My FIL has given me a marlin 30-30...best i can tell it was manufactured around 1955....ive had it cleaned and looked over to make sure it is safe to shoot...got it back today and looking it over i can not find a safety on it...doing some research im seeing that early models do not have a safety..is that correct?

My 1973 Marlin has a half-cocked safety. It won't fire until you fully [censored] it and the trigger cannot be pulled. Can't speak specifically to the older version. Of course, if it is not cocked at all it can't fire.

Correct the half-cocked hammer position is the safety, well that and the operators brain.

What you have is a "pre-safety". Just like people looking for pre-lock S&W's, folks look for the pre-safety, marlins and Winchesters.

The safety looks like crap on the marlin. The pre safety jobs don't have that hugh ugly button. Hang on to it. You have something thats getting harder to come by.

My 336 is from the 70s but I've never heard of the half-[censored] thing...on mine, can't pull the trigger until you pull the hammer back. When you work the lever action to put a new round into the chamber from the tube mag, it self-cocks the hammer, so you either have to fire the gun or decock it by holding the hammer with your thumb and pulling a trigger, like a revolver.

So, no safety once the hammer's been pulled back, except the shooter's brain and trigger finger not being on the trigger. Yes?

Correct. If it had an actual safety, it would be right in front of the tang and cross in front of the hammer. Halfcock or fully let down is the only safety it has.