JM Marlins

[starmac]

I have seen it mentioned that jm marlins are gaining value to collectors.
I can see some models and calibers as being worth more than others and even some very old ones, but do not see the run of the mill marlin being a collector piece. This is coming from a certified lever gun nut. I do like the pre safety ones, just because I like old iron.

[claude]

but do not see the run of the mill marlin being a collector piece.

True enough, but the JM's are never the less increasing in price, about the only guns I see dropping in price are the dastardly EBR's that peaked out a year ago. Now we have people who got them at a bargain for $1200 selling them near $800.

Which is only to say, beware of trends.

[starmac]

I never thought they would decrease in price at all, but just think they made a bazillion of them, and not what I see as true collectables.

I do think the price will increase at least as much as always, even a little more with remington taking control.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
The best ones to me are the "rusty bore" models. Always on the lookout for another to ship to JES Reboring and end up with the best shooting JM Marlin ever made.
Mike in Peru

[claude]

not what I see as true collectables.

That point is not in contention. I do believe lever guns as a whole are somewhat in a spotlight right now, used prices are favoring sellers, and there is seemingly a good deal of ignorance as to what constitutes collector value as opposed to just a nice shooter. To many sellers ask their armchair expert buddy how much their inherited 30-30 that uncle Ned left them is worth, the one that was rode hard and put away wet, then stashed in a closet for twenty years, and the "expert" tells them it's probably worth about $&00, so they put it up at that inflated price. Then along comes a newb, never owned a gun in his life with to much money and not enough sense and he pays $&00 thinking he's getting a bonafide antique. That doesn't much matter to me, except, it makes the next guy wanting to sell a beater think he has shares in eldorado and his must be worth a heck of a lot as well. This is why you see $175-$200 rifles regularly fetching $350-$400.

That is all just my opinion, and worth every cent you paid for it.

[sthwestvictoria]

There is a real bubble in Marlins here in Australia - these are asking prices, not selling prices but a base model W for $AUD1200?
http://usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=48139

[snowwolfe]

You can still get basically a hand built Savage 99 made in the 50's or 60's for around $600 so in the long run I don't see "JM" models being a good long term investment. Marlin made a lot of junk before they sold off to Remington, ask me as I bought three of them.

[wrench man]

Go visit your local Remlin dealer and get yourself a NEW 356, 444 or 450! or anything besides the 30-30 and 45-70 that their web sight shows they're still making!?

[starmac]

356,444 and 450 were not the average run of the mill, make a bazillion of rifles either. I don't know about the 356 and 444, but didn't marlin stop production of the 450 before remington came into the picture?

[RPRNY]

Greetings
The best ones to me are the "rusty bore" models. Always on the lookout for another to ship to JES Reboring and end up with the best shooting JM Marlin ever made.
Mike in Peru

LIKE

What a brilliant plan!

[Three44s]

Good heavens!

http://usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=48139


Those prices are high enough to rattle the fillings out of one's head!

I wonder what my 1894 in .357 I bought new for $200 in 1980 would bring now? I say that tongue in cheek because I'll never let her go!

I would like to snag a .44 mag of the same persuasion and a .45-70 as well.

Best regards

Three 44s

[dlbarr]

Here's a 1895 starting at $650....doesn't say JM so it's probably not.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=458123510#PIC

I bought mine (a JM) about a year ago, very lightly used @ $575. Not a super deal, but probably not more than +$50, I'm guessing. If these are gaining value, great. But I'm not letting go of this one anyway.

[DeadWoodDan]

I've been on the hunt for one in 30-30, and from the reading and questions I've asked don't see them gaining too much. For those die hard Marlin collectors yes but a lot were made thus one can find a decent shooter and looker if you wait long enough. Look at and follow the Glenfields, they were the mass produced, bottom of the barrel rifles made and they have gone up in price. Why? b.c. the current ( or last "X" yrs) has suffered quality issues along with the reputation on how Remington closed up the shop.

I have never thought of myself as a Marlin collector but the collection has grown some, but I try to be careful on what I purchase and an older, no issues, straight shooter w/ some dings and gouges are better looking than the new take a risk on the shelf rifle for the same amount of $$.

Note: I shoot em and use em.....no safe queens here

[dragon813gt]

Here is what I think will happen. They are in demand at the moment because Remington screwed up the quality when they moved production to NY. They are only producing a few calibers at this point. Remington has gotten their act together and is turning out quality rifles. As time goes on they will produce more and more and will add more cartridges to the lineup. Fact is that they are being built on modern machinery. They will be a better rifle. People act like JM stamped Marlins are all perfect. They turned out plenty of poor quality rifles.

As more and more REP rifles hit the market the demand for the older ones will subside and prices will normalize. There will always be some premium for JM Marlins. But as long as Remington keeps quality high we won't have a Pre '64 Winchester situation.

A lot of the higher priced rifles are ones that were limited production to begin w/. I'm looking for one chambered in 32 H&R Magnum. But buying one for a couple thousand only to ruin it's value by rechambering to 327 Federal is a hard pill to swallow.

I picked up a JM 336W in 30/30 w/ nice wood, not laminate like current production, for $400 three weeks ago. About three months ago I picked up a pre safety 336 in 35 Remington for the same price.

Marlins have always been utility rifles. I feel that people are making dumb decisions w/ their money. But it's not my money so I really don't care. As long as they are produced in sufficient quality and numbers the JM stamp should only command a small premium.

[ReloaderFred]

I'll be looking closely at the new Remington produced Marlins at the SHOT Show next month. The rep I talked to last year at the show was enthusiastic about what was going to be built after they completely redesigned and constructed the production line within the plant for the Marlin rifles. He was very candid about the problems they had, both with the old Marlin equipment that was antiquated and worn out, and with how Remington tried to integrate the line into their factory. He said they had sandwiched the old equipment into any space it would fit, and parts were being made all over the factory. The new production line was with new CNC equipment and one area of the plant was dedicated to making only Marlin rifles. His biggest question was what new calibers shooters wanted in the Marlins. We gave his some ideas on what shooters were interested in for the pistol caliber rifles, so we'll see if they followed any of them.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[fouronesix]

My only take on it is that the JM Marlins may or may not be any better than any of the "modern" Marlins. However, a cult following has evolved so the re-sale price point will be higher than the others. Similar followings have developed around other even more modern brands like Ruger. As far as any real collector or "antique" value similar to pre-64 Winchesters, 1st generation Colt SAAs or old Marlins…. I don't see it, but to each their own.

[Camba]

I had been looking for a few months for a good used 30-30w and I've got one today. It is a Marlin 336 (EST. 1870 micro-groove barrel) 30-30 Win pre-safety button (half-cock hammer for safety, JM) in a very decent shape. I paid $355 out the door. Everything else around my area is fetching $495+ for used Marlin 336 lever action rifles. I just wanted one for cast bullets and I am also looking to get the Marlin 1894C (or a Rossi) in 357 mag (if I see one in a decent price).
I hope it is accurate with cast boolits.
Camba

[crazy mark]

Personally I like to buy the Glenfields and Western Field model ones as they are still down in price. JM made. Western Auto, Sears and other stores had their names on them.

[GabbyM]

Collectibles?

My opinion on collectibles.

I'm finishing up my third year of cleaning out a 55 x 100 foot poll barn that was full of "collectibles".
IN between spending five, ten and thirty days plus many thousands of dollars repairing farm machinery that rotted down sitting outside while these valuable "collectibles" filled the shed. My 88 year old mother broke her leg last summer trying to find anything of value in that pile of junk. Have pulled in a few hundred dollars hear and there but so far am about three thousand dollars in the hole on disposal fees. That's of course not counting my mothers six figure medical bills and the liability of all those highly illegal fires I've lit off. Then lets just mention a couple of my GF's children hate me because I'm destroying there fathers "STUFF". *****. One of his sons told me once. My father used to sit out here and tell me "all of this is mine".

Well that's all I have to say about that.

[historicfirearms]

I've got an offer to trade one of my guns that I don't use for a NIB 2004 production Marlin 1894C in 357 magnum. I will have about $800 into the deal and I think I am going to do it. I've wanted an 1894 in 357 for a while now and think it will be a great, fun gun. Looking at the new production Marlins, I have not been very impressed. I could buy a new one for around $650 but the fit and finish on the wood is terrible still. I think for $150 more, I will go with the trade offer.

As far as comparing the JM marlins to pre-64 Winchesters, remember that the later post-64 rifles were some pretty good guns, the later ones were even considered by some to be better rifles than post WWII rifles. But the damage had already been done by the poor quality of early post 64 guns. Still to this day Pre-64 Winchesters command a premium over post 64 models.

Something that GabbyM said reminded me of a something my Uncle Steve told me. He said that these guns are priceless if you are never going to sell them. What I think he meant is that you should buy whatever makes you happy and don't worry about what it is "worth".

[pmeisel]

I've had my eyes open for a 444 for awhile. Haven't found one on a day I had money.

[Geezer in NH]

The same problem when Winchester went tits up. As a dealer I made money then. Now Marlin not a dealer IMHO pay to much lose money in the long run. In the 336 series collectable? Maybe in another 50 years, other than that it's your money takes your choice.

[EDK]

I'm pretty heavy into the 44 Marlins; especially 24 inch Cowboy rifles. I bought 357, 30/30, and 45/70 Cowboy rifles because I liked their looks and wanted to shoot them...but not near as much as the 44s. I THINK I know what they will be worth now and in the future, and will buy accordingly. BUT my last two purchases were both JM marked; an 1894 round barrel 44 and an 1895 Guide Gun.
There are no safe queens in my modest collection. Future collectors may hate me, but I'll be long gone and I've had the pleasure of using my guns.

[izzyjoe]

I've been collecting older Marlins for a few years now, I mostly buy the odd caliber ones, like 375's, 356 ER's, 444's the first series! I like the real nice ones that have been taken care of. I also snatch up every SC that I see with a good price, those are my favorites. The average run of the mill 336C will never be a "collector", just for the simple fact there's tons of them out there. Recently I sold a few 336c's and they didn't bring what I wanted, but sometimes you got make room for other marlins! I've told my wife that there's two that I want my daughter to have after I'm gone, one is the first year 1894c 357, and the other is the '81 1894 44 mag, the rest to be sold, I'm sure they'll blow the money just like any women would! The store brand rifles that I've seen have really gone up in the last year, cause folks realized what they are.

[TXGunNut]

I'm not a collector, I'm an accumulator. I dislike the collectables mindset as it is usually applied merely to boost the price on an ordinary item. As for your point that JM Marlins aren't particularly rare consider the pre-64 Winchesters, they aren't exactly rare either.

[Down South]

Bought an old 375 Win Marlin a year or so and I love it.

[TXGunNut]

Bought an old 375 Win Marlin a year or so and I love it.

Hmmm...I looked pretty hard at one last year myself. Never seen one before or since, wasn't in Ft Worth was it?

[Down South]

Bought it from one of our members not too far outside Houston. They are somewhat hard to come by.

[Bazoo]

I recently got a marlin 1894c. I gave 1300 for it before shipping. I had bid on a few on gunbroker and lost them in the 1200 range. I got this one buy it now. I Wanted one is the reason I paid that much. I couldnt find any less than 1100 or so. So, I decided it'd be worth the extra couple hundred to get the pick of the lot. I like the wood, and that the serial number is on the receiver side rather than the tang, in case I decided to go with a peep sight. Id rather have the gun than the money. I love my gun. I dont love money. I didnt work for the money however, I sold a gun, and some of my other gear to finance it. I didnt buy it as an investment either, i bought it as user, its full of dings and scratches now. Especially since I knocked it off the hood of my truck on asphalt. Was thankful I didnt do major damage to gun or sights.

Folks think im crazy for paying that much for a gun that isnt worth it. Those folks normally dont have one either. I gave 450 for one new about 13 years ago. Regretted selling it something fierce, so pulled the trigger on one now.

I dont follow trends or watch the news, I cast, handload, shoot and hunt. Call me crazy, but I wouldnt sell my gun for 3k. Its as much a part of me as my old timer pocketknife.

[Reg]

I think there is a lot of truth in what Bazoo said, " I would rather have the gun than the money ".
I had looked and looked for a 1895 in 45-70 for actually a couple of years and in our country there was nothing to be found other than what Remington was putting out. The description of charcoal grill sprayed on finish and pallet wood stocks is more real than one would think. Yes. there were a few of the older Marlins at the shows but the prices that the dealers wanted were so far out of line and what the buzzards wanted to give for any trade in that I had only reinforced what others have said. Finally a good member here decided to sell a 45 he had at what I considered to be more than a fair price and I got together and even though it had the dreaded side safety, we came to terms.
All I can say is that beyond any doubt, there is a massive difference between the older Marlins and the ???? stuff that Remington is turning out.
I try to appreciate the way walnut is nicely fitted and how metal is properly detailed and finished before it is blued. How parts are correctly fitted to other parts at assembly.
Sorry, there IS no comparison between even the later Marlins and what Remington has done to them.
Are they worth more ???? You had better believe it.

[starmac]

Well I have several marlins, but only one stamped rem, there is not a dimes worth of difference except the safety. Actually since it is stainless, it is the nicer of the three 95's, but I still like blue.
I know remington had some problems, but I won't turn one down, nor pay more for a jm, just because of the jm. Now if it is something special or no longer available, then that would be a different story.

[EDK]

There's plenty of 1895s...and a lot of other desirables!.. on Gunbroker at present...and more to come for the next couple of months with taxes and credit cards needing payment. Just don't expect 1995 prices.
It took 3 bids to get the JM Guide Gun and now there are several more at better prices. BUT I just bought a freezer and a washer and dryer for the new house plus some necessary repairs. Four bedrooms and a two car garage sure beats a one bedroom apartment.

[mattw]

I purchased my Marlin 357 about 20 years ago for $150, looked new the guy said less than a box through it. I would not part with it for 5 or 6 times that now. I only shoot 200 LBT's and 215 Lymans in it and it just does not miss. I need to look to see if it has the JM, where would that be?

[starmac]

For sure it won't be a remlin, if you have had it 20 years.

[Down South]

I purchased my Marlin 357 about 20 years ago for $150, looked new the guy said less than a box through it. I would not part with it for 5 or 6 times that now. I only shoot 200 LBT's and 215 Lymans in it and it just does not miss. I need to look to see if it has the JM, where would that be?
All the 375's were JM. It's stamped on the barrel.

[Loudenboomer]

I have only 5 old marlins all Ballard style rifling. A 93 38-55 and Four 336's. Two SC carbines 35 Rem and 30-30 and two RC carbines in 35 rem and 30-30. Just working mans rifles that my sons will someday own. All worth at least twice what I paid for them and wouldn't sell them for twice what they're worth.