In March 2023, Ruger reintroduced the Marlin Model 336 Classic – a lever-action rifle chambered in.30-30 Win. Of course, I reached out and asked for one to review. Why?
Sponsored by Ruger
I am a huge fan of historic gun remakes, such as this one. The originals are cool, too, but most of the time, out of my price range and frankly, sometimes dangerous to operate depending upon the wear-and-tear and the technology at the time of production.
Marlin has been making lever-action rifles since 1889. In 1948, Marlin introduced the Marlin 336. Throughout the following years, various updates of this model came in a wide variety of calibers: .219 Zipper, .32 Winchester Special, .375 Winchester, .38-55 Winchester, .44 Magnum, .35 Remington and the one that this current model offers – .30-30 Winchester. It is often referred to as a “woods gun,” one for deer hunters who don’t need to shoot more than 200 yards. Some people believe that this Marlin is the most popular .30-30 rifle ever made – with nearly 6 million of them sold – for deer and other large game animals. The Firearms Thinker wrote a comprehensive history of the Marlin 336 and its development over the years, in case you’re a history buff on this topic.
Writer Glen E. Fryxell describes the romance, and the sentimental appeal of Marlin and its lever guns, in this passage from leverguns.com: “Marlin Firearms, the very name conjures the image of a lean horseman, with a red bandana wrapped around his dusty neck and a work-worn felt hat jammed awkwardly onto his head, his chestnut mount braced at a sudden stop, and both of them are intently focused on something just out of the picture. The Marlin levergun is poised, almost at port-arms, ready to snap to the rider’s bestubbled face and deal the unseen threat a leaden blow. It is a picture of a man, independent and free, taking care of himself. This image has captivated generations of American shooters, and undoubtedly has helped sell countless Marlin rifles over the years. After all, it is one of the central facets of how we Americans view ourselves — independent, free, and capable.”
Fasttrack forward a century, and you may easily imagine a weathered, strong woman on horseback in Wyoming or on foot in the woods of Maine, carrying this iconic rifle and depending on it for protection and for procuring meat for the family’s freezer. Or, you might imagine me or my granddaughter in the scrabbly Ozark timbers, waiting for a whitetail to appear.
Or look back in time, and you’ll see that famous trick-shooter Annie Oakley chose to use a Marlin Model 1891.
Why would you want to channel your “Annie Oakley” and purchase a lever-action rifle, such as the Marlin 336, immediately?
I took the Marlin 336 out to the rifle range, where I intended to shoot from 25 to 50 and up to 200 yards with this gun. Hornady sent me three boxes of LEVERevolution, specially made for lever-action guns. It features Flex Tip technology, and travels up to 2400 feet per second, and boasts 40% more energy than standard flat-point cartridges in this caliber. The gun liked it; it liked it a lot.
This gun showed no signs of the stiffness sometimes associated with new rifles. It wasn’t sloppy, either. Right out of the box, with a test group of three shots at 25 yards to see where the ammo printed, the rifle produced a good group for hunting. The shots were right in the “dinner plate” and within an inch or less of each other.
Then, moving out to longer ranges, the 336 easily performed as well again, at 70 yards, 100 yards and even, offhand at 200 yards. Of course, first I used a rest, just to make sure of accuracy. In reality, this gun means to be slung and carried on horseback or mule (or in my Mule – made by Kawasaki).
I reviewed its .45-70 cousin, the Marlin 1895 SBL, and although I like that one, I like this one better. My preference runs to the 336 mainly because the recoil of a 30-30 Win as compared to a 45-70 Govt, which is significantly less. Even though the 336 weighs a bit more (7.5 pounds vs. 7.3 pounds), measures a tad longer (38.625 inches compared to 37.25 inches) and has a longer barrel (20.25 inches as opposed to 19.1 inches) than the 1895, I still like it.
I purchased the other Marlin, and I am going to request to purchase this one, as well. I know it will become another legacy gun in our family.
Learn more about the Marlin Model 336 here.
MSRP: $1239
Check out a review that features another Marlin lever gun, the Marlin 1895 SBL.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
