .311 for best accuracy and yes , they are very accurate . I use the Lyman 311041 mold . Regards Paul

When I was 14 I was wanting a Winchester 94 30/30 and JC Penny had them on sale and my dad took me up there to buy one with my lawn mowing money. There was a big line of people buying them and when I finally got to hold a Winchester I wasn't too crazy about it. The trigger flopped back and forth and the action seemed flimsy so I looked at the Marlin which was also on sale. It was a little thicker and heavier but seemed more well-made but their 30/30s were sold out so I bought a Marlin .35 and paid around $66 and this was in 1974. What a great gun that was and I wish I still had it.

After a little cleaning and Ren Wax.

p.s. It's much easier to get a good pic of a handgun with an iPhone than a rifle. Once you're more than 2 feet away your resolution goes to ****.

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The majority of my levers are Marlins, and in .30-.30, however I do have a few .357’s and .44’s (and yes, a .22).

The .357’s are on the left (2 are JM pre-safety) and .44’s on the right (my Winchester Md 94 .44 wasn’t invited).

I survived for years with the 2 .357 JM’s and the Winchester .44, but when they started getting their act together with the Remlins, I finally caved.

This has made me realize I need to stop buying lever actions!

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Very nice rifle. I have one from 1975 in .35 Remington - it was my first centerfire rifle. If you have a bit more money to spend, consider installing a Wild West trigger upgrade. Makes a ton of difference and it's an easy DIY project.

WWG Trigger Happy Kit >> Wild West Guns

That looks to be in very nice shape. Mine is from 1975, and is a great carbine. I added a set of XS Ghost Ring sights on mine.

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Only a cold warrior

Bought mine in 1978 when a local J.C. Penney closed out their gun counter, paid $90 for it IIRC. Marlins do not have the cachet and the mystique of Winchesters but the older ones are extremely well made and well designed, that solid receiver top makes scope mounting a lot easier.

When in business in 70s & 80s we got overstocked on cheap pump 12g shotguns and lever guns. A pre 64 Win of any model lever was worth money. Everything else was mostly $100 out the door. Post war Marlins were in this category as well as Savage 99s. Today the 32 & 35 are worth a premium over the 30/30 to Marlin collectors.

Nice find. The 336 is a true American Classic.
A beautiful checkered, walnut stocked 336 in .35 Rem is one of countless guns l foolishly let go.

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213th FBINA

Looks great. I've got a pawn-shop 336 I've had for 10 years or so. A lot of 336s are in good shape because they're "deer season" guns, only used during that time which is maybe a month or so, then put up until next year. The ones I've owned and shot are accurate.

I won't put a scope on mine because I don't hunt and a scope plays hob with the handling.

Yes, and there are thousands of other rifles and shotguns out there that were used only in season. Also CF handguns that were bought new for house & business protection. The generations that did that are dying off and those guns find their way back into circulation.

I like the pre-safety Marlins but I get a kick out of internet lore that a "JM" marked Marlin is somehow akin to a pre-64 Winchester. I have JM marked Marlins and REM marked Marlins and aside from the pre-safety models there pretty much alike, and I've found that a safety delete kit is easy enough to install on the Marlins with safeties.

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Live long and prosper

The early "Remlin" (Remington/Marlins), from about 2010 or so to the mid-teens, were pretty touch & go as far as quality goes. The newer ones are looking and holding up much better. A JM stamped Marlin is always going to bring more than the early Remington made Marlins, and pre-safety Marlins (up to about 1982) will be preferred by many.

I have a few of each, but no Remington/Marlin, yet. The OP's '78 is a beauty!

You either (1) didn't check out the early Remlins or (2) the early Remlins sent to your area were far, FAR different then what I found in my area.

I finally caved a little less then a year ago, and found a few Remlins I would consider, and am now happy with, but no way would I have purchased the early junk that I found in my area.

Also, I don't ever remember anyone comparing a JM (pre-safety) Marlin as being = (or near =) to a pre-64 Winchester (and yes, I have those also, thank you) .

It’s not internet lore. Rem Marlins are substandard. They are not actually the same gun. They are using MIM parts, not machined steel. When I sold guns the Marlin 60, 22 rifle was only Marlin that had troubles. That was mostly because people never cleaned them The last few years I’ve looked at a lot more Marlins than normal because Ohio got rifle deer and Marlins make up the biggest share of new guns bought. I’ve only had two 336s brought to me and both had over clocked barrels. 1894s and 1895s with actions that felt like gravel crushers and internals that would shave a 45/70 down to a 38/55. It’s not the designs, it’s Rem not getting bugs out of new methods and materials. Henry is using same processes and materials. They have bugs out plus they have excellent QC and CS. I wouldn’t own a Henry either but you have to give credit to the company. The safety on Marlins is like the Henry’s that only loaded through tube. Neither feature had anything to do with the working of the rifle. By the time Marlin went to safety model, they were in trouble and you could see finish on some models suffer before Remington took them over.