The 1893..... that - Didn't- get away!

[xtriggerman]

Well, after convincing my self I probably would never own one of these due to gun show sticker shock, a funny thing happened at the GB C&R listings. I bid the opening bid price and not a dollar more. Were all the Marlin fans out there asleep at their key boards? Apparently because I ended up with this fine example of what Marlin was making back in 1905. Sure, it doesn't have the much desired full crescent butt plate, the barrel joint was described as a bit loose and the poor thing has a bulge in the bore up front as so many do..... but still, the rest of the gun is totally unmolested in original fit and finish with a triple A fancy feathered crotch wood butt. At $575 + $46 to ship with insurance added, this nearly passes for a Religious experience!
  One major plus is the wood to metal fit. You guys have no idea how much it grinds my guts to see a stock that was sanded below the metal edge lines. Especially on a fine old early cartridge gun. The model 36 (pictured) I have came to me that way . 
  After a thorough examination of the loose barrel shank, I have a plan to repair that and I have a older shutzen gun works .308 stainless barrel that will get turned into a liner and soldered into the 26 inch long octagon. Both of the square bolts are 30-30's & ya gotta love the 9 round capacity of the 1893.   Yup, put another neat project on the back burner....
  

Edited November 15, 2017 by xtriggerman

[Smokin45]

Great find !!!

[gregintenn]

Although they don't share the popularity of the old Winchesters,

I've discovered that the old Marlins exhibited as good if not better quality.

[xtriggerman]

49 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Although they don't share the popularity of the old Winchesters,

I've discovered that the old Marlins exhibited as good if not better quality.

I think some of the magic a Marlin holds over a Winchester for me is the ease in taking the actions apart & reassembly. The Marlins practically fall apart in your hands while blind folded. The Winchester 94's practically need spot light lighting, pinch, pull, push technique all the while "come along little doggy" is playin in the back ground. Iv, been inside more than a few 94's but the Marlins are whats in my safe. All tho when it comes to the Win 1892, a smoother lever gun has yet to be conceived by the human mind... hands down!  

[MacGyver]

Neat find!  Congrats. 

[KahrMan]

Awesome find!  Nice!

[DaveTN]

11 hours ago, xtriggerman said:

the barrel joint was described as a bit loose and the poor thing has a bulge in the bore up front as so many do..... 

  That got my attention, the only budge in a bore I have seen was from a second round fired into a squib. Are you describing something different?

Good luck with the project. That wood looks really nice.

[bigun]

That's real NIIICE

[xtriggerman]

14 hours ago, DaveTN said:

  That got my attention, the only budge in a bore I have seen was from a second round fired into a squib. Are you describing something different?

Good luck with the project. That wood looks really nice.

  Most folks call it a "ring". When some debris like a chunk of dirt, stick or anything that can fall into the barrel afield obstructs the bullet's path out of the barrel. At first the bullet tries to ride over the dedris and once the crap wedges between the bullet and bore, it stalls the bullet's speed just enough that the pressure tries to get past the bullet, creating a bulge ring. Some times you can see the bulge ring more pronounced on one side of the barrel. I'v had to shorten the barrels just rear of the bulge ring on a few 30-30's a 30-06 and a 7mm mag. Also I'v see a few on 22 LR guns also. Oddly, my friend has an old Winchester 22 with a bulge ring about 4 or 5 inches from the muzzle that still shoots relatively well.

   On another note.... When I used to do customer returns at Auto Ordnance West Hurley, we had a Thompson 1927 come in with a complaint that the rounds keep exploding over the magazine when fired.  In that case, the owner unknowingly fired a squib load that lodged about 2/3rds of the way down the bore. THAT I can understand..... but I had a WTF moment after band sawing the barrel length wise, there were 12 bullets stacked up one behind the other. No wonder why I couldn't knock them out! That one simply got a new barrel and went back to the owner.  Another one had only 2 or 3 rounds stuck in the barrel and that one cracked the barrel at the traffic jam over the last bullet. 

Edited November 16, 2017 by xtriggerman
spelling

[DaveTN]

Thanks for that info. That’s crazy that someone would keep firing rounds that were “exploding over the magazine”.   I guess the guy is lucky he didn’t get hurt.

[1gewehr]

I know some would call it heresy, but I much prefer Marlin lever-action rifles to the John Browning-designed Winchesters.

[Ronald_55]

1 hour ago, 1gewehr said:

I know some would call it heresy, but I much prefer Marlin lever-action rifles to the John Browning-designed Winchesters.

 Stop the evil that you speak......lol

 

[Eddie Southgate]

Nice .

[Sidinman]

Nice find, Congrats
I to, also prefer Marlins to the Winnie.
That being said I just recently purchased a '92 Winchester 25-20.

RP

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

[xtriggerman]

4 hours ago, Sidinman said:

Nice find, Congrats
I to, also prefer Marlins to the Winnie.
That being said I just recently purchased a '92 Winchester 25-20.

RP

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 

  I once did a complete restoration on a 1892 all so in 25-20 that my Brother in law has. THAT Winchester is the height of lever smoothness in design. Nothing else comes close to that feeling of racking a round in a 92.  I have a Savage 23B in that cal with a mint bore. That's another project on the back burner. The 25-20 would be a better round with spitzer type bullets for the bolt guns so one of these days I'll remanufacture the mag well to accept Win 351 SL mags. That 351 aftermarket mag loads longer spitzer bullet 25-20's like it was made for them. With the Savage's factory deep throated chamber, nothing else has to be done other than just the mag well mod. I want to gear that for a coyote gun.