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Marlin No. 25
Louis-Nicolas Flobert invented the first metallic rimfire cartridge in 1845. A small charge of mercury fulminate in the rim was sufficient to propel a 16-20 grain projectile across the parlor for casual evening entertainment. By the turn of the century, a time when Coca-Cola had enough cocaine to keep the entertainment going well into the evening, parlor shooting was a …
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Marlin Model A-1
A Marlin A-1E advertisement from 1936 that highlighted the ‘Closed Action’ function of the A-1, differentiating it from the preceding Model 50. 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 …
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Marlin No. 20
Perhaps nothing brings back memories of long-ago childhood afternoons like working one of Marlin’s “trombone” action rimfire rifles. An everyman’s gun produced from 1907 to 1917, and for a short time in 1922, the Marlin was every bit the equal of the competing rifles of the era. Like all Marlins of the time, the No 20 featured the company’s patented …
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Marlin No. 18
The Marlin brand was synonymous with lever action rimfires at the turn of the 20th century, but the company hadn’t made any attempt to break into the lucrative Winchester-dominated pump-action market – until the No 18 was introduced in 1906. Over a decade-and-a-half after Colt debuted their Lightning and Winchester introduced the 1890, Marlin was slow off the blocks, …
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Marlin Model 1892
Glory shot of collection of 1892s Marlin’s 1891 was a resounding success, but even before the rifle had finished it’s first full year of production the engineering team was planning iterative upgrades to address shortfalls, weaknesses and consumer demands. A solid-framed smallbore lever action, it its day the 1892 was popular, bordering on ubiquitous. Over the course of its 22-year …
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Marlin Model 1891
Lewis Hepburn’s patent application from 1890. Click the image to download the .pdf of the original patent application. At the beginning of the last decade of the 19th century the .22 long rifle was the newest, up-and-coming cartridge. A slightly hotter version of the .22 short (introduced 1857) and .22 long (introduced 1871) the cartridge was a near-instant success. While …
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Marlin No. 29
Produced for a short period from 1912 to 1917, the No 29 was the cheapest rifle in Marlin’s catalog at the time, selling for the scant price of $8.50 when introduced. Picking up where the Model 25 left off, the No. 29 was Marlin’s entry level rifle, but used a more conventional takedown mechanism than the models 18 and 25. …
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Marlin Model 1897
A later production Model 1897 from the Author’s Collection It was borne of an era of civilized travel: passenger trains connected the coasts; folks traveled in proper attire, men in their coats, ties, and hats and ladies in their dresses; and in the cities horses began to make way for bicycles. Luggage was hardsided and handled by the porters. Rifles …