Marlin Firearms

Last updated

Marlin Firearms
Company typeSubsidiary
Industry Arms industry
Founded1870;154 years ago (1870)
Founder John Mahlon Marlin
Headquarters Madison, North Carolina, U.S.
Products Firearms
Parent Sturm, Ruger & Co.
Website www.marlinfirearms.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Marlin Firearms is an American manufacturer of semi-automatic, lever-action, and bolt-action rifles. In the past, the company, now based in Madison, North Carolina, and formerly based in North Haven, Connecticut, made shotguns, derringers, and revolvers. Marlin owned the firearm manufacturer H&R Firearms. In 2007, Remington Arms, part of the Remington Outdoor Company, acquired Marlin Firearms. [1] [2] Remington produced Marlin-brand firearms at its Kentucky and New York manufacturing facilities. In 2020, Sturm, Ruger & Co. bought the Marlin business from bankrupt Remington Outdoor Company. [3] [4]

Contents

History

Marlin gun mounted on De Havilland airplane, 1921 Marlin gun mounted on Dehaviland airplane, Langley Field, Virginia, 1921 (28238831142).jpg
Marlin gun mounted on De Havilland airplane, 1921

Marlin Firearms was founded in the 1870s by John Marlin. Marlin produced a large assortment of firearms such as lever-action rifles, pump-action shotguns and single-shot rifles. Marlin was considered the main competitor to Winchester.

In World War I Marlin became one of the largest machine gun producers in the world for the US and its Allies, building the M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun and a later variant called the "Marlin gun" optimized for aircraft use. In 1917 Marlin Rockwell bought out the Hopkins & Allen Arms Company to promote an expanded line of firearms and restore the image of the Marlin company as makers of "sporting arms". [5]

Marlin Firearms labored for a century as an underdog levergun maker to Winchester (formerly of New Haven). However, in the 1980s and 1990s, Marlin finally began to outpace its old rival. It is currently the dominant seller of lever-action rifles in North America. Its use of side ejection allows for flat-topped firearms, thereby making the mounting of scopes easier than for traditional Winchesters. This helped Marlin capture more market share as American shooters came to rely more and more on optics. Marlins are larger, stronger and heavier than most of the comparable Winchester line, allowing Marlin to use higher powered cartridges such as the .45-70. Marlin's model 1894 lever-action rifles and carbines are available in handgun calibers, including .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum, making them suitable companion long guns for revolvers in those calibers.

Acquisitions

In November 2000, Marlin purchased the assets of H&R 1871, Inc., a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of shotguns and rifles (New England Firearms branded), founded in 1871, and now located in Gardner, Massachusetts. Marketing its products under the brand names of Harrington & Richardson and New England Firearms, H&R 1871 claimed to be the largest manufacturer of Single-shot shotguns and rifles in the world.

In December 2007 Remington Arms Company purchased Marlin. [6] Remington announced in April 2008 that it would close the Gardner manufacturing plant by the end of 2008 affecting 200 workers. [7] In March 2010, Marlin announced that it would close its North Haven plant, and move the work to Remington plants in Ilion, New York, and Mayfield, Kentucky. [8] [9]

In September 2020, Sturm, Ruger & Co. bought the Company from bankrupt Remington Outdoor Company. [3] [4]

Products

Marlin Model 60 .22LR rifle manufactured in 1982 Marlin Model 60 22LR.JPG
Marlin Model 60 .22LR rifle manufactured in 1982
Marlin Model 1894C - .357 Magnum carbine Marlin Model 1894C .357 Magnum.jpg
Marlin Model 1894C .357 Magnum carbine
Marlin Model 25N .22 LR rifle with aftermarket sling and scope Marlin 25N.jpg
Marlin Model 25N .22 LR rifle with aftermarket sling and scope
Marlin Model XT-17 VSLB .17 HMR with rifle scope Marlin-XT17.jpg
Marlin Model XT-17 VSLB .17 HMR with rifle scope
Marlin Model 336W lever action in .30-30 Winchester Marlin 336W.png
Marlin Model 336W lever action in .30-30 Winchester
Two examples of Marlin model 37 pump .22 Marlin 37.jpg
Two examples of Marlin model 37 pump .22

Major models of Marlin rifles include:

Significant variations of many of these rifles have usually also been manufactured. For example, there are six distinctly different variations manufactured for the Marlin Model 60. Marlin has been making lever-action rifles since 1881, and in 2008, they produced their 30 millionth lever-action rifle, which was donated to the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. [10]

Double-barrel shotguns:

The Marlin Model 90 Over and Under

Exposed hammer, pump-action shotguns:

Hammerless pump-action shotguns:

Submachine guns:

Revolvers:

Derringers include:

MicroGroove Rifling

Micro-Groove rifling Marlin 35 rem 2.jpg
Micro-Groove rifling

In 1953 Marlin Firearms was issued U.S. patent 3,100,358 for what was named MicroGroove Rifling, which was a departure from the standard "Ballard," or cut rifling. One purpose of Microgroove rifling was to increase the speed of producing rifle barrels. Microgroove rifling is described in the patent as having 5 grooves for every 1/10 of an inch bore diameter, and that the driving side of each land would be "tangentially disposed" to prevent accumulating fouling in use.

Marlin introduced Microgroove rifling in their .22 Rimfire barrels in July 1953, with 16 grooves that were .014" wide, and nominally .0015" deep. Ballard rifled barrels have grooves generally in the range of .069–.090" wide, and .0015–.003" deep. This change was marketed in the 1954 Marlin catalog, as having numerous advantages that this new form of rifling had, including better accuracy, ease of cleaning, elimination of gas leakage, higher velocities and lower chamber pressures. The catalog also claimed that Microgroove rifling did not distort the bullet jacket as deeply as Ballard rifling hence improving accuracy with jacketed bullets at standard velocity.

Designed for factory loaded ammunition, Microgroove barrels have a reputation for accuracy problems with centerfire ammunition handloaded with cast lead bullets due to the increased bore diameter generated by the shallow grooves. The use of oversized cast bullets greatly solves this problem, restoring accuracy with cast bullet handloads to levels seen from Ballard rifled barrels. [12] Early Marlin .30-30 microgroove barrels had a twist rate of 1 turn in 10 inches optimized for factory ammunition with jacketed bullets; later Marlin .30-30 microgroove barrels show a twist rate of 1 turn in 10.5 inches which improves accuracy with cartridges loaded to lower velocity than standard.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single-shot</span> Firearm that holds one round of ammunition

In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs have no moving parts other than the trigger, hammer/firing pin or frizzen, and therefore do not need a sizable receiver behind the barrel to accommodate a moving action, making them far less complex and more robust than revolvers or magazine/belt-fed firearms, but also with much slower rates of fire.

The 7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the equivalent in Imperial and United States Customary measures. It is most commonly used in hunting cartridges. The measurement equals 0.30 inches or three decimal lines, written .3″ and read as three-line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action (firearms)</span> Functional mechanism of breech-loading

In firearms terminology, an action is the functional mechanism of a breech-loading firearm that handles the ammunition cartridges, or the method by which that mechanism works. Actions are technically not present on muzzleloaders, as all those are single-shot firearms with a closed off breech with the powder and projectile manually loaded from the muzzle. Instead, the muzzleloader ignition mechanism is referred to as the lock.

Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. The Model 1873 was particularly successful, being marketed by the manufacturer as "The Gun That Won the West".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rimfire ammunition</span> Type of ammunition that is only commonly found in small-caliber firearms

A rim-fire is a type of metallic cartridge used in firearms, where the primer is located within a hollow circumferential rim protruding from the base of its casing. When fired, the gun's firing pin will strike and crush the rim against the edge of the barrel breech, sparking the primer compound within the rim, and in turn ignite the propellant within the case. Invented in 1845, by Louis-Nicolas Flobert, the first rimfire metallic cartridge was the .22 BB Cap cartridge, which consisted of a percussion cap with a bullet attached to the top. While many other different cartridge priming methods have been tried since the early 19th century, such as teat-fire and pinfire, only small caliber rimfire and centerfire cartridges have survived to the present day with regular use. The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge, introduced in 1887, is by far the most common ammunition found in the world today in terms of units manufactured and sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lever action</span> Type of firearm action

A lever action is a type of action for repeating firearms that uses a manually operated cocking handle located around the trigger guard area that pivots forward to move the bolt via internal linkages, which will feed and extract cartridges into and out of the chamber, and cock the firing pin mechanism. This contrasts to other type of repeating actions such as the bolt-action, pump-action, semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode actions. A firearm using this operating mechanism is colloquially referred to as a levergun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.22 Short</span> Variety of rimfire .22 caliber ammunition

.22 Short is a variety of .22 caliber (5.6 mm) rimfire ammunition. Developed in 1857 for the first Smith & Wesson revolver, the .22 rimfire was the first American metallic cartridge. The original loading was a 29 or 30 gr bullet and 4 gr of black powder. The original .22 rimfire cartridge was renamed .22 Short with the introduction of the .22 Long in 1871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire</span> Rimfire cartridge

The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, also known as the .22 WMR, .22 Magnum, .22 WMRF, .22 MRF, or .22 Mag, is a rimfire cartridge. Originally loaded with a bullet weight of 40 grains (2.6 g) delivering velocities in the 2,000 feet per second (610 m/s) range from a rifle barrel, .22 WMR is now loaded with bullet weights ranging from 50 grains (3.2 g) at 1,530 feet per second (470 m/s) to 30 grains (1.9 g) at 2,200 feet per second (670 m/s).

A rim is an external flange that is machined, cast, molded, stamped, or pressed around the bottom of a firearms cartridge. Thus, rimmed cartridges are sometimes called "flanged" cartridges. Almost all cartridges feature an extractor or headspacing rim, in spite of the fact that some cartridges are known as "rimless cartridges". The rim may serve a number of purposes, including providing a lip for the extractor to engage, and sometimes serving to headspace the cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.17 HMR</span> Rifle cartridge

.17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, commonly known as the .17 HMR, is a rimfire rifle cartridge developed by Hornady in 2002. It was developed by necking down a .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire case to take a .17 caliber (4.5 mm) projectile. Commonly loaded with a 17 grain projectile, it can deliver muzzle velocities in excess of 775 m/s (2,650 ft/s).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.30-30 Winchester</span> Rifle cartridge designed by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company

The .30-30 Winchester cartridge was first marketed for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle in 1895. The .30-30, as it is most commonly known, along with the .25-35 Winchester, was offered that year as the United States' first small-bore sporting rifle cartridges designed for smokeless powder. Since its introduction, it has been utilized alongside the development of flatter shooting cartridges, most prominently those derived from designs subsidized by interest in military expenditures, yet the .30-30 has remained in widespread use almost entirely because of reliable effectiveness in civilian applications, proven by putting food on the table for millions of people within a practical range of hunting situations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H&R Firearms</span> Firearms brand

Harrington & Richardson is an American brand of firearms and a subsidiary of JJE Capital Holdings. H&R ceased independent production February 27, 2015.

The Marlin Model 60, also known as the Marlin Glenfield Model 60, is a semi-automatic rifle that fires the .22 LR rimfire cartridge. Produced by Remington Arms in Huntsville, Alabama formerly in Mayfield, Kentucky, formerly by Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut, it was in continuous production from 1960 to 2020 and the company says it is the most popular rifle of its kind in the world. Major features include a micro-groove barrel, a cross-bolt safety, hardwood stock with Monte Carlo comb, and brass or blued steel inner magazine tube. The Marlin Model 795 is a very similar rifle and based on the Marlin Model 60, changed only to accept a detachable box magazine.

The Marlin Model 336 is a lever-action rifle and carbine made by Marlin Firearms. Since its introduction in 1948, it has been offered in a number of different calibers and barrel lengths, but is commonly chambered in .30-30 Winchester or .35 Remington, using a 20- or 24-inch barrel. Currently, the model with a 24-inch barrel is only available in .30-30 Winchester. The Model 336 is now back in production as of March 27, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Browning BLR</span> Lever action rifle

The Browning BLR is a lever-action rifle manufactured for Browning Arms Company by Miroku Firearms in Japan. It comes in many different variations and is chambered in numerous calibers from small and fast to the large Magnum rounds, and the large bore .450 Marlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlin Model 1894</span> Lever-action rifle

The Marlin Model 1894 is a lever-action repeating rifle introduced in 1894 by the Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut. At its introduction the rifle came with a 24-inch barrel and was chambered for a variety of rounds such as .25-20 Winchester, .32-20 Winchester, .38-40, and .44-40. Variants in other chamberings remain in production today.

The following are terms related to firearms and ammunition topics.

The Marlin Levermatic was a family of lever-action rifles created by Marlin Firearms in the 1955. The Levermatic differed from the traditional lever-action rifles, such as the Marlin 39A, in that it employed a cam-and-roller system giving it an extremely smooth and short lever motion to reload a new cartridge.

The Marlin Model 780 is a .22 bolt-action rifle produced by Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut. Major features include micro-groove barrel, a 2-position safety lever, walnut stock, and 7-round box magazine. Production of the model 780 ended in 1988, and it was replaced by the Marlin 880 in 1989.

References

  1. "Remington to Acquire Marlin Firearms". Archived from the original on July 8, 2008.
  2. S. P. Fjestad (March 1992). Blue Book of Gun Values, 13th Ed. Blue Book Publications, Incorporated. ISBN   0-9625943-4-2.
  3. 1 2 "Remington Auctioned Off to Seven Bidders in Bankruptcy Court". September 28, 2020. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Max Zimmerman; Jef Feeley (September 28, 2020). "Remington Auctioned Off to Seven Bidders in Bankruptcy Court". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020.
  5. Walter, John (2006), The Guns That Won the West: Firearms on the American Frontier, 1848-1898, Greenhill Books, pp. 206–207, ISBN   978-1-85367-692-5
  6. "Gunmaker Remington to buy Marlin Firearms". USAToday. New Haven, Connecticut. Associated Press. December 27, 2007. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012.
  7. "Manufacturer Remington Closing Gardner Plant". WBZTV. Gardner. April 7, 2007. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008.
  8. "Marlin to close North Haven plant; 265 jobs going". Archived from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  9. "Marlin Firearms Closes In North Haven, Ending 141 Years Of Manufacturing In Connecticut".
  10. "Marlin Donates 30,000,000th Lever Action Rifle to NRA–ILA". Archived from the original on July 8, 2008.
  11. "The L.C. Smith Collectors Association". Archived from the original on March 10, 2021.
  12. Glen E. Fryxell, "Marlin's Microgroove Barrels", Leverguns.com, source cited: William S. Brophy, "Marlin Firearms: A History of the Guns and the Company That Made Them", Stackpole Books, 1989.