A customer's old Marlin 336 went from wall hanger to deer rifle in two weeks

He brought it in with a pitted bore and a broken ejector, said it hadn't been shot since the 90s. After a good cleaning, a new ejector spring, and a recrown, it's grouping under 2 inches at 100 yards. Anyone else had a simple fix bring a rifle back from the dead?

3 comments

3 Comments

wyatt_green10d ago

Seems like a lot of work for a 2 inch group. My old 30-30 shoots better than that straight out of the safe, why bother fixing one up?

johnson.ryan10d ago

Ever wonder why some folks like to restore old cars instead of just buying a new one? It's the same feeling with an old rifle. The work itself is the point, not just the group size. Getting a piece of history back in shape, learning how it all fits together, that's the real reward. The target just shows you got it running again.

kellyperry6d ago

Honestly, two inches at a hundred yards is just okay for a deer rifle. The real question is if that amount of work was worth it for a gun that still shoots like most old 30-30s do. It's cool it works again, but calling it a comeback seems like a stretch. Some people just like the project more than the result.