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, but brought the quality of manufacturing that had been the hallmark of their lines of lever-guns to an interested public. The diminutive No 18 was marketed by Marlin as their “trombone” action and came chambered in the then wildly popular .22 short cartridge, likely to encourage sales to the equally popular shooting galleries of the day. Sensing an opportunity to expand, owners could separately purchase a carrier for the .22 long rifle cartridge that could be easily swapped out by the user.
Available for only a few short years from 1906 to 1908 the No 18 was the progenitor of a line that would spawn the No 20 and No 37, among others. Tipping the scales at just 3lb 10oz, the No 18 was the “baby feather-weight repeater” in the catalog and took sliding the forend just under and inch-and-a-half to cycle the action and work through the 14-round magazine. Marlin tried to capitalize on the success of the 1897 and advertised the No 18 as a takedown; the reality was that this simply involved removing the buttstock from the receiver by unscrewing the knurled tang bolt, and was far less elegant than then split receivers used on their rimfire lever guns.
Like most of their product line the No 18 was available with special features including options for metal finish, upgraded wood, and checkering options, though there were fewer options than with other models in the Marlin lineup. Retailing for $12.50 at its introduction in 1906, the No 18 sold for about 70% of the price of the 1897. While the range of known serial numbers stretches from 1,581 to 18,246, the actual production numbers are known to be lower, and the total production quantity is unknown, though believed to be limited. Easily maintained, replacement components are difficult to find, but easy to manufacture, and with proper care and service a No 18 could be expected to continue rolling cans well into the next century.
