MARLIN M336 MAINTENANCE

LIGHT GUNSMITHING

- Gil Sengel

The receiver is prevented from moving by being pressed into a bag of shot by the downward pressure of the screwdriver.

A rifle, like any other mechanical device, must be maintained if it is expected to perform its intended purpose when required. The problem is that sporting arms today are so darn reliable. When was the last time you experienced a failure to feed, fire or eject from a manually-operated rifle made after 1960 – and the problem wasn’t the fault of the cartridge or the rifle operator? Rarely, I’ll wager. Probably never. If it did happen, chances are, it was a broken firing pin (caused by dry firing?), which is a repair or operator problem, not maintenance. Maintenance is done to prevent having to do repair.

Remove the lever pivot screw and pull the lever down out of the receiver.

The lever lock plunger (arrow) does not need to be removed if working freely.

Having received requests regarding maintenance on various common hunting rifles, I will, from time to time, pick a rifle and disassemble it only enough to do the work necessary to keep it operating smoothly. This time, the rifle is the Marlin M336 and its variations.

Of course, it is true that with enough searching, much of this can be found on the internet. Nevertheless, a magazine format is the perfect way to present such information because it can be laid out flat on the bench. Clear photos can then be studied and text read and reread to gain complete understanding. This seems superior to small images flashing across a computer screen.