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LOT 1049
Highly Desirable Documented Special Order Marlin Deluxe Model 1881 Lever Action Short Rifle in .45-70 Gov. with
Desirable 20 Inch Barrel and Factory Letter - Serial no. 16506, 45-70 Government cal., 20 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened
finish, walnut stock. Manufactured in 1887, this is an incredibly scarce example of a factory documented special order Marlin Deluxe
Model 1881 short rifle in .45-70. Marlin originally envisioned the Model 1881 as a hardy “working gun”, and it was a direct competitor
to Winchester’s Model 1876. Though it had a much stronger action than its Winchester competitor, only 20,535 Model 1881s were manufactured between 1881 and 1903, while 63,871 of the Winchester were made. With its strong action, the Marlin 1881 was able to chamber the popular .45-70 Government cartridge, which had become a standard for the U.S. military as well as being popular on the Western Frontier, while the Winchester 1876 could not. Due to its utilitarian, “no frills” nature, very few of the Model 1881 rifles left the factory with special order deluxe
features, making examples like this one exceedingly rare. Interestingly, while having been ordered with
a fair amount of frills, this short rifle still has the feel of one that is all business, being chambered in the
powerful .45-70 cartridge and having a short barrel and magazine for mobility. The included factory letter
with this rifle lists it in .45-70 caliber with a 20 inch barrel and a pistol grip stock when shipped on 12
November 1887. While the factory records for Marlin 1881s are not complete, we do have some indication
of the general rarity of certain features. According to noted Marlin historian and author William S. Brophy
on p. 159 of “Marlin Firearms: A History of the Guns and the Company That Made Them”, only 1,303 Model
1881s were ordered with a pistol grip stock.
What truly makes this rifle a rarity however
is the 20 inch barrel, with Brophy noting
only four rifles ordered in that length. The
top barrel flat on this example is marked
with the standard two-line Marlin address
and patent dates, while the caliber marking “45 Govt” is at the breech. The matching serial number is on the bottom of the receiver, the left side of the upper and lower tangs, the front face of the stock, inside the buttplate, and rear face of the forearm. The rear face of the nose cap is numbered “16464”, which is likely a factory error
as the cap appears to have been with the rifle since it left the factory. It is fitted with a beaded blade front sight (bead absent), elevation adjustable notch rear sight, and a mid-range peep sight mounted on the upper tang. It is mounted with a very finely figured, rifle length forearm with “No. B” pattern checkered, as well as an equally finely figured, pistol grip stock with matching checkering pattern and a smooth steel shotgun buttplate.
CONDITION: Exceptionally fine, retains 85% plus of the original blue finish and 70% of the original case colors with the balance having thinned to a smooth grey patina. The wood is very fine
with some scattered light handling marks and crisp
checkering overall. Mechanically excellent. If you have been searching for both condition and rarity for your Marlin collection, look no further than this special order deluxe Model 1881 short rifle!
Estimate: 25,000 - 40,000
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