Marlin Model 80 DL magazine problem

[n9iui]

I'm refurbing a Marlin Model 80 DL for my brother-in-law. He got it from his Father who recently passed away. I'm just giving it a good cleaning and oiling and refinished the stock.
It was missing the magazine. I found one at the gun show in Seymour Saturday and the vendor told me I may have to hone a place on the mag release because they sometimes are hard to release. I should have pinned him down on it, but he said it was a factory mag so I didn't worry about it too much.
Well, it really IS hard to release; I have to remove it with channel locks!
Can someone give me some idea what I need to do; someone with first-hand experience with this problem? Thanks!

 

[n9iui]

Nobody?

 

[pute62]

You might try searching or posting at the Marlin collectors site or Rimfire Central.
-- Marlin firearms collectors association --

 

[Modhydro]

80 mag release

depending on the length of the mag catch that is screwed to the bottom of the reciever in combination with the spring loaded lever on the mag itself, you may need to stone it some so that there is a slight wiggle when it is fully inserted. Between my boys and me we have three of them and the mags are not really interchangeable between them. I made a new floorplate for mine and just by chance used what turned out to the the narrowest mag when fitting. I had to open it up some for the others.

The thing to stone is the hook part of the catch on the mag that you can see when you push on the release lever when it is out of the gun.

This is sort of hard to put in words. Give me a call if this didn't make sense. I am in Indy as well

Steve

317 650-1087

 

[n9iui]

Thanks for all the good advice. I got the mag to function; good enough for a plinker.