Can you folks give me some hints on how to clean lever guns? I am concerned about damaging the crown. I have a Win 94 30/30, a Rossi .357 Mag, and a Marlin 444SS. I read a post by Jim Badham that said it is easy to disassemble the Marlin for cleaning, could someone describe the process?

Kelly,

As far as the Marlin is concerned, I'd recommend getting an owners manual from the factory. The instructions are quite clear, mine even used illustrations. You can reach Marlin at 203-239-5621. Tell them you don't have a manual and they'll hop to it. Another option is picking up one of the Firearms Disassembly manuals at the local book store. These books go even further describing take down if your so inclined.

Cleaning the other lever guns takes (1) CARE and (2) a MUZZLE GUARD. Just take your time and make sure the muzzle guard stays in place. A tip I picked up was placing a rag in the open action low enough to allow the bore brush to pass through the action. This soaks up any extra cleaning solvent and the associated gunk from cleaning. Depending on how much your shooting the Winchester and Rossi, you may want to have a gunsmith do a complete detailed cleaning every once in a while. Can't hurt.

The disassembly books I mentioned before should include the Winchester and Rossi, but complete disassembly can get hairy. Thats one of the reasons I bought the Marlin, I lean toward the lazy side when it comes to cleaning.

Hope this helps

* The Marlin's real easy, can't tell you about the other ones.

* Open the action about half way. Remove the lever pivot screw and pull out the lever. Pull out the bolt. The ejector is now sitting loose in it's groove on the left side of the receiver behind the ejection port. Take it out. Tweezers help if you've got big fingers. Done.

* Reassemble in reverse order. Getting the ejector back in is the tricky bit. There's a small stud on it that goes in a hole through the side of the receiver. The hole will be covered if you've a side mounted peep sight. Hold the ejector in place with a finger tip while you slide the bolt back in. Leave the bolt at the half way point and replace the lever. *

* You may have missed my post about bore guides in the old forum. A MTM bore guide for a Remington 700, Etc., is an extremely fit in a Marlin. It sure keeps the excess Hoppes' out of the action, but I had a few thin strips of plastic peel off it when I pulled it out, the first few times I used it. One of them got up through the lever slot near the front of the bolt and jammed the firing pin just enough to cause a few misfires.

* If you're new here, check out the old shooter's forum. The link is at the top of the page. There's a ton of good stuff there.

Bye
Jack

Pardon my typing. A bore guide is an extremely TIGHT fit!

Bye
Jack

Thanks for all the replys, sounds like Marlin's lever gun is a little better engineered as far as maintenance is concerned. It certainly is my favorite out of the three.