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Adam, at RPP on the Ruger/Marlin

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Vaquero
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Adam, at RPP on the Ruger/Marlin

Post by Vaquero » Sun Feb 27, 2022 11:56 am

I'm sure some may be interested in the new Marlins by Ruger.
Myself I don't have a want/need or desire in a 45-70 no matter who the manufacturer is.
But as an overall look I enjoyed his comments, and looking forward to what they may produce.

I found this over on Marlin Owners forum, it's Adam at RPP.


"Recently, our friends at TX Armory managed to snag one of the new Ruger Marlins, and generously offered to let us pull it apart and have a close look. That I did, just this morning. We've all heard the initial reports of high quality and good fitment, but I wanted to dig deeper. As a parts manufacturer and former custom Marlin builder, I wanted to see what changes/improvements had been made, if any.

First, I can add my voice in confirming the high build quality of this new SBL. Machining work, inside and out, is clean, deburred, and polished, with well broken edges for safety and comfort. The locking lug has polished sliding surfaces, the lever's working edges are smooth, and the interior of the action looks almost as good as the exterior. Nicely done, Ruger.

Now, it should be pointed out that the SBL is the high-end flagship model for Marlin, and it's conceivable that this level of fit and finish may not be maintained in the more common models to come. But we can hope, and wait, and see.

I did verify that hardware is interchangeable. Ruger decided to stick with the odd ball thread pitches employed on earlier Marlins, so you still won't be able to find replacement screws at your local hardware store, but at least when the company does offer spares, they will be compatible with other Marlins in your safe.

So far, we've had a number of confirmations that all RP parts fit the new Rugers, and I was pleased to see that all our parts installed easily on the R/M rifle. Our trigger kit initially felt a little heavy, but broke at just 3.6lbs on my scale, which probably just reflects my lack of trigger time lately.

The burning question for me was weather Ruger had made any enhancements to the action. I'd heard a rumor that they had "beefed up" the receiver, but my calipers revealed no substantial change in dimensions. What I did find, after disassembly, was that Ruger went to a V cut thread, as opposed to the traditional square cut. This is basically a return to the "M" platform receivers of the late '90s/early 2000s. I am referring to the 450M, 338MX, and 308MX, which employed V cut threads and thicker chamber walls, allowing them to manage greater pressures while retaining a good margin of safety.

I've never understood why Marlin didn't simply thread all receivers with Vs after introducing the M platform, nor do we know whether Ruger will do so, but it seems silly not to. V cut threads are by far the most common type in the world, and while they don't form an intrinsically stronger union than square threads, they do allow for a thicker chamber wall in applications like the Marlin where dimensions are a constraint. Again, way to go Ruger!

All in all I am very impressed with Ruger's first effort. It ticks all the boxes, and I look forward to the company's launch of other models. I have high hopes that the Marlin name is being restored."

AD


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Re: Adam, at RPP on the Ruger/Marlin

Post by Rifletom » Sun Feb 27, 2022 12:09 pm

Well, so far, so good. I didn't believe Ruger would be slapping these together. They have a LOT to gain here.
Thanks for the post Randy.
1 x

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