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Marlin Firearm Date of manufacture?

15K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  marlinman93 
#1 ·
I have a Marlin Firearms Model 81-DL, EST 18-0, 22 CAL-SL-LR---A, i need help to find year it was made, i think it is pre 1940's marlin gun company only had records from 1940 to present, all records prior to that were destroyed in a fire.. if anyone could help would appreciate this, it was my grandfathers gun he was born in 1929 and died in 1954 and think he had this when he was a teenager. thanks
 
#3 ·
Best answer I could find -
The Marlin Model 81-DL rifle was introduced in 1941 and manufactured up until the start of WWII. Model 81 production was resumed in 1945 and continued until 1964 so your rifle could have been manufactured either before or after WWII. The 81-DL was a modernized version of Marlin's earlier Model 81-B, it had a plastic trigger guard, aperture sight on the receiver and hooded bead at the muzzle. Rifles manufactured before WWII had a broad semi-beaver tail forend, post-war rifles had a standard forend and rifles made after 1957 had a walnut Monte Carlo half-stock and a new streamlined trigger guard.
 
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#4 ·
It is definitely a 81-DL and not the 81-B.... The gun does have the plastic trigger guard (which is black), and aperture sight on the receiver and hooded bead at the muzzle. it does have the broad semi beaver tail foreend.. talked with my grandma and she said she doesnt remember him having this gun till his father gave it to my father. my dads father died at age 25 and was born in 1929 so i am thinking he would have got the gun maybe at age 12 to 14 when he got his first job on the farm, considering that, it is probably a 1941 or 1942 pre wwII, does any of this seem right to you?

thanks josh
 
#5 ·
Probably right . . I see one every once in awhile at shows . . seem to go for around $100/$150.
Ya might find the peep sight accounts for close to half or more of the value . . I've seen the peeps go for $75.
 
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