Infor requested on possible purchase of Marlim 1895

[UKShootist]

I'm looking at a purchase and could do with some help identifying what I am buying. The rifle is a Marlin 1895 45/70. It has an octagonal barrel that is on the long side, with a magazine tube that is full length. Serial number 99125589, it carries the JM mark. A straight hand stock is fitted. Any information would be useful. I'm particularly interested in whether it is Ballard rifled (and how I might best be able to tell).

[bikerbeans]

UK,

Sounds like a 2001 vintage Cowboy model. I am not sure which rifling it would have.

BB

[Iowa Fox]

By your description you are describing my Marlin 1895 45-70 Cowboy. The Cowboys were all Ballard rifling, easy to verify by looking into the big hole in the end of the barrel. The JM cowboys were good rifles. A month or so ago I saw a new Remington Cowboy at the local gun show laying out on top of its box, I didn't even know they were making them again. What a piece of Junk by all physical appearances. The price tag was $669.00-I would not have paid $50 for it. I would love to debate the quality of that one with a senior Remington executive in person.

[UKShootist]

Thanks to you all. The price of the sale is going to be high enough to cause me a couple of hours crying in a darkened room while sucking my thumb, but, hey, that will make two Marlin 45/70s.(plus a 39A, a 357 limited, and a .44. but who's counting.)

[Outpost75]

My buddy in Italy uses his to hunt wild boar and red deer and finds it very effective. Much more effective than Brenneke slugs in his 12-bore Beretta that he used to use. He's using the 300-grain Barnes solid copper HPs due to the clerico-Marxist greenie restriction on lead bullets there.

[Duckiller]

Got one and it works great. If you get it you will enjoy it,

[W.R.Buchanan]

It is an 1895 CB and I've got one too and it is a great gun,,,, after I completely reworked and refinished it which took a while. Mine was so rough It would cut you. I gave it a complete deburr inside and out and refinished the wood which would have been insulting to fence posts prior to the redo.

This was a JM Marlin gun made in 2005 and not some of their best work, but after the redo it is a solid 1 3/4" gun at 100 yards.

And yes all the Cowboys have Ballard Rifling.

You will need boolits that are .460+ in order to get it to shoot.

In the pics below the long one is the 1895CB 45-70 and the other one is an 1894CB .44 Magnum.

These guns don't generally look like this out of the box, and they most times need some TLC to get them to run smooth and shoot well. But if you are willing to do a little work you will end up with something nobody else has.

I might add that Marlin now has a Custom Shop making these guns any way you want them. I recently saw an 1895 Short Rifle with 20" Octagon Barrel and Pistol Grip Stock. It had very nice wood with a Fleur De Lais Checkering Pattern. It was $1300 and looked to be well worth it. It had been deburred by the shop and ran smoothly. This was simply a case where Marlin took a generic gun and put the hand work into it that it normally wouldn't have gotten. But they had to charge for it as well. Thus the difference between a $700 gun and a $1300 gun.

Randy

[FergusonTO35]

Marlin has a custom shop? Is this the Remington custom shop in Ilion, or something new?

[Wind]

Hey there UKShootist -- The 1895 Cowboys are great rifles.

178673

Your manufacturing date is in that transitional period where you may get a receiver drilled and tapped for a receiver sight, or you may not. If it is, there are two threaded holes on the upper left side of the receiver. If yours isn't drilled and tapped, it's an easy addition and worthwhile.

178674

Mine likes 300, 350 and 405 grain cast bullets and a load of Unique. Some good loads found here. www.gmdr.com (http://www.gmdr.com)

This is a 200 yard target group...

178677

My rifle makes meat! It often wears a Montana Vintage Arms tang sight. This is after a silhouette match using the receiver sight with the MVA base still mounted to the tang.

178679

They will reach out a ways too. This is a friend shooting at my place with his cowboy and MVA sight.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0M9wPF-t2Q

These are good shooting rifles. They hang well offhand. Even with the extra 2" of barrel, they are not heavy. Good luck with yours!! Hope this helps. Best regards. Wind

[CLAYPOOL]

The "Custom Shop", is mentioned in ones of the November magazines I receive. I ignored it as I have 5 - 1895's + 2 .38-55's all with a JM stamp. Yes they might need a snick here and a twich there, but they are good as gold for my retirement. If I don't make it long the kids are all ready arguing about who gets witch rifle or pistol. That makes me feel good as they could be talking about how much they will bring at the sale.

[Salmoneye]

Marlin has a custom shop? Is this the Remington custom shop in Ilion, or something new?

The 'custom shop' was discussed on another board last week...

http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/336/263538-marlin-custom-shop-open-again.html

The conclusion is that it is Dakota Arms which is also owned by Cerberus/Remington Outdoors/Freedom Group (or whatever it is called this week)...

No one I have spoken with has seen anything other than the couple of examples at the SHOT show...

[kjorgy]

You cannot go wrong buying it. You never regret it.

[ammohead]

No doubt that doing some extra work may make the cowboy a better rifle but you can't prove it by me. Mine shot great straight out of the box and has at least one NCBS trophy to it's credit. Mine likes the lyman "Gould" 330 gr hollow point mould best. I size mine .458 with zero issues. The 26" bbl does not make the rifle heavy until you load it to the max. Less than 8lbs empty as the barrel is all hole. I put a lyman tang sight and a lyman globe sight up front. Points fast with my old eyes and is hella accurate.

[flint45]

Good gun get it and enjoy. My marlin 1895 with micro groove is a tack driver all lead boolits no j words cast fat mine are .460.