The Marlin Model 1894 is a lever-action

repeating rifle A repeating rifle is a single- barreled rifle capable of repeated discharges between each ammunition reloads. This is typically achieved by having multiple cartridges stored in a magazine (within or attached to the gun) and then fed individually i ...

introduced in 1894 by the

Marlin Firearms Company Marlin Firearms Co. is an American manufacturer of semi-automatic, lever-action, and bolt-action rifles. In the past, the company, now based in Madison, North Carolina, and formerly based in North Haven, Connecticut, made shotguns, derringers, ...

of North Haven, Connecticut. At its introduction the rifle came with a 24-inch barrel and was chambered for a variety of rounds such as

.25-20 Winchester The .25-20 Winchester, or WCF (Winchester center fire), was developed around 1895 for the Winchester Model 1892 lever action rifle. It was based on necking down the .32-20 Winchester. In the early 20th century, it was a popular small game and ...

.32-20 Winchester The .32-20 Winchester, also known as .32 WCF (Winchester center fire), was the first small-game lever-action cartridge that Winchester produced.

.38-40 The .38-40 Winchester is actually a .40 caliber (10 mm) cartridge shooting .401" (10.2 mm) caliber bullets. The cartridge was introduced by Winchester in 1874 and is derived from their .44-40 Winchester. This cartridge was introduced f ...

, and

.44-40 The .44-40 Winchester, also known as .44 Winchester, .44 WCF (Winchester Center Fire), and .44 Largo (in Spanish-speaking countries) was introduced in 1873 by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. It was the first metallic centerfire cartridge ma ...

. Variants in other chamberings remain in production today.

History

Marlin produced its first lever-action repeating rifle as the Model 1881, a strong but heavy design that could accept powerful large-caliber black powder cartridges similar to those used in single-shot designs used for buffalo, bear, and other big game hunting. This was followed by the Model 1888 which was a top-eject action like the 1881 with several improvements, most important was the incorporation of a locking lug locking the

breech Breech may refer to: * Breech (firearms), the opening at the rear of a gun barrel where the cartridge is inserted in a breech-loading weapon * breech, the lower part of a pulley block * breech, the penetration of a boiler where exhaust gases leav ...

. It was chambered in the WCF (Winchester centerfire) family of cartridges originally developed for the Winchester 1873 rifle: .44 WCF, .38 WCF, and .32 WCF (also known as the .44/40, .38/40, and .32/20). The designer and patentee of the Model 1888 and subsequent Marlin lever action rifles (including the Model 1894) up to the Model 1897 was L.L. Hepburn (Lewis Hepburn), a Marlin firearms engineer. The Marlin Model 1889 was the very first lever-action repeater to incorporate a flat solid steel top receiver with side ejection of spent cartridge cases. Spangenberger, Phil, ''The Marvels of Marlin’s Model ’89'', True West Magazine, 2 November 2014, retrieved 22 November 2018 Marlin's design team believed that a solid-top steel receiver would be safer in the event of a hang-fire cartridge, and stronger than a top-eject frame of equivalent weight.Sanders, Alvin H. (ed.), ''The Marlin Repeating Rifle'', The Breeder's Gazette: A Weekly Journal For Farmers and Stockgrowers'', Chicago, IL: J.H. Sanders Pub. Co., Vol. 27, No. 9-692, 27 February 1895, p. 264 The Model 1889 was chambered for the same cartridges as the 1888. Internal upgrades included a locking lug and firing pin system that prevented discharge until the bolt was locked in place. The new model also utilized a cartridge carrier that raised automatically, closing the end of the magazine after the head of the cartridge had passed into the carrier, thus preventing the next cartridge from entering the carrier and jamming the action. The Marlin 1894 was originally patented on August 1, 1893 by L.L. Hepburn. ''Model 1894'', Marlin Firearms website, retrieved 22 November 2018 With this design, Marlin simplified and strengthened the internal lever-action mechanism while continuing the practice of using a flat solid steel top receiver with side ejection. With the Model 1894, Marlin removed the rear-locking lug, which extended down into the trigger guard and had a tendency to pinch the shooter’s fingers during rapid-fire cycling. Other design improvements over the Model 1889 included a one-piece trigger and a two-piece firing pin to prevent the rifle from firing unless the finger lever was fully closed or if the locking lug were missing. Additionally, the finger lever lock of the Model 1889 was eliminated on the Model 1894 and replaced by a latch built into the lever itself. This model was chambered in the same calibers with the addition of the .25/20 and later

.218 Bee The .218 Bee is a .22 caliber centerfire rifle cartridge designed for varmint hunting by Winchester in 1937. The cartridge was originally chambered in the Winchester Model 65 lever-action rifles, which may have ultimately led to its lack of po ...

. The Model 1894 and its successors found particular favor in Canada, Alaska, and the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

, where precipitation combined with cold temperatures sometimes caused top-eject designs to freeze solid. Sharpe, Phillip Burdett, ''The Rifle In America'', New York: Funk & Wagnalls Co. (1947), p. 409 During the Klondike Gold Rush, the solid-top Marlin design was preferred by many prospectors facing subzero temperatures and dangerous animals, since the solid top frame was better at keeping freezing rain, snow and dirt out of the operating parts of the action.1897 Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue, Chicago, IL (1897) p. 539 With the popularity of magnum

revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

cartridges in the 1960s, in 1969 Marlin produced a short-action Model 1894 that was designed for modern high-pressure .44 Magnum cartridges. Marlin had briefly manufactured its Model 336 chambered for the .44 magnum cartridge. However, after a few years of development Marlin reintroduced the model 1894. In the 1970s, Marlin added the Model 1894C/CS in 1979

.357 Magnum The .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum, .357 S&W Magnum, .357 Magnum, or 9×33mmR as it is known in unofficial metric designation, is a smokeless powder cartridge with a bullet diameter. It was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. ...

, and released a version in

.41 Magnum The .41 Remington Magnum, also known as .41 Magnum or 10.4×33mmR (as it is known in unofficial metric designation), is a center fire firearms cartridge primarily developed for use in large-frame revolvers, introduced in 1964 by the Remington A ...

in 1984. In the mid-1990s, Marlin changed the .357 and .44 barrels from 12-groove-or-more "Micro-Groove" rifling to 6-groove "Ballard"-style rifling.

Variants

The Model 1894 is produced in several variants, as shown in the table below. All variants are made in lever action, include a black walnut, straight grip stock, and except for the 1894CL, include adjustable semi-buckhorn folding rear and ramp front sights. The Model 1894CL features marble adjustable, semi-buckhorn rear and marble carbine front sights. The Model 1894SS, caliber .44 Magnum, and the 1894CSS, caliber .357 Magnum are the only Model 1894s manufactured in

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...

. The Model 1894M (1983-1989), caliber .22 Magnum, no loading gate, magazine tube loading only. Approximately 12,000 made. The Model 1894P (2000–2002), caliber .44 Magnum, and the 1894CP (2001–2002), caliber .357 Magnum both have 16 inch ported barrels. The Model 1894CSBL (2011) caliber .357 Magnum, was to come in stainless with a big-loop finger lever, 16.25-inch barrel, pistol-grip laminated stock, and a one-piece XS

scope mount Scope mounts are used to attach telescopic sights or other types of sights to firearms. The scope sight itself is usually made for only one of two main types of mounts, which can be classified as ''scopes for ring mounts'' (for example a 30 ...

with folding " ghost ring" aperture sight. However, shortly after announcing its release, Marlin suspended production indefinitely. It was finally released in 2018 along with the SBL variant chambered in .44 Magnum. The Model 1894CB, in .32 H&R Magnum, loads from the front of the tubular magazine, like the Marlin Model 39A rimfire rifle, and has a faster, 10% shorter throw lever action. There are also several "Limited Edition" Marlin 1894 rifles which are Stainless Steel with grey, laminated furniture and "tru-glo" sights. They were pre-drilled for a scope base and included a solid, rubber recoil pad. They are considered very collectible as only 250 of each caliber were made. There is a unique barrel stamping on these rifles which is denoted as Marlin 1894 LTDSS, followed by the caliber; example "Marlin 1894LTDSS 41 Magnum". These rifles were chambered in .357 Magnum/.38 Special, .41 Magnum/.41 Special, .44 Magnum/.44 Special, and .45 Long Colt. There were a total of 2600, 1894s Rifles made in 1997 labeled as "The Marlin Limited" in .45 colt, .357 magnum and .44 magnum with 16.25" barrel.

References

{{Marlin Firearms Lever-action rifles Marlin Firearms Company firearms Rifles of the United States .357 Magnum firearms .44 Magnum firearms .45 Colt firearms Carbines Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1894

History

Variants

See also

References