I posted here a couple weeks ago asking about the Marlin 1895 SBL 45-70 as I had just ordered one then waiting for the delay (always get one) on my background check to come back. I asked on here if the issues had been worked out, after I paid for it...., because of the mixed reviews I started seeing. The more I dug into it, I found the issues came about when Remington bought Marlin (end of 07) and all of their machinery was moved to the Remington facility. In the process of moving, some of the older machines got a little out of whack and it was either not caught or they simply didn’t care - I'd like to believe the former. To make a long story short(er), quality began to suffer and some things on the rifle just didn’t line up.
I’ve read what Remington/Marlin’s product manager John Fink had to say about it in 2014:
"We have a great workforce in Ilion with gunmaking talent, but they had never built lever-action rifles before, so there was learning curve.” - “…New equipment for these lines has been purchased and is operational. We have seen great improvement over the year, and we continue to focus on further improvements." - "The Marlin lever-action rifle is such a great rifle. It has killed so many deer, and given so many people their start in hunting and shooting, that there is no way we could ever quit making Marlin rifles," says Fink. "We are putting the resources behind the rifles to ensure they will be available for generations."
From what I’ve been reading, most of the issues have been worked out since 2015-2016. I’ve read on a couple of issues after that time, but a small handful of issues someone posted about in 4-5 years on a mass production item isn’t a big deal. That small number, that did have an issue, went on to praise Marlin's customer service. Claimed they were very easy to work with and Marlin either replaced parts on the rifle, replaced the rifle with a new one and there was one customer who asked for a refund and it was given w/o a problem. When the rifle needed to be sent back, Marlin sent the shipping label and paid for shipping and handling both ways. Comforting to know Marlin doesn't leave you high and dry after they get their money.
On to my SBL. Fit and exterior finish, amazing, could not be happier. Barrel crown just as it should be. Action is smooth, but as goes with any of them, some polishing on moving parts wouldn't hurt. The only "bump" felt when working the action is when the bolt contacts the hammer - just like the rest of them, normal. Sights, centered on receiver and barrel, were dead on right out of the box at 25yds punching the same bullseye hole, off bench rest. 100yds will come later, I just wanted to get this checked out and up and running, which it did, flawlessly. Ran a box of Winchester Super-X 300gr JHP & a box and a half of Hornady 325gr Leverevolution FTX. Not one hiccup in any way. Having never shot a 45-70 before, I was curious how much this thing was going to kick. To my surprise, it wasn’t bad. My felt recoil was less than that of a 12ga. It would probably be different if running something hopped up like Buffalo Bore, but the Hornady FTX is what I plan to hunt with and a comfortable round to shoot. Can’t go wrong with Hornady - 325grs traveling 2050fps & 3032 ft lbs of energy…I almost can see why the guy in Wind River flew 5’ back when he took the round….almost
Now, the only 2 things I can come up with to “complain” about for me personally (what kind of review would this be if there wasn’t something?) is the magazine tube was a bit of a chore to remove. After recovering my plug, tube spring and dignity from the other side of the room I read that the first time can be tricky. But after working/removing those parts the first time, specifically the forend, it should become easier as the forend shouldn't act as though it's glued into the receiver, after the first removal. With the forend acting "glued" it made the magazine tube difficult to maneuver which made it hard to remove from the front bottom post that secures the tube and tube plug. Things should be freed up now and next time should be easier.
The other minor issue, small machining burrs in the receiver. I like to use a lot of q-tips when cleaning guns and if it wasn’t for them snagging on the burrs I may not have even noticed them. I’ll say that the rifle ran fine with the burrs, they did not affect functionality one bit, but I do wish Marlin would have cleaned them up a bit better. I ended up taking my small needle file set from Harbor Freight and carefully removing the burrs then going over the area with polishing sand paper. Easy fix that got the burrs smoothed out. I couldn’t tell if the action ran any better afterwards – it seemed to run and shoot just as well as it did before. Only difference now is having less q-tip hair in the receiver – you’ll never be 100% free of q-tip hair no matter what gun you’re cleaning.
If you're not happy with the size of the rear ghost ring sight, XS Sights sells the little "eye bolt" ghost ring sight for $13. Simply unscrew the old one and in with the new (you'll have to sight the elevation back in) to have the size you want.
I've ordered a couple of butt stock covers from Levergun Leather (the other cover is for my Win 94). If you haven't seen his stuff you should go check him out, his work is incredible. Looking forward to getting them in. Also have a black RPP 2.5lb trigger (including spring), black flyweight fast loading gate and a 45-70 etched quick takedown lever screw.
9.9 out of 10 stars. I love this gun. It’s a beauty to look at (3 guys stopped to talk about it at the range) and a blast to shoot. Go with confidence and get that gorgeous SBL (or any other 1895) in 45-70 and drop that deer DRT in style. Marlin is BACK and seems to have been for some time now.
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I’ve read what Remington/Marlin’s product manager John Fink had to say about it in 2014:
"We have a great workforce in Ilion with gunmaking talent, but they had never built lever-action rifles before, so there was learning curve.” - “…New equipment for these lines has been purchased and is operational. We have seen great improvement over the year, and we continue to focus on further improvements." - "The Marlin lever-action rifle is such a great rifle. It has killed so many deer, and given so many people their start in hunting and shooting, that there is no way we could ever quit making Marlin rifles," says Fink. "We are putting the resources behind the rifles to ensure they will be available for generations."
From what I’ve been reading, most of the issues have been worked out since 2015-2016. I’ve read on a couple of issues after that time, but a small handful of issues someone posted about in 4-5 years on a mass production item isn’t a big deal. That small number, that did have an issue, went on to praise Marlin's customer service. Claimed they were very easy to work with and Marlin either replaced parts on the rifle, replaced the rifle with a new one and there was one customer who asked for a refund and it was given w/o a problem. When the rifle needed to be sent back, Marlin sent the shipping label and paid for shipping and handling both ways. Comforting to know Marlin doesn't leave you high and dry after they get their money.
On to my SBL. Fit and exterior finish, amazing, could not be happier. Barrel crown just as it should be. Action is smooth, but as goes with any of them, some polishing on moving parts wouldn't hurt. The only "bump" felt when working the action is when the bolt contacts the hammer - just like the rest of them, normal. Sights, centered on receiver and barrel, were dead on right out of the box at 25yds punching the same bullseye hole, off bench rest. 100yds will come later, I just wanted to get this checked out and up and running, which it did, flawlessly. Ran a box of Winchester Super-X 300gr JHP & a box and a half of Hornady 325gr Leverevolution FTX. Not one hiccup in any way. Having never shot a 45-70 before, I was curious how much this thing was going to kick. To my surprise, it wasn’t bad. My felt recoil was less than that of a 12ga. It would probably be different if running something hopped up like Buffalo Bore, but the Hornady FTX is what I plan to hunt with and a comfortable round to shoot. Can’t go wrong with Hornady - 325grs traveling 2050fps & 3032 ft lbs of energy…I almost can see why the guy in Wind River flew 5’ back when he took the round….almost
Now, the only 2 things I can come up with to “complain” about for me personally (what kind of review would this be if there wasn’t something?) is the magazine tube was a bit of a chore to remove. After recovering my plug, tube spring and dignity from the other side of the room I read that the first time can be tricky. But after working/removing those parts the first time, specifically the forend, it should become easier as the forend shouldn't act as though it's glued into the receiver, after the first removal. With the forend acting "glued" it made the magazine tube difficult to maneuver which made it hard to remove from the front bottom post that secures the tube and tube plug. Things should be freed up now and next time should be easier.
The other minor issue, small machining burrs in the receiver. I like to use a lot of q-tips when cleaning guns and if it wasn’t for them snagging on the burrs I may not have even noticed them. I’ll say that the rifle ran fine with the burrs, they did not affect functionality one bit, but I do wish Marlin would have cleaned them up a bit better. I ended up taking my small needle file set from Harbor Freight and carefully removing the burrs then going over the area with polishing sand paper. Easy fix that got the burrs smoothed out. I couldn’t tell if the action ran any better afterwards – it seemed to run and shoot just as well as it did before. Only difference now is having less q-tip hair in the receiver – you’ll never be 100% free of q-tip hair no matter what gun you’re cleaning.
If you're not happy with the size of the rear ghost ring sight, XS Sights sells the little "eye bolt" ghost ring sight for $13. Simply unscrew the old one and in with the new (you'll have to sight the elevation back in) to have the size you want.
I've ordered a couple of butt stock covers from Levergun Leather (the other cover is for my Win 94). If you haven't seen his stuff you should go check him out, his work is incredible. Looking forward to getting them in. Also have a black RPP 2.5lb trigger (including spring), black flyweight fast loading gate and a 45-70 etched quick takedown lever screw.
9.9 out of 10 stars. I love this gun. It’s a beauty to look at (3 guys stopped to talk about it at the range) and a blast to shoot. Go with confidence and get that gorgeous SBL (or any other 1895) in 45-70 and drop that deer DRT in style. Marlin is BACK and seems to have been for some time now.
