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LOT 3009
Extraordinary Casehardened Antique Marlin Model
1894 Lever Action Takedown Rifle - Serial no. 115904, 38 WCF cal., 26
inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock. Manufactured
in 1895, the second year of production, this is a truly incredible example of the Marlin Model 1894 rifle that remained
in miraculous, near new condition after for 130 years. These Marlin ‘94s were the second design from the company to
feature L.L. Hepburn’s patented improvements, which included a two-piece firing pin and a new locking
bolt, as well as the solid-topped receiver and side ejection that were already becoming
a distinctively Marlin feature. In their official announcement for the Model 1894, Marlin
states that it is both an improvement of their previous Model 1889 and also essentially
an adaptation of the Model 1893 for use with pistol cartridges. The Model 1894 was
chambered in the popular revolver cartridges of the day, much like Winchester’s Model
1892, which was to be its head-to-head competition. As with the other repeater models
produced by Marlin, they competed admirably, despite being out-marketed and out-sold
by Winchester, and were arguably of higher quality in many regards. These Marlin Model
1894s, like their Winchester counterparts, were widely popular in the American West
well into the 20th century, particularly for their ability to be paired with Colt’s legendary
“Peacemaker” in the same caliber. Due to their popularity in the West, many of these rifles,
especially utilitarian standard configuration guns like this one, saw hard use in a harsh
environments for many decades, making high condition examples like this extremely scarce on the collectors
market. This particular example is in takedown configuration with a 26 inch octagonal barrel.
LOT 3010
Very Fine Special Order Extra Length Marlin Model 1895 Lever Action Rifle in
Highly Desirable .45-70 Government - Serial no. 437898, 45-70 Government cal.,
32 inch part octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock. Manufactured
c. 1906 to 1917, this is a special ordered, extra length example of Marlin’s powerful
Model 1895 rifle chambered for the ever-desirable .45-70 Government cartridge.
These Model 1895s were essentially an up-sized version of the L.L. Hepburn designed
Model 1893, with the intention of creating an updated replacement for the large
frame Model 1881 which was capable of chambering large and powerful cartridges,
such as the .45-70 Government in this example. These Model 1895s, like all of Marlin’s
lever actions, quickly gained a reputation as being rugged and reliable, as well
as being a worthy competitor to Winchester. This particular example was special
ordered with an extra length, 32 inch, part octagon barrel.
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