i've got a marlin 30-30 that i've had since i was 12, i'm mid 40's now and the gun is still a sweet shooter as it was that x-mas day some 30+ years ago, your girlfriend did good

Your girlfriend made a good choice.

Ask her why she picked the Marlin. Might give you some insight--if she gives you the same answers as you got here, marry the girl.

If she says, "It was the cheapest one in the pawn shop," marry her, because she knows how to bargain-hunt.

If she says, "I only bought it because I couldn't find a Winchester," dump her.

Butch-- FYI...Winchester 94's made after 2002 (I think) have been modified by Winchester to have side ejection and receivers drilled and tapped. I have one that works great with my scope mounted.

Really? Hmmm... Honest, I didn't know that. I thought all Winchester 94's were top eject. .....Learn something new everyday!

Butch A.

That Marlin 336 is a very good gun. But I prefer the good ol Winchester, simply because they are lighter and handier to me. Btw, that 30-30 is a good gun for just about anything, now it aint no Elephant Gun 375 Magnum etc. like most of the ppl on here carry or swear by, but she will get the job done. It has a good heavy bullet, and is good for 100-200 yard shots, which is the range that most ppl kill deer. Congrats on the new lever gun

They are top eject. Winchester machined off a piece of the upper right reciever & moved the ejector to make it an angle eject.
Me, I like Marlins better than Winchesters 94. You hold that Marlin & your holding a design that first saw light n 1889. All Marlins lever guns are made on this design & even with its round bolt the 336 is closer to an 1889 than a Modern Win 94 is to the orginal designed by John Browning.

You can scope a Winchester if you like but it still wont be a Marlin. They both have pro's & cons but if you want to put a scope on it I'd skip the Win.

Your girl did you good.

For a lever action rifle you can't beat a Marlin. I have a 336 30-30, 336 .35 Remington, and a 1895 .450 Marlin. All of them are very accurate and very dependable. The 30-30 has been dropped down the side of a mountain when somebody borrowed it and it was picked up and still shot dead on.

I love my 336 , taken quiet a few hogs with it . Its very accurate out to around 100 yards , has'nt failed me yet .

Really and trully, I personally wouldnt scope a levergun, it just loses its appeal to me
when you have a scope on a levergun. I like to use them open-sighted, just the way they were
made. Besides, most people take their deer at 100 yards, maybe a bit more. IMHO, you cant
beat the good looks and sweetness of a good levergun, they are just cool to me.

I brought home one of these type rifles today. It is my 1st rifle stronger than my old Remington 512 and Im looking to find out when this gun was made. It is identical to this one;

Ive been looking for a deer rifle and a friend put it up for sale.I didnt deal on the price due to her needing money.It was 150.00 total. The help Im needing is a site that can help me find more info on how to find the guns age.