Marlin 336 Spare Parts Kit

In the past I've posted about the Marlin 336 as a good addition to your toolkit. It's rugged, reliable, and is chambered for rounds suitable for self protection or hunting medium-sized game.

One of the reasons that I prefer the Marlin over the Winchester 94, its main competitor, is that the Marlin is much easier to perform maintenance upon. For example, to field strip the Marlin all you need to do is remove the finger lever screw, remove the lever, then pull the bolt out the back of the receiver (watch for the ejector falling out when you do this). In contrast, the Winchester is not easily field stripped.

A possible downside to this ease of disassembly is that because you're more likely to have the gun apart, the likelihood that you'll lose a small part is increased. And even if you never lose any small pieces, it's possible for them to wear out or break. So, keeping some spares on hand is a very good idea if a Marlin 336 is part of your serious toolkit.

Last night I ordered from Brownells several parts to put up in an ammo can with spares for other guns in my collection. I ordered items 1 through 7, below.

Marlin 336 Spare Parts List with Brownells Stock Numbers and Prices as of 3/15/08

1. Finger lever screw. #550-301-192 $2.73

2. Ejector w/spring #50-501-168 $10.18

3. Extractor. #550-301-169 $6.01

4. Firing pin, rear. #550-401-199 $6.64

5. Firing pin, front. #550-000-588. $11.33

6. Firing pin spring. #550-401-295 $2.73

7. Firing pin retaining pin. #550-420-299. $2.73.

Optional:

8. Spare mag spring. #550-401-395. $6.30

9. Spare mag tube. #550-000-042. $16.53

I've listed the spare magazine spring and tube because it is possible to wear out the spring or dent the tube. Doing the latter might damage the spring as well. I regard this as less likely than losing other parts so I held off on these for now.

It is my opinion that you should have a spare parts kit for any firearm which you include as a "survival gun." Even if you're not expecting TEOTWAWKI, parts breakage may occur at the most inopportune time, rendering your gun inoperative.

Along with the spare parts, you need the proper tools to work on your guns. You don't need a complete gunsmith's toolkit, but the following items are a good start:

• Screwdriver with interchangeable, replaceable bits which properly fit gun screws. Use hollow ground bits for flat screws. Don't forget hex and Torx bits, if you need them. I like the Lyman Mag Driver.
• A set of gunsmith's punches and a mallet with a brass head and a non-marking nylon head. Again, Lyman makes a good set.
• Non-making inserts for a vice, or some kind of a clamp to hold guns while you're working on them.

Brownells, MidwayUSA, and Cabelas are good sources for these items.