Marlin 1894 JM stamped

Here are a few pics of what I am talking about. The spot on the on the right side will be hard to repair. You can see the dent in the forearm where they beat the sight with a hammer...I guess everyone doesn't have a brass or delrin rod.

I wouldn't let any of that bother me. It's character, or so I've been told.

then it's the inspection and the Skinner...GTG

most all of those dents will come out with a wet rag and iron.. steam will raise the wood... you do have to get the finish off 1st.

I love your Marlin gun and it is great that it doesn't have the dang "Lawyer safety requirement" too. Marlin had to start using those idget gadgets beginning back in mid-1983 because the lawyers got involved in wanting a safety on these lever guns. Thankfully, I ONLY have ONE of those with that concoction installed.

I have a bunch of Marlins in various calibers that were manufactured prior to 1982 and I love all of them.......well not as much love for the Golden Model 39 A, 22 cal. (short, long, long rifle) that was manufactured in 2004 in the North Haven Plant. For whatever reason, I always wanted a Model 39A so I finally bought one and it was dang expansive too. I really didn't need it at all either. I keep telling myself to just sell it as I've fired it less than 100 times and I hated that safety thing too.

Jester, if you are not a member over at Marlinowners.com, maybe you should check out that website as well as there are great people over there that are really helpful just like the members here. They can also give you some great insight about your Marlin as well. It is free to join there as well as there are several members here that are also members over there such as myself. That is how I found out about GON to begin with. My late wife also had her own Forum on the Marlinowners website for many years up until her death. The owner decided to leave that Forum intact after her death and call it the "Ask Anna Memorial Forum" and technically it is still not locked down. My wife owned her own Model 336 Marlin, 30-30 caliber that she deer hunted with many years ago as well. I still have it as well. I do have one Model 1936 Marlin, 30-30 caliber that was actually manufactured in 1936 also.

Over the years, I have had several friends that worked at Marlin Firearms in their Connecticut plant and they were great people too. I still correspond with a few of them from time to time.

My largest caliber is my Model 444 S Marlin, hence my screen name for all of these years has always been EAGLE EYE 444 on both the GON and also the Marlinowners. com website listed below:

http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/

Enjoy your Marlin and be glad that it was manufactured in their Connecticut Plant because they really had some great engineers and skilled workers there.

at one time there was a very nice lady in the parts department at Marlin. There were just a couple of items she wouldn't send me since I wasn't a qualified gunsmith to fit those parts to the rifle...wish I could remember her name.

I have had several over the years and currently have an 1895S in .45-70. At one time I hunted with a group that just about exclusively hunted with Marlins. My first .45-70 drowned in a pond when my 4- wheeler turned over, it didn't have the cross bolt safety but the new one does.

I no longer have a 30-30 or .444 and wouldn't mind having either to add back. This is my first pistol caliber though...I now have a rifle to go with my side arm

Some one needs to work on buckhorn rifle sight skills.

Got 3 down the pipe before it hung up.

After removing the lever and bolt to clean the bore good it fired these 3 rounds and hung up.

While I had it apart I noticed the ejector showed some good wear while cleaning the barrel. We started taking it apart for a closer inspection to see why it was hanging. I stoned the bottom of the bolt where it starts to feed the case. It was beat up a little and rough. The extractor didn't seem wide enough for the case to slide under so we opened it up a little and remove the ultra sharp edge. It is much better but still has a slight issue. It almost looks like someone has modified the carrier in an effort to smooth the issues out.

Looks like I may need a few parts...that carrier new is $75.

I would definitely look at Skinner Express sights for that gun. Best thing I have ever done to a gun. I’m more accurate at 100yards with my 1968 M336 than you can imagine; last time I shot it, I was dinging 8” steel at 100yards offhand, while sitting on my atv.

I worked on it all weekend it would seem. When we took it apart the other day and it was way over the edge of dirty. When I started cleaning the action with brake cleaner oil started pouring out around the stock.

I got my stone out and started smoothing up the other rough edges and cleaning as I went.

My feed issues were the actuator as I originally thought. This is an older actuator with the pivoting detent. The newer ones have a ball detent. There was so much crud under the detent that it wouldn't let it cycle properly. The detent was causing the actuator to kick sideways and then the round would misalign. I am still a little uncertain about the extractor. It was causing the front of the bolt to pitch outward when locked. The major hang is now gone and it will almost operate smoothly a slow speed. Just a couple more little things and that will be done too. The mag tube seems to be really dirty too...it makes the case rims feel like they have been rolled on concrete or sand paper at best.

Then it will come back completely apart for another cleaning and TLC. I got new screws for it since the others were monkeyed up. A little bit of grease in some key locations then I will load up and run a couple 100 rounds through it.

I passed on a NIB XS ML-1004-5 Scout Rail with the rear peep...under $100...sells for $170. I think it will be the Skinner Express and a new front dovetail that is easier to see.

picked up the last few screws that came in today. Tomorrow..or one day soon...taking it all the way down for a final cleaning.

Scored this vintage Hunters leather sling. Kind of the precursor to Super Slings maybe...pretty sure it is '70s vintage. Even looks like it has precursor Talon Swivels.

I like that sling. Classic.

nice rifle I have one that I enjoy from 1971

Man...waiting on these was like a kid waiting on Christmas. They got from MT to Jacksonville faster than the got from there to me. Dressed it up really nice I think. Thanks to everyone that lead me this way. I will drift in the front sight and rear sight cover when I have some time. Found some .44 boolits in my stock pile and I'll get them loaded this weekend to sight it in. Hope I don't have to cut the front sight too much....went with what they recommended.