Remlin ****... Argh!

[HNSB]

About a month and a half ago, I traded a pistol for a Marlin 1895. It's one of the newer Remington made units.

I was very excited about the gun, got my boolits cast and put together loads that were shooting baseball size groups at 100 yards; good enough for me.

Fast forward to hunting season...
Opening day I had a nice doe run across the trail right in front of me: less than 10 yards away. I've never had a deer that close to me while hunting. I pulled up to make a quick shot: "CLICK". Being used to older lever guns, I had forgotten about the crossbolt safety.
OK, that one's completely my fault, but it was still very frustrating. The gun worked exactly as it was designed to.
That night I o-ringed the crossbolt.

The next day I missed a longer shot on a doe in the brush. I figured I just deflected off a branch. I didn't give it too much thought at the time.

Just this evening, I missed two shots on a large doe standing broadside 40 yards from my stand, in a clearing. Well, I guess not completely missed - I did manage to find some tail hair on the ground where the deer was standing.
When I got home, I got to looking at the gun... The front sight is completely loose in the dovetail, and if I tilt the gun sideways gravity alone will move the sight nearly half an inch side to side.

So... that gun is going to be on the shelf for the remainder of the hunting season. I had really hoped to take a deer with a cast boolit this year, but it looks like it won't happen.
Hopefully I'll be able to fill my freezer with the 30-06 before season ends.

At this point, I'm trying to decide whether to keep the 1895 or ditch it... The sight is easy enough to fix, but I'm not sure if I'll ever have confidence in the gun, or feel like it isn't cursed.

[btroj]

The sight is that loose and wasn't noticed when sighting in?

[Dorado]

Hey if you're gonna ditch it. Send it my way. I'll replace the front sight! lol

[HNSB]

If it was loose then, I didn't notice it.
It's hard to believe that it was loose at that time. Putting my loads together and sighting in involved several shooting sessions over the course of three days and I had good groups at the end.

[Grendel99]

The sight came loose and your going to "bench" the gun for the rest of the season? Seriously? Just fix the thing, it's not hard. I'd hardly blame Remington for a loose sight. If you don't want to mess with it, I'll take it off your hands. I'll give you $50 to relieve the clearly defective gun from you.

[HNSB]

It's not a matter of not being able to fix it, it's a matter of not having time to fix it and sight it back in before my deer season ends. I need to get some meat in my freezer, and I'm frustrated at three lost opportunities with this rifle. This thread is largely about venting frustration with that.

[starmac]

Grendel is obviously trying to cheat you, I would gladly give you 75 bucks and never even blink an eye. lol

[Grendel99]

Dang it starmac, if I must, I will go up to $76!

[starmac]

LOL I did that in a pawnshop in huntsville Tx once. I don't think I was welcome there anymore, but I wound up with a nice marlin 336. lol

[MBTcustom]

Think about sending it to me. I'm a gunsmith, and I know how to tame those Remlins.
I can go over it with a fine tooth comb this spring and when you get it back you will have folks offering you quite a bit more than $75 for it.
I'll bet the trigger is a bit stiff too, huh?
Lever's a little like dragging a cinderblock up the stairs by a rope?
Wood doesn't fit around the pistol grip?
All easily fixed.

The nice thing about the Marlin rifles (even the new ones from New York thank the Lord) is that they have always left extra material all over the place, and they can be fixed.

I had a guy bring me one of those about 6 months ago. The lever was stiff and clunky, the trigger was so stiff I couldn't measure it with my trigger pull gauge, you dang near bent the cartridges stuffing them in the gate because the door spring was so stiff etc etc etc.
When I was done with it, the trigger was 3.5 Lb, it was easy to load, and I checked the lever with my trigger pull gauge. With the hammer down it took 5lb of force to open the lever.
I did the same thing to my own rifle, so I practice what I preach.

[shredder]

They must have had a batch of undersized front sights. Mine was finger tight too. Brand new out of the box. It took me 10 shots to notice while sighting in. I pushed it out with my thumb and drove it back in with a shim of ammo box cardboard underneath (when at the range, improvise!) to hold it tight. I will replace it.

[Djones]

Lay the existing front sight insert on an anvil or flat cement. Give it a whack with a hammer. Hit the same face that you tap with a punch to adjust a normal front sight. This will bulge the dovetail making it fit. Start with light taps. If you go too far use a file to remove a little material from on side of the dove tail.

I took a front sight off of one marlin and tried putting it in another marlins front sight ramp and it wouldn't fit, too loose, so I performed the above. I'm in a tree stand bow hunting or I would provide some pics!

[TXGunNut]

Some of the earliest RemLins I saw were missing the front sight. Funny how the new high-tech machines flubbed something as old-school as a dovetail. I'm confident they'll get this and other kinks worked out someday soon, warranty expense is bound to get someone's attention any day now.

[Jailer]

Wood doesn't fit around the pistol grip?
All easily fixed.



You can fix this? This is about the only thing I'm not real happy with about my SBL.

I took care of all the other things you listed myself. Mines a shooter too, nobody's getting this thing from me.

[FergusonTO35]

There is a CT made 1895 Guide Gun new with tags at my local shop if anybody is interested. Mike's Guns and Archery, 502-223-8120. Goodsteel, how much for a trigger job on a Marlin lever rifle? I have four of 'em with 40 pound triggers, all CT made.

[popper]

Goodsteel - you do any of Paco's bbl floating in leverguns?

[MNgunhead]

I looked at many of the new Remlins. I saw shotty worksmanship. Front sights misalligned and gritty actions, and tons of machining marks on the actions. I would buy one with your money.

[MBTcustom]

The only common thing that can't be fixed on a Marlin lever gun is the bolt fit in the receiver. If that's jacked up,then there just isn't a darn thing you can do about it without spending a ton of money to sleeve the action. Fortunately, most of the newer ones aren't too shabby on that one feature, so all the rest of it is fixable.....I think. I havn't gotten skunked yet, but that's not to say it can't happen.
Mark my words though, Marlins have never been a class act all the time. I've heard of one member here who has one that was made in the fifties, and if half of what he says in true, then it would make the new Remlins look like a Shiloh Sharps by comparison.

[Ramjet-SS]

Bought one brand new sent it to Gary Reeder had it made into a Bad Medicine in 375 GNR#2 now;

Smooth
Reliable
Powerful
Accurate
Very cool looking
Handi