You have to have a picture. ;)
Posted on 09/07/2012 12:06:20 PM PDT by Wagonboy
OK you gun-clingers, I've got a mechanical question about the lever on a mid-seventies lever-action Marlin 30-30 I recently inherited. I want to run it by the most informed gun crowd on the web here before taking the gun to a shop. The lever does not stay up in place on it's own and droops about an inch. It wont fire until I secure it up in place with my firing hand. Is this normal? Fire away. -Wb
Umm if it dont shoot it aint working. Last thing you need to be doing is playing with precise parts and take it to a weapon smith not a gun shop.
Not normal. I own a Marlin Model 336 (30-30) and have fired thousands of rounds through it for the last 35 years. The action is still tight.
Sounds like the lever plunger might be worn. You can order a replacement from Brownells and swap it out yourself if you have some small-enough pin punches, or else take to to a gunsmith. Either way it’s a fairly straightforward fix.
This happened to my 30-30 over time and I figured it was a natural wearing of the mechanism. I sold it to my brother :-) and am not sure how he fixed it.
It would seem that the lever has a worn portion that locks the bolt forward. That also keeps the lever in the up position until you pull it down to eject the round.
gunpartscorp.com will have a diagram on the weapon (and parts)and you can see how it functions.
A good smithy can put it back right!
My mid-seventies Marlin 336 in 35 Remington is likewise still tight. Lever stayes right were it is supposed to.
You may also want to ask this question over at marlinowners.com
Take you rifle to a good gun smith. Sounds like a simple fix.
You have to have a picture. ;)
Not normal. Time for the gunsmith.
you need to be able to hold the reins in your teeth, Colt in one hand and a Winchester in the other.
Next time you see someone playing TV stunts with a lever action you'll know you're in the presence of a true idiot!
Mine droops about 1/2”. It has gotten worse over time. I’ve grown accustomed to keeping 3 fingers tucked into the lever to always keep it in place (feels normal to me). Probably time for a tune-up...
It sounds like your action is loose and you should take it to a gunsmith and have it corrected.
when you have a problem, there are 3 types of action you must take..
first is positive action, talk to the person with whom you have the problem and try to work it out..
If that fails, then you take legal action, call the police, contact your attorney and try to get it worked out..
If that fails, then you have lever action on your 30-30...:)
You caused me to pull out my late 1940’s or early 50’s 336RC .35 cal. Still tight as a drum.
Not always. ;)
Clean the damned thing. Then search Google.
Not sure if this is your model or problem, but it seems typical:
“Falling lever syndrome” is probably the most common problem encountered with the 336. It is supremely easy to fix.
Look at the lever and you will see the small spring-loaded plunger set in to a hole in the lever. This plunger acts just like the latch of a door — close the lever and the plunger snaps over its detent inside the frame. Several things can go wrong with this simple arrangement. The hole the plunger and spring are in can get gunked up. The spring can get tired. And, perhaps most commonly, the edge of the “latch” end of the plunger can get worn and rounded-over slightly. Push on the plunger and see if it moves freely. If it does, and the spring seems strong, look very closely at the edge. If it looks the least bit rounded, give it a few light licks with a fine file or stone to sharpen the angle. Odds are excellent that this slight mod alone will cure the problem.
If all else fails, the spring and plunger are easy to remove, cheap to purchase, and very easy to replace. But be warned — put in a new spring and plunger and you may end up with a lever that has suddenly become very hard to get open!
30-30 limp lever Ping.
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