If you install a scope on your Marlin 336 rifle, you will probably need to install the included hammer spur. The Marlin 336 comes with a hammer spur, and it’s really easy to install. If your Marlin rifle didn’t come with one, or if you lost your spur, just contact your local gun shop to order one for you.

Here is what came with my rifle:

See the little red thing on the end of the allen wrench? That’s the screw that will hold your hammer spur in place. It does an OK job, but if you work the hammer a lot, you might need to re-tighten it. To install, you just slide the spur on the hammer as far as it will go. There are two little grooves on the side of hammer, so the spur will stop when it gets there. Do this next:

Just tighten it up nice and snug, and then remove the allen wrench. Simple. Make sure it’s tight, but not so tight that you break the allen wrench. Here’s what you get when you’re done:

Some things to keep in mind: You might not need it, and you might need to tighten it from time to time.

Remember, this spur might come loose. Just keep the allen wrench handy for re-tightening, or contact your gunsmith for some kind of firearm adhesive (locktite or similar…talk to a professional).

When I say that you might not need it, you’ll just have to look at you and your setup to see if you can do without it. I have a 50mm scope, so I have the tall scope mounts for the clearance. I also have average-sized thumbs. So there’s plenty of room to work the hammer without the spur. I’ve tried it several times, and it just works out. If there is any question about your ability to work the hammer, stick with the hammer spur. Don’t risk an accident!

The installation only takes a few second, so go ahead and put it on there. Besides it’s obvious benefit for scopes, the hammer spur will also help out when removing the action for cleaning. But I won’t show you that here. Next time I’ll write a little how-to article for stripping your Marlin 336 for cleaning. Don’t worry, that’s easy, too. Subscribe to the RSS feed or the email newsletter to get notice of it.

Here’s a little slide show video I put together of my scope base project:

Rifle: Marlin 336

Hardware: Weaver two-piece scope base for Marlin 336

Tools: 2 flat head screwdrivers – one tiny, one regular

I’ve decided to put a scope on my beloved Marlin 336 .30-30 lever action rifle. It’s such a great rifle, but I want to improve my chances of filling the freezer with venison this year. Here’s how I did it.

First off, Marlin 336 comes drilled and tapped for a scope. But there isn’t a base and there aren’t any rings. So you’ll have to buy them if you want to mount a scope. And, of course, you’ll have to buy a scope, too.

First, locate the screws:

The screws are small, so you’ll need a small flat-head screwdriver. I used the largest one in my little jewelry-type driver set.

Here are the removed screws:

Now we can see the mount points clearly. They go all the way through the receiver. If you are going to use some type of screw adhesive, do it very carefully! You don’t want to get any in the action.

Here is the two-part base I’m going to mount on the rifle. It’s a Weaver base made for the Marlin 336 and similar rifles. The package lists all compatible rifles on the back. Here are the mounts:

I just used a standard small-ish flat-head driver to mount the bases. It was super easy. They line up just right, and I can still use the iron sights if there is no scope mounted. Here are a couple of shots of the completed job:

and

The job took only a couple of minutes total, and that includes stopping to take some photos. Now I just need to decide what scope I want on it. I’m on a budget this year, so it will have to be an inexpensive model. I guess it’s back to Wal-Mart after I get paid again!