I hate it when a lever gun looks new....

[akuser47]

Talking about legacy guns (that are still being made) that look new.......... I just purchased a brand spanking new Marlin 336C in 35 Rem because I have a feeling that this will be the last year that the 336Cs will be made in this caliber and I will say without reservation at this point that the last batch of leverguns from Ilion are the best I've seen since the CT plant closure and are on par with the old "JM" product. The gun was flawless.

Marlin has come full circle.

Glad to see the aged old American gun manufacturing has weathered the storm.

This is true the latest Marlin 336new model rem. I handeled looked and felt good just not gonna pay 655.00 bucks for it when I can get a new RG in 3030 for way less. and made pretty later by me.

[pricedo]

Talking about legacy guns (that are still being made) that look new.......... I just purchased a brand spanking new Marlin 336C in 35 Rem because I have a feeling that this will be the last year that the 336Cs will be made in this caliber and I will say without reservation at this point that the last batch of leverguns from Ilion are the best I've seen since the CT plant closure and are on par with the old "JM" product. The gun was flawless.

Marlin has come full circle.

Glad to see the aged old American gun manufacturing has weathered the storm.

This is true the latest Marlin 336new model rem. I handeled looked and felt good just not gonna pay 655.00 bucks for it when I can get a new RG in 3030 for way less. and made pretty later by me.

$655 ! for a 336C .......... that's insane ! ....... that's even too much for a SS version.

[akuser47]

Crazy isn't it! around here it is like that. sometimes.Plus this shop is bad on their mark up.

[pricedo]

The trigger on my 336C /35 Rem is as crisp as the Wild West Guns custom "Happy Triggers" on my Guide Guns and in this respect the new "REP" 336C is BETTER than the old "JM" rifles.

Love that rich walnut stock & the deep lustrous bluing & the action is almost cowboy action smooth NIB.

This is a lever gun I don't mind looking new............ it's a beautiful machine.

Rossi will be losing market share to Marlin if the quality of my 336C is representative of the product that the Ilion factory is now producing.

If the first new Marlin 1894s are as high in quality as my 336C and competitively priced the BrazTech R92 line is in deep trouble.

Maybe some stiff competition will smarten BrazTech up.

[Archer]

Marlin has NOT been competitively priced for some time, especially in Kalifornia.
Prices even for the badly done post Remington takeover guns that seemed to be produced on uncalabrated machinery with mis-indexed barrels (sometimes including twisted scope rails on selected 1895s), short chambers and jammed lever latches have pretty much doubled or better. Availability of any new Marlin guns has been bad. I think I've seen 6 new guns over the past couple years and 2 of them were ordered in from Bud's by individuals.

Glad to hear you got a good one. I hope you are right that they have quality under control and back up to where it should be. I think you are right about reductions in their catalog of available models and calibers. I'm hearing those rumors from other sources and have noticed models disappearing from the website.
If they can get the production spun up so their guns are actually on the rack or available for order that would be VERY nice. Getting their reputation for quality work back is important as I know one dealer who stopped stocking them a year and a half back due to those problems.

I need to add about 5 or 6 different caliber Marlins to the lever collection.
They aren't quite like Winchesters yet, with every owner thinking they are made out of gold no matter how bad the condition, but I see them getting there if production and quality doesn't pick up.

I heard Henry got slammed by the storm and had damage and cleanup to deal with cutting their production last year. I think I've seen a few post storm guns getting to market though and except for the rear sight changes away from the Marble buckhorn on the rimfire octagonals they looked good.

Mossberg's got a .30-30 and a .22 I think but who ever was picking parts needed to sit down with some classic lever actions before they put out their offerings. The sights probably work but are very rudimentary and look like after thoughts. (Sort of like the old Crossman lever CO2 BB guns.)

I think the Miroku 1892s are going to be displaced by the 1873s. As such the Rossi 1892s will probably continue to be in demand as long as they don't start breaking parts and showing signs of soft metal. Marlin narrowing the 1895 line may make the .45-70 Rio's more attractive. If the 336 Marlins start showing up for 5 bills or less the .30-30 Rios may be left begging.

That's my impression of the current market. Might be some of the nitch vendors for the classic levers fill in the demand but as you've said elsewhere in different words priced at or above the Miroku Winchesters pretty much puts them out of the everyday working man on the street market.

[Ranch Dog]

Pretty good assessment Archer. Marlin's 2014 catalog indicates a promise of what thought lost; the 308 & 338 Marlin Express, 444, and the 1894. The only one left missing in action is the 450 Marlin. I really hope they get their act together as if Marlin was able to deliver a quality product and with their MSRPs it would settle things down a bit. It would be good all around. It would force Rossi to keep it cheaper as I doubt they are capable or have the inclination of putting any more quality into their production line. They missed their opportunity in 2010 but so did Henry and Mossberg.

[pricedo]

There's no IF about the quality of the 3 Marlin 336Cs and 1 336W I looked at and inspected.
There were 2 in 35 Rem & it was a "6 of 1 > half dozen of the other" decision as to which 1 to buy.
A big change from 3 years ago when 1 out of 3 Remlins I checked on racks were non-functional.
The guns arrived at the dealers in Feb 2014 and were from the latest Ilion run.
No guesswork here........the guns I saw are "JM" quality.
I think the triggers on the Remington Marlins are better than "JM" as hunters these days will no longer settle for the fence-post triggers of the 80s (remember the abominable Ruger triggers of that period? ).

[pricedo]

Marlin has NOT been competitively priced for some time, especially in Kalifornia.
Prices even for the badly done post Remington takeover guns that seemed to be produced on uncalabrated machinery with mis-indexed barrels (sometimes including twisted scope rails on selected 1895s), short chambers and jammed lever latches have pretty much doubled or better. Availability of any new Marlin guns has been bad. I think I've seen 6 new guns over the past couple years and 2 of them were ordered in from Bud's by individuals.

Glad to hear you got a good one. I hope you are right that they have quality under control and back up to where it should be. I think you are right about reductions in their catalog of available models and calibers. I'm hearing those rumors from other sources and have noticed models disappearing from the website.
If they can get the production spun up so their guns are actually on the rack or available for order that would be VERY nice. Getting their reputation for quality work back is important as I know one dealer who stopped stocking them a year and a half back due to those problems.

I need to add about 5 or 6 different caliber Marlins to the lever collection.
They aren't quite like Winchesters yet, with every owner thinking they are made out of gold no matter how bad the condition, but I see them getting there if production and quality doesn't pick up.

I heard Henry got slammed by the storm and had damage and cleanup to deal with cutting their production last year. I think I've seen a few post storm guns getting to market though and except for the rear sight changes away from the Marble buckhorn on the rimfire octagonals they looked good.

Mossberg's got a .30-30 and a .22 I think but who ever was picking parts needed to sit down with some classic lever actions before they put out their offerings. The sights probably work but are very rudimentary and look like after thoughts. (Sort of like the old Crossman lever CO2 BB guns.)

I think the Miroku 1892s are going to be displaced by the 1873s. As such the Rossi 1892s will probably continue to be in demand as long as they don't start breaking parts and showing signs of soft metal. Marlin narrowing the 1895 line may make the .45-70 Rio's more attractive. If the 336 Marlins start showing up for 5 bills or less the .30-30 Rios may be left begging.

That's my impression of the current market. Might be some of the nitch vendors for the classic levers fill in the demand but as you've said elsewhere in different words priced at or above the Miroku Winchesters pretty much puts them out of the everyday working man on the street market.

I own 2 of the Miroku rifles........a Winchester model 94 trails end in 450 Marlin & a Winchester 1886 extra light in 45-70........they may be made in Japan but they"re the highest quality Winchester lever guns ever made.
I have about a thousand dry cycles on each one & they are both as smooth as silk as is my Pedersoli 86/71 in 45-70.
And you're right ..............these are NOT cheap guns!
The Winchesters are triple the cost of a Rossi 92 & the Pedersoli almost quadruple the MSRP of a 92.

[mr surveyor]

and I remember when the Japanese were taking our Jax and Falstaff beer cans and stamping toy cars out of them. I was pretty young, but we would open the tabs on them little cars and peel back the body to guess what kind of beer can it was. My how times have changed.

JD

[ironhead7544]

I like the "Old West" finish some of the gunmakers offer. You dont have to worry about beating the gun up. Using it only makes it look better.

I once bought a 16 inch Rossi 92 in 357 Mag for $100.00 at a local gunshop. Looked like someone spilled CocaCola on it a left it sit. Other than that, it was almost new. Sold it later for a profit. Wish I had it back as it functioned perfectly and was more accurate than my Mini 14 at 100 yards. I should have just finished antiquing it so the rest of it matched the pitting and blue wash off.