Where did the Marlin X7s go?

[FrankenMauser]

I've been trying to get my hands on a Marlin XS7 in .243 Win, to replace my existing .243.

However, not one dealer within 25 miles of me has a single X7 rifle on their shelves (including the XL7s).

Today, while continuing the search (and playing with a Rem 700 CDL...), we asked one of the local dealers if they had any Marlins. Their response was surprising:
"Oh... Uh.... We haven't been able to get an XL7 or XS7 since last year."


So, what's the deal?

Was demand higher than Marlin expected, so their seasonal production schedule couldn't keep up?
Or did their relocation halt X7 production?

Where have all my Marlins gone.....?
...Not that it matters much for the .243 now. I ordered a barrel to rebarrel my .220 Swift Ruger M77 VT to .243 Win. Marlin lost, by not having the product available.

 

[natman]

Marlin recently closed it's New Haven, CT plant and production was moved to Remington's plant in NY. It may take a while for Marlin production to resume. I hope someone has the sense to drop the awful Remington 770 and let the vastly superior XL/XS 7 take its place.

 

[Woodyed]

I don't know where you are located but here in Central NYS I have no trouble getting X7's. I stock all the calibers in almost all the stock options that are available. I also have in stock Boyd's laminated classic stocks in case a customer wants to switch. Can't imagine why dealers in your area aren't stocking the X7's as they are a good seller and a steady mover.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

There's only one around here and its been languishing on the dealer's rack for some time, even at a discounted price. Even when they first got them,there weren't many around here.

Just seems the Savages get a lot more attention in that price range.

 

[Fusion]

Yeah, I'd check out Walmart and look at the Savage Model 10 .243. I personally find it fits me better than the XS-7 and overall I like it a lot better. It sells for $384 here and comes with the accu trigger and a cheap Simmons scope as well as a sling. You can sell the scope to offset some of the cost if you don't want it. IMO I just find it to be a better buy than the Marlin. This might be an alternative to consider since you can't get the Marlin.

 

[Poodleshooter]

A. Marlin moved the plant, so new production was interrupted.
B. Availability of them was spotty to start with. Most dealers either had tons of them, or none at all. Dealers who relied on ordering often rather than having deep inventory, couldn't get them from wholesalers.
C. Some wholesalers recently blew them all out at bargain basement prices, further aggravating "B" above.

 

[Don H]

FWIW, Davidson's has 29 .243 X7's in stock.

http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/default.aspx

 

[FrankenMauser]

FWIW, Davidson's has 29 .243 X7's in stock.

I think Davidson's may have some type of regional quota system for dealers. When I ask a local dealer to order one, they call the distributor and promptly tell me it's not actually available to them. (I'm in Utah.)

Yeah, I'd check out Walmart and look at the Savage Model 10 .243. I personally find it fits me better than the XS-7 and overall I like it a lot better.

I understand the suggestion, and appreciate the input. However, I prefer the Marlin over the Savage. (And I don't patronize Walmart. I would explain, but it will turn political.)

I don't know where you are located but here in Central NYS I have no trouble getting X7's. I stock all the calibers in almost all the stock options that are available. I also have in stock Boyd's laminated classic stocks in case a customer wants to switch. Can't imagine why dealers in your area aren't stocking the X7's as they are a good seller and a steady mover.

Again, it must be some kind of regional issue for availability. The shops here claim that none of their distributors have X7s available.

I do have some advice for you, though:
Don't let a customer put the Boyds stock on any of the X7s with a "JM" stamped barrel. The JMs are the barrels that have all the X7 owners raving about accuracy, but they go to crap when free-floated. Only put "Rem" stamped barrels in the Boyds stock. Those barrels are the "I can't hit the broad side of a barn" barrels in the factory stock, but do well enough free-floated. So... Rem barrels = free float. JM barrels = pressure points.
However, the JM accuracy in the factory stock, or Boyds stock with rebuilt pressure points, still generally beats a free-floated Rem.

(I put a pepper laminate Boyds Classic on my XL7. When groups went from 0.4" @ 100 yards, to nearly 4" at 100 yards, I turned to various Marlin forums to see if the rifles truly needed the dual pressure points. The general consensus is what's listed above.)

 

[srkavanagh6621]

They have them on onlinegundeals.com which is a local dealer to me. They are great people to work with check out their sight. They have them listed for $310 if you need any more info let me know and I can talk to them for ya. Hope that helps

 

[stolivar]

buds gunshop

Has them..

I love mine.



steve

 

[jwilson48]

well you can't buy marlin x7s at big gun stores. that may be the problem. they cannot be found at wal mart bass pro dickies or the like. remington doesn't want them to outsell the crappy 700s. also, be careful buying a newer marlin x7. i owned one in 30-06 from the marlin factory awesome gun. then i bought a 7mm-08 made in remington factory. not half the gun.

 

[FrankenMauser]

I managed to find a dealer dealing with a different distributor, today.

They had ONE available. But... the dealer has a "pre-paid-only, no returns, no cancellations, no chance at declining the purchase" policy on firearms ordered directly from the distributor. Since I won't buy one without verifying it has a "JM" barrel, I'll just have to see what I can do to find another dealer that can use that distributor. (If I don't buy it, they can surely sell it to another customer. The X7s fly off the shelves here.)

also, be careful buying a newer marlin x7. i owned one in 30-06 from the marlin factory awesome gun. then i bought a 7mm-08 made in remington factory. not half the gun.

Check the last section of my post above, jwilson.

 

[Woodyed]

Hey guys, I got several questions for you. When you say it's not half the gun, just what do you mean? If it's just the stamping on the barrel, then I can't buy that as a reason. I've sold quite a few X7's with Remington barrels and have not heard of any negative comments from the buyers, in fact some of them have commented on how accurate they were. I can't help but feeling that this hype of seeking out barrels that are stamped JM or whatever, is a figment of someone's imagination and a unnecessary pursuit. I've yet to hear of any Remington barrel or any barrel not stamped JM as not being accurate. I also have not seen, bought, or shot any X7 rifle of recent manufacture by Remington or Marlin that differed in quality or workmanship from the original Marlin X7's, with the exception of some extractor problems that can be attributed to the manufacturing process of the extractor itself. So lets hear it guys, lay it on me your VALID & SUBSTANTIATED reasons for some of your dissatisfaction with the new X7's.

 

[jwilson48]

ok the last thing i want is to start an argument. and i'm not saying all the guns are the same as mine. i can however vouch for what i have. the jm gun made in marlins factory shot .4 inch groups with reloaded ammo. the best i have gotten so far out of my rem x7 has been 1 1/4 inch with reloaded ammo. maybe its a coincidence, but i doubt it. go to marlinowners.com and they all say the same thing. i have recently glass bedded the rem x7 and hope that helps but haven't had a chance to shoot it yet. i am also going to free float after testing how the bedding affects it. over at marlinowners.com they also say a lot of the rem guns have recoil lug in backwards and barrel threads not cut right although i haven't seen that issue. and canted cut trigger causing creep. i will say the rem has more creep, but not sure if thats why. lube helped creep but hasn't completely removed it. please let me know if there is something else you want to know, and i will try to assist. please know i still like my rem x7 its a very decent gun for a very decent price. just wish i had two jm x7s.

 

[sir_n0thing]

Back to the original topic, I have had a heck of a time finding XS7 or XL7s around here. I've seen a couple single guns here and there, but no significant stock anywhere.
Gander in Madison had a .270 on the shelf, I came *this* close to buying it... but passed. It was gone the next time I came in.
I heard Midwest Shooter's in Lomira had a XS7 .308 in recently.

 

[Woodyed]

Jwilson48---I'm a regular on the marlinowners website and I haven't see or read of any real accuracy problems with Remington barrels. I've read about the thread fiasco and the backwards recoil lug plus the trigger creep on some guns, but none of these conditions affect the operation, accuracy, or safety of these rifles. Of the few trigger creep complaints it seems that the owners have adjusted their triggers or solved the problem using another method to eliminate the creep. I can only assume that anyone that is really having an accuracy problem with their X7 rifle that it's not that the barrel is Remington made, but some other reason such as bedding, loose action bolts, loose scope mounts or screws, pillar block interference, or stock misalignment to the action/barrel. I hope your bedding job solves your problem for you and I would be interested in what success you had and the results. It seems as though anytime an X7 owner has an accuracy problem the first thing he attributes it to is his Remington barrel. I've noticed this occasionlly on the Marlinowners website. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have customers with Remington barrels on their X7's and they rave on how accurate they are.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Woodyed, I'll get back to you next week.

I plan on heading back out this weekend. So, I'll get some pictures of actual groups "for score". The visual comparison has much more impact than a written explanation.

 

[William T. Watts]

I came here to get information about the XS7Y rifles, if anything it convinced me to leave them alone and go with a Ruger Hawkeye. For what it's worth I am working thru a Marlin 336C that was screwed up under Remington's watch. The original rifle had tool marks on the barrel and receiver, Remington shipped a new rifle as a replacement but it will not feed properly. The carrier will not lift the round high enough to align with the chamber, the ejector could be a factor interfering with alignment too? Sloppy quality control is an issue at this time (IMO) and costing Remington some big bucks, obviously no one tried to cycle a dummy round thru the replacement rifle before it left the factory. Not happy! William

 

[Rob3]

I agree. I love Marlins and have been wanting a 308 MX but I will not buy until I start seeing more positive reviews. I read on another site (and if it's on the internet it must be true) that Cerebus has imposed a sub-2 minute build time for all rifles.

 

[jwilson48]

woodyed i plan on posting results if i can ever get around to shooting. i had a scope go bad on a different gun so i had to borrow my 7mm scope for the time being. i also want to apologize if i sounded a little too anti remington initially. i have however been a little disappointed with remington quality control. they are a great rifle any way you want to look at it. killed 5 deer with it just last year (i only killed one of them) the 7mm-08 is a very good cartridge and i have seen very good marlin x7s i probably just have a lemon. anyways it has given me a chance to shoot a lot and tinker lol.