So I finally found a pristine 1894 JM Marlin 20" Octagon in .45 Colt on gunjoker.com. I've been looking for one for quite a while and this one was a peach. Danged thing sold for $1,325.00 and I've seen them sell for substantially more. I was prepared to spend up to about $900.00 - maybe even $950.00, which is more than it's worth. Prices are still outrageous and I was sorely disappointed.

I wonder how much longer this madness will continue... Probably until we get another Conservative into orifice and things calm down, which may be never. F'n commies.

I'd love to have one.
But there isn't $1k of use in one for me.
Kinda the curse of acquiring a bunch of rifles.
It gets hard to talk oneself into buying more.
Just no need.

Ruger might start making them, but I'm thinking only if they
bring $800+. Same with 336 platforms.

And I have doubts that Ruger will make anything better than
The Remilins.

Dang I mis-read your title and thought you had found a 1894 Martin guitar. Bummer on the cool Marlin. Maybe next time. I've also noticed GB prices are going up faster than I can fathom.

Don 't understand I only paid 400 for my 357 and 450 for my 44 both pre cross bolt. You guys out east and down soouth.like to get bent over?

Try to find one now for $500.00. Impossible. I should have purchased one when Trump was in orifice.

I wouldn't buy a Ruger Marlin - or a Remlin. JM all the way, and the older, the better.

I have a few JM's in my stable, with a couple more on my want list - but not at these fuggin' prices.

Hope 2024 brings us some sanity to the market again.

(And lower gas prices, stability, world peace, yaddah yaddah.)

Me too. Unfortunately, I am very pessimistic about our future here in Marxist Amerika.

It's going to be hard to bring down the prices. People buying these guns for high dollar won't be selling them anytime soon for less than they paid for them, AND people who bought them for low dollar a few years ago will feel cheated if they can't get current prices if they decide to sell, SO it's just hard for me to see any downturn on the prices. Especially classics and solidly made guns like the pre 64 Winchester's, JM stamped Marlins, etc....

What's the old saying "the worth of something is exactly what you can get someone else to pay for it."
People didn't give a hoot about what they spent their stimulus checks on, as long as they could spend it. I sold a camper to a meth head guy last January for $2200 and 2 months later he sold it for $600 and was happy as a dickens to "make" $600 not caring in the least that he paid $2200 for it initially BECAUSE it was free money. Free money has less value I guess. I don't know, I didn't qualify for any of the stimulus money.

People are morons. I can't wait to move out to the sticks to get away from all the morons.

Made the move 10 years ago. Nearest neighbor ½mile away and that's still to damned close 😎

Every rifle marked JM has been selling high for years now.

I have found that ones not so marked shoot well too.

Bear market or bull, or EOTWAWKi, I avoid doing business with Meth Heads. Just me; sample of one.

Generally a good idea to avoid tweakers.

It ain't about Trump or Biden. Its about the Remington debacle. Remlins were so inferior that JM's became gold. The only thing that can pop that bubble is if Ruger restores quality to Marlin. And the jury is still out on that

Sincere question

Where exactly can you go in 2021 to get away
from criminals and idiots?

The only solution I can see is to buy a section
and put a house in the middle of it, if that's
even enough

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

$1200-$1300 seems to be the going rate for JM stamped 1894’s. I don’t see prices coming down for the same reasons mentioned. Somebody looking for a rifle like that is probably more into guns than an average bubba and it isn’t a need gun. Current buyer aren’t going buy them and then sell it at a loss a couple of years down the road. That and inflation are going to keep the prices up unless Ruger can make an as good better Marlin than Marlin did and sells it for several hundred under today’s going rates for JM stamped models.

Yep. That's exactly my plan. Meebe one day. In TX, of course.

I have my doubts Ruger will be able to pull that off. & yes, you are correct it is a want rather than a need, but I sure do want one.

You and me both. It’s not at the top of my list but it’s on the running mental list of rifles that I want to own and will eventually get to.

I have a JM stamped Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt and it has the octagon barrel. Bought it from an old timer I used to shoot with. I've fire about 10 rounds through it and my friend didn't use it. Wow, you're telling me it's worth $1300? I was thinking about saving it for a grandson but maybe I should sell it. It looks like it's brand new.

In my opinion, no, it's not worth $1,300.00 - that's just what they seem to be selling for lately. I've seen 'em for as high as $1,900.00, though I don't know if any have sold for that kind of money.

I'd not sell it. They're not making any more JMs and I'm sure your grandson would appreciate it one day.

It's a heck of a lot of fun to shoot as well.

As a long time collector of Marlins ill share this advice. Very few circumstances in the US will drop the prices to where they "use to be". Its not like gas or food where supply and demand dictate or that coqksucker in chief determines where the market is by who hes handjobbing that week. Marlin has been gone over a decade and has steadily rose in value since then. Combine that with overall inflation of ANY lever and its not really that much off what they are worth in quality versus what's on today's market. Im a huge fan of levers and I can't think of any big caliber lever you can buy new for less than $500 these days.

There are some guns ill never own because the value has simply out ran what I anticipated they would climb to or I discovered their rarity too late in life. But if you want that 44, today is as cheap as it will be unless you hold out for that 1 guy that prices it stupid cheap somewhere. Ive been fortunate enough to be in that position before.

Good luck and happy hunting !

Madness.
There are no more JM stamped Marlins being built and haven't been in a long time.
Marlins owned by Ruger who haven't made any comments that they're going to make anything other than a 336.
Madness is thinking you can buy a rifle that's out of production, rare when it was in production, and highly sought after for less than a k.
But, good luck...

I saw an SKS listed locally for $1k recently...

"A fool and his money are soon parted"

👆🏻 this👆🏻

If you just want a good shooter, find you a Rossi. I have a stainless one in .45, very tough, dependable, good shooting rifle.

The part I always get a chuckle out of is the reverence given to the vaunted “JM”. We’re they better than the first go round of Rem stamped guns? Mostly, except for the last couple months of production before the move. Marlins were never “High end” firearms, at least in anyone here’s lifetime. They were made to a price and to be used as tools.

I’m here to tell after many years experience that even in the days of the JM stamp they rolled out their share of turds. Don’t let the proof mark be a make or break deal on buying one, as either is likely to need a little tweaking and massaging to get it just right.

Better yet locate a Jap made Win92, they might still be making them. Last time I looked they were about the same money as the Marlins are bringing now and they’re way more gun.

Better or at least tied to that option is to find a beat on 1894 in 44 Mag and toss the old Microgroove barrel and fit a new blank with proper dimensions chambered for 45Colt. I’ve done this for some guys and using a faster twist to allow heavy cast bullets makes it a formidable little carbine.

I have one of the 1894 Classics in .25-20. I bought it with the idea that I could handload it to replace .22 LR, which was unobtanium at the time. I didn't find any off-the-shelf lead bullets that shot well, but I did find the jacketed bullet factory loads shot extremely well. Of course, the factory loads are super-expensive, and the jacketed .25 bullets, that are suitable for the Marlin, are now what's unobtanium.

Put's me in mind of when the first "64" Winchesters were hitting the market. Owner of the LGS where I hung out and a couple of the local experts were examining one of the "new" 94's. The gunshop owner was pointing down into the open top of the receiver and said, "Look at how rough it is in there. The goddam thing looks like it was made by Marlin, not Winchester."

Good idea, that's more than likely what I'll do and you're correct, they are a heck of a lot of fun to shoot.

I only own one 1894. Let a couple others slip through my hands. One, a 20" .44 Magnum, had a squared comb and was a cheek smacking SOB. Bought it cheap and sold it shortly afterward. The other was a 1894 Cowboy, also in .44 Magnum. It sat on the new rack at an area LGS for quote a while before I finally decided to buy it, but when I went, money in hand, it was gone.

The only one I own is an 1894P, .44 Magnum. For those not familiar with the designation, it's a 16¼" (I think that's right) barrel with porting. It's handy as heck, but I wish it was not ported. (I think they made the same gun without porting and called it the 1894S) I just don't see a need for porting on a .44, and I flat out do not enjoy the muzzle blast.

this one....bought from the original owner....unfired

it was 24" original..he chopped it to 20"

I always wanted a 16" 45 Colt.......so......

Had it chopped to 16"........1999 DOM...

what a sweet shooter......

not braggin Marlin 45's...

a rather unusual 45 Colt round barrel ....2007 DOM----20"

I have an 1894s in .45 Colt with a 16” barrel. Pretty sure it’s from that short run they did in the late 90s. It’s been sitting in my safe for years and these crazy prices got me thinking about moving it on.

They are just so handy in this trapper config, I know I would regret it the second I ship it.

Davidson's run.........

I own the P, CP, and PPP from that production run. Love the length but damn the porting. I also have a 44 and 450 in that length non ported but can't recall their letter right now. Great carbines

Yeah Yeah... Rub it in why don't ya? You're just posting that 'cause you know I've admired it whenever you post it, ya' bastid.

Unless you already have a good supply of .45 LC bullets and brass, along with powder and primers, rifle availability and price aren't going to make a whole lot of difference.

I watched a stainless laminate 1894 44mag go for almost 3k on gunbroker, about a year ago I think. I have an 1894P 44mag and I wouldn't let it go for anything less than 1k. We had one in our local classified recently and it sold within a day at 1300ish.

I have the same rifle, I put a xs scout mount on it and a nikon fixed 1x muzzle loader scope. Fun setup.

I have XS sights on mine, but no scope. I've considered a reflex red dot like a Burris Fastfire, but for now just sticking with the ghost ring setup.

I bought mine new in early 2003. I can't be positive, but I want to say it was around $474, plus tax.

That sounds about right. My buddy lucked up on one with the xs sites on it at a local pawn shop, got it for 350, about 15 years ago though. Mine, I actually sold to a guy new while working at a lgs in college, and he kept it in a case behind his truck seat. He needed money and sold it back to us, a little freckling on the receiver from sweating in the case but thats it. I remember clicking on about a 250 boar that busted out of the woods one morning, dang cross bolt safety. I think there is guy selling plugs with a saddle ring attached to take the safeties place, thought about going that route but I've seen where people simple put a rubber oring around it instead.

Beartooth Merc in Cody WY

with or w/o the saddle ring

https://beartoothmercantile.com/saddle-ring-safety-delete/

Marlin made a very short run of 1894s called "The Marlin Limited".

They were straight stocked 16 & 1/4" barreled Trapper style 1894s. I recall reading a Taffin article that said 2600 were made. 1/2 in .44 Magnum and the other 1/2 in .45 Colt. No porting. They have always been a bit scarce. I found one in .44 Magnum many years back on a gun rack in Boise and bought it immediately. Neat little gun. Quite handy.

Nice rifle Mackay. I have the 1894P. Fun guns to shoot.

I didn't realize that the 1894S was so scarce. I wish I'd known it existed before buying the my P model. I really dislike the porting and simply cannot see the need on a lever gun chambered for something like the .44 magnum.

All the 1894 'S' denotes is for the X/bolt safety meaning post 1983 production

Lots of Marlin info & chat over at Marlin Owners

https://leverguns.com/articles/fryxell/marlin_history.htm

https://www.marlinowners.com/forums/1894.38/