Marlin 1894

M

macsr01

New member
I picked up a .44 Magnun Marlin 1894 on a whim this week, great price. I looked it over but didn’t see a serial number on it anywhere. No safety of any type on it. I know they started production on this model in 1964, any chance this one was made under the wire before all the firearms Legislation that year ?
 
the serial number should be on the top tang of the action, behind the hammer.

It is very unlikely your gun was made without one. Some budget guns, .22s and some shotguns didn't have serial numbers until the 1968 law required it, but most guns have been serial numbered since the later 1800s.
 
You are absolutely correct. I wonder if there are any web pages that can give you a general idea of when your marlin was made.
 
Check out Marlin Forum. I got a old one but I didn't know they were made clear
back in 64. For a while they made some 336s in 44mag before the 1894.
 
No safety of any type on it.
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small point of order, there is a half cock safety. Its late 1800s tech, so it takes a bit more manual dexterity than simply pushing a button on or off.

many modern folks scoff at the half cock safety, focusing only on the "risk" of lowering the hammer to half cock with a live round in the chamber, and I admit, done wrong there is a bit of a risk.

All the exposed hammer lever guns have the half cock safety. The idea was that it was a safer carry position than full cock (where the hammer could be jarred off or the trigger bumped, firing the gun) and was also safer than with the hammer fully down, where a blow to the hammer could also fire the gun.

We managed well enough like that for nearly 100 years (and yes, there were some accidents, of human origin, usually) before lawyers convinced gun makers they weren't safe "enough" and they added another (button on the Marlin) safety.

I had one of the pre-button safety .44s, currently have one in .357 Mag.
Fine little guns, I like them a lot, except for the small squarish window of the lever. I know I can get an aftermarket loop lever, I'm just too cheap to bother...:D
 
The few I have worked had finger lever safety in addition to the half cock notch. One can only fire the gun when he squeeze the lever up against the wrist of the stock. I have seen other safety features, but none had button type safety.

I personally perfer Marlin lever guns to Winchester. I think they are better designed; cycle more smoothly, and easier to worked. But they are less sought after by collectors.

-TL

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
 
+1

I've made the same comment myself, and feel the push-button safety on a 100 yr old design is a bit of heresy. There is indeed a right way to lower the hammer on a live round...... retain the hammer with thumb pressure, once the hammer releases ( after trigger pressure, take your finger off the trigger and ease it forward to the half-cock notch. (I can't come up with a better way to describe the process, maybe some one else can?)

I've seen a lot of folks that did not understand the proper management of the half-cock.

That said, both bamaboy when young, and bamawife, much petite, could not safely manage the half-cock on our .357/1894.
 
I’m with you gents on the extra safety. The half cock notch has served me well with all the Marlins I’ve had with it. I only own one Winchester and it’s a small lever action .22
This Model 1894 is short and handy, With a good set of ghost rings I plan on trying my luck with it on some wild hogs and see how she does.
 
You are absolutely correct. I wonder if there are any web pages that can give you a general idea of when your marlin was made.
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So, does that mean you found the serial number?
I am assuming so, as Marlin serialized pretty much everything but some cheap rimfires (but even those had date codes).

The lack of a cross bolt safety means it's pre-83. More than likely, it was built in the late '70s.

There are many charts out there to help date a Marlin, such as this one. But if you fall into a transition year, the charts rarely have all the details. (Such as '72s being out there with either, or both, a 72 prefix or 28; or some '69s having an AE prefix, even though the transition to numbers [69 in that case] was supposed to be done in '68; and more...)
You're not likely to have a transition rifle. But if you do, post what the prefix(es) is (are) and someone here can figure out what it (they) really is (are).


Check out Marlin Forum. I got a old one but I didn't know they were made clear
back in 64. For a while they made some 336s in 44mag before the 1894.
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The "336-44 Magnum" was made in '64, as well as the "336-444 Magnum" (the first .444 Marlin, later to become the Model 444); but they were all marked as 336s.
A 336 barrel will work in an 1894, and vise versa. But I doubt that's the case here.
 
There is indeed a right way to lower the hammer on a live round...... retain the hammer with thumb pressure, once the hammer releases ( after trigger pressure, take your finger off the trigger and ease it forward to the half-cock notch. (I can't come up with a better way to describe the process, maybe some one else can?)
Click to expand...

I would add that putting the thumb of the off hand between the hammer and firing pin as you lower the hammer down to half cock, hurts nothing but your thumb, if your hammer hand slips...(keeps the gun from firing)

its MUCH safer to have a pinched thumb or finger than an accidental discharge.
 
pinched

I have seen that taught and as you state , another layer of safety is all for the better.

However, wouldn't the half cock notch on the hammer, or a portion of the sear (?) have to fail before the hammer would run all the way forward? My own experiments (with an empty rifle) indicate that if the trigger is not depressed, and the hammer "gets away" the half-cock notch will catch it. Excluding a mechanical failure (notch or sear ) the only way the hammer can travel forward is if the trigger is depressed.

Provided, of course, that the hammer is rearward of the half-cock notch in the first place.
 
Absolutely, bama.
But I, as I believe 44 AMP is inferring, often assume that a person is going to ride the trigger for too long while lowering the hammer.

My step mother was VERY bad about not getting her finger off the trigger.* I couldn't even begin to count the number of NDs she had with hammer-fired rifles, because she kept her finger on the trigger after the half-cock notch was cleared, and then let the hammer slip. She would have been a perfect candidate for the Marlin cross-bolt safety (or a rubber-band gun).



*She was bad with all gun handling, but that's a can o' worms not applicable here.
 
Went on the Marlin Forum and talked to a few folks, she was made in 1979. FrankenMauser, serial number was exactly where you said it was. I looked right over it when I was checking out the rifle. I’m gonna do a little work on this baby and get it running right.
 
Sorry, 44 AMP. I caught that, as well, but failed to redirect proper credit.



No respect!



FrankenMarlin does know his Mausers...
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That really would be a more appropriate username, at this point.
There was only one true FrankenMauser. There have been, still are, and will be at least a few more FrankenMarlins...
(I think I only own two that haven't been molested.)
 
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