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Cleaning a Marlin 336 lever action: how often?
- Thread Starter jennifersmith
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I like to clean my firearms* after shooting...every time.
*Muzzle loaders of course...but also my modern firearms , rifles , shotguns , handguns , even my .22 firearms...
Get cleaned after each session of shooting , hunting and the like.
You spent time and money getting the firearms you like....why not take care of them right away....?
Cleaning and maintaining a firearm is part of firearm ownership...just like shooting.
Andy
*Muzzle loaders of course...but also my modern firearms , rifles , shotguns , handguns , even my .22 firearms...
Get cleaned after each session of shooting , hunting and the like.
You spent time and money getting the firearms you like....why not take care of them right away....?
Cleaning and maintaining a firearm is part of firearm ownership...just like shooting.
Andy
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I would clean the barrel with solvent and leave a light coat of gun oil in the boar. The action
you can clean with solvent and oil patches as best you can without disassembly.
Use a quality one piece cleaning rod with a bore guide to protect the barrel crown.
Complete disassembly and cleaning is a chore and should be done only as needed which would
be several hundred rounds. It is always a good idea to disassemble any new to you used gun.
I have seen several lever action rifles that look good from the outside but were full of rust under
the handguard.
I inherited several guns with ruined bores. I don't think they were ever cleaned.
you can clean with solvent and oil patches as best you can without disassembly.
Use a quality one piece cleaning rod with a bore guide to protect the barrel crown.
Complete disassembly and cleaning is a chore and should be done only as needed which would
be several hundred rounds. It is always a good idea to disassemble any new to you used gun.
I have seen several lever action rifles that look good from the outside but were full of rust under
the handguard.
I inherited several guns with ruined bores. I don't think they were ever cleaned.
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Easy kid… guns aren't made of sugar, the above advice notwithstanding. The main thing is proper stewardship and respect for your gun.
Member 34319
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Wait, you are supposed to clean your guns?
Lol, just kidding.
Things I take into consideration when looking at cleaning guidelines. Coatings, materials, action, ammo choice.
If it is a blued gun it gets cleaned every outing, as shooting it warms it which means condensation. Condensation and blued guns almost alway equals surface rust, left untreated equals pitting. The blued firearm doesn't need a full detail cleaning, but it should be wiped and lightly lubricated. The bore should be at least bore snaked. Cerakote helps, as does salt nitride. Least resistant are blued and parkerized.
Materials, well aluminum don't rust. So the above condensation sort of doesn't matter. Same with stainless, but not all stainless is created equal. These can go longer per say.
Action type, semis get dirtier faster, lever guns don't foul the action so quickly. So they really don't need detailed cleaning as often.
Ammo. Shoot filthy ammo, lead bullets, etc. These things need different cleaning regiments.
Lol, just kidding.
Things I take into consideration when looking at cleaning guidelines. Coatings, materials, action, ammo choice.
If it is a blued gun it gets cleaned every outing, as shooting it warms it which means condensation. Condensation and blued guns almost alway equals surface rust, left untreated equals pitting. The blued firearm doesn't need a full detail cleaning, but it should be wiped and lightly lubricated. The bore should be at least bore snaked. Cerakote helps, as does salt nitride. Least resistant are blued and parkerized.
Materials, well aluminum don't rust. So the above condensation sort of doesn't matter. Same with stainless, but not all stainless is created equal. These can go longer per say.
Action type, semis get dirtier faster, lever guns don't foul the action so quickly. So they really don't need detailed cleaning as often.
Ammo. Shoot filthy ammo, lead bullets, etc. These things need different cleaning regiments.
I started off in the OCD camp and have, over time, found myself in the "if it ain't broke" camp. Then again, maybe I've just got a different feeling for "clean".
100rds down my 1911 is a warm-up. If that's all that I shoot, it's field stripped, wiped, lubed and put back together. 15min or less. A more typical session would be in the 500 round ballpark. That gets a more thorough cleaning - again though, not past field strip. 1 hour or less. Every ~2500-4000 rounds I'll detail strip it down to the last nubbin to clean, inspect and replace parts if needed...give it the love that would make Saint B. smile.
And that's about the story with all of my guns. A few rounds is like having a sprinkler hit your freshly washed car...yea it isn't perfect anymore but it's far from dirty. The effort that I go through to clean up needs to be directly proportional to the amount of shooting that I've done.
100rds down my 1911 is a warm-up. If that's all that I shoot, it's field stripped, wiped, lubed and put back together. 15min or less. A more typical session would be in the 500 round ballpark. That gets a more thorough cleaning - again though, not past field strip. 1 hour or less. Every ~2500-4000 rounds I'll detail strip it down to the last nubbin to clean, inspect and replace parts if needed...give it the love that would make Saint B. smile.
And that's about the story with all of my guns. A few rounds is like having a sprinkler hit your freshly washed car...yea it isn't perfect anymore but it's far from dirty. The effort that I go through to clean up needs to be directly proportional to the amount of shooting that I've done.
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If using a suppressor then a gun needs more frequent cleaning. Otherwise I clean my guns when they need it. Bolt action rifles, every trip. Handguns? If I shoot more than 50 rounds I field strip it and clean it. Only takes a few minutes. Other rifles? Every few hundred rounds.
If a gun gets wet from rain or body sweat then I do clean it and replace the light coat of oil. I am diligent about rust prevention.
My military days of cleaning every gun with dental tools after every range day are over.
If a gun gets wet from rain or body sweat then I do clean it and replace the light coat of oil. I am diligent about rust prevention.
My military days of cleaning every gun with dental tools after every range day are over.
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For my semiauto rifles (AR, Bren, AK, SKS, Ace) I'll clean every 1500 to 2000 rounds. For semiauto pistols I'll clean once a year or so or about 1000 rounds. I've pushed an AK to 5000 rounds without cleaning and no issues. My valuable milsurps are wiped of fingerprints after each use but not disassembled for cleaning more than once per year (disassembling too often causes excess wear). I've never cleaned my Mossberg 930 except for an intentional bath under the garden hose.
Excessive cleaning isn't worth the time or effort. Heck, I run most of my firearms nearly dry, including my AR, and shoot mostly steel cased ammo and I've rarely ever had a hiccup. If it's a defense weapon I'll wipe it down a few extra times and make absolutely sure it's functioning as intended.
Edit: forgot to address your specific question. I clean my stainless Marlin 1895 about once a year and check for lead buildup in the bore fairly often.
Excessive cleaning isn't worth the time or effort. Heck, I run most of my firearms nearly dry, including my AR, and shoot mostly steel cased ammo and I've rarely ever had a hiccup. If it's a defense weapon I'll wipe it down a few extra times and make absolutely sure it's functioning as intended.
Edit: forgot to address your specific question. I clean my stainless Marlin 1895 about once a year and check for lead buildup in the bore fairly often.
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The 336 is extremely easy to take apart. Take pride in it and clean it every time.
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I clean every time they are shot. If they have not been shot in a year They get cleaned anyway.
I clean my truck the same way. It gets used It gets washed and vacuumed out. I like driving a clean truck, I like shooting a clean gun. DR
I clean my truck the same way. It gets used It gets washed and vacuumed out. I like driving a clean truck, I like shooting a clean gun. DR
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DON'T tear down your Marlin 336 every time your shoot it, good lord... bore cleaning w/ solvent on a copper/brass bristle brush (NOT a steel brush), then swipe the bore with oily patches. Takes about 5 minutes, and prevents rust from forming. Heavy range sessions might require more time with the bristle especially if the bore is leaded up... but it really is easy-peasy.
A little bristle work will help prevent copper build-up.. there are solvents which claim to remove copper and leading, but mostly I'm old school with Hoppes #9. Generally I';d stay away from steel brushes as they can wear the bore.
A little bristle work will help prevent copper build-up.. there are solvents which claim to remove copper and leading, but mostly I'm old school with Hoppes #9. Generally I';d stay away from steel brushes as they can wear the bore.
Last Edited:
Clean it every range session but it doesnt need a full disassembly. Just remove the bolt and lever, clean the bore and chamber, wipe the bolt and lever down. Put a few drops of oil...
And your done.
Good advise haha...would have been better advise two years ago
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