Marlin

This page updated 5th June 2020

We have just been advised by Raytrade (the Marlin, Remington and Chiappa importers that prices increases on almost all products will come into force on July 15th. There are several reasons for this which we as importers ourselves are only too aware. Apart from price increases from US manufacturers we are all faced with a poor currency exchange rates and currently even getting shipments out of the US is fraught to say the least and our latest shipment which contains orders going back as far as November last year is still stuck today at Los Angeles airport. With no flights coming into Manchester airport for many weeks we have been quoted air freight costs of $4,000 for this shipment of ours which is at least double what we would normally expect. Certain gun parts are now having to be marked with information (required by the EU in the name of security!) which also has to be paid for. Raytrade has confirmed that all orders we place before July 15th will be honoured at current prices which is good of them and we wil do our best to order as many marlins as we feel we can afford at this difficult time.

Whilst there are several other manufacturers of good quality lever action rifles whose products are available in the UK including Winchester, Rossi, Henry and Chiappa to name a few we have always had a special affinity for the Marlin. The main reasons for our preferred choice is largely based on the requirements of competition shooters and certain features of the Marlin brand are particularly relevant to the more action orientated disciplines. Firstly the receivers used for the 1894 models feature a solid top and  side loading and ejection. This also allows for the easy fitting of a scope or red dot sight which is more difficult to fit to most of the other brands of lever action rifles.

Unfortunately, as many of you will be only too aware the quality and availability of Marlin pistol calibre lever action rifles has been a matter of great concern over the past few years and we  resorted to importing used rifles to satisfy the UK market. Hopefully this has all changed as the Marlin factory have at last released the 1894 Marlin in .44 and now .357 calibres. We have now handled quite a few of the latest imported Marlins and are delighted to say that the quality, fit and finish on them has proved to be excellent and as good, if not better than the earlier “JM” models which were produced before the Marlin brand name was taken over by Remington.

We are particularly pleased to offer all our new centrefire pistol calibre Marlins with our complete tuning package. This is done by stripping the rifle after checking for correct function, and polishing some internal parts.  The hammer is reshaped to help reduce the jerky movement found as the bolt rides over the hammer as the lever is raised to close the action. A stainless steel one piece firing pin is fitted and most importantly the trigger pull is lightened to an average of around 2.5 lbs. This is achieved by stoning the sear on a special jig to alter the engagement angle and cut a small relief angle before it is rehardened. During reassembly the factory hammer spring is replaced by a custom spring made in England for us.

Other parts and accessories are available from us to fit both to the rifles we supply and for you to use with your own rifle if you already have one. This includes our reshaped sear, one piece stainless steel firing pin, modern style extractor, reduced power hammer spring, picatinny scope base, aperture sights etc.  Details and prices are shown below.

TUNING SERVICE FOR MARLIN PISTOL CALIBRE RIFLES

Our tuned Marlin rifles have proved very successful and we have been asked on many occasions if we are prepared to tune a Marlin which is already owned by a customer. The answer to this question is “yes” and you are welcome to call in with your rifle and leave it with us for tuning or alternatively you mat send it to us for attention. We will carry out exactly the same tuning service that we offer on the new Marlins we sell here but reserve the right to refuse to carry out any work if we feel the rifle has already been modified and may be rendered unsafe if we carry out further work on it. The cost for our tuning service is £100 –  £120 with the higher figure applying if the rifle is in a particularly dirty internal condition and requires extra time spent cleaning it before the work may be carried out. The charge includes the supply and fitting of our modified sear, springs and one piece stainless steel firing pin. Return carriage of £30 will apply where necessary.

MARLIN LEVER ACTION RIFLES FOR SALE

We endeavour to keep the following models and calibres available for sale in our shop but do run out of stock from time to time.  They are all fully tuned and ready to shoot!  Please note that the non-pistol calibre models eg. .45-70 are also tuned but due to the larger size of parts such as the bolt it is rarely possible to achieve the slick action and light trigger pulls we can get with the smaller 1894 pistol calibre models. In addition the firing pin is different so we cannot fit our one piece stainless pin to the large frame Marlins.

We are delighted to confirm that the importers advised us earlier this week that their latest shipment of Marlin rifles is currently at the Proof House so we are now getting excited at the prospect of receiving the twenty Marlins we have on back order. However it is highly likely that there will not be enough rifles to fulfill all the importers back orders so if you are keen to acquire a new Marlin from us in the near future please be aware that we have a waiting list in operation and it will be first come-first served when we receive our quota!

DARK  SERIES

We make no secret of our love of Marlin lever action rifles but even we felt a rush of excitement when we heard about the latest Dark series rifles. The picture above shows a .30-30 model which a customer brought in for our tuning service and this particular “Tactical” version blew our minds! Whilst there are subtle differences between the calibres in this series they all feature a black phosphate finish, Paracord binding around the large trigger bow, a rail and XS sights, and even a threaded barrel! A small but brilliant touch in our book is the use of Torx screws in place of the usual slotted head screws. Much less chance of a screwdriver slipping and damaging the finish. They will be available in .357 and .44 pistol calibres and we have both on order but some are already booked so we would suggest placing your order quickly as we don’t yet know how many we will be receiving from the next delivery. Two types will be available with the standard one having the normal wood handguard and the M1 Tactical version wearing a Midwest Industries aluminium M-Lok style handguard which will of course accept various attachments if required. We will need to confirm prices but we are looking at (for the pistol calibres) £1,300 for the standard and £1,500 for the Tactical variant ….. both of course supplied fully tuned and slicked!  We will of course always be happy to quote price and availability for any Marlin rifle we don’t normally carry in stock …. you only need to ask.

Model 1894 .357 with 18.5″  round barrel, blued, 9 shot magazine  Fully tuned …. £1,000  CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK BUT MORE ON ORDER…. DUE VERY SHORTLY!

 

Model 1894CST .357 mag with 16.5″ round barrel, stainless steel, threaded muzzle 1/2×28 (UNEF) 8 shot magazine, big loop lever, black painted wood stock. Fully tuned …….. £1,400  (Available to Special Order)

Model 1894CSBL .357 mag with 16.5″ round barrel, stainless steel, 8 shot magazine, big loop lever, XS ghost ring sights and extended rail, black/grey laminate stock. Fully tuned …… £1,400 CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK BUT MORE ON ORDER…. DUE VERY SHORTLY!

Model 1894 .44 mag with 20″ round barrel, blued, 10 shot magazine, American walnut stock. Fully tuned ….. £1,000

Model 1894SBL .44 mag with 16.5″ round barrel, stainless steel, 8 shot magazine, black/grey laminate stock, XS ghost ring sights. Fully tuned …… £1,400

Model 1895 Cowboy .45-70 with 26″ octagonal barrel, blued, 9 shot magazine, American walnut stock. Due to the extra mass of metal in the larger bolt and lever in the 1895 models it is not possible to get the actions as smooth and light to operate as the 1894 models we offer but we do still tune them to make them more pleasurable to shoot than “out of the box” 1895 rifles …… £1,050

Model 1895SBL .45-70 with 18.5″ round barrel, stainless steel, 6 shot magazine, black/grey laminate stock, XS ghost ring sights. Due to the extra mass of metal in the larger bolt and lever in the 1895 models it is not possible to get the actions as smooth and light to operate as the 1894 models we offer but we do still tune them to make them more pleasurable to shoot than “out of the box” 1895 rifles …… £1,400