Hello all, I am new to this forum and look forward to hearing feedback and learning from other Marlin enthusiasts. I consider myself a rifle enthusiast with a basic knowledge of firearms and an above average shooting ability. Even though I'm a fairly avid shooter with great appreciation and respect for firearms, by no means am I an expert or scholar in the subject.
Three years ago my father gave me a Marlin 336 for Christmas to use as my primary hunting rifle. It's a beautiful gun that dates back to the 1950's and doesn't appear to have seen much use in it's lifetime. The only imperfections in the rifle are a couple screws on the receiver are very slightly scored/stripped, other than that the rifle is pristine. It really is a beautiful rifle.
Unfortunately, the rifle is quite innaccurate and I am not comfortable using it to hunt. After spending several weekends with the rifle that year I was unable to zero my shots on target. All rounds were a few inches high and equally left. Not wanting to alter the original condition of the rifle, I chose to add a Williams peep sight to improve accuracy. Cranked all the way down, the Williams doesn't seat flat on the top of the 336 receiver, so I ground out the inside edge of the peep so it sits flat on top of the receiver in its lowest possibe position (I'm far from a gunsmith or metal worker, but I was quite pleased with my modification to the sight, I looks like it was made to fit the reciever). I replaced the front pin a couple times increasing the height with each pin. Despite these changes the rifle continues to shoot high and left.
I'm not sure if there's a possibility of a bent barrel. But the other thought/possibility that's been on my mind is an improper seating of the barrel into the receiver. As mentioned earlier, the only imperfections in the rifle are a couple screws on the receiver that are very slightly scored/stripped. I'm wondering if someone took the rifle appart and did not reseat the barrel correctly. Any thoughts on this possibilty?
Resolving this problem has been on my mind for the last two years and I'm ready to tackle it. I expect that I'll have to send the rifle out to be serviced and fixed by a reputable gunsmith and was hoping someone might be able to recommend someone in the vicinity of southwestern CT. I also suspect that might be wishful thinking and am perfectly willing to send the rifle further away. Although, I am quite handy and would be willing to further inspect on my own with guidance.
I look forward to reading any feedback on this issue. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Caleb
Three years ago my father gave me a Marlin 336 for Christmas to use as my primary hunting rifle. It's a beautiful gun that dates back to the 1950's and doesn't appear to have seen much use in it's lifetime. The only imperfections in the rifle are a couple screws on the receiver are very slightly scored/stripped, other than that the rifle is pristine. It really is a beautiful rifle.
Unfortunately, the rifle is quite innaccurate and I am not comfortable using it to hunt. After spending several weekends with the rifle that year I was unable to zero my shots on target. All rounds were a few inches high and equally left. Not wanting to alter the original condition of the rifle, I chose to add a Williams peep sight to improve accuracy. Cranked all the way down, the Williams doesn't seat flat on the top of the 336 receiver, so I ground out the inside edge of the peep so it sits flat on top of the receiver in its lowest possibe position (I'm far from a gunsmith or metal worker, but I was quite pleased with my modification to the sight, I looks like it was made to fit the reciever). I replaced the front pin a couple times increasing the height with each pin. Despite these changes the rifle continues to shoot high and left.
I'm not sure if there's a possibility of a bent barrel. But the other thought/possibility that's been on my mind is an improper seating of the barrel into the receiver. As mentioned earlier, the only imperfections in the rifle are a couple screws on the receiver that are very slightly scored/stripped. I'm wondering if someone took the rifle appart and did not reseat the barrel correctly. Any thoughts on this possibilty?
Resolving this problem has been on my mind for the last two years and I'm ready to tackle it. I expect that I'll have to send the rifle out to be serviced and fixed by a reputable gunsmith and was hoping someone might be able to recommend someone in the vicinity of southwestern CT. I also suspect that might be wishful thinking and am perfectly willing to send the rifle further away. Although, I am quite handy and would be willing to further inspect on my own with guidance.
I look forward to reading any feedback on this issue. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Caleb