444 ?

[Harpman]

I got to messing around and took the marlin 444 apart for cleaning etc...and noticed between the underside of the barrel and the magazine tube...where the clip is that holds the two together...is a slot in the barrel and the magazine...this isnt supposed to be there,, is it ?...I'm thinking it worn itself in

[imashooter2]

That's factory configuration. Nothing to worry about.

[Harpman]

whew...thanks:-D

[Ranch Dog]

Like imashooter2 said, it is supposed to be there. You can see a lot of wear at this point, especially if the rifle has lived a life of heavy loads. The aft edge of the slot on the magazine tube will start to collapse (fold under). There is a method of reassembling the rifle that will minimize the wear. Just prior to tightening the barrel band screw, make sure the magazine tube is held aft against the screw and then tightened. In other words, the screw is against the forward edge vs. the aft edge of the magazine tube slot.