Marlin 80

Question
Hi there, I will read right from the barrel stamp.

Marlin Firearms Co. Model 80
New Haven Conn USA --22-- S-L-L-R
Micro-Groove  

I am trying to determine when this rifle was made, and if it would be worth refinishing seeing as the barrel has some rust. It was my grandfathers and I would like to use it. Would it be worth refinishing to use, or would that cost more than a new rifle or than this one is worth. Thanks

Answer
Dear Jereme. Your Marlin Model 80 was made from 1934 to 1939.Yes, re-bluing your gun and re-finishing your stock would be an excellent idea. They are good shooters and the value is low already. If you are going to keep it, it will cost less than $20 to re-blue and re-finish plus 2-3 hours of labor. Use a #000 steel wool with 3-in-1 machine oil to remove the rust and blue. After you have cleaned all the rust and old blue off, clean it very well with rubbing alcohol to remove any oil and finger prints. You can use a blue like Birchwood Casey Cold Blue. It works very well if you let the barrel and receiver(remove the bolt) heat to around 200 degrees in your oven, then take it out and while it is still hot, put the bluing on. Don't leave the barrel in the oven too long, not more than 10 minutes. Remove it carefully and hang it outside so that when you put the bluing on, it will run down toward the muzzle. Make sure you cover all the metal evenly, you can't use too much blue. If you want it darker blue, repeat the heating after about an hour and put a second coat on. I personally like stripping all the blue and buffing the metal parts to a shine.You can use a silicone spray on cloth to keep it from rusting. I use a non-soaking varnish remover to strip the stock and re-finish it with Fornby's oil. If you use any type of wood finish that contains oil, you will not be able to put varnish or any oil base sealer afterwards. I hope this has answered your question and thank you for asking for me. Charles Gage