{"product_id":"original-u-s-marlin-model-1881-large-frame-40-60-lever-action-repeating-rifle-with-24-octagonal-barrel-manufactured-in-1885-serial-no-9462","title":"Original U.S. Marlin Model 1881 Large Frame .40-60 Lever Action Repeating Rifle with 24\" Octagonal Barrel, Manufactured in 1885, Serial No. 9462","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is an original antique Marlin Model 1881 Large Frame lever action repeating rifle chambered in \u003cstrong\u003e.40-60 Marlin\u003c\/strong\u003e, Serial No. \u003cstrong\u003e4585\u003c\/strong\u003e, with a 24\" octagonal barrel, full length magazine tube, rear buckhorn sight, and standard dovetailed front sight with a replacement nickel blade. This is an early example of the design, manufactured in \u003cstrong\u003e1885\u003c\/strong\u003e, and is one of the earlier Model 1881 rifles we have handled. It retains a very attractive worn blued finish, very good stocks, smooth action, and a notably strong bore that we would rate approximately 8 out of 10.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an antique black powder firearm manufactured before 1899. Under federal law, it may generally be owned within the United States without a special license or permit and does not require transfer through a Federal Firearms Licensee. However, state and local laws may vary. This firearm is sold solely as a historical collector’s item and has not been test fired or inspected for firing safety by a professional gunsmith. Any mechanical or bore observations provided below describe only its present condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the firearm is safe to load or fire. The purchaser is solely responsible for complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rifle now known as the Model 1881 was one of John Mahlon Marlin’s most important early repeating rifle designs. At the time of its introduction it was marketed simply as the Marlin Repeating Rifle, with the Model 1881 designation being adopted later. Unlike Marlin’s subsequent side ejecting rifles, the Model 1881 used a top ejecting action. Production continued through the early 1890s, placing all original Model 1881 rifles within the pre-1899 antique category.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Model 1881 was particularly important because its large frame action could accommodate powerful cartridges such as the .45-70 Government. Earlier lever action designs had difficulty handling cartridges of this length and power. Winchester’s Model 1876 stretched the earlier toggle link system to accommodate larger cartridges, but it was not chambered for the .45-70. The success of the Marlin 1881 helped demonstrate the market for a more powerful lever action repeating rifle, a field Winchester later entered with the Browning-designed Model 1886.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis example is the Large Frame version and is chambered in .40-60 Marlin, with the caliber marking over the chamber reading:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e40 CAL.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rifle has a 24\" octagonal barrel, full length magazine tube, and adjustable rear buckhorn sight. The front sight is the standard iron base dovetailed into the barrel, with a long replacement nickel blade. The rear sight is a long \"buckhorn\" style, and both sights are firmly attached to the barrel and fully functional.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe top of the barrel retains its extensive Marlin address and patent marking:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e⇝ MARLIN FIRE-ARMS CO. NEW-HAVEN.CT. U.S.A. ⇜\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePAT'D FEB.7'65 JAN 7.73' SEP.14'75. NOV19.\u0026amp;26'78. JUNE 3.'79. DEC.9.79. NOV.9'80. RE-ISSUE NOV.9.1880.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bottom of the receiver is marked with serial number:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e9462\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the N.R.A. Museum serialization guide cited in the original research, Serial No. \u003cstrong\u003e9462\u003c\/strong\u003e falls within the 8851-11300 range attributed to \u003cstrong\u003e1885\u003c\/strong\u003e production. Early Marlin serial records can be irregular, with numbers sometimes issued out of sequence or duplicated, but 1885 is the accepted manufacture date for this example based on the available serialization reference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe exterior remains in very good antique condition with a particularly attractive worn blued finish. The receiver area still retains areas of the original bluing on the left side, as well as on the lever and right side loading gate. The magazine tube and rear sight also retain substantial original bluing. Decades of handling and repeated cleaning have reduced those original finishes to the present smooth gray surface, with scattered areas of old peppering but no major active corrosion or serious metal damage described.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe butt stock and fore end remain in good condition with an attractive red-brown aged color. Both show the expected pressure dents, dings, and handling wear from long use. The fore end shows no visible cracks. The butt stock does have a crack on the lower right side near the butt plate, but no other major structural damage was observed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe action cycles smoothly and the lockwork feels crisp when operated by hand. Magazine feeding has not been tested, so no claim is made regarding its present ability to feed cartridges from the magazine. These observations describe only the rifle’s current mechanical condition and do not establish firing safety.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bore is notably good for an 1885 production .40-60 repeating rifle. It remains mostly bright with crisp lands and grooves, together with only scattered areas of removed old fouling and oxidation. Based on its present appearance, we would rate the bore approximately 8 out of 10.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarlin rifles became closely associated with American exhibition shooting and Western sporting culture. World renowned sharpshooter Annie Oakley, a star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, used Marlin rifles during portions of her career. Frank C. Miller, a noted exhibition shooter with the Irwin Brothers Cheyenne Frontier Days Wild West Show, was also an enthusiastic Marlin user.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn a 1915 interview, Miller described the extensive use he gave his Marlin firearms during demonstrations and hunting trips:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eI gave as high as 15 exhibitions a day, shooting under all conditions, rain, wind, night, in parades in the streets. And late last fall, I used some of the guns on a hunting trip to Canada and Wyoming. From all this, you can see what opinion I have of Marlin guns.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith its early 1885 manufacture date, low Serial No. \u003cstrong\u003e9462\u003c\/strong\u003e, Large Frame \u003cstrong\u003e.40-60\u003c\/strong\u003e configuration, 24\" octagonal barrel, full length magazine, clear patent legend, buckhorn rear sight, attractive patina, smooth action, and strong bore, this is a highly appealing example of one of Marlin’s foundational repeating rifle designs. The worn original finish, untested magazine feeding, and minor bore fouling and oxidation are fully disclosed. It would display particularly well in an early Marlin, sporting rifle, American frontier arms, big game lever action, or advanced antique firearms collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYear of Manufacture: 1885\u003cbr\u003eMaker: Marlin Firearms Co.\u003cbr\u003eModel: 1881 Repeating Rifle\u003cbr\u003eSerial No.: 9462\u003cbr\u003eCaliber: .40-60 Marlin\u003cbr\u003eCartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge\u003cbr\u003eBarrel Length: 24 Inches\u003cbr\u003eOverall Length: 41 1\/2 Inches\u003cbr\u003eAction type: Lever Action Repeater\u003cbr\u003eFeed System: tube magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFederal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohn Mahlon Marlin was born on May 6, 1836 near Windsor Locks, Connecticut. At the age of 18, he became an apprentice machinist with the American Machine Works. He later served as a machinist with Colt Patent Firearms of Hartford. In 1863, he started his own pistol manufacturing business in New Haven, concentrating on production of a small single-shot .22 caliber deringer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarlin expanded his efforts to include revolver in 1870, after the expiration of Rollin White's cylinder patents. The Marlin story later became intertwined with the Ballard breechloading rifle. These single-shot arms were invented by Charles H. Ballard of Worcester, Massachusetts, who received his original patent in 1861. Approximately 24,000 sporting and military rifles, carbines, and shotguns were manufactured between 1862 and 1873; Civil War sales account for half of this total. Five different New England companies produced various Ballard designs, with the New York firm of Merwin \u0026amp; Bray acting as sales agents throughout Ballard's brief history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEconomic depression came to the United States in 1873, and diminishing sales forced Ballard into bankruptcy. All patent rights, equipment, parts inventories, and properties were purchased by New York arms dealers Schoverling and Daly, who handled sales and distribution of Ballard rifles after reaching an agreement with John Marlin to continue production. This partnership would prove to be highly successful for all parties involved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1881, the Marlin Firearms Company was incorporated, and production of Ballard rifles continuing under the Marlin banner until they were eventually discontinued circa 1891 due to the rising popularity of repeating rifles. Marlin-Ballard rifles were and are well-known for their accuracy and workmanship, and fancy-grade long-range rifles are eagerly sought after by modern collectors. Marlin continued to expand his product line, introducing his Model 1881 lever-action tubular magazine repeating rifle in that year. Many key features had been patented by Andrew Burgess and others, but John Marlin incorporated these into a single functional firearm. This rifle was available in a variety of calibers ranging from .32-40 to 45-70 Government, a feature that would not be duplicated by competing Winchesters for several more years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNOTE: \u003c\/strong\u003eInternational orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46028495355973,"sku":"ONJR26SERA02","price":2495.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/B0AEC03F-31B3-4E43-8A5C-51841EA89E54.jpg?v=1792178110","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-marlin-model-1881-large-frame-40-60-lever-action-repeating-rifle-with-24-octagonal-barrel-manufactured-in-1885-serial-no-9462","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}