[Faxxxy]

I bought a brand new Marlin 336W last night and about two out of every ten cycles it locks up about 3/4 of an inch from closed and won't move either way until it is hit hard with the heel of a palm.

It works beautifully the other eight times, but it seems like once this starts, it contines to lock up every time for five or six times before it frees up again.

I called Marlin and they just said to send it in.

Less than 12 hours old, never even had a bullet in it, and already going in for repair?
I can make a video and stick it out on youtube if anyone is interested and thinks it may be something simple (like a loose screw) that I can handle without sending my brand new rifle in.

Thanks.

P.S. My father-in-law is a Winchester guy and I will never hear the end of it if I have to send in my brand new Marlin for repair.

 

[unclenick]

Welcome to the forum. Rules are to join in, have fun, and play nicely with the rest of us kids.

Sorry to hear you got a defect. Happens.

Send it in. The law allows you to send it in directly for service and for the factory to return it to you directly without going through an FFL holder. That exception in the law was made so the law did not discourage getting unsafe guns repaired.

Anytime you get some personal attention on a production gun, you almost always end up with a better than average gun. I've returned guns with accuracy complaints a couple of times, and had real shooters returned to me. For that reason, I would go ahead and learn whether it shoots accurately for you before making the return, so you can complain about the accuracy at the same time. if you need to. That way you get more attention on it for the same shipping cost.

 

[Faxxxy]

The upside is that I played with it some now instead of waiting until deer season just to find out it was defective.

I suppose even Rolls Royce has a service department.

 

[Faxxxy]

youtube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB3NP-N_f7M&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

 

[unclenick]

Have you removed the bolt and looked around the locking lug recess for burrs or signs of rubbing?

 

[pisgah]

Have you tried skeeting a bit of oil in there and working the action a few times? Could just be dry as a bone in a couple of critical spots.

 

[Faxxxy]

To be completely honest, I haven't tried much more than gently making sure the screws were tight on the outside. I was afraid that any screwdriver markings on the screws would void the warranty.

 

[Faxxxy]

Gentlemen, I think that did it.

I pulled the bolt and wiped all of the nasty black paste off of it, (I guess that's grease from the machining process) covered everythng with a little gun oil and it seems to be cycling fine now.

Two hundred cycles without it even offering to fail. There was no way it was going to do that before.

I probably should have done that to begin with, but I've never bought a brand new gun and I didn't want to void the warranty.

So now I'm stuck with the question; Do I go ahead and send it in and let them go through it just in case this ordeal has caused excessive wear on any of the parts? Or do I call it good and put the scope on it and start playing?

The fringe benefit of all of this is I got to learn about things like the gate screw issue and such.

Thanks guys!

 

[MikeG]

I'd shoot it and see how it goes. You probably had a few chips of metal or other crud mixed in with the grease.

 

[Marshall Stanton]

Like Mike said, I'd have a shoot and see attitude towards it! Marlin makes a brutally tough lever-gun, I seriously doubt that you in any way damaged your new rifle such that it would need factory service.

I'd wager to say that your new 336 is ready and waiting to have some fun!

 

[hornetguy]

as an aside... if you HAD been forced to send it in, I think that would be the FIRST 336 I'd ever heard of needing to go back to the factory like that.

Not many manufacturers can boast that kind of quality control. I've had a couple of 336's, an 1894, a model 39, and currently have an 1895 SS.

All were exceptionally smooth and trouble free. I wish I still had all of them.

(I DID find a really nice 336, pre-crossbolt for 300 bucks a few weeks ago.. I'm still trying to figure out how to swing it)

 

[GMFWoodchuck]

If the manufacturer said to send it in, then.......

Stupid is as stupid does. Remember, it's the same company that supposedly has problems with their bolts (M700, though I think that's more of a NBC headline than anything.)

Hopefully all works out.

 

[MikeG]

Cleaning it is not stupid.

Solved the problem without further delay. I can't see a thing wrong with that. Lots of things come with packing/shipping grease that has to be cleaned off before first use.

I commend the member for solving his own problems, instead of blaming the manufacturer / society / lack of therapy / etc.

 

[264shooter]

I agree with MikeG.Most new guns I have bought needed excessive oils cleaned off of them before shooting.Go shoot the rifle and start having the fun you envisioned when you bought the rifle.Happy shootin

 

[unclenick]

Metal chips sounds like a reasonable explanation to me, too. New loading dies always seem to have to be cleaned before use. Mothballed surplus guns full of Cosmoline or it's equivalent do, too. Save the cost of sending it in unless and until you discover a problem. Marlin has a 5 year limited warranty, so if you sent your card in, you've got some time yet to discover these things.

 

[mtmrolla]

I have a 336 that has more rounds through it that I could count...it is possible to break one but it is hard to do. I recently had one in that had a bent lever, a guy apparently dropped it from a tree stand and it landed with the lever open. I took mine apart, compared the levers and reformed the bent lever. It works like gangbusters again. As said above, rock solid design.

 

[TMan]

Cleaning it is not stupid.

I will confess to going through way too many new guns, but the first thing I do with all of them is take 'em apart, and clean the grit and chips from the surfaces and internal areas.

After many years and many guns, I'm not surprised one goes back once in a while, I'm surprised at how few don't.

 

[temmi]

Cleaning it is not stupid.

Solved the problem without further delay. I can't see a thing wrong with that. Lots of things come with packing/shipping grease that has to be cleaned off before first use.

I commend the member for solving his own problems, instead of blaming the manufacturer / society / lack of therapy / etc.

I agree...

Some folks would have cleaned it out of the box and not noticed a problem.

Would they have been stupid?

Have fun with you Levergun... they are a hoot.

I took a 1 ton Bison last Christmas with my 450 Marlin

It was too cool