I have come in possession of an 1893 Marlin, made in 1894.. that is chambered in 25/20...

It is going to my son as a collector's item... but was wondering about the value so that I can insure it for what it may be worth...

if anyone knows, thanks..

the rifle is in really good shape.. and the history from 1894 to present is known...as it was in one family the entire time... and has not been shot much since the 1940s....

1893 Marlin in 25/20?

The 1893 was made in .25-36 Marlin, as well as other medium-length cartridges like .30-30 (I have one in this calibre), but AFAIK not for short cartridges like .25-20 - the 1894 was brought out for these.

Are you sure of what you have?

Well Dan,

the rifle was pointed out to me to be an 1893 Marlin.. by a gunsmith, although he could be wrong also, on something that old...

it did correspond to the family having original documentation that the rifle was purchased in 1893...

Marlin in the 1890s brought out a family of rifles of essentially similar design but different action sizes, to suit different families of cartridges. The 1891 and later 1897 were for rimfires, the 1893 for medium-length cartridges like .25-36, .30-30, and .32-40; the 1894 for short centrefires like .25-20,.32-20 and .44-40; and the 1895 (a different rifle from the current 1895 btw) for big cartridges like .45-70. Of these the 1897 and 1894 are still in production, not much changed mechanically from the originals.

The model designation on one of these old Marlins should be stamped into the top tang, and the calibre into the breech end of the barrel. BTW there were many different options on them which would affect value, as customers could choose different lengths and styles of barrel, different styles and grades of stock, checkering, engraving, sights etc. There were also models set up for black powder (at slightly lower cost).

HTH

Do you have any pics?

I think he ment a 1894 Marlin, as I've never heard of the 1893 made in .25-20. I owned an 1894 Marlin with Octagon barrel, that was a takedown version, and todate I can "Kick" myself for letting it go!

I think you may be right DRS. Either that or an 1893 in .25/36. It'll be interesting to find out which it is, but either way they are nice rifles. I certainly wouldn't part with my 1893 .

quote:

Originally posted by dan_oz:
I think you may be right DRS. Either that or an 1893 in .25/36. It'll be interesting to find out which it is, but either way they are nice rifles. I certainly wouldn't part with my 1893 .

YEP! I strongly suggest you keep your 1893 Marlin. Wish I would have kept my 1894! "20/20" is hind sight, I guess.

Well Dan,

you got me to pull it out and verify the info..

Thanks for posting the info above.. I looked on the breech and their is NO caliber designation on it..

on top of the barrel, it has stamped.. Marlin Firearm Company, New Haven Connecticut USA
and then below it, it has " Patented, Oct 11, 1987, April 20, 1889, Aug ? 1893"..

it has a serial on the bottm of the receiver that is 363 749.... on the tang is does say Marllin Model 94..

So you gentlemen were right.. the paperwork said it was purchased in 1893 in Indiana...by my deceased friend's grandfather..

at one time, evidently it had an optical site/ scope mounted on it...it is drilled an tapped over the barrel where the Marlin New Haven Conn USA is inscribed.. and then still has a mount in front of the receiver.. the receiver has two screws were it was tapped at the factory for some sort of receiver site..

it has a crescent butt plate.. and a straight comb.. I will try to get around to taking some digital pics of it, and getting them posted...

cheers
seafire

Actually the tang rollmarking indicates post-1905 production. Up to 1905 the tang marking was "Model 1894" not "Model 94". The serial number suggests the rifle was actually made not long after 1906: there are factory records of serial numbers up to that date (ending at #355300) available here .
That doesn't make it any less a nice little rifle though, but I wonder where the rifle bought in 1893 ended up

Well Dan, you have been a great help on this... who knows, maybe the paperwork was for an 1893 Model that was originally bought in 1893 by the family.. but evidently over time, got mixed up with this particular firearm..

someone on another forum gave a link to data on years of manufacture.. and that site pinned the serial number as between 1906 and 1907.. so that would coincide with your estimates...

So it is only a 100 yrs old instead of 114... but it still is a nice old rifle... and I have no plans of getting rid of it, although a couple of cowboy action shooters offers me a couple of grand for it...I told them it wasn't for sale...