336 loks up

[e15cap]

My buddy's 336 in 30-30 locked up with the lever in the down position and 4 ctgs in the magazine. Any ideas on where to start?
Thanks Roger

[fishhawk]

well first thing i would do is get the 4 live rounds out by takeing off the magazine end cap and spring. be carfull with the cap and spring they are under more tenshion than you think then go from there and find the malfuction

[357maximum]

were the loaded rounds a bit 2short or 2long maybe?

[Jim]

Max,
forgive the failing memory, tryin' to remember. I don't recall that a short round will lock up cycling. A long one, oh, yeah. As for unloading, one simply needs to depress the loading gate door fully and the case head will back out into your hand. I unload mine like that and never had any problems.

[kingstrider]

I went through this recently with my 1894 which started double feeding, locking the action when the lever was fully open. In order to get the live rounds out, remove the lever and bolt then look for wear on the lifter where the lever contacts. Apparently this is a common problem with Marlins due to a sharp angle on the lever which digs into the lifter, slighly changing the timing. You can read about this on the internet but I found a little smoothing with a jeweler's file solved my problem though yours may be entirely different.

[rusty marlin]

Google my alias, "Rusty Marlin" and "Marlin Jam". You'll find the fix.

[scrapcan]

Rusty are you pointing him to the loose cartridge cutoff? I have seen that happen a few times. I will google your fix also for future reference.

[scrapcan]

Here is an excerpt from an AGI gunsmith tips newsletter I got a while back on another issue that can cause the dreaded marlin lockup. I am not affiliated with AGI nor have I or am i endorsing any of their products, just apssin gon some info.


Jammed Marlin 336

John D. sent me an email and said:


"I have a 336 Marlin and my action jammed tight. I can't see anything obviously wrong and I'm tearing my hair out. I would like to try and fix it myself. It is chambered in .35 Rem."



Well John, this is a very common Marlin lever action rifle problem, and when I tell you what it is, you're going to tear out the rest of your hair.



Here it is: The small screw to the rear of the cartridge loading gate must be kept tight or the spring tail of the loading gate extension will bow out and interfere with the carrier, causing a jam. Just tighten this screw and you should be O.K.... See, ' told you you'd tear the rest out. Don't feel bad though, we've All missed this one at least once.



The main lesson here is that you need to fully understand the design and function of the firearm and then you should completely inspect the firearm for problems before you get all involved in complicated cures. Complete means that it is clean enough to function, that all of the screws are present and tight (and the right screw!), no parts are obviously missing (like springs and plungers), and nothing is lodged in the action or magazine. Many times the problem, and thus the cure, is just this simple. To completely understand the design & functional of Marlin 336 & 1894 rifles, along with disassembly & re-assembly, plus trouble shooting and repairs, get and watch the AGI Armorers Course #1264 (Marlin 336 & 1894 rifles), you can review and order them at www.AmericanGunsmith.com



Best,



Jack Landis

Technical Services Manager

American Gunsmithing Institute

[Just Duke]

Wow! I will note that!!!

[357maximum]

Max,
forgive the failing memory, tryin' to remember. I don't recall that a short round will lock up cycling. A long one, oh, yeah. As for unloading, one simply needs to depress the loading gate door fully and the case head will back out into your hand. I unload mine like that and never had any problems.

YOU B CORRECT...I just wanted him to get his calipers out of the drawer and check basically...96.4347% of FTF's are the result of the ammo, and 78.9653 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

[tom barthel]

I recently had a problem like that. My problem was caused by me not seating a bullet deep enough. I removed the lever bolt and ejector. Then I turned the rifle over dumping the round on the loading tray. I replaced the parts and cycled the remaining ammo through the action. There were no problems after that. Your problem may not be the dreaded marlin jam. I hope it was only a round longer than the rifle can handle. If I plan on hunting, I would find a safe place and cycle ALL ammo to be shot in that rifle. I also keep a close watch on my bullet seating depth.