That's what I think. I had sent a '51 336-A to Marlin to be reblued and the stock refinished the first week of this year. I sent it back after discussing the work with their Service Department. I received the rifle back just now, untouched. The invoice is marked...

"Sorry, no parts"... this rifle didn't need any parts and the letter did not detail any repairs, just refinishing. The invoice is also marked, "This will acknowledge receipt of the firearm returned to Marlin".

No other explaination provided, they could have called me on the phone and explained the problem. Back to the original plan... sending it to Boses Guns to be refinished, parkerized, and chambered to 30-30 AI. To he** with Marlin, I bought three of their rifles last year and won't ever buy another. I'm going to invoice their Service Department for the shipping to the factory as they are the ones that encouraged me to send it to them and not have it parkerized or rechambered. They've wasted two months of my time.

You may be right RD. Sorry to hear about your trouble. Does this mean the PostalMatch is going to include the other lever guys :eek: ? Just curious.

I'm going to have to do some thinking about the Postal Match... Heck, the real Ranch Dog Sheila was so upset over the Marlin deal I had to take her down to DQ and buy her an ice cream cone just to cool her down. It ain't good getting your cow dog stur'd up!

Ranch Dog, Why wouldn't you conduct the Postal Shooting Match?? I'll help you grade papers if you need help. It will be a better match this year. So Marlin's sight is past tense, we go on. Don't put the real Ranch Dog in a depressive stuper for pete's sake! I'm afraid for her good health if you don't have the Postal Match. :(

Check in to the Marlin site, they posted a response ...

You're right SideSpin... was just a little bummed out after getting two doses of Marlin rejection in one day. The return of the rifle still puzzles me especially in light of the phone conversation I had with Marlin over the work on the rifle. A letter of some type would have been appropriate.

I've actually spent most of my time here or on www.baitshopboyz.com as of late. In fact, I just noticed how little time I'd spent on MarlinTalk when you emailed me a couple of times about particular topics. This site hits on my technical "likes" because of the participants in the Reloading/Casting area. The Tech Notes and various on-line tools are top notch if you are trying to do something with your rifle, bullets, or loading. A tip of the Texas hat to Marshall and all the moderators for a well run forum. Heck... I'm almost feeling a group hug comming on. I just give the ranch dog Sheila a squeeze instead.

I don't plan on sending Marlin a thing concerning MarlinTalk. I think they will pay about as much attention to it as they did to anything else that group asked them to consider. I will email Ed in a week or two, when the dust settles, and thank him for his support of the forum and Postal Match.

Check in to the Marlin site, they posted a response ...
Not much of one.
Ranger

Gents,

I know that you are frustrated with the loss of MT and the way in which that happened. Please be carefull about jumping to conclusions as to the health of the company as a whole since we all know how little things get blown WAY out of proportiion on the net. A nice, ten foot bear can become a raging fifteen foot, man eating monster.

Let us not feed the black dog if we do not have to.

I am not saying that Ranch does not have a legit issue over the service rendered (or not as the case may be), but we do need to keep it in perspective.

All my best,

Scotty

Im a new guy to this site,formally of Marlin Talk and want to thak this site for having what looks to be a great forum.
My Levers include a 336rc in 35rem dated 1961 and a golden 39a.
Thanks Kevin :)

I do think some is legit on there post.. Some of the mods to the guns and reloading talk could have got the lawyers in a tizzy....

I really have no idea.....

The last time(s) I posted at MT was about 1 month ago concerning Scout Mounts, Ghost Rings, Mag Tubes, TakeDowns and Barrels. But, I don't remember seeing a Postal Match sked!!! Is there one ... in the works? If so, can someone post the rules.

Hope I'm not (ouch!) a Johhny-come-lately :D

Bill

There did seem to be alot of time spent complaining about the addition of the cross bolt safety , which I'm sure marlin spent a considerable amount of money to incorporate into their rifles, Must have been cringing every time someone posted a way to remove of defeat this . Let's face it , it was put their as their way of protecting themselves from the moron that inevitably will shoot his toe while letting the hammer down on his rifle and then try to sue the company. At least they could argue they gave the schmuck every chance not to. What gets me is that the folks that distain this feature only need to simply push it to the fire position and "Forget It's There! "ahh but what's done is done let's move on.

444fitch

These folks seem fine.Alot went to Rimfire and Gunjunkie is trying to move the archives there and is meeting resistance from the forum and Marlin.Marlin has been going down in quality over the last few years but in order to keep the MF open we sugar coated Marlin.Nice to see you all.Ranger,BM has never posted his addy do to his being eliminated from other sites and tracing him down.

These folks seem fine.Alot went to Rimfire and Gunjunkie is trying to move the archives there and is meeting resistance from the forum and Marlin.Marlin has been going down in quality over the last few years but in order to keep the MF open we sugar coated Marlin.Nice to see you all.Ranger,BM has never posted his addy do to his being eliminated from other sites and tracing him down.
IW, good to see you made it.
I wouldn't worry about BM finding this place, if nothing else, he is intelligent, and there is nothing we can do to prevent him from posting here anyway.

I wrote a long email to Mr. Chabot regarding shutting the site down and I don't expect a reply.
If he does, I will post it here.
Ranger

444fitch
... the Cross Bolt Safety, which I'm sure Marlin spent a considerable amount of money to incorporate into their rifles ... Let's face it , it was put their as their way of protecting themselves from the moron that inevitably will shoot his toe while letting the hammer down on his rifle and then try to sue the company ... What gets me is that the folks that distain this feature only need to simply push it to the fire position and "Forget It's There!"In a nut shell, there is a serious safety issue buried in your observation ... push it to the fire position and "Forget It's There!".

That is, the CBS can accidently be placed in the Safe position with the hammer at half-cock, i.e., the Original Safety Feature already active. This leads to a hunt situation where you cock the hammer, aim, fire and are surprised by a "click" ... as the hammer hits the CBS ... hopefully, you get a chance to defeat the CBS and take a shot ... maybe not.

Here's my personal rule ...
DURING A HUNT, ALWAYS use an O-Ring to eliminate accidental CBS use.

The original half-cock safety is all that's needed for anyone who is conscious of safety issues.

The additional fact that muzzles should always be pointed in a safe direction takes care of shooting-off one's toes ... a safety issue no mechanical safety will ever fix.

You may want to use the CBS to cycle ammo FROM the magazine. You can also unload thru the loading gate or, if you have a DRC TakeDown, you can Lock-the-magazine, rotate 90 degrees then, release the ammo.

Bill

I tend to agree with Ranch Dog. There have been a lot of reasons posted for MT being shut down but I really think it was a financial problem. Don't take what I say wrong. I love Marlin guns and have for over 40 years. I still buy Marlin guns and probably always will. Marlin may not go out of business but I can see that they have a serious problem. There is a reason that so many guns are leaving the Marlin factory defective and there are a lot of them. I don't believe Marlin is testing the guns before shipping them out. I'll tell you why I say this. Marlin has quit placing the inspection stickers on the forearms of the gun with the testers name on it. The other reason is that, if all the guns were tested, a lot of the defective guns, if not all of them would be caught and corrected. Fot instance, take the 336D I bought. The bolt would not close with a round in the chamber. I sent it back to Marlin and had it fixed. There is no way they could have tested that gun because it was impossible to close the lever. The chamber was not cut deep enough for the round to fully chamber. Common sense tells you that the gun wasn't tested. I think they have eliminated the testing job and put those employees to doing something else in order to meet demands. I have bought 18 Marlin lever actions from 1999 to now and four of those were really messed up. That is almost 23% defective. My last gun to go back this week was an 1894SS .44. It absolutely would not chamber a round, the action was very stiff and the hammer was in such a bind that it wouldn't fall when the trigger was pulled. What I am telling you is the truth, so help me God. I have not fell out with Marlin and probably never will because, so far they have made them right or replaced them. All I'm saying is that Marlin is making the guns so fast that they don't take the time to test all of them. That tells me that they have a big money problem. Buying out H&R probably didn't help them any either. I have heard that the H&R guns had lots of problems. It really wouldn't surprise me if Marlin wasn't on the verge of bankruptcy. I hope they get back on track and get their quality problems solved. Losing Marlin Firearms would hurt a lot more than losing Marlin Talk. I have just sent back a new 1894CC .32-20 Limited that was messed up pretty bad. I'm getting a brand new replacement for it. I hope none of you take what I have said wrong. I am not bashing Marlin. You can make up your own mind as to what the problems are.

I tend to agree with Ranch Dog. There have been a lot of reasons posted for MT being shut down but I really think it was a financial problem. Don't take what I say wrong. I love Marlin guns and have for over 40 years. I still buy Marlin guns and probably always will. Marlin may not go out of business but I can see that they have a serious problem. There is a reason that so many guns are leaving the Marlin factory defective and there are a lot of them. I don't believe Marlin is testing the guns before shipping them out. I'll tell you why I say this. Marlin has quit placing the inspection stickers on the forearms of the gun with the testers name on it. The other reason is that, if all the guns were tested, a lot of the defective guns, if not all of them would be caught and corrected. Fot instance, take the 336D I bought. The bolt would not close with a round in the chamber. I sent it back to Marlin and had it fixed. There is no way they could have tested that gun because it was impossible to close the lever. The chamber was not cut deep enough for the round to fully chamber. Common sense tells you that the gun wasn't tested. I think they have eliminated the testing job and put those employees to doing something else in order to meet demands. I have bought 18 Marlin lever actions from 1999 to now and four of those were really messed up. That is almost 23% defective. My last gun to go back this week was an 1894SS .44. It absolutely would not chamber a round, the action was very stiff and the hammer was in such a bind that it wouldn't fall when the trigger was pulled. What I am telling you is the truth, so help me God. I have not fell out with Marlin and probably never will because, so far they have made them right or replaced them. All I'm saying is that Marlin is making the guns so fast that they don't take the time to test all of them. That tells me that they have a big money problem. Buying out H&R probably didn't help them any either. I have heard that the H&R guns had lots of problems. It really wouldn't surprise me if Marlin wasn't on the verge of bankruptcy. I hope they get back on track and get their quality problems solved. Losing Marlin Firearms would hurt a lot more than losing Marlin Talk. I have just sent back a new 1894CC .32-20 Limited that was messed up pretty bad. I'm getting a brand new replacement for it. I hope none of you take what I have said wrong. I am not bashing Marlin. You can make up your own mind as to what the problems are.

Very well put my friend. :D :D

It would be nice to have these problems all sorted out.
What is spent on the comebacks should almost pay for the inspections before the rifles leave the plant.
I would be hesitant buying a new Marlin in a box shipped to me because of the problems they are having. Our 17VS was our first disappointment. The rifle before an 1895 GG was very good out of the box except for a wrong front site that guide guns were shipped out with. They were too high.
To ship a rifle back accross the border is a big deal for us.
Dillion has over come this by shipping out replacment parts no question asked. Marlin wants to see the gun.

:( My own solution is to keep going through the used gun line keeping an ear out for another gem like the used 336/35 RC that I found last year.

Hi guys!
There has been a lot of speculation concerning Marlin's site closure, and the company in general. Most of it has been emotionally driven, and those who got into emotionally chraged discussions at MT, think this is one of the problems.
I think those folks must have pretty big egos to think their little tantrums and disputes could close down MT!
The real reason for MT going down is the lack of a full time moderator for the various threads, and Marlin's unwillingness to appoint someone outside their company to monitor the forum. They didn't like the discussions relating to safety and liability issues, but didn't want to pay someone in house to oversee that part of the forum, or accept offers from MT members who graciously would have done this for free.
Thus they took the easy way out, and just ended a fine venue that we all loved.
I don't think Marlin is going out of business, but the way they handled Ranchdog's rifle refinish is really bogus. Marlin has had a policy that they do not work on models that are out of production. This includes pre crossbolt safety 336 models. I'd guess that the person who spoke with you about your gun had no idea that it was a pre CBS model, and gave you bad advice. They should have explained this in the return letter, and refunded your shipping costs.

Im a new guy to this site,formally of Marlin Talk and want to thak this site for having what looks to be a great forum.
My Levers include a 336rc in 35rem dated 1961 and a golden 39a.
Thanks Kevin :)

Glad you found this site. My former handle was Jack O'Conner. Welcome aboard!
"Jack"

I totally agree with marlinman93! They just don't want to put in the resources and time to run a forum. I will miss it but there are other quality forums out here that are moderated and maintained. There were too many problems with abusers on that forum. I feel too that it would have worked out had they set moderators to begin with. There is no way I feel they are going under with cas raging on! However, MT sure sold a lot of people on buying, me being one of them!

Whatever the reason for closing MT down, I hope it don't turn anyone against Marlin. I only wish the best for the Marlin Firearms Co. They have been around a long time and have produced some very fine firearms. I think they are struggling to make ends meet as most companies are in todays market. We should all support Marlin in every way we can. I know some have really been disappointed with Marlin quality control lately, especially those who have had to send their gun back two or three times. So far I have been very happy with the guns I had to send back. They made my 336D good and replaced my 1897 CB with a new one. I didn't have to go through Marlin with my latest return, an 1894CCL .32-20. My dealer on Auction Arms told me to send it back to him and he is sending it to Marlin. The dealer is sending me a new 1894CCL himself and he has already checked it for defects. My 1894SS .44 was sent back to Marlin this week and I'm sure it will be fine when I get it back. The quality control problem does not mean that Marlin don't care. They do care about quality as much as we do. If Marlin is having financial problems, we need to support them until the economy is better. I do believe Marlin is struggling to keep their heads above water at this time and things will get better. Go out and buy a new Marlin or two and keep shooting.

I carry my 1895 in the half cocked postion with a safty off. But i like the idea that if I am about to push my way threw some thick brush or strap it to my back I can quickly put the safty on to ease my mind. One time while hunting in thick woods a twig pulled the hammer back on the gun. I constantly check the hammer with my thumb to make sure it is in the right position and caught the problem before there really was one.

Hi RanchDog,

I am very sorry to hear of the way Marlin service department handled your blue job.

http://www2.freepichosting.com/Images/421447716/0.jpg Eddie the Ski dog says Shelia should chill out and know it will all be OK.:D

Guys, Marlin is not going out of bussness and it was lawyers that started the ball rolling on the MT shutdown. Period.

Love to all -gbb

Don't take my question wrong. I'm not trying to stir up anything but if Marlin shut down MT for the reasons stated, then why did they ever start it to begin with? Did they not know that there would be no moderators and did they not know what it would cost to have the site? I'll believe the lawyer thing before I would believe anything else.

They started MT for the same reason. To bring folks to their site, which would hopefully sell more Marlins. It's not free advertising, but it's pretty cheap for what they got.
I don't think they ever dreamed it would get near the number of posts it got, and I think they never really considered the safety/legal issues.
They saw the opportunity to set up a site that would be available for their customers and fans to use, and hopefully it might help sell guns. I really don't think they knew what a close knit group had developed there, but even if they did, it wouldn't have changed the outcome.

Marlin was slow to fix a Papoose and after the third time they actually replaced it. The first one would jam a lot the second I have had zero problems. Now that I had one that worked I decided to have some fun with it and removed the buttstock so that I could remove the foam filling and use the space to store an extra magazine and ammo. Like a dumba** I broke the buttplate getting it off. I called Marlin to get a new one and they explained that they get the stocks from another vendor and if I needed one my only option would be to purchase the whole stock for around 50 bucks. I told them never mind that I would try and fix it best I could. Surprise, surprise, a few days later I recieved the butt plate in the mail, no charge. I know that a papoose is not a lever action but I wanted to use my experience that at least in my case the customer service was good.

Far as MarlinTalk being shut down, I do believe Chabot could have watched it a whole easier if not for the Misc forum, and all the politics on their, just a question concerning that area, have any of you ever seen a post on the other areas of marlin talk concerning guns or hunting from the guy who done more posting than anyone else. Just curious. Swany

Far as MarlinTalk being shut down, I do believe Chabot could have watched it a whole easier if not for the Misc forum, and all the politics on their, just a question concerning that area, have any of you ever seen a post on the other areas of marlin talk concerning guns or hunting from the guy who done more posting than anyone else. Just curious. Swany

I think Marlin would have been able to appease both the legal responsibilities/liabilities AND the Forumites if they have just done away with the Misc. Forum ! ! !

I think Marlin would have been able to appease both the legal responsibilities/liabilities AND the Forumites if they have just done away with the Misc. Forum ! ! !
Amen my Friend. Take care and have fun. Swany

Sounds simple, but you'd be surprised how big of a job it can be to keep a forum orderly.....

Sounds simple, but you'd be surprised how big of a job it can be to keep a forum orderly.....
Mike, I do not envy your job, I will try my best to keep it easy for you. Thanks, take care and have fun. Swany