336 Texan 35 Rem

[Uncle Grinch]

Was looking at the GON forum (Georgia Outdoor News) and found this Marlin 336 Texan in 35 Rem for sale. You don't see these much.

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=432399

[thxmrgarand]

I have one with which each of my parents as well as I have taken deer. My father purchased it new about 1950. The way we practiced for deer season was to put a target inside a tire and roll the tire down the sloped side of a gravel pit. I don't see anyone shooting that way any more. The little Marlin still comes up to my shoulder more like a 28 gauge English double than it does a large magnum bolt action rifle.

[EMC45]

Saw that too Grinch!!

[jlchucker]

I've got one just like that. I had never seen one before I moved to the area I'm living in now. There are a few of these here in Franklin County, VT . Most owners prize them dearly. The ones I've seen around here, mine included which I bought used, all seem to be 35 Remingtons.

[MT Gianni]

I wish it was in MT, I'd find the cash somewhere.

[j23]

...are you a member on that forum?? If so, would you mind PM-ing that gentleman my email address, or obtaining his? I may want to pick that up.

Thanks,
Joe

[Warhawk]

The rounded lever makes me think this one is a converted pistol grip gun. Which I wouldn't mind if the work was done right.

[jlchucker]

The rounded lever makes me think this one is a converted pistol grip gun. Which I wouldn't mind if the work was done right.

I don't think so, Warhawk. The ones I've seen around here, including the one in my cabinet, were bought with a rounded lever. I always wondered what in heck mine really was, and asked a question on either this website or another about it, and the guys all responded that mine was an early version of the Texan model. I had been thinking that this slender, sleek version of a Marlin carbine was something perhaps that Marlin made for Canadian export, since Canada is only about 35 miles away. The guy who plows my driveway has one like mine and the one depicted in Uncle Grinch's post--and he bought his brand new as a teenager. The big diffefrence between mine and his is that his has very little blueing left on it. His is a 35 also.

[gon2shoot]

Mine was built in '60 and has the rounded lever, it's one of my favorites. (right beside it's 30-30 twin)

[Warhawk]

OK, I have two 336T's in 30-30, both built in the 70's. They both have the square lever.

The seller of this one isn't answering his PMs.

[Ranch Dog]

In 1953 Marlin introduced the Texan. It differed from the "rifle" in that it had the carbine stock. As the years went by, it became a true cabine as the barrel was shortened from 20" to 18 1/2" and finally 16 1/4". Here is a look at the rifle and I've listed the features as the years progressed.

http://www.ranchdogmolds.com/Firearms/336T/336T.jpg

336T
1953 - 1984
30-30 Win & 35 Rem
20" barrel
Notes:
1964 - Stopped chambering in 35 Rem
1965 - Also chambered in 44 Rem Mag (some barrels roll stamped "336-44")
1965 - Added saddle ring to left side of receiver
1967 - Stopped chambering in 44 Rem Mag
1970 - Rounded lever squared
1972 - Saddle ring discontinued
1980 - Barrel changed to 18 1/2"
1988 - Production stopped, now 336TS

Two other rifles played a part in this timeline and they are quite rare. The Marauder's 16 1/2" barrel was reintroduced many years down the road and the Magnum gave us the 44 Rem Mag in this carbine stocked 336.

336 Marauder
1963-1964
30-30 Win & 35 Rem
16 1/4" barrel
Dropped in favor of 336T above.
Serial number starts with W, Y, or Z

336 Magnum
1963-1964
44 Rem Mag
20" barrel
Dropped in favor of 336T above.

The 336T became the 336TS with the introduction of the cross-block saftey but only had a few years to go before production stopped.

336TS
1984 - 1988
30-30 Win
18 1/2" barrel
Notes:
Replaced 336T
Change is side safety (S)

The 336T resurfaced as the LTS in the late eighties with the 16 1/4" barrel of the Marauder.

http://www.ranchdogmolds.com/Firearms/336T/336LTS.jpg

336LTS
1988 - 1989
30-30 Win
16 1/4" barrel

The T, the TS, and the LTS were a huge influnence on the introduction of the Guide Gun and Outfitter series of rifles. and a discussion of Marlin's Texans would not be complete without including the Big Bore Marlin gave us. This rifle never made the catalogs as it was only manufactured one year.

In 1966 Marlin introduced the 444 Marlin. This rifle had a 24" barrel and Monte Carlo stock to help manage recoil with scope use. This rifle is still in production today but in 1971 there was a design change that reduced the barrel to 20" and changed the stock to the lower comb and pistol grip of the standard 336. Marlin threw us Texans a bone by stamping the barrels 444T!

http://www.ranchdogmolds.com/Firearms/336T/444T.jpg

Marlin didn't know it, but they introduced the 444 to Texans as the as the original "Sendero" rifle! The cartridge is quite capable of delivering devasting energy to whitetails at good distances.

"Sendero" hunting isn't the same as it is now. During this time period no one hunted feeders, we hunted seismic lines, pipelines, and power line right-of-ways as the South Texas Brush was simply to vast and deer densities where to low. In fact we didn't hunt much until the rut as you simply didn't see the deer you do now. You would see a doe cross the sendero and you would try to shoot at the buck following it as it crossed. Deer where lost from bad hits and blood trails were hard to follow in the cactus and sand. The hunting was totally different than it is now.

Hunting shows were also different than they are now. A show would be hosted by some known hunting personality at a local theater where a series of films would be shown. In the late sixties at Ayers Theater in Corpus Christi, I attended one such event. One of the feature films was a 16mm movie that featured Marlin 444s being used to hunt rutting whitetails in Zapata County. From 50 to 300 yards the cartridge knocked these testosterone charged whitetails in the dirt!

This made quite an impact on me at my young age as my dad and I where hunting in Zapata County and I had seen first hand how difficult it was to stop bucks on the rut. Seeing these buck fold up when whacked with that big bullet made me want one of those big rifles bad! Of course, all the old guys around the campfire liked to laugh themselves silly. The 270 Win and 30-06 ruled. Well, Marlin was right and they were wrong. I shoot a 1972 444T and have never lost a buck! My rifle is unusual in that it carries the 1972 serial number dispite production ending in 1971. It was built to complete an order but I like it because it was the year I graduated from High School and entered the Army!

http://www.ranchdogmolds.com/Hunting/2005/Whitetail.jpg
Whitetail taken "rut trailing" doe with Marlin 444T. DRT!

The 336Ts are common especially those chambered in 30-30 Win. The rifles that represent the "lions", we know they are out there but they are rarely seen, are the 336T chambered in 35 Rem or 44 Mag, The Marauder, the Magnum,and the 444T. The "Chupacabra" rifles, said to exist, are the Marauder chambered in 35 Rem.

[Loudenboomer]

Thanks for the info Mike.
Nice Buck too!
Kevin