[StretchNM]

Livewire, maybe there's just some gunk in there holding up the lever plunger? I can;t imagine a new rifle with a worn plunger or spring. I hope they don;t make you send it in.

I'm not sure if breaking down the rifle voids the warranty or not. If not, here's a link with pictures showing how to do it. I followed them some time back with my 1894 and it was pretty smooth and easy.
http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/topic,28648.0.html

If nothing else, have a look at it. Once your plunger problem is fixed, you're going to want to break it down for cleaning someday.

 

[StretchNM]

Here's another fix for the problem (if it isn;t gunk in there)
http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/topic,55734.0.html

And another:
http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/topic,32010.0.html