The National Firearms Act of 1934 changed the landscape of firearms in the United states when it was enacted, and even sporting-arms manufacturers like Marlin were impacted. The Model 50, which fired from an open bolt, was simple to convert to automatic operation. Records are scarce, but rumors abound that Marlin was pressured by the government to modify it’s rifles to prevent unlawful conversions. A more plausible explanation is that the open-bolt operation disrupted the sight picture during operation and made for an unpleasant shooting experience that Marlin wanted to remedy.
The American Rifleman Magazine, April, 1937
The A-1, and its derivatives, were quality rifles, if relatively unrefined. At a time when competitors like Remington’s Model 241 Speedmaster (the house label for the Browning SA-22) sold for nearly $30, the Marlin was an economical alternative for shooters who were looking for an auto-loading rifle. The remained relatively unchanged during their 10-year production run (though interrupted to support the war effort from 1942-1945). A stock variation was introduced in 1941, along with an updated trigger guard that did away with the sheet-steel loop of the first model.
Any shooter would be hard pressed to describe the A-1 in glowing terms – but it was an important step forward in the lineage of rifles that would result in the Model 99 and Model 60.
