I'm hoping that someone will be able to help with some questions I have. I was given a model 1893 in 38-55 and am trying to determine its age. The serial number starts with an A followed by four digits and i can't seem to find any records of serial #s starting with an A. The barrel is marked "for black powder", which i believe puts it somewhere between 1905-1912. The confusing part is that i read that this barrel would make this a model 1893b from 1905 onward but it is not marked this way.
Model 1893 info help
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Deebone, Can you confirm that your rifle actually says "MODEL 1893" or does it possibly say "Model 93"?
I don't claim to be an expert, but I look at a lot of Marlins and am trying to make sense of everything
It is my understanding the original models all include the "18" in the model
designation on the upper tang, and the later models were shortened to just the last 2 digits, maybe to drop the 18 since it probably looked outdated at that point in time... just like
someone nowadays saying their product is "state of the art 1999" would be something no one would want to buy in 2014
I just saw a Marlin "Model '94" at a local show over the weekend... the guy had $2000 on it and it was beat to hell and back. His tag claimed it was "FIRST YEAR PRODUCTION" as the
serial number was a low 4 digit serial. So basically this guy had a beat rifle made somewhere around WWI that he was selling as an antique and some poor sucker will probably buy
it thinking he is getting something rare :/
Also, I have seen a lot of early rifles with "for Blackpowder Only" on them, so can you tell me why you are linking that to being made in the 1905+ time period?
I don't claim to be an expert, but I look at a lot of Marlins and am trying to make sense of everything
It is my understanding the original models all include the "18" in the modeldesignation on the upper tang, and the later models were shortened to just the last 2 digits, maybe to drop the 18 since it probably looked outdated at that point in time... just like
someone nowadays saying their product is "state of the art 1999" would be something no one would want to buy in 2014
I just saw a Marlin "Model '94" at a local show over the weekend... the guy had $2000 on it and it was beat to hell and back. His tag claimed it was "FIRST YEAR PRODUCTION" as the
serial number was a low 4 digit serial. So basically this guy had a beat rifle made somewhere around WWI that he was selling as an antique and some poor sucker will probably buy
it thinking he is getting something rare :/
Also, I have seen a lot of early rifles with "for Blackpowder Only" on them, so can you tell me why you are linking that to being made in the 1905+ time period?
It definitely says "model 1893". I found this on the web which seems to speak to a general manufacturing period (5th paragraph on pg 493:Deebone, Can you confirm that your rifle actually says "MODEL 1893" or does it possibly say "Model 93"?
I don't claim to be an expert, but I look at a lot of Marlins and am trying to make sense of everything
designation on the upper tang, and the later models were shortened to just the last 2 digits, maybe to drop the 18 since it probably looked outdated at that point in time... just like
someone nowadays saying their product is "state of the art 1999" would be something no one would want to buy in 2014
I just saw a Marlin "Model '94" at a local show over the weekend... the guy had $2000 on it and it was beat to hell and back. His tag claimed it was "FIRST YEAR PRODUCTION" as the
serial number was a low 4 digit serial. So basically this guy had a beat rifle made somewhere around WWI that he was selling as an antique and some poor sucker will probably buy
it thinking he is getting something rare :/
Also, I have seen a lot of early rifles with "for Blackpowder Only" on them, so can you tell me why you are linking that to being made in the 1905+ time period?
Marlin Firearms: A History of the Guns and the Company That Made Them - William S. Brophy - Google Books
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8,413 Posts
the judge answered your question correctly.
With the change in ownership of Marlin came new serial number sequences and using old stock parts as well.
This is why a low serial number does not really mean the gun is early production.
There are many variables to look at after the end of the original serial number range ending at 355300 or 1906 such as prefixes, barrel markings, tang markings among others.
Everything after 1906 is an educated guess with all info considered.
We can get close, but not exact.
With the change in ownership of Marlin came new serial number sequences and using old stock parts as well.
This is why a low serial number does not really mean the gun is early production.
There are many variables to look at after the end of the original serial number range ending at 355300 or 1906 such as prefixes, barrel markings, tang markings among others.
Everything after 1906 is an educated guess with all info considered.
We can get close, but not exact.
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8,413 Posts
The "B" grade barrels were black powder and were marked for black powder only on the barrel while the smokeless were marked special smokeless steel..
The B grade were made after the introduction of smokeless powder (1895) with a softer steel barrel.
Yes...black powder barrels were still offered after the introduction of smokeless powder.
The pre 1895 models (pre smokeless) were not marked.
The B grade were made after the introduction of smokeless powder (1895) with a softer steel barrel.
Yes...black powder barrels were still offered after the introduction of smokeless powder.
The pre 1895 models (pre smokeless) were not marked.
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