Disassembling a Big-Bore Marlin Lever Gun
by Ken Valentine
formatted and verified by Bill St. Clair
First, field strip the rifle:
- Make sure it is unloaded (Natch)
- Cock the hammer back, and pop the lever forward about 1 inch from the
frame.
- Remove the machine screw that the lever pivots on.
- Remove the lever.
- Pull the breech bolt out the back of the frame.
- Watch for the ejector in the left side of the frame, sometimes they fall out...don't lose it.
To disassemble further:
- Let the hammer forward -- you'll have to push up the
trigger block in order to do this.
- Remove the slotted machine screw on the top tang, and pull off the
butt stock.
- Now, with a wide straight screw driver -- or sumpin like that,
lift the main spring to the top while pushing forward on the spring
retainer (that sorta "L" shaped piece of flat steel that the spring
rod goes through) until it pops out of the slot in the bottom tang.
WARNING: don't let it go spung into the nether regions of the room.
- Remove the main spring as well.
- Now, remove the screw on the bottom of the receiver right behind
the fore stock.
- Remove the screw on the left side of the frame (about midway
back, and 1 inch above the lever pivot screw).
- Remove the hammer pivot screw on the right side of the frame
(below the cross-bolt safety)...it comes out easier if you push up
the trigger block and hold the trigger back.
- Push the lower tang down and remove it from the frame
- Slide the hammer out of the frame.
- With your hand under the frame, jiggle the frame until the bolt
block slides out of the frame [before doing this, look into the
bottom of the frame to identify how the bolt block fits over the
pivot end of the cartridge lifter].
- If you want to remove the cartridge lifter, the pivot screw is on
the right side of the frame just in front of the cross bolt safety.
Re-assembly is just a reversal of the process, just make sure that the
trigger is held back (unblocked) when sliding the hammer into place
and inserting the hammer screw. And don't tighten completely the two
screws which hold the bottom of the frame (lower tang) until the
hammer screw is in place.
Nacherly make sure the hammer is fully forward when re-installing
the mainspring and retainer plate.
Oh, and be sure you don't have any parts left over. Wink, wink,
nudge, nudge.