Disassembling a Big-Bore Marlin Lever Gun
by Ken Valentine
formatted and verified by Bill St. Clair

First, field strip the rifle:

  1. Make sure it is unloaded (Natch)
  2. Cock the hammer back, and pop the lever forward about 1 inch from the frame.
  3. Remove the machine screw that the lever pivots on.
  4. Remove the lever.
  5. Pull the breech bolt out the back of the frame.
  6. Watch for the ejector in the left side of the frame, sometimes they fall out...don't lose it.

To disassemble further:

  1. Let the hammer forward -- you'll have to push up the trigger block in order to do this.
  2. Remove the slotted machine screw on the top tang, and pull off the butt stock.
  3. 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.
  4. Remove the main spring as well.
  5. Now, remove the screw on the bottom of the receiver right behind the fore stock.
  6. Remove the screw on the left side of the frame (about midway back, and 1 inch above the lever pivot screw).
  7. 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.
  8. Push the lower tang down and remove it from the frame
  9. Slide the hammer out of the frame.
  10. 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].
  11. 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.