Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. World-renowned sharpshooters Annie Oakley, a star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, and Frank C. Miller, crack shot of the Irwin Bros. Cheyenne Frontier Days Wild West Show, often shot with Marlin rifles in their exhibitions.
"I gave as high as 15 exhibitions a day, shooting under all conditions, rain, wind, night, in parades in the streets," Miller said in a 1915 interview. "And late last fall, I used some of the guns on a hunting trip to Canada and Wyoming. From all this, you can see what opinion I have of Marlin guns."
Among the several Marlin firearms Oakley owned, she particularly cherished a special presentation, engraved 1889 model. The Marlin New Safety Model of 1889 was the first solid-top receiver, lever action rifle with a side ejection that threw the fired cases, or live cartridges, to the right-hand side of the rifle as opposed to being thrown straight up and out of the gun.
This classic '89 example is in Winchester .32-20 caliber (marked 32-W over the Chamber), with a 25" octagonal barrel with much original bluing still intact along with traces of case hardening in places. The top of the barrel engraving is clear:
- MARLIN FIRE-ARMS CO. NEW-HAVEN.CT. U.S.A. -
PATENTED OCT. 11. 1887. APRIL. 2. 1889.
The top of the receiver is marked MARLIN SAFETY and the bottom rears serial number 65725, indicating that this rifle was manufactured in 1892. The bore shows lands and grooves, but they are definitely worn, so this is a gun that saw significant use, probably at the range or hunting "varmints". Probably rates a 6 out of 10. The wood stocks are in great shape, with a beautiful color and finish.
Overall a very nice condition gun in fully functional order. A fine example of a classic western gun, ready to display!
Specifications-
Year of Manufacture: 1892
Caliber: .32-20 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 25 Inches
Overall Length: 42 1/2 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 10 ? -round tube magazine
Dubbed as the New Safety Repeating Rifle, the 1889 Marlin was a mid-sized, redesigned 1888 model. The most noticeable difference was the solid top with its side-ejection system. Internal upgrades included a locking lug and firing pin system that prevented discharge until the bolt was locked in place. The new model also utilized a cartridge carrier that raised automatically, closing the end of the magazine after the head of the cartridge had passed into the carrier, thus preventing the next cartridge from entering the carrier and jamming the action: an important feature, since the rifle was produced in the .32-20, .38-40 and .44-40 chamberings (only 34 made with .25-20).
The similarity between the .38-40 and the .44-40 cartridges sometimes caused confusion for shooters. If a shooter accidentally loaded a .44-40 into a .38-40, the lever would not close properly. With the '89 Marlin, he simply had to lever downward, as if the .44-40 was an empty shell, and the oversized cartridge would be thrown to the side.
Standard '89 Marlin rifles included a 24-inch octagonal or round barrel, although barrels could be ordered in intervals of two inches up to 32 inches. The 1889 was Marlin's first carbine. Standard carbines had 20-inch tubes, while around 300-plus were made with a 15-inch version, and just four were turned out with 24-inch barrels.
Rifles were fitted with "Rocky Mountain" sights made up of a German silver blade front sight and a semi-buckhorn-type rear sight, which could be elevated by a stepped elevator. The stock was straight-grained walnut with a steel-capped forearm and a crescent-style steel butt plate (carbines wore a carbine-style butt plate). Barrels and all hardware were blued, while the hammer, lever and butt plate wore the colorful Marlin case-hardening. The model also came as a short rifle, takedown model and musket.
Although somewhat revolutionary in the firearms world, the '89 still had minor drawbacks that would be eliminated from Marlin's subsequent models. The manufacturer removed the rear-locking lug, which extended down into the trigger guard and had a tendency to pinch the shooter's fingers during rapid-fire cycling. It also did away with the small spring-loaded retainer at the rear of the lower tang that held the lever in place when closed, which shooters disliked.
Nevertheless, the 1889 Marlin was well received on the frontier and nationwide. More than 55,000 guns left the factory between 1889 and 1903. In its day, the model was considered state-of-the-art. Now, 125 years later, the 1889 Marlin is an extremely collectible firearm.
Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are no able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services.
- This product is not available for shipping in US state(s): New Jersey
This product is available for international shipping.
Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre in the UK.
IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.
These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.
Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services.
- Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon
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