Picked up a vintage deer rifle

[David LaPell]

I had been looking around for a rifle for deer hunting since some of the ranges of places I have been going to are a little longer than my shotgun but I still wanted a caliber for the brush. I had checked every gun shop around and saw some new guns I kind of liked, but nothing that really set the hook. Last week I found a pre-64 Model 94 Winchester and it was nice but I wanted to check out the local gun show on Saturday as a friend of mine who I have bought many guns from usually has something, and he didn't disappoint. He had this very nice 1970 vintage Glenfield (Marlin) Model 30 with a half mag that is all original. While the Glenfields were the economical version of the Marlin 336, mechanically they were identical and this rifle has a mint bore and a smooth action and I have had several .30-30's over the years. I ordered a Skinner receiver sight which will mount right up with the factory drilled holes. Can't wait to get this gun to the range.

[625-7]

Marlin fan/owner myself, love the furniture. Good luck

[Squarebutt]

Nice catch. That's a classic deer rifle. Love my old 336.

[TheHobbyist]

"puts meat on the table"

Congrats on a nice find and utility gun. I sold an old Winchester in 30-30 recently and have been kicking myself......1910's if i recall correctly.

One of these I am now looking for, good round, excellent in brush.

[mauser9]

Very nice. Am sure the quality is top notch.

[BigBill]

Nice, with my bad back I might not shoot the magnum and more powerful rifles anymore. I'd like to go bear hunting since I own the land. I'm thinking of putting a shotgun butt recoil pad on my 444 Marlin. That should soften it.

[holo]

Very nice looking Glenfield

[Drm50]

Marlin lever guns are good hunting rifles. The design of action
let's you mount scope or reciever sights in factory drilled scope
base holes. I have several Marlins that I deer hunt with. My
favorite is a 16" barrel, 336- Marauder, with Lyman 66 reciever
sight. I have shot many deer with it and the kids and women in
family have used it on their 1st deer. In the eastern deer woods
most shots are under 100yds, so. 30/30 is all that's needed. The
JM marked Marlins are gaining value as the newer models put
out by the Remington takeover have gotten a bad rep. Just like
AMF did to Winchester in 64.

[mauser9]

Know what you mean Drm50. Had one of the post 94 Winchester's. Back in the early 70s you could score one new for under $100. Recall that "pot metal" or cintered steel receiver everyone hated. Least it had a walnut stock!!

[gdogs]

You're gonna love that Skinner sight, if you don't already have and love one.

[Collo Rosso]

Originally Posted by gdogs

You're gonna love that Skinner sight, if you don't already have and love one.

Put one on my 1894 44mag. Turned a rifle I liked into a rifle I love.

[2152hq]

Glenfield marked and even the store brand marked Marlins are very good bargains for the shooter. Exactly the same rifle as the Marlin marked gun with the stock usually being a 'walnut stained hard wood' (Birch usually).
Some minor differences in sight configurations, checkering/carving pattern, or lack or it (most were done in the 70's by a simple heat impression stamping process).
Finishes differed too, with some small parts being chrome or nickle on some, triggers gold on the Marlin and blue on the Glenfield and store brands.
IIRC, only the Marlin rifles used the micro groove bbls. The Glenfields still had the Ballard style rifling.
At least that's the way it was when I worked there in the early 70's.They may have changed course later.
Some people liked the Glenfield bbls for that rifling style. They handled cast bullets better many have said.

Inside, they are the same rifle made with the same parts that came off of the same production line, finish and put together by the same assemblers in the factory as the rest of the stuff.

[model70hunter]

Originally Posted by BigBill

Nice, with my bad back I might not shoot the magnum and more powerful rifles anymore. I'd like to go bear hunting since I own the land. I'm thinking of putting a shotgun butt recoil pad on my 444 Marlin. That should soften it.

Bill not just any recoil pad, get a limb saver, it softens recoil way more that most rubber pads. I put one on a light 300 Win magnum, worked wonders.

Most kick eeze ones seemed hard to me. I've replaced worn or hard pads with the decelerator and it is nicer than kick eeze.

Limb saver also offers a slipon. Check them out...

[alwslate]

Back around 1968 or 69 I had a Glenfield half magazine 30-30 just
like the one pictured. I took it on one deer hunt and didn't get a deer
but it was no fault of the rifle because I didn't get an opportunity for
a shot. But I was a lot younger back then and tended to trade guns a
lot more often than I do now. The Glenfield was an economy rifle and
I soon traded it off. Looking back now many years later it's one of
the guns that I dearly wish that I had kept.

[Old Corp]

Have never seen a half-magazine Glenfield. Congrats.
Still have my first deer rifle, a short barreled Marlin 336 .30-30. Straight stock, had a brass saddle ring. I think it may have been called the 'Texan'? Not sure.
Took my first few deer with it before reading several gun magazines at the time convinced me I needed something much bigger and better.

[cyphertext]

I have never seen one of these either. Looks interesting! I love my Marlin 336, but what are these pre-drilled holes you guys are talking about? Should give you an idea of how old my Marlin is!

[fyimo]

Congratulations on the purchase as that is a beautiful rifle

[Drm50]

I bought some guns a few years ago. They had been kept in a
broom closet in a mobile home kitchen. They were sticky and
grungy, but in pretty goo d shape. A 1895 Marlin was in the mix.
When I tore the 95 down to shine it up, I discovered a recoil
dampener in stock under butt plate. One of the type guys use
in trap guns. Shot the gun later with it in place, it did make a
difference. One of these with a recoil pad should calm a 45/70
or 444 down considerably.

[Valmet]

I've always thought the 1/2 mag tube Marlins were very cool- congrats!

[Drm50]

I'm not a Marlin expert, but the predrilled holes are for scope
mounts( on top ) and two holes on left side of reciever for peep
sights. These have plug screws in them from factory. I have at
least a 50 yr gap between ages of the two batches of Marlins I
own. The old ones 1900 + or ~ 10yrs ,are not drilled, they have
tangs drilled for sights. My newer ones 1958-79 have scope &
Reciever sight screws predrilled/ tapped from factory. I don't
know when they started factory tapping these holes.