I’m hoping someone has some ideas on an issue I discovered on a 1963 vintage Marlin 336 in 30-30. At half cock, the hammer will fall with a trigger pull.


I took it apart expecting to see a broken tooth, but everything looks newish. My dad bought this in the early 70s and fired it maybe once. No idea how many rounds it has on it, but the bolt looks damn near new. I recently dug it out of the safe for my son to use.

After getting it apart and seeing how it works, I can engage half cock if I push the trigger forward while letting the hammer down. If I don’t, it ends up like the picture below.


I’ve tried to get into half cock in every combo…from hammer down to half cock, from cocked back to half cock, etc.

Weak trigger spring? I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find anyone else with the same problem. Thanks!

The easiest and cheapest place to start is check for any crud buildup that could be binding the trigger from resetting. Soak it overnight in light penetrating oil, then flush with non-chlorinated brake cleaner. Could be a bit of debris between the trigger and hammer keeping the trigger from swinging fully forward.

A new trigger spring would be next if the cleaning doesn’t help.

Thanks. Just it did have 40 years worth of crud inside the receiver, but after a detail strip, it's still doing it.

Is there any burr between the contact points when in half cock?