Attention Marlin gurus!

[Josh]

My little cousin is having issues with the trigger safety on her old Marlin 336, when closing the lever it pushes up the trigger disconnect but the lever itself blocks the trigger from traveling backwards. It is my opinion that the lever was bent somehow, here is a pic, tell me what you think.

 

[Minute Of Berm]

My experience has been that the levers are pretty soft steel and bend easily if one gets a failure to feed and tries ti force the issue. I purchased an 1895 that had a similar problem, just not as advance as you are showing, I removed the lever, layed it side by side with another and bent the lever to match the working one. That did solve my issue, which was the lever flying open at each shot.

Many claimed it was the detent and I should put new springs and all that, but it was indeed a bent lever. Upon reflection, where do you suppose they will bend? In the finger guard, the only unsupported area and the lever screw is the fulcrum.

My opinion, FWIW, compare the curvature against a known working lever and proceed from there.

 

[Josh]

Unfortunately I don't have another marlin 336 I can compare it to...

Hey @Ian can you send me that 30-30 back?

 

[Brad]

Looks like 15 seconds with a file would fix it. Shouldn't be that way.

I had to send my 1895 back years ago. The bolts unlocked on firing with efen moderate loads. They said the rilfe was "re breeched" whatever that means.

 

[Chris]

Here's a photo of one of mine:

 

[Ian]

Yep, bent lever. Probably barely engaging the locking bolt or lining up the firing pin block. Take the lever out, warm the middle of the trigger guard loop with a propane torch until it's too hot to hold in that one spot, and use a padded vise to apply controlled squeeze to it.

 

[Josh]

Ok, so far i have it bent back very close, I am afraid of metal fatigue if I go too much more, so now I am going to reshape a bit of that guard to ensure clearance. Before bending it would click back open a tick when fully closed. It doesn't do that now.

 

[Ian]

If you warm it up (NOT even close to red heat, just 400-500 degrees where most of the hardness is preserved but the metal relaxes a bit) and it should be fine. I've straightened a couple of them that way.

 

[Josh]

If you warm it up (NOT even close to red heat, just 400-500 degrees where most of the hardness is preserved but the metal relaxes a bit) and it should be fine. I've straightened a couple of them that way.

I did just that, it bent out just fine and is now doing everything it was supposed to do. It was a tough booger to move, IDK how it got bent in the first place. I have been inside the receiver scrubbing it down with kroil and 400 grit sandpaper, it has many many sharp and high sides. I also took the paper to the internals and got any sharp edges knocked off and polished out the machine marks along with a light polish of the hammer and sear. This thing now feels like you are operating the action with your will and not force of hand... Darn... I need another marlin...