Marlin 783

[Milkmaster]

My brother and I have spoken about my father's guns and what we might like out of the half a dozen or so to pick from. My brother wants the old prewar .410/22. Him being the oldest, I bowed to his being the first pick. That left a still new looking Marlin 783 in .22WMR with walnut furniture and leather strap. The bolt is nice and tight and the trigger is better than expected.

From what I read here, the 783 seems to have a decent reputation among the THR writings. Anything special about it I should know before cleaning and a trip to the range?

 

[rule303]

Nice guns, with better build quality than you will find in a newer Marlin. They are pretty trouble free for the most part. The tube magazine and heavy trigger aren't the best combination for benchrest accuracy, but it should certainly be capable of hitting woodchuck sized varmints out to 150yds or so.

 

[leftymachinist]

Still have mine that was a birthday present in 1974. Its seen several thousand rounds and dropped many a varmint out to 200 yards. But it has headspace issues now so it'll be a smithin' project someday.

 

[Pacsd]

Look at the stock just in front of the rear sling swivel to see if there is a "bullseye". It's a white sphere with a black center. It indicates that stock is made of walnut. Or perhaps it's missing and only a hole remaining which might lead a guy to believe it's been redrilled to accomidate a new stud. They are some great shooting guns. The heft of it alone tells one it's of durable material. You've made a great find and will serve you well for years. Better yet, it's a family hierloom.