Marlin 30-30 magazine tube ??

[lonewolf5347]

Been a few years the gun been sitting in the safe.
Problem I can drop a single round into the loading gate no problems .The lever will chamber the round no problems.
The problem the second round will go in almost 3/4" but will not go into the tube.
Any idea what to look for.
I think the gun was made late 80's

 

[earlthegoat2]

Had a problem similar to this once.The follower was installed backwards.

This was on a 444 and I actually couldn’t put even one round into the magazine. I just single loaded the chamber. Is that what you are doing when you say you “drop a single round into the loading gate”? And then you try to load the magazine tube?

Has the gun ever been taken apart by you? Have you successfully used the rifle in the past before this?

 

[glockgod]

First thing I'd do is make sure there aren't shells in the tube. Almost sounds like there is already ammo in there

 

[jmr40]

Spring and inside of the mag tube could be rusted. If it's been sitting that long don't discount critters building nests in there.

 

[herrwalther]

Check for ammo first. The tube will have some give even if it is fully loaded. Marlins aren't too difficult to take apart so that would be the next step to make sure the follower and spring work as they should. Another rare possibility is the tube itself is pinched or damaged, not allowing the follower forward. There are some good videos online on how to do a complete strip. I highly recommend you have a gunsmithing screwdriver set, specifically flat head screwdrivers. Last Marlin I took apart took 8 or 10 different sized bits to get everything. Or take it to a gunsmith and pay them to check it out.

Some Marlins were made with metal followers. Some later ones had plastic. If you get it apart yourself this would be a good time to replace the plastic one with metal. Numrich usually has them, depending on what your specific model is.

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/marlinglenfield/rifles-marlin

 

[film495]

take the tube apart and clean it good and put it back together.

 

[lonewolf5347]

Next step is to remove the magazine tube and spring.
Can I remove the spring and plug reinstall and drop a few dummy round into the tube from the gate