Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin Talk A Marlin primer?

I'm gravitating slowly towards a lever rifle. I'm coming from exclusively single shot rifles (Sharps, Ballard, Win Singleshots, etc). I know very little about these newfangled repeater things and I find the assortment of Marlins particularly bewildering.

Is there a book that provides a good overview of them?

And even if there is a good book, perhaps if I laid out my interests someone hear could point me in a profitable direction as I slowly learn the ground. Here is a short list of things I'm trying to consider in rough order of importance.

1. I want to shoot NRA lever silhouette with a rifle cartridge. So, accuracy out to 200 yds is important. A bit further is better yet, but accuracy is very important

2. I will also want to hunt with this. For this reason, .38 calibers are particularly appealing - .38-50, .38-55, .38-72 in that order. .40s are not quite so interesting, but maybe. No .45s - I have a whole bunch of them.

3. I will definitely shoot blackpowder at least for hunting. Just the way I am have to go. So .32s are pretty marginal and .30s are out, and I would like to avoid bottleneck cases like the .38-56.

4. Not looking for a heavy rifle like the 86 Winchester tends to be. Something that carries is important

5. Long barrels are sexy - and good with iron sights. Carbines might as well be pistols, and I'm not a pistol shooter.

6. I like regular rifling, Ballard rifling, but NOT microgroove rifling

7. Older is better. Not interested in current production stuff.

8. Might have to put a scope on it someday (Damn I hope not).

9. Prefer pistol grips to straight grips but they are not religion with me. I have nothing against crescent buttplates, unlike a lot of folks.

Given all of that, what models of older Marlins (say first half of the 20th Century or earlier) would be better to search for than others? 92's, 93s? 94s are all greek to me, but maybe this isn't so complex as it seems.

My apologies for such a bizarre question, but I need to start somewhere.

Brent

While you seem to want/prefer an older, vintage rifle, there are three fairly recent Marlins that would be ideal for your stated needs.

They are, IMHO:

1) M336-CB (Cowboy, ca Y2K), .38-55, 24" tapered octagon bbl.

2) M-375 (M336, ca 1980-83), .375 Win (aka.38-55 on steriods).

3) M1895 (aka M336) Cowboy (ca 2001), .45-70, 26" tapered oct bbl.

The best vintage rifle would be a .38-55 Model 1893.

This is another board member's M375:





FWIW:

Marlin 1892's / M92's are based on the Model 1891 (evolved into the .22RF Model 39a), a small, split receiver for light (.32 long, etc) RF & CF cartridges.

Marlin 1894's (old & new), & M94's are short-action leverguns suitably chambered for pistol-sized cartridges only (.25-20, . 32.20, .32H&R, .357, .38-40, .44-40, .44 Mag).

Marlin 1893's & M93's are the long action (.30-30, .38-55) precursors first to the Model 36, then to the current (since 1948) Models M336 & M1895.

The original/older Model 1895 was a large action rifle for the likes of the .45-70, that evolved from the Model 1881.
The current Model 1895 is an altered modern Model 336.

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Thanks, this is exactly the kind of information I am looking for. It looks like the 93s are what I'm going to be most interested in.

I have to say that the .38-55 Cowboy of recent vintage really swings up well. Extremely good balance for me, but I'd have to "fix" it at that would mean, stripping and refinishing (or restocking), redoing all the metal finish. And then there woudl be that crossbolt safety. But mostly, I just like old guns that have history- even if I don't know exactly what that history really is.

Thanks again.
Brent

Was the Marlin 93 or 95 ever chambered in .38-50?

Brent

I'm not familiar with a cartridge named .38-50

Just .38-40 & .38-55; the .38-40 being a pistol-length cartridge suitable for the short-action Marlin M1894; the .38-55 rifle-length cartridge suitable for the long-action Marlin Model(s) 1893, 93, 36, & 336's.

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The .38-50 is a Remington cartridge I believe. It is straight case and it actually has a bit more capacity than a .38-55. I think it might be the ideal blackpowder .38 cartridge though I have never owed one. I've done the .38-55 (too small) and the .38-72 (too big) and that makes the .38-50 just Goldilocks right.

I feel this Marlin 93, 1893 thing gaining a head of steam. It may be too late to recover.

whatever you do,dont buy an original and drill and tap it.
I had a chance to buy a win 94 takedown made in 1898 in 30-30,but didnt because with out a scope,I couldnt hit a barn if I was inside.

Fluff, I sure might. I'd put a Malcomb or Unertl type of scope on it though. I'm a shooter, I'm not a collector. I will avoid collector grade rifles however.

Although I believe it's probably out of print Brophy's history of Marlin was/is an information filled book.