Any one ever "Customized" a Marlin lever gun?

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pyscodog

Active member
Due to a "Slip,Trip, and Fall, I had to break out my 30-30 Marlin to hunt with Sunday morning. While setting there looking at it I thought a nice piece of wood for the stock wood be really cool. Anyone ever trick out their old 30-30 just for the fun of it? If so, how bout a pic. Heck it don't have to be a 30-30, any lever gun will do.
 
Marlin M1895 .45-70 from 1974, new recoil pad, cut checkering on wrist and forearm and refinished stock. The recoil pad isn't really as big as it looks in that picture, I guess the angle of the photograph causes it to look overly large.

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Mines a Diamond Jubilee Commerative for Otasco. Not really anything special unless you might have worked for Otasco. Was just thinking some pretty wood might be nice. Anyone know where nice stocks might be found at reasonable prices. I don't need "Show Quality", just a nice piece of wood.
 
I stripped mine down and did a rubbed oil finish.
Came out so nice (IMO) that I plan to dop the 39 next summer.
You just might be suprised what you find under that old finish.
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Charlie
I don't recall you ever mentioning a Marlin 1894 is that new

Psycho

The 94 on the left was rebuilt from a early 40's gun the barrel was trashed so I put on a new Badger barrel in 38/55 and replaced the wood with a stock from Treebone

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I watched Treebones videos. How was the fitting job? He does have some pretty wood stocks. I'd sure hate to FUBAR one of them.
 
Rich44 said:
Charlie
I don't recall you ever mentioning a Marlin 1894 is that new
Got it a few months ago Rich.
It was beat to death, but I'd been looking for a pre safety and the price was unbelievable so I jumped.
The guy sold it because it wouldn't cycle reliably but I think the problem was the ten pounds of grease&grime I cleaned out of the action.
Haven't tried any other ammo in it yet (and probably won't) but it's shooting 240gr Winnie white-box (44Mag) into a two inch circle at 50 with peep sight and functions flawlessly after the cleaning so I'm happy.

Had a scope on it for about fifteen minutes, but it went against every fiber in my being to scope a lever so I put the Williams on her. I did cheat and put a fiber optic front blade on too but don't tell anybody.
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I'm going to shoot one of my yard-Deer with it in a couple weeks and will report back.
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PS,,,, Since it shoots the White-Box so well I bought four more boxes last time I was in town, anticipating the panic buying that will surely take place as soon as OB starts yacking up his gun-ban ideas. 200rnds should last me a lifetime, but I have to admitt, it's allot more fun to shoot than I thought it would be so I'm saving brass.
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Pscycho
I only had a couple of minutes in fitting to do it was very easy then stained and oiled it.

Charlie
Thats very sweet I glad you found one. They are alot of fun
 
I've done quite a lot of "custom tuning" on Marlin leverguns, mostly back in my cowboy action days. Most of the stock work I did was simple refitting with Marlin OEM "checkerless" stock blanks that I hand finished. There are several guys out there that do fantastic stock work for Marlins, however, if you're not so inclined yourself.

ADDED: Here's a pic of my wife's deer rifle. It's a Marlin 1895 Stainless Guide Gun .45-70, she pushes sub-MOA groups out of it with Hornady Leverevolution 325grn FTX's running an average of 1792fps/2317ft-lbs. Most of the "upgrades" are internal, other than the Nikon Buckmasters 4.5-14x40mm glass and Harris Bipod (custom adapter I made), and the poor-man's cheekpiece. I put a new trigger (WWG Happy Trigger), new 1-pc ejector, new follower, big loop lever (radiused carrier cam), all new tuned springs, polished all of the internals like glass. Stand it upright and bump the lever across the lock plunger and it drops wide open. It's dirty and greasy in the pic, otherwise the bolt really shines (looks black/nasty in the pic). Looking to update the scope base and rings (currently it's a Weaver base with Millet rings-cheap cheap cheap). I'd like to get her into a more permanent and eye pleasing cheekpiece, but she likes what she has. Fantastic little rifle, treats my wife very well.

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Heres my sons 35remington. Cut the butt stock down, homemade leather cuff, Wild West trigger and "bear proof" ejecter, XS scout rail and Leupold scout scope.
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Getting peeps on Marlins is about as wild as I get .......

Talked a young fellow into a Marlin in .45-70 about a year ago. Talked him into a Skinner sight about six monthes ago.

It's his hands down horseback hammer gun!!!

Three 44s
 
I have been fighting the lever gun virus about a year now and you guys are not helping.Some good looking rifles here.I had a Marlin 45-70 that was slicked up and was a great shooter.Sold it to a friend because he just loved it and had to have it so I let him have it at a good price as he was a good friend.The SOB turned it for a profit inside a month.Now I don't have any friends when it comes to guns I'm not wanting to sell.By the way,I have a short /youth stock for a Marlin if anyone needs one for their kids or something.
 
Gary paugh,I really like that rifle.Very cool looking for a lever,don't see them like that often.
If any of you guys are looking for short stroke stuff or need the work done give me a PM.I have a neighbor that is very good at this and makes one of the shortest strokes for pistol cal rifles,don't know about rifle cal.He is good though.I can give you his contact info.
 
What some forget is how easy they are to slick up. The outside is important but what makes them really sing is the smooth action. Polish those internals, put a tang sight on them and you may not even want to change the outside.
I had a 45/70CB, 38/55CB, 2 30/30CB's 45 coltCB, several 357'sCB. They are all gone now but man did I like to shoot them.

Pack
 


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