After my in-depth interview with Ruger’s Marlin Product Manager, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the reintroduced Ruger Marlin 336 Classic. As a former Marketing Director for Marlin, I am curious about Ruger’s take on this iconic rifle. I was not alone. After all, the Ruger Marlin 336 Classic is one of the most eagerly anticipated rifle introductions of the year.
The Ruger Marlin 336 Classic is a lever action, tube-magazine fed, hammer-fired rifle with a half-cock and cross-bolt safety. Our sample weighed 7lbs 2ozs. Not bad considering there’s a lot of metal in these guns. The 336 has classic lever action features such as a steel receiver, a 20” barrel, adjustable sights, a walnut stock with a thin recoil pad, and a brass trigger.
There are a few notable cosmetic differences between the new and old Marlin 336. First, the bullseye is red and white instead of black and white now. Also, there’s a nice grip cap with their iconic logo. Finally, the new 336 forend is a bit slimmer and blended a little better at the barrel band. The major differences are internal. The design is still the same, but the Ruger Marlins are more precisely machined. All the internal parts except the trigger/sear are tumbled, resulting in better consistency and a smooth action right out of the box.
Indeed the new 336 Classic looks fantastic, but how does it function and shoot? To find out, we shot the rifle at 50 yards with open sights, and at 100 yards with a Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9 scope. In our test, we tried out different loads from Hornady, Winchester, and Barnes.
Watch our review video above to see how the new Marlin 336 performs and learn why we think these new Marlins are likely to be the best lever actions ever produced!
Want to know more? Check out our full interview with Eric Lundgren, Product Manager for Marlin, and get all of your questions answered in Meet the “New” Ruger Marlin 336 Classic!
Article by Matt Foster
FEATURES
The Ruger Marlin 336 Classic is a lever action, tube-magazine fed, hammer-fired rifle with a half-cock and cross-bolt safety. Our sample weighed 7lbs 2ozs. Not bad considering there’s a lot of metal in these guns. The 336 has classic lever action features such as a steel receiver, a 20” barrel, adjustable sights, a walnut stock with a thin recoil pad, and a brass trigger.
There are a few notable cosmetic differences between the new and old Marlin 336. First, the bullseye is red and white instead of black and white now. Also, there’s a nice grip cap with their iconic logo. Finally, the new 336 forend is a bit slimmer and blended a little better at the barrel band. The major differences are internal. The design is still the same, but the Ruger Marlins are more precisely machined. All the internal parts except the trigger/sear are tumbled, resulting in better consistency and a smooth action right out of the box.
SPECIFICATIONS
- MODEL # 70504
- Caliber 30-30 Win
- Capacity 6+1
- Stock American Black Walnut
- Material Alloy Steel
- Finish Satin Blued
- Front Sight Brass Bead with Hood
- Rear Sight Semi-Buckhorn
- Weight 7.5 lb.
- Overall Length 38.625″
- Length of Pull 13.38″
- Barrel Length 20.25″
- Barrel Cold Hammer-Forged Alloy Steel
- Twist 1:12″ RH
- Grooves 6
SHOOTABILITY
