Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original antique Marlin Model 1881 Large Frame lever action repeating rifle chambered in .45-70 Government, Serial No. 4585, with a 28" octagonal barrel, full length magazine tube, rear buckhorn sight, and standard dovetailed front sight with nickel blade. This is an exceptionally early example of the design, manufactured in 1883, and is one of the earliest Model 1881 rifles we have handled. It retains a very attractive worn gray patina, good stocks, smooth action, and a notably strong bore that we would rate approximately 8-9 out of 10.

This 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.

The 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.

The 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.

This example is the Large Frame version and is chambered in .45-70 Government, with the caliber marking over the chamber reading:

45 Govt

The rifle has a 28" octagonal barrel, full length magazine tube, and adjustable rear buckhorn sight. The front sight is the standard iron base with nickel blade, dovetailed into the barrel. It is presently somewhat loose and can slide laterally in its dovetail.

The top of the barrel retains its extensive Marlin address and patent marking:

⇝ MARLIN FIRE-ARMS CO. NEW-HAVEN.CT. U.S.A. ⇜
PAT'D FEB.7'65 JAN 7.73' SEP.14'75. NOV19.&26'78. JUNE 3.'79. DEC.9.79. NOV.9'80. RE-ISSUE NOV.9.1880.

The bottom of the receiver is marked with serial number:

4585

According to the N.R.A. Museum serialization guide cited in the original research, Serial No. 4585 falls within the 4000-6700 range attributed to 1883 production. Early Marlin serial records can be irregular, with numbers sometimes issued out of sequence or duplicated, but 1883 is the accepted manufacture date for this example based on the available serialization reference.

The exterior remains in very good antique condition with a particularly attractive worn gray patina. The barrel was most likely originally blued, while other components would have carried case hardened finishes. 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.

The stock and fore stock remain in good condition with a deep dark red-brown aged color. Both show the expected pressure dents, dings, and handling wear from long use. The buttstock shows no visible cracks. The fore stock does have a crack on the right side near the receiver, but no other major structural damage was observed.

The 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.

The bore is notably good for an 1883 production .45-70 repeating rifle. It remains mostly bright with crisp lands and grooves, together with only scattered areas of old fouling and oxidation. Based on its present appearance, we would rate the bore approximately 8-9 out of 10.

Marlin 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.

In a 1915 interview, Miller described the extensive use he gave his Marlin firearms during demonstrations and hunting trips:

“I 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.”

With its very early 1883 manufacture date, low Serial No. 4585, Large Frame .45-70 configuration, 28" octagonal barrel, full length magazine, clear patent legend, buckhorn rear sight, attractive frontier-worn patina, smooth action, and especially strong bore, this is a highly appealing example of one of Marlin’s foundational repeating rifle designs. The scattered peppering, worn original finish, loose front sight, right-side fore stock crack, untested magazine feeding, and minor bore fouling and oxidation are fully disclosed. It would display particularly well in an early Marlin, .45-70 sporting rifle, American frontier arms, big game lever action, or advanced antique firearms collection.

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1883
Maker: Marlin Firearms Co.
Model: 1881 Repeating Rifle
Caliber: .45-70 Government
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 28 Inches
Overall Length: 45 1/2 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: tube magazine
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

John 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.

Marlin 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 & Bray acting as sales agents throughout Ballard's brief history.

Economic 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.

In 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.

NOTE: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to most US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.