Re: Warning about new marlin firearms!
i'm 95% sure i'll be fixin to get the 22xtvr (heavy barreled / beavertailed syn stock) shortly after christmas.
the thing is i have to order it through my local dealer so it's not in front of me to fondle and look at before the purchase, which sucks the most. however for the $205.00 quoted out the door, it's a no brainer that it's not going to be an anschutz.
for those that had the oppurtunity to handle the rifle that was in stock, on the shelf, and not a special order, perhaps you should have looked at it closely, as any purchase, before you plunked the money down. rarely should one purchase a car without "kickin the tires", the same goes for rifles. take a very good look at it first.
let's face it most customer service with most companies stinks these days, it's a shame, but almost expected anymore if there is a problem.
so from what i gather from the posts a few things to do before walking out of the store with the rifle is:
1. check the barrel alignment with the receiver. take a straight edge with you.
2. check the magazine housing alignment and actually remove / insert the magazine a few times.
3. take a few snap caps or empty shells to ensure proper functioning, cycling, ejection (from the magazine).
4. check the stock mounting bolts for anything suspicious.
5. check the sights for looseness (even if intent is to remove them, check them anyway).
6. check the dovetail for uniformity / straightness. the straight edge mentioned before will come in handy here too.
7. take a small screw driver to check the tapped holes threading for bases. use the straight edge again to check for the same holes being "true".
8. if getting the threaded barrel, take what you are putting on those threads to confirm proper threading, or even a matching nut from home depot to screw on.
9. make sure it isn't or is a model without the pro fire trigger. just as with savage, the walmart models are a special run without the adjustable trigger. make sure of what you are paying for.
10. remove the bolt, closely look at it, look down the barrel, make sure of the threading and crown.
11. make sure to register your warranty / rifle ASAP
marlin warranty
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/pdfs/manuals/MFC_Bolt_Action_RF.pdf
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/customersupport/manuals.asp
there is an expectation of a company to stand behind their product, and most of what has been talked about seems like they got a hassle to some extent.
dealing with the lower end (cheaper) product manufacturer's you tend to get this type of hassle, those that ever had a cheap scope crap out on them knows how long it take to get satisfaction, and appears the same is true with the lower end rifle makers. there are several posts on savage rifle defects / complaints that get the same run around from savage.
eventually persistance and having your facts straight / documented should get the satisfaction of getting the problem fixed.
sorry those that had the problems had to go through what they had to go through, but you always tend to hear about the not so good stories.
where's the good stories (if any) about the new marlins?
