I bought a used (though it looks brand new) 45/70 Marlin 1895 GS a few months ago. I've already done quite a bit of shooting with it, and it seems to be a keeper. However, it has a quirk I've not seen before. I use to own a 1895 in 45/70, I presently own two 336's, and a 1894 in .357 magnum, so I'm not a newbie to Marlins.
The lever wants to hang open about 1/4". The guy I bought it from says that's the new design, a safety feature (as if they didn't have enough already). It squeezes closed easily, but the second I release pressure, it pops open again. To load the magazine, I have to squeeze the lever and hold it or loading gate won't open.
Can anyone tell me if this is a "new design", or is there a problem?