[kg4kpg]

Hello again. I have this Marlin 783 that I'm about to refinish. I've had it a little while, just couldn't decide what to do with it. The previous owner had stripped off all of the blueing and put a clear coat on it. Conditions must not have been dry as there are little rust freckles all over it. I did strip off a patch and used some smooth sand paper and it came right off so I don't think it will be an issue. Once it is stripped it will get a Duracoat Extreme Tactical Dark Grey finish. I will polish the bolt and bolt handle. I'm not sure if I should attempt to remove the feed tube or not. I have the tools but I've never removed one before so not familiar with the process.
The stock isn't in too bad of shape but since I'm going grey I'm going to strip the stock and re-stain it in black. I think the grain will pop out in different shades of grey and black and will really compliment the steel. Of course, the Marlin Bulleye will be protected and retained. I will also be using a scope with this rifle.

My questions...
Can I duracoat the inside of the receiver or polish it?
Is there a source detailing proper disassembly of the feed tube?
Does anyone happen to have a spare front and rear sight?
Would 883 or 983 sights fit?
Is the trigger gold or brass plated? And why?

Here's some pics.

Chris

 

[SHOOTER13]

Marlin Model 783

Nice Marlin Chris...

Can I duracoat the inside of the receiver or polish it?
I myself wouldn't duracoat the inside of the receiver...just polish it.

Is there a source detailing proper disassembly of the feed tube?
Probably find a video on youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeNNwrAARpo

Does anyone happen to have a spare front and rear sight?
Nope...sorry

Would 883 or 983 sights fit?
Not sure...others here may know...

Is the trigger gold or brass plated? And why?
Not sure...again, someone here may know more.

===================================================

The Marlin Model 783 was produced from about 1971 to the late 1980's.

Starting in 1973, the year of manufacture can be determined by subtracting the first two digits of the serial number from 100:
Example: SN 2512345 would have been made in 1975 [100 - 25 = 75] and SN 94365295 would have been made in 2006 [ 100 - 94 = 06 (2006) ].

Prior to 1973 Marlin used a one or two character letter code at the beginning of the serial number.

 

[kg4kpg]

Got it broke down to sub-assemblies now. The construction is really very simple. I'm just not sure about the pins. I'm sure I can punch them out and put them back in, question is when they go back in will they stay put? I'm sure I can mask all of this off for the refinishing if needed but I really want to break it down to the mimnimum. I imagine some of these parts could be polished to give smoother movement.

 

[SHOOTER13]

Did you determine what year it was manufactured...?!

 

[kg4kpg]

Serial is 2074**** so if I did it correct that would be 1980?

 

[kg4kpg]

Finally finished my 783 .22 Magnum. If you'll remember from above posts, this rifle had the blueing stripped off by a previous owner and has some surface rust spots and clear coat paint on it. Stock has been refinished, bolt and internals have been polished, metal parts have been DuraCoated. I also put DuraCoat on a bipod to match. This is about the smoothest working paint I have used and will definately order more. I hope it holds up as good as they say it does. An elevated scope base is on the way and I have a 4-16x44 mil dot scope to complete the package. I can't wait to get it out to shoot. I was also able to lighten the trigger pull a little so it doesn't feel like someone is pulling it the other way. Here's the before and after.

Chris

 

[oldbrass]

That turned out excellent

 

[kg4kpg]

Thanks oldbrass.

Here's a few close-ups. Some residue from the clear-coat got by me but it cleaned off the paint pretty easy. I didn't feel like retaking the pics.

Duracoat applied:

Bolt polished:
As you can see, there is a little more work to do right around the bolt handle but I ran out of pads and polish. I'll go back to finish it at a later date.

Bipod painted to match:

 

[Spud9]

Very nice work, looks great. Is the front sight dovetail or screw in. If it is screw in I have one form a Model 60 you can have. Let me know.

 

[Gumpy]

Great lookin' gun. Good job!

 

[kg4kpg]

Final pics with the new iron sights and scope mounted. Ready for some varminting!

 

[stu]

Real nice mate

 

[OldCatGuy]

duracoat

Chris has the dura coat held up? I'm in process of refinishing my 783 and I like what you have done.