I believe it was sometime in late 1895, the year your rifle was manufactured, that "Special Smokeless Steel" was introduced to the Model 1893 barrels and incorporated within their nomenclature. My model 1893 dated to 1897, pix below (best available), does reflect the term. Presumptively your rifle was not intended for smokeless powder and that original barrel should be limited to black powder pressures. Those early Marlins were nice guns, just not particularly shooters within the modern realm.
I did not know this until I looked as a response to your post. However, I have worked with Steel my entire professional career. I was the head of a Testing Lab in a steel manufacturing facility for 4+ years. During that time, I was provided a ferrule from a WW1 fighter airplane for testing. It was made from what was labeled "high strength steel" (the label was from WW1). I tested it and found that it was lower strength than the lowest strength steel that can be bought today. In addition, it had a lot more impurities than would be allowed today, particularly sulfer. (PS. "today" means from about 1975 to 1980). I know that steel has continued to increase since then in strength, ductility, and all the other desireable characteristics we use without thinking about it.
There has been a great deal of improvement in steels, whether they be ordinary soft steels or various forms of nickel steel. No attempt with be made here to describe steels, as the subject would require and entire book. Thirty years ago, very little was known about heat treatment..
If you had a Winchester Model 1892 manufactured in 1905 and an identical model manufactured in 1935, assuming the original gun to be in perfect condition inside and out, you might place them side by side and notice absolutely no difference at firs glance. Careful study, however, will reveal that the later gun is manufactured better, with a minimum of tolerance, slap, looseness or whatever you may choose to call it. That, however, is the minor part of the of the whole thing. There will be little laboratory resemblance between the material of which the two gun are manufactured. Changes and improvements are being made constantly, and where changes in the quality of steel or the strengthening of certain parts through heat treatment are made, the factory rarely, if ever, makes any announcement. If these same Model 92 rifles were fired with a Magnum .38/40 load, it is quite possible that the earlier gun might go to pieces, while the later one would be perfectly safe. These facts must always be considered in handloading.
Thanks for the reply. Most helpful. Special Smokeless Steel is stamped on the barrel. Does this offer any insight to using modern cartridges
Possibly not the best analogy. Much modern rebar is the same grade of steel as the axle shafts in my truck. ...Because, well, it's made from recycled axle shafts and rail steel (as specified in ASTM A996 / A996M - 16).The process controls of the period were basically sight, taste, sound. The materials of the era were plain carbon steels, steels which today are so low grade and cheap they are used for rebar and railroad ties
Possibly not the best analogy. Much modern rebar is the same grade of steel as the axle shafts in my truck. ...Because, well, it's made from recycled axle shafts and rail steel (as specified in ASTM A996 / A996M - 16).The process controls of the period were basically sight, taste, sound. The materials of the era were plain carbon steels, steels which today are so low grade and cheap they are used for rebar and railroad ties
In fact, I just remembered... There's a ~36" long, 1" (#8, grade 60) piece of rusty rebar laying on the floor about six feet from me, as I type this. Why? Because its yield strength and tensile strength are about the same as hot-rolled 4140, and I'm on a quest to find some one crazy enough to drill and rifle it for me. Yes, a rebar barrel is intent. No, I'm not worried.