This IS alittle extreme...I bought a used ( 1976 production) Model 336 4 years ago and from the start she was a shooter.The stock finish was wrecked but mechanically she showed little use.I started reloading and found that increasing the length of the loaded rounds brought noticeable improvement in accuracy.Eventually , the OAL hit 2.600" , which is the max length that will allow ejection of unfired rounds,but puts the crimp groove above the case neck.Couple that with the fact that one of the most accurate and useful bullets I tried is Hornady's 130gr single shot pistol ( very pointy!)I decided to have the magazine trimmed to hold 1 shot.The mag is attached by a screw into the barrel and the standard carbine barrel band works just fine.As isured , she was a 1 3/4 incher for 3 at 100, with long reloads she was a 1 1/4 incher and with the mag trimmed she's sub MOA all day and her smallest group to date is 5/16 inch for 3 at 100.Keeping her bore free of excessive amounts of copper is very important and when testing loads using different powders or bullet brands ,clean inbetween! This is often overlooked but extremely important.BTW my loads using Hornady 130's , 150rn's and 170fp's fall on the same verticle line.130's +3 150+ 1 1/2 and the 170's + 1.I dont know how many rounds went through her before I got her , but I've fired 3100 rounds ( exactly) with no loss of accuracy or change in headspace.Marlin makes a superb rifle.200 yard groups are in the 2- 21/2 inch range if the wind isn't too bad.Oh, almost forgot, keep the tang screw tight as a loose one will cause verticle stringing.Best of luck!
