Magazine

[wormbobskey]

I have a Glenfield model 30 Marlin with a 4 round tube magazine. Has anyone ever tried to put a full length tube on one of these? Its not really a matter of the extra rounds as much as its the look of the full length tube that I really like. Thanks for any information.

[Rangr44]

These rifles are so common & inexpensive, that it's more cost-effective to buy another carbine with a full-length mag tube if that floats your boat, and sell the 2/3 mag tube version to someone who prefers the Sporting Carbine config.

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[Mikey]

Depending on  how the magazine tube is attached to the barrel, the barrel would need to be drilled and tapped, most likely, near the muzzle for the magazine retaining screw, or if not drilled and tapped then a dovetail cut would need to be milled out of the barrel so a drilled and threaded block could be inserted and the magazine tube retention screw threaded into that piece.  In addition, where-ever on the barrel the original dovetail block was installed will have to be filled and blued to match the barrel. 

I converted a Winchester Big Bore Black Shadow with a 1/2 length mag tube to a full length mag tube rifle and found it necessary to fill the original dovetail cut in the barrel so it wouldn't look 'unfinished', and used bedding compound colored to match the barrel; ten years later you still have to look very, very closely to find that dovetail.... so it can be done.  Good luck. 

[Natty Bumppo]

Mikey, what type bedding compound did you use and what did you use to color it?  Thanks

[Winter Hawk]

I have filled dovetails on several rifles over the years with dovetail blanks (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=383424), then filed them down to the contours of the barrel.  They were pretty hard to notice.  I never tried filling in the small cracks which showed, but I bet they would all but dissapear if you did that!

Wormbobskey, PM me if you want a magazine tube with the spring & follower.  I'll have to find what I did with the ones which came off my 336 when I had the long barrel installed, but it's yours if you want it.

-WH

[wormbobskey]

Sent you a PM Winter Hawk. The tube on my model 30 is dovetailed just in front of the forearm so it would be easy to hide with a plug or some filler. I figured I could use a barrel/mag tube clamp to secure the full length tube to the rifle. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

[Mikey]

Natty:  ummmm, don't want to sound dumb but I'm going to have to dig deep on this one.  I'll get back to you.

[wormbobskey]

Well I got the longer magazine tube installed. Winter Hawk was nice enough to give me one he had. All I had to do was file a small groove for the barrel band screw and everything slid right togather. Definitely looks better (IMO) than the short 4 round magazine tube. Thanks again Winter Hawk, I appreciate it.

[JPShelton]

Well I got the longer magazine tube installed. Winter Hawk was nice enough to give me one he had. All I had to do was file a small groove for the barrel band screw and everything slid right togather. Definitely looks better (IMO) than the short 4 round magazine tube. Thanks again Winter Hawk, I appreciate it.

Proof that taste is relative, I guess -at least as far as the aesthetic merits of short or full length mag tubes is concerned.

My first gun, which I got as a gift from my parents when I was 12, was a Marlin 336.  A few years back, the screw that retains the mag tube broke.  The rifle was slung over my shoulder at the time this happened, and it hit the ground butt down on a rock with enough force to damage the buttplate.

I didn't get around to fixing this immediately.  I had always prefered the sporting carbine look, personally -with half or 2/3 length tube.  I figured when I got it fixed, I'd go that route.  I am finally doing it.  The rifle is currently at the local gunsmith's and will come back as a half-magazine rifle, with a new soft rubber butt pad also installed.  I plan on putting a Lyman M-57 peep on it, as soon as I get it back from the smith.  Then, after a sight in session, it'll be headed south to the Red River country, in search of wild pork.....

JP