I fell into a new (to me) Marlin 336 today. S/N starts with 23, so the chart posted here earlier putsit at a 1977 manufacture. It is JM stamped. It's a 30-30. It came with three boxes of ammo.

The scope is a Burris 4x Mini, mounted in Weaver 1" rings. I'm not sure of the rail it's mounted on or how the rail is attached.

There are minor scratches in the butt stock that are a little deeper than the finish.  I'm unsure of the best way to repair or refinish it.
I'm about to start reading up on the 336 and disassembly,it could use a thorough cleaning.
The S/N has been run, it's not stolen.
The gentleman I got it from never fired it and onows nothing of it's history other than he's had "sitting in the closet" for more than ten years.
I'm not sure if the recoil pad is an add-on or not.  

I'd appreciate any advice or input anyone is willing to share.
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You got yourself a very good Marlin. The 336 model has been around for decades after Marlin changed and updated its models after the Model 36.

The butt pad is an aftermarket that a previous owner probably put on to either lengthen the pull by 1" or to soften some of the recoil. Doesn't hurt to have on there, unless you just need to have the original butt pad which was a plastic piece with Marlin on it.

The scope rail is held on by screws which you'll see if the scope/rings are removed.

The Burris scope on the rifle is an older model as it looks like a steel model from many years back from around the 60-70's. Keep well oiled as they liked to rust being steel.

Shoot and learn the gun first before doing any tearing apart to fix/repair nothing that might not need no fixing or repairing, without first testing it out.

 Lever Actions are complicated rifles in how they operate. Get a few 30-30 snapcap rounds to make sure the action works with insertion, firing and ejection, and keep the innards well greased and oiled, but not dripping with oil, just light coating.

My '65 WesternField (made by Marlin) 30-30 likes the 170SN (soft nose) grains the best and it too wears a Burris scope, but a newer model in 3-9x40.

You should check out the Marlin Owners forum.  Lots of good info there and some nice folks too.

The recoil pad makes me sad.  Hopefully it has not hardened and is still useful.

The "it's not stolen" comment is an interesting one.  Did you pay $50 for it and feel guilty?

If you open the action, you should be able to look in the ejection port and see the screws that mount the rail. I am not knowledgeable on Marlins, but guns of that era may have come drilled and tapped for scope mounting. Scopes were getting pretty popular in the late 70s.

I'm anal like that.  I did get a very good deal.

I'll look for it, thanks.

Thanks for your response.  I did a pretty thorough disassembly tonight.  It had an accumulation of gunk and dust, but looks remarkably unused,. I found no wear marks and the bore is perfect.
All parts were cleaned and lubed.  

That's a fine carbine you got there.
Let us know how she shoots

Nice.  JM marked pre safety are best Marlins.







Another good forum ruined by vertical scope.