The Galleries
- Robert E. Petersen Collection
- Ancient Firearms - 1350 to 1700
- Road to American Liberty - 1700 to 1780
- A Prospering New Republic - 1780 to 1860
- A Nation Asunder - 1861 to 1865
- The American West - 1850 to 1900
- Innovation, Oddities and Competition
- Theodore Roosevelt and Elegant Arms - 1880s to 1920s
- World War I and Firearms Innovation
- WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond - 1940 to Present
- For the Fun of It
- Modern Firearms - 1950 to Present
- Hollywood Guns
Marlin Model 1893 Lever Action Rifle (2)
Like Winchester, Marlin offered optional engraving and takedown capability for its rifles. SN 158157. This rifle was manufactured in 1897.
Marlin (U.S.) Model 1893 Lever-Action Tube-Magazine Rifle
(repeater/ breech-loading/ smokeless powder/ cartridge
ammunition)
This Marlin is a premier rifle. Being a light-weight take-down
type, it has been factory engraved and chambered in special
smokeless steel." Thus, it is one of the first U.S. guns to fire
smokeless "nitro" powder. This new propellant burns very quickly
and leaves little residue. Such attributes would prove to be very
advantageous to shooters, particularly in combat situations. John
Marlin, a major firearms maker, worked for Colt Firearms Co. at
Hartford, Connecticut before launching his own business in New
Haven. By 1873 he was able to manufacture Ballard arms for Charles
Daly, who had obtained patent rights. With growth, Marlin Firearms
Co. was reorganized in 1881. It has devoted itself, mostly, to
sporting arms ever since."
- Dr. William L. Roberts, THE AMERICAN LIBERTY COLLECTION; #108
John Mahlon Marlin was born on May 6, 1836 near Windsor Locks,
Connecticut. At the age of 18, he became an apprentice machinist
with the American Machine Works. He later served as a machinist
with Colt Patent Firearms of Hartford. In 1863, he started his own
pistol manufacturing business in New Haven, concentrating on
production of a small single-shot .22 caliber deringer.
Marlin expanded his efforts to include revolver in 1870, after the
expiration of Rollin White's cylinder patents. The Marlin story
later became intertwined with the Ballard breechloading rifle.
These single-shot arms were invented by Charles H. Ballard of
Worcester, Massachusetts, who received his original patent in 1861.
Approximately 24,000 sporting and military rifles, carbines, and
shotguns were manufactured between 1862 and 1873; Civil War sales
account for half of this total. Five different New England
companies produced various Ballard designs, with the New York firm
of Merwin & Bray acting as sales agents throughout Ballard's
brief history.
Economic depression came to the United States in 1873, and
diminishing sales forced Ballard into bankruptcy. All patent
rights, equipment, parts inventories, and properties were purchased
by New York arms dealers Schoverling and Daly, who handled sales
and distribution of Ballard rifles after reaching an agreement with
John Marlin to continue production. This partnership would prove to
be highly successful for all parties involved.
In 1881, the Marlin Firearms Company was incorporated, and
production of Ballard rifles continuing under the Marlin banner
until they were eventually discontinued circa 1891 due to the
rising popularity of repeating rifles. Marlin-Ballard rifles were
and are well-known for their accuracy and workmanship, and
fancy-grade long-range rifles are eagerly sought after by modern
collectors. Marlin continued to expand his product line,
introducing his Model 1881 lever-action tubular magazine repeating
rifle in that year. Many key features had been patented by Andrew
Burgess and others, but John Marlin incorporated these into a
single functional firearm. This rifle was available in a variety of
calibers ranging from .32-40 to 45-70 Government, a feature that
would not be duplicated by competing Winchesters for several more
years.
Marlin also produced several other lever action designs, concluding
with the Model 1897, which remained in production until 1922.
Shotguns became a part of the Marlin line in 1898, when the first
of a series of slide-action guns was introduced. Production
continued until 1915, but a .410 lever-action shotgun was also
manufactured between 1929 and 1932.
John Marlin died in 1901, but the business continued under the
leadership of his sons, Mahlon and John Marlin. During their
tenure, the company expanded to include the Ideal Cartridge
Reloading Company. In 1915, the Marlin Firearms Company was sold to
a New York syndicate with close ties to financier J. P. Morgan, and
became the Marlin-Rockwell Corporation.
The outbreak of war in Europe focused the new company's efforts on
the production of machine guns for use by infantry troops and in
both aircraft and tanks. After the armistice of 1918,
Marlin-Rockwell returned to the manufacture of civilian firearms. A
reorganization in 1921 saw the company's name change to the Marlin
Firearms Corporation, but, like Ballard before it, Marlin failed
and went into receivership in 1923.
Marlin's assets were purchased by Frank Kenna, the son of a Union
Army sergeant, pattern and model maker, Yale Law School graduate
and businessman. Kenna began a revitalization of the company, but
his efforts were hampered by the Great Depression. Beginning in
1937, Marlin also manufactured razor blades in addition to sporting
arms.
The Second World War years brought contracts for the manufacture of
High Standard/UDM 42 9mm Parabellum caliber submachine guns, as
well as barrels and other parts for the M1 Garand rifle and M1
carbine. During this period, Marlin also produced aircraft and
other parts under contract for Bell Aircraft and other
corporations. Defense contracts also provided a revenue source
during the Korean War. Sporting arms has long been a staple for
Marlin, and the company's place in the market has been consistently
strong.
By 1969, the company had outgrown its original factory, and
manufacturing facilities moved from their original New Haven
location to a new modern plant in nearby North Haven. The Marlin
Firearms Company continues to be owned by members of the Kenna
family, but for the first time since 1924, a Kenna is not at the
helm, as Robert W. Behn replaced J. Stephen Kenna as president in
1997. The company's product line no longer includes pistols or
razor blades, but Marlin remains a choice for bolt-, slide-, and
lever-action rifles, as well as for autoloaders and shotguns.