Good News/Bad News 336

[fourarmed]

I recently acquired a 1979 manufacture 336 in .30-30. This thing is in virtually new condition. After scrubbing out some copper fouling and mounting a scope for load testing, I started checking OAL on all my reasonably appropriate boolits. Turns out this thing has a very tight throat. Most of my boolits (311291, 311284, 311644, RCBS 168-sil) would not even come close to chambering at reasonable lengths. The good news was that 311041 and the GB Loverin will chamber, though with heavy engraving.

The bad news? I only got one of them. I'll try it out tomorrow.

[Marlin Junky]

During '79 (there were other years) barrel dimension were about .302/.308 yielding .003" deep grooves even though they were still considered "Micro Grooves". I think you'll find that you only have 12 grooves instead of 16.

MJ

[TCFAN]

Fourarmed
I have a 336W that was made in 1999 with the very same tight throat that yours has.

With the 311041 I also get heavy engraving but with 33grs. of H-380 it shoots very well at 100 yards.

The Lee Soup can that weighs about 115grs. or so also shoots very well at 32-20 velocity.

My barrel is a 16 groove Micro groove.

I am a TCFAN but after getting this 336W and seeing how well it shoots cast boolits I am also a MARLINFAN.........Terry

[fourarmed]

I put an old K-2.5 Weaver on for load testing, but found that something had happened to it, and it had huge parallax. I took an old K-4 off a .22 rifle and mounted it. It also had some parallax at my 70 yard target, but only a couple of inches, and I found that if I moved my eye downward to the limit of the exit pupil, the reticle stopped moving. I shot two 5-shot groups of 20.0/4198/311041@.310", and was overjoyed to get 1.0" and 1.3". I shot two groups of the same powder charge with the GB Loverin, and got 1.3" and 1.6". I thought this was pretty good, too, as that bullet looks like 5 miles of mud road when sized to .310". Velocity was 1750 fps. I am going to try 21 grains, and will try dipping the Loverin in LLA before sizing .311".

[fourarmed]

I took off the K-4, and put on a Sightron 3-12 in Weaver high, extended mounts. Oh, Lord, if Uncle Ned could only see this. Some guys will do anything to shoot small groups.

[fourarmed]

The Sightron scope had no parallax, but the groups with 21/4198 were not as good. The fact that I was using old, untrimmed brass with this load, and the fact that the wind was gusting to around 40 mph may have been responsible for that. I'll get back to this after the state bigbore silhouette championship this weekend.