RIP Marlin Pistol Caliber Carbines,.Another Chapter Of American Firearms Over.

[twyacht]

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/12/chris-dumm/r-i-p-marlin-pistol-caliber-carbines/

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Chris Dumm

How should you feel when one of your favorite guns, an American classic that had served cowboys, lawmen, deer hunters and recreational shooters for over a century, simply vanishes from store shelves? It happened before: we lost a classic .22 pistol when High Standard vanished, and a little piece of us died when Winchester imploded and the Model 1894 moved to Japan to be ‘resurrected’ as high-priced custom gun. Now, sadly, it has happened again…

With barely a whimper, Marlin’s entire line of pistol-caliber lever-action rifles and carbines has vanished from the shelves of online and brick-and-mortar gun shops.  The occasional used rifle can still be found on Gunbroker, but 30 minutes of diligent online searching won’t find you a single new .357, .44 or .45 Marlin in stock anywhere.

Am I surprised by this?  No, not remotely; this epic failure was as predictable as a cold January.  When Marlin was consumed by The Freedom Group and closed its storied Connecticut factory, all sorts of disasters predictably ensued.  After laying off their workforce of experienced New England gunsmiths and craftsmen, Marlin quality plummeted and sub-quality firearms were shipped out the door en masse.

Farago and I were subjected to two shoddily-assembled guns, each of which took months to set in proper working order.  Quality, obviously, was not Job One.  And neither was safety: OSHA just levied $170,000 in fines against the new TFG factory in Ilion, NY.

Our 1894C’s might have been clunkers, but we should probably count ourselves lucky because we’re almost the last two guys to get pistol-caliber Marlins at all.  In August (after some fishy-sounding half-denials) Marlin announced that they were ‘suspending production in order to maximize production.’ This is a tremendous shame, because in addition to their inherent and extreme coolness, there are all kinds of cool, crazy shit you can do to a pistol-caliber lever-action.  AAC makes a suppressor for them, and Crimson Trace has worked like Hercules to fabricate a fore-end mounted laser for Farago’s 1894, and you bet your ass I’ll beg them for one if they go to production.

I hope for their sakes that they can also make these goodies compatible with other lever-action designs like the Rossi and Henry, because Marlin’s 1894 series is currently pushing up daisies on Boot Hill.

While Marlin self-destructs slumbers, Henry and Rossi are sucking all the demand from this red-hot market and selling their pistol-caliber lever guns as fast as they can make them. Even Mossberg has muscled in on the (lever) action, selling its own .30-30 that undercuts the Marlin 336 at nearly every price point and configuration.

Marlin has literally destroyed its pistol-caliber carbine brand in order to save it…from Marlin.  If the bean-counters at The Freedom Group ever resume manufacture (which looks increasingly doubtful) they’ll probably find, like Rip Van Winkle, that they’ve slept far too long.

Farewell, old cowboy.  I’m glad I got to know you before it was too late.

****

Sad..

[Ulmus]

Man.  It's a shame that Freedom group gutted this company.  I bought a Marilin 1894 in .357/.38  back in May and had to return it to the mothership to get it sorted out.  It came back better than I could hope.  It's a great carbine and I'm very glad to have it. 

Maybe Mossberg will pick up the batan and make their own lever action in pistol calibers.  Taurus/Rossi sells all the 92 they can make.

[fightingquaker13]

Makes me sorry I sold my Winchester model 94 in .44 mag. Might have to keep an eye out on the Rossis. Any idea on the quality of Marlin 30-30s, because Gander Mountain is flogging the hell out of them. It seems the rifles AND the ammo (leverlution) are always on sale. Not sure if that's a good sign or a bad one.
FQ13

[santahog]

We've still got Henry, for now..
I picked up a brand new Winchester 30-30 for $109 at Wal-Mart in 92. I sold it fourteen years later, after two trips back to Winchester for bending rounds and never being reliable about chambering a round, for at least $250, and it may have been closer to $350. I don't remember exactly how much it was. It was just way more than I thought it would bring..
I still wish I had a Henry in .357 or 44, and I'd LOVE to have a Mares Leg, just because it's a good little Round the House/HD rifle, and it makes me smile when I see it...

[SIG229DAK]

This is tough on SASS Cowboy shooters who love their Marlin '94's.  Got mine in .44 mag four years ago, never ran smoothly in competition (with .44spl's).  Put a scope on it, made a great 200 yard deer hunting carbine.

Good thing Mossberg and others are making lever guns now, new Cowboy shooters are always looking for low-cost crank bangers 

[Sponsor]

[jaybet]

I was looking at one NIB at a shop yesterday- it seemed pretty nice! I was thinking of trying to scrape the $$ together to run back and get it, but it sounds like they're not very well made.

[devzal]

I've always believed that every American should own a lever action rifle or a 1911 in .45. It's sad that we are running out of rifle options, but at least we have the .45s available.

[tombogan03884]

I'll wait and see.
Every one pitched a fit when they quit making the model 70 too.
Now they are made better in SC.
And they are bringing back the Model 94, not sure where that's being made though with out sorting through a years worth of G&A and Shooting Times back issues.

[Timothy]

I was looking at one NIB at a shop yesterday- it seemed pretty nice! I was thinking of trying to scrape the $$ together to run back and get it, but it sounds like they're not very well made.

Jay,

If you ever want to waste a day, drive up to Kittery, ME to the Trading Post.  Last time I was up there, they had no less than a hundred lever guns in various calibers in their previously owned racks for pretty short money.  Obviously, things may have changed in the two years since I got up there but their inventory of rifles is unmatched by anyone around.  They make Cabelas look like WalMart!

I even found a few pre-64 Winchesters the day I went in 30-30 that were in excellent condition.

And, unless you're looking to buy a 10K English double, they let you play with everything but the handguns without a clerk climbing up your backside.

[jaybet]

Never been to Maine...good excuse to go.