Jim Brockman's Custom Marlin lever actions
Doug McKay
// from insists on waiting a least two days before letting me see any new
// post.
In the February Guns&Ammo there's an article - by Kevin E. Steele - about
Jim Brockman's custom Marlin lever actions. Does anyone have any experience
or opinions on them or this man? He uses either the 1895 45/70, the M336
.30-30, or the M1894 .44mag or .357mag. "At the urging of custom stock
maker and experimenter Brent Clifton" he's modified these Marlins in
interesting ways:
It looks like a scout rifle. "[G]host-ring rear sight, Clifton-type front
ramp sight with gold bar insert, buttstock cartridge trap, shortened
magazine tube and barrel with recrowned muzzle, scope-mount bases and
radiusing of all sharp edges." (p.48) He also hand-laps the bore, gives the
gun a trigger job, glass-beds the buttstock and forend. The entire gun is
coated with some sort of black "non-slip, non-glare" epoxy, and a Pachmayer
Decelerator pad, sporting clays model, is put on the buttstock. The scope
is a Burris 2.75X Scout.
The .30-30 is rebored for .30-30 Ackley, the barrel shortened to 18". The
stock's cartridge trap (just where Cooper says it belongs) holds 4 rounds.
In the 45/70 it holds 3, in the .44mag or .357mag it holds 6. The barrel
of the 45/70 is 20", that of the 1894 models isn't clear from the article.
The article discusses a take-down version with a 16.5" barrel.
There's an address to write to:
Brockman's Custom Guns, Dept GA
P.O. Box 357
Gooding, ID 83330
I've got a standard .44mag Marlin right now. My only complaint is the front
sight. I don't really like it. This article mentions the Clifton-style
front sight, which looks like I'd like it much better. Does anyone know
where these can be gotten? It looks from the photos that is slips right
into the ramp that's already on the rifle.
These are sharp looking guns. I wonder how well the epoxy wears. And how
close to $1000 the custom gun costs if you provide the rifle. I'm going to
write to him for info.
Doug McKay
In Minnesota
Don Kenny
<mcka...@maroon.tc.umn.edu> writes:
<snip>
#In the February Guns&Ammo there's an article - by Kevin E. Steele -
about
#Jim Brockman's custom Marlin lever actions. Does anyone have any
experience
#or opinions on them or this man? He uses either the 1895 45/70, the
M336
#.30-30, or the M1894 .44mag or .357mag. "At the urging of custom stock
#maker and experimenter Brent Clifton" he's modified these Marlins in
#interesting ways:
#
#It looks like a scout rifle. "[G]host-ring rear sight, Clifton-type
front
#ramp sight with gold bar insert, buttstock cartridge trap, shortened
#magazine tube and barrel with recrowned muzzle, scope-mount bases and
#radiusing of all sharp edges." (p.48) He also hand-laps the bore, gives
the
#gun a trigger job, glass-beds the buttstock and forend. The entire gun
is
#coated with some sort of black "non-slip, non-glare" epoxy, and a
Pachmayer
#Decelerator pad, sporting clays model, is put on the buttstock. The
scope
#is a Burris 2.75X Scout.
<snip>
#There's an address to write to:
#Brockman's Custom Guns, Dept GA
#P.O. Box 357
#Gooding, ID 83330
I saw a sample at the recent SHOT show, and workmanship was very good.
Strangely enough, Brockman does not supply a synthetic stock, but rather
refinishes the factory wood with a heavy plastic-type coating. I feel
the prices are too high though ($1150 for the complete .30-30 Scout),
especially for the power range of the cartridge. I'm not "sold" on
putting a Scoutscope on a .30-30, as a ghost-ring-only arrangement seems
to make more sense for this cartridge (save the scope for a .308 Scout).
I called Brockman after the gun show, and he said the waiting time
for a rifle was currently around 5 months.
He does sell his excellent ghost ring sight as a stand-alone part, and
the is a Good Thing.