Marlin 336W Harsh Conditions

We got in a brand new 336W from Marlin. The barrel is stamped Illion, NY, so there is no question this isn’t an older gun.
I was very impressed with the fit and finish of the gun.  Its using a nicer laminated stock instead of birch, or whatever wood they used before.  It looks nice.  The stocks actually fit the gun, which is a first for many years now.  It feels like a solid and well built gun,  which was my hope when Remington bought Marlin.
The W gun though, is Remington/Marlin’s bargain gun.  Its the lever action equivalent to the 870 Express.  As solid as the others, but without the refinement.  The finish, like the 870 Express, is a bead-blasted blued.  Which means its not a finish but a fast and dirty process that is just “good enough” to get by.  It looks matte, and can hold oil, if you bother to take care of it.  If you don’t, it can rust if you look at it sideways.
Because of this, the finish isn’t well suited for harsh conditions.  The surface however is very well suited for something else… Cerakote.
So here is the program:

Get a new Illion stamped 336W.  They retail for only 399 bucks.  Bargain rifle of the Century.  Send it to Crusader Weaponry.
The stocks will be removed.  The action disassembled.  Sights removed.
The barreled action will be Cerakoted to any color you like, but Crusader’s Grey is a solid option for this.  Magpul Flat Dark Earth is another good choice.
New sights will be installed.  The XS Lever Rail.  They are 150 bucks.
The Bolt will be Slipstreamed.
Option 1.  The Lever will be debured/polished, and Slipstreamed on the inside portion, and Cerakoted on the outside portion.
Option 2. Wild West Guns big loop lever, polished, Slipstreamed, and Cerakoted.    150 bucks.
Bear-Proof Ejector is an option, as is the Trigger Happy Trigger… priced accordingly, of course.

The Sling Swivel studs on the W have a loop on them, but feel, because they are, cheap and unsatisfactory.  We would recommend replacing them with standard studs for standard quick disconnect sling attachments.  A third sling swivel stud can be added forward on the stock on and the side for another loop for a Single Point Sling.
The stock could also be Cerakoted same or contrasting color to help weatherproof the stock.

Reassembled and function tested.

Total Cost of this Harsh Conditions conversion would of course depend on options and time, but I’d imagine you would have a seriously kick ass Lever Action for a very reasonable price.

24 thoughts on “Marlin 336W Harsh Conditions”

  1. Poor man’s treatment? Take off the wood, hit it with a hair dryer, and put the latest SLIPSTREAM product every where you can??

  2. Love these ideas Ogre! Also I live about 45 minutes from Remington in Upstate NY Been trying to get a 700 tactical before they move out of this horrible state. kinda would like the Ilion NY stamp on the barrel since they are so close to home. Impossible to find one though.

  3. Caryn’s 336Y will be getting cleaned up inside at home.
    However… Crusader may be getting to coat it and slipstream it.
    I MAY send the bolt to my STP with it… see if the permanent treatment will make any difference from the oil.

    JIm

  4. I like this idea. Outside of handguns I prefer manually operated repeaters.
    I could see getting a Crusader lever.

  5. If you can find one, the 1894BLG in .45-70 isn’t a bad bargin especially if you hand load, in my opinion. If you are in a position to do the Mad Ogre “gun raffle” or other for the lay away, you’d get a lever action that already has the big loop and you wouldn’t have to mess with neck sizing the brass . Heh, if you live in a small thin wall habitat a shot shell in .45-70 might be the bee’s knees because the “donut” in the patter wouldn’t be all that big??
    Around here all the urban cowboys have driven even the price of used lever actions awfully high.

  6. So, Ogre, what’s the weight on the 336W? I seem to recall hefting a cheaper 336 version at Wal Mart many years ago, with an uncheckered “walnut color” stock. It was notably lighter than a standard 336. Not quite Winchester 94 light, but almost, presumably due to less dense wood. My 336SS OTOH feels like it has a depleted uranium stock. The 336W with it’s stock Cerakoted might be the ticket. Offering any synthetic stock options? If so, how’s the gun balance if you go that route?

    1. Synthetic stocks are indeed cheaper and lighter… But can be more fragile… I had them on one of my Marlins, and liked it, but wouldn’t do one again.

  7. I’m all for this. In fact, once I get some more immediate bills paid off I have a 336 that will benefit from the above.

  8. As a side note, instead of being cheap like me and using an old hair dryer, get an industrial heat gun from Northern Tools or Harbor freight. They are handy for shrinking plastic wire insulators, breaking loose Locktited screws, and doing dry iced metal into heated metal for a shrink fit. If you are doing some epoxy repairs you can get the epoxy runny faster so that it will flow into crack and you can also get the expoxy to set up faster. Stick one under a metal can to get hot water for coffee.

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