I want a lever action rifle.

[TNGUNNUT]

SBL or GBL or Trapper Ruger took Marlin over and they’re making outstanding lever actions again. 45-70 for fun and hunting. 

[Snaveba]

Hi, I'm Briggs, and I'm a leveraholic.  It's been 19 days since I bought a lever gun.....

So, the Sears Model 45 (Sears branded Marlin 336RC) in 35 Remington arrived and she is sweet.  The bluing is in really good condition for a 59 year old girl.  The furniture is in great shape except for the finish.  

I removed the wood and stripped the old finish off using denatured alcohol, acetone and hexane.  

I used my Winchester Stock oil (slightly tinted linseed oil mixed with mineral spirits) to do a hand rubbed oil finish on the wood.  These photos are after the first application.  Several applications, with curing between, were ultimately used.

Here is how she looks now with a vintage Weaver K6 scope.

I can't wait to get her out and put some lead down range.

[KahrMan]

Dude that looks awesome.  Nice job!!

[TripleGGG]

Hi Briggs, I also am a leverholic who hasn't bought a lever in 3 days.  

Great job on the stock.  It looks fantastic.

[Snaveba]

Speaking of lever guns, have any of you seen this:

https://www.offgridweb.com/gear/new-bond-arms-lever-action-ar-15/amp/
 

It will be a Lever action lower for AR uppers. Kind of f-ugly, but a suppressed, 300BO lever would be kind of cool.   

[hipower]

6 minutes ago, Snaveba said:

Speaking of lever guns, have any of you seen this:

https://www.offgridweb.com/gear/new-bond-arms-lever-action-ar-15/amp/
 

It will be a Lever action lower for AR uppers. Kind of f-ugly, but a suppressed, 300BO lever would be kind of cool.   

I have seen worse. It's actually not that bad looking.

[Snaveba]

SBR it with a 10” 300BO, a can, and a 20rnd mag (I just don’t like the look of a 30rnd p-mag) and it would be a pretty sweet rifle. I do wish they did not use the term “AR” I worry it will make the “antis” start looking negatively at lever guns.  Maybe call it a “modular magazine fed lever action”

[Moped]

2 hours ago, Snaveba said:

Hi, I'm Briggs, and I'm a leveraholic.  It's been 19 days since I bought a lever gun.....

So, the Sears Model 45 (Sears branded Marlin 336RC) in 35 Remington arrived and she is sweet.  The bluing is in really good condition for a 59 year old girl.  The furniture is in great shape except for the finish.  

I removed the wood and stripped the old finish off using denatured alcohol, acetone and hexane.  

I used my Winchester Stock oil (slightly tinted linseed oil mixed with mineral spirits) to do a hand rubbed oil finish on the wood.  These photos are after the first application.  Several applications, with curing between, were ultimately used.

Here is how she looks now with a vintage Weaver K6 scope.

I can't wait to get her out and put some lead down range.

Congratulations. You've made me jealous!

[Garufa]

1 hour ago, hipower said:

I have seen worse.

https://pof-usa.com/firearm/tombstone-9mm/

Edited March 22, 2023 by Garufa

[Garufa]

2 hours ago, Snaveba said:

Hi, I'm Briggs, and I'm a leveraholic.  It's been 19 days since I bought a lever gun.....

So, the Sears Model 45 (Sears branded Marlin 336RC) in 35 Remington arrived and she is sweet.  The bluing is in really good condition for a 59 year old girl.  The furniture is in great shape except for the finish.  

 

https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalogPage/1964-Sears-Fall-Winter-Catalog/0844

[Snaveba]

Based on inflation, if you add up what I paid for the rifle, shipping, tax, and FFL fees. I’m right about there with paying the same price. 

[TripleGGG]

1 hour ago, Snaveba said:

Speaking of lever guns, have any of you seen this:

https://www.offgridweb.com/gear/new-bond-arms-lever-action-ar-15/amp/
 

It will be a Lever action lower for AR uppers. Kind of f-ugly, but a suppressed, 300BO lever would be kind of cool.   

I think my Mossberg 30-30 my be uglier but what a tank it is.

https://www.guns.com/news/review/gun-review-mossberg-464-spx-tactical-lever-action-30-30-video

 

[Snaveba]

8 minutes ago, TripleGGG said:

I think my Mossberg 30-30 my be uglier but what a tank it is.

https://www.guns.com/news/review/gun-review-mossberg-464-spx-tactical-lever-action-30-30-video

 

Yep. That’s pretty f-ugly. (no offense)

[TripleGGG]

Just now, Snaveba said:

Yep. That’s pretty f-ugly. (no offense)

If it didn't shoot so well and handle abuse even better you would have almost hurt my one feeling!  

[FUJIMO]

33 minutes ago, TripleGGG said:

I think my Mossberg 30-30 my be uglier but what a tank it is.

https://www.guns.com/news/review/gun-review-mossberg-464-spx-tactical-lever-action-30-30-video

 

I still kick myself for not snagging one of these that was listed locally dirt cheap.

[gary_boom]

You could get one of those silicone socks to cover it up so you don’t have to look at it every time you opened the safe

[TripleGGG]

3 hours ago, FUJIMO said:

I still kick myself for not snagging one of these that was listed locally dirt cheap.

That may be the one I bought. Lol

[TripleGGG]

2 hours ago, gary_boom said:

You could get one of those silicone socks to cover it up so you don’t have to look at it every time you opened the safe

Thankfully it's not a safe gun. It rides shotgun beside the shotgun in my truck under the back seat. It's grown on me now and I will show it with pride. It makes me look good. Haha

[Snaveba]

So I did the same thing to the Sears branded Winchester I have. Its factory finish was meh.  It was a harder finish to remove, and I ended up having to use Citrus Strip to get the hard finish off.  I still used the acetone/0000 steel wool and denatured alcohol/0000steel wool for the final prep.

The rifle as got it from chance77.  The finish was much better than on the Model 45, but I still thought it had more potential.

After stripping with citrus strip, acetone and denatured alcohol. I think I left a remnant of finish.

After the first two applications of the Winchester Restorations Stock Oil (a tinted linseed oil recipe devised by long time Winchester restorer John Kay)

After a few more applications and time to cure. (the lighting is different in the last photo. It did end up darker than above, but not quite as drastically as it looks) 

 

 

[gregintenn]

22 hours ago, Snaveba said:

Hi, I'm Briggs, and I'm a leveraholic.  It's been 19 days since I bought a lever gun.....

So, the Sears Model 45 (Sears branded Marlin 336RC) in 35 Remington arrived and she is sweet.  The bluing is in really good condition for a 59 year old girl.  The furniture is in great shape except for the finish.  

I removed the wood and stripped the old finish off using denatured alcohol, acetone and hexane.  

I used my Winchester Stock oil (slightly tinted linseed oil mixed with mineral spirits) to do a hand rubbed oil finish on the wood.  These photos are after the first application.  Several applications, with curing between, were ultimately used.

Here is how she looks now with a vintage Weaver K6 scope.

I can't wait to get her out and put some lead down range.

You did very well with this one. There’s some nice figure in the wood, especially for a store brand gun. Looks great! If you’re set on a scope, I think you’d be happier with a short, compact Leupold or Burris.

[Snaveba]

Yea, the K6, while cool and vintage, is not the greatest scope. The coating is starting to come off the glass, and it does not have the best light gathering abilities.

but it looks really cool.

[gregintenn]

2 hours ago, Snaveba said:

Yea, the K6, while cool and vintage, is not the greatest scope. The coating is starting to come off the glass, and it does not have the best light gathering abilities.

but it looks really cool.

Well, it’s damn near long as the rifle. That’s what bothers me.

What I hate is the fact that 35 Remington ammunition and brass have seemingly gone the way of the Do Do bird. There are millions of rifles out there so chambered, and in my mind, it is a fabulous whitetail and black bear cartridge.

Edited March 23, 2023 by gregintenn

[icruz]

There are a lot to choose from but for me it would be a 30-30.  It's is a classic lever action. They seem to only go up in value.  I have a lever action shotgun, but I would trade it for an old 30-30 if I had a chance. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by icruz

[jwhjwh54]

Ordered a color case hardened Henry 30-30 the other day. We’ll see when it comes in. Should be great 

[Grayfox54]

I guess I'm just too traditional. I just can't like the new tacticool lever guns.  

But seeing as the antis are dead set on banning ARs, I can understand the appeal to some.