Rifleman Q & A: Marlin Heirloom

by
posted on February 25, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
marlheir.jpg

Q: I have an octagonal-barreled .30-30 Win. lever-action rifle with no definitive past, other than it belonged to my grandfather, who supposedly was stationed in the Philippines with the U.S. Navy. The rifle has the words “SPECIAL SMOKELESS STEEL” stamped on the left side of the barrel below the rear sight. It is also stamped “MARLIN SAFETY” and “MODEL 1893” on either side of the hammer. A stamped serial number, 384XXX, can be seen forward of the trigger guard. Can you help identify this family heirloom?

A: Nearly 1 million Model 1893 Marlin lever-action rifles were manufactured between 1893 and 1935. It was a highly regarded repeater available in the popular chamberings of the day, including: .25-36 Marlin, .30-30 Win., .32 Win. Spl., .32-40 Win. and .38-55 Win., with .30-30 Win. being the most common. Both rifle and carbine configurations were offered, as well as special-order guns. Your Model 1893 is definitely a rifle variant. Rifle barrel lengths ran from 24" to 32". The fact it is stamped “MODEL 1893” on the tang, plus the barrel markings, indicate that it was probably made between 1894 and 1916. --Garry James

Latest

.308 Win.
.308 Win.

Handloads: A Quiet .308 Win. For Large-Format Pistols

Of the many commercial .308 Winchester loads, few, if any, are designed for barrels shorter than 16". The one that follows helps address this gap while remaining simple to suppress and light on the wrists.

Court Approves Watchtower Firearms DIP Financing

Watchtower Firearms was granted final approval for debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas in late June.

Review: Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto

Following the success of its .45 ACP-chambered LC Carbine, Ruger realized that this platform would go a long way toward making the 10 mm Auto more controllable and fun to shoot, and a new 10 mm version was released in 2024.

The Armed Citizen® July 14, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Favorite Firearms: A Little Stevens From Chicago

"Over the next five or six years, and before I went off to college, I fired hundreds and hundreds of rounds of .22 BB Caps, CB Caps, Shorts and Longs through this rifle."

Preview: Strike Industries T-Bone Charging Handle

The T-Bone from Strike Industries is an ideal fit for suppressed applications, as it can be configured by the user to redirect gas blowback entirely to either side ...

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.