Hello All. My first post here and I hope it isn't an inappropriate one but I thought maybe I could help shed some light on things.
First, no I am not affiliated with Marlin in any way other than being a devoted fan. I have however, conferred a good bit with a couple now-former employees and have gleaned a lot of information. You can call it one sided information and that would be fair. I'll try to leave the opinions out and just state what I believe is accurate...
1. 91 is not the last serial number to come out of North Haven. The last lever action came out of North Haven on I believe August 4th this year. Remington took over production responsibilities in 2008. The entire production, assembly, and service center is now located at their Ilion plant.
2. BATFE granted Remington permission to continue using the North Haven stamp on Ilion produced guns until proper tooling is accomplished there. Remington will be putting a Remington proof mark on the right side of the barrel, however, it is possible that some barrels that were made in North Haven were sent to Ilion complete with a JM mark on the left. In short, a NH roll mark or JM stamp is not concrete evidence of a NH gun.
3. The rimfire line went to Kentucky. I believe the 39 being a lever action is the exception and went to NY.
4. Remington under the Cerberus banner has instituted manufacturing processes deeply rooted in what is known as the "Toyota Way." If, like me, you currently work in manufacturing for any moderately sized or larger company, that will be a very familiar term. In the most general sense, it places a high emphasis on process efficiency and product volume. The expectation was to assemble a rifle in 135 seconds or less.
5. Not a single manufacturing or service employee transferred to NY. NY employees (production, assembly, and service) were brought to the NH plant and given two-three weeks of training.
6. Poor wood fit and finish has been a very common complaint lately. The butt stock on my 2009 1895CB was terrible. Bad enough, and combined with the other issues it had, I would not have purchased that particular rifle. My wife got for me as a gift. I have handled a number of recent production Marlins, some have been very good, some not so much. Plastic shims and epoxy have been found on more than few stocks.
7. Remington originally said they had no intention of closing the NH plant. Then at the beginning of this year they announced they would indeed close the plant by 2011. Within about six months, the facility became more or less idle.
8. Remington took pretty much everything from the NH plant to Ilion, including equipment, shelves, tools, etc.
In the spirit of fairness and honesty, I will tell you that I don't like anything about the sell out or move. But, as I said, I'm not trying to vent my opinions but rather share some of the information I've gleaned so that others can make of it what they will.
