336 Trigger Swap

[TXGunNut]

I'm a pretty fair tinkerer but I don't like changing sear engagment surfaces and I don't like the slop inherent in the Marlin two piece trigger so I ordered a Wild West Guns trigger for my 336 in 35 Rem. My other Marlins have acceptable triggers but this one was making it tough to get a decent group. Watched a couple of videos this morning, cleaned a couple of rifles that were in the way and waded right in.
Pretty simple, actually. Rifle needed a detail stripping anyway so it's all good. Only hitch was the dreaded screw swap but once I figured that out it went back together quite nicely.
Feels like a totally different gun! An honest drop-in trigger that feels like it should, can't wait to take it to the range and see how things go tomorrow. Now a couple of questions come to mind; why does Marlin use a complicated two-piece trigger when one like the one from WWG works so much better? Also wondering how long it will take me to pony up the funds for a WWG trigger for my other Marlins. :grin:

[starmac]

Thanks for posting this, as I have been considering the swap in my guide gun myself.

[TXGunNut]

You're quite welcome, I love it when a product does what it's supposed to. I don't have a tigger pull scale but my best guess is a little over 2.5 #'s. They're in Anchorage, an employee is a member here. I'm thinking my Guide Gun will have one someday soon, this ol' girl isn't going anywhere so she may just as well be as good as I can make her.

[TXGunNut]

Took my 336 to the range yesterday, new trigger simply awesome. It's on a par with my favorite Model 70. Very crisp & consistent. New Redfield scope ruined the day tho, going back for repairs....AGAIN!

[youngda9]

Scope on a levergun :not listening:

[starmac]

My M99 lever has always been scoped, and I actually like it. my M39 had a scope on it when I bought it, but was removed before I ever shot it. I have not been able to convince myself to scope any of my marlins or win's, even though my eyes are telling me too. lol I am thing about the ghost ring sight that wwg has for my guide gun though.

[TXGunNut]

I won't scope a Winchester but Marlins seem OK with them. When I was younger I didn't need a scope and didn't appreciate good irons sights. Now I like irons but have difficulty using them. Youth is wasted on the young.

[Shuz]

TXGunNut--Does Wild West Guns send complete instructions on making the change with their trigger? I have a Marlin 444S that could sure use a better trigger than the "gold" one it has!

[TXGunNut]

No but I found a couple of good videos on YouTube. My latest 336 has the ugly gold trigger but it feels pretty good to me. All it amounted to in my case was a detail stripping and reassembly, not a big deal and the videos have a few good tips.

[rintinglen]

Both my 45-70 and 44 mag CB"s have Wildwest sears. They are excellent and pretty easy to install if you are reasonably handy.

[TXGunNut]

Both my 45-70 and 44 mag CB"s have Wildwest sears. They are excellent and pretty easy to install if you are reasonably handy.

Next one will be a piece of cake, can't recall doing a detail strip on a 336 but it's not all that bad. My Guide Gun will have one before long, it has a decent trigger but the WW trigger is pretty remarkable.

[W.R.Buchanan]

TX: Wild West AKA Jim West, also has a shop in Las Vegas now.

Randy

[Lefty SRH]

I put a WWG trigger in my 35 but had to remove it as failed. But I still like the WWG products

[robroy]

Lefty SRH How did it fail?

[TXGunNut]

TX: Wild West AKA Jim West, also has a shop in Las Vegas now.

Randy

I'm thinking he caters to the CAS crowd from the products I've seen on the Midway site. Good, solid stuff from what I've seen, made in the USA (by at least one of our members!).

[TXGunNut]

TX: Wild West AKA Jim West, also has a shop in Las Vegas now.

Randy

I'm thinking he caters to the CAS crowd from the products I've seen on the Midway site. Good, solid stuff from what I've seen, made in the USA (by at least one of our members!).

[TXGunNut]

TX: Wild West AKA Jim West, also has a shop in Las Vegas now.

Randy

I'm thinking he caters to the CAS crowd from the products I've seen on the Midway site. Good, solid stuff from what I've seen, made in the USA (by at least one of our members!).

[W.R.Buchanan]

His two big markets are SASS and the Alaskan Bush Crowd and people who would like to be in the Alaskan Bush Crowd.

They do take down conversions to all the Marlin leverguns, and they are pretty nice when done. These guns when in take down configuration are very compact and when you are talking a Guide Gun type of weapon they are also very formidable guns. Lots of Bush Pilots carry them with them, knowing full well that if you are unarmed in the Alaskan Bush, you may end up as lunch for someone.

The SASS guys like the trigger and action jobs that WW does. However he is not the only outfit making the solid trigger. David Clay also makes it and I believe they are nearly identical. Problem with David Clay is you can't get ahold of him unless you are a gun writer or the like.

I have also seen Marlin Triggers that were silver soldered together to make a solid one piece unit.

Randy

[TXGunNut]

Thanks, Randy. I think I've seen a write-up on his takedowns and how bush pilots utilize them. I'm just enough of a gun tinkerer to be amazed when a "drop-in" gun part works, and works well.
This 336 is the first Marlin I've had that actually needed a trigger or much of anything else, now I'm thinking my Guide Gun could use a little improvement in the trigger.

[W.R.Buchanan]

A Brownells "Reduced Power Spring kit" for the gun will make a lot of difference in the trigger pull as well.

IF you go here http://www.leverguns.com/articles/Marlin_Information.htm There is a wealth of information on how to massage your guns so that they run much smoother. Believe me anyone who can operate sandpaper and a file can do the work. You can go as deep or as light as you want on the tweaking, from just smoothing the action out to full race. Just smoothing the actions out by deburring the internal parts is night and day difference.

All the Marlins work exactly the same way so what is true for a 336 is true for a 1894-1895 etc.

If I can be of any assistance just let me know, and that goes for the rest of you also.

Randy

[Lefty SRH]

Lefty SRH How did it fail?

It wouldn't set at full cock and would fire at half cock.

[TXGunNut]

IF you go here http://www.leverguns.com/articles/Ma...nformation.htm There is a wealth of information on how to massage your guns so that they run much smoother. Believe me anyone who can operate sandpaper and a file can do the work. You can go as deep or as light as you want on the tweaking, from just smoothing the action out to full race. Just smoothing the actions out by deburring the internal parts is night and day difference. -W.R.Buchanan

Thanks, Randy. Just happen to be putting together a 30-30 336 "race gun" for porcine population control. As you may recall it has the Bushnell TRS-25 dot scope and I'm trying to prove to my brother that he doesn't need a MSR in 30 cal to drop multiple piggies in one engagement. Gun feels like new, very tight but very smooth. No noticeable burrs but a little polishing and some speed-oriented springs may help prove my point.

[TXGunNut]

Trigger breaks @ 4 #s. Feels quite a bit lighter, was sure it was just under 3. Old scope having the same issues as the new one, something just isn't right here. Time to check everything and put another scope on there.

[Jailer]

TXGunNut, I've got the same trigger in my 1985 SBL and you're assessment is spot on. Zero creep and a nice light crisp break. The stock trigger wasn't too bad but had a bit of creep that I didn't care for.


A Brownells "Reduced Power Spring kit" for the gun will make a lot of difference in the trigger pull as well.

IF you go here http://www.leverguns.com/articles/Marlin_Information.htm There is a wealth of information on how to massage your guns so that they run much smoother. Believe me anyone who can operate sandpaper and a file can do the work. You can go as deep or as light as you want on the tweaking, from just smoothing the action out to full race. Just smoothing the actions out by deburring the internal parts is night and day difference.

All the Marlins work exactly the same way so what is true for a 336 is true for a 1894-1895 etc.

If I can be of any assistance just let me know, and that goes for the rest of you also.

Randy

That link does provide a bunch of great info and was a great help when you suggested it to me after I purchased my Marlin. Be advised though if you do install the reduced power spring kit will likely have light primer strikes with certain brands of primers. I had to switch to Federals to get reliability back as it was hit and miss with Winchesters standard large rifle primers. Small price to pay for the excellent trigger you get from it.

[geargnasher]

Question: Does this WW trigger set the hammer spur further back at full-cock than the factory one? I have a 1955 336 in .35 and as far as I can tell it hasn't been messed with inside, but the hammer rides the bolt most of the way both directions (like an overzealous trigger job), much more than a simple hammer-nose job will fix.

Gear

[TXGunNut]

It may, Gear. I didn't compare them closely but that would make sense to my minimal understanding of the sear engagement. Sorry.
I can't recall the member's name who works @ WW, he was a pretty active poster this past summer. There was a thread about the WW Marlin magazine follower and he posted in it. He or Lefty maybe able to give a better answer, couldn't give much worse.

[Jailer]

Gear, my trigger does not set the hammer back further than the stock trigger does. It still drags across the bottom of the bolt. The reduced power hammer spring is reduced enough that it lightens the drag to the point that it's negligible. Lever effort is reduced quite a bit with just this one change.

[popper]

I like the WWT for the 336 but I wish they would make a sear for it.

[GaCop]

I won't scope a Winchester but Marlins seem OK with them. When I was younger I didn't need a scope and didn't appreciate good irons sights. Now I like irons but have difficulty using them. Youth is wasted on the young. Amen! Amen!:drinks: