The Marlin Model 1881, developed by John Marlin, is a rugged dependable repeating lever action rifle. First offered in 45-70 Government, it was the most powerful repeating rifle offered by any company to date in the late 19th century. The U.S. Army had introduced and adopted the .45-70 in 1873 for its single shot "trap door" Springfield rifle. Shooting a 500-grain lead bullet, the cartridge was very powerful for its time, and rivaled the heavier single shots. By combining .45-70 power with repeating rifle fire power, Marlin produced an outstanding combination for the consumer market. This pre-1898 antique rifle can be shipped directly to you. An FFL license is not required. Weighing in at 9.5 pounds (unloaded) the weight of the rifle helps absorb a bit of the heavy recoil, trigger reach is 13" and will comfortably fit today's average size to smaller size shooters.

The rifle is fitted with the standard length 28" barrel. The bore on this rifle is in much better condition than the exterior. The bore appears bright with clearly visible rifling and only some very minor light pitting visible. This rifle should only be used with black powder loads, or black powder pressure loads. This barrel is marked very lightly 45 Govt between the action and the rear sight, the barrel is also marked forward of the sight Marlin Fire-Arms Co, New Haven. CT. U.S.A. over the various patent dates. The rear sight is a step adjustable rear sight and a silver blade front sight.

Stocked in the original American walnut, the rifle has developed a crack on the buttstock near the buttplate and the buttplate has a very textured patina as if it was stored against a wet object for a period of time. The buttstock also has a small amount of movement on the action. The top view shows the tapered comb of the rifle meeting the very short extension of the buttplate. Ahead of the comb the wrist is dominated by the long tang of the action. At the rear of the tang a large headed bolt can be seen, this passes through the stock to engage the lower tang and helps strengthen the wood. Forward two small screws can be seen, these were factory installed for a mounting a peep or Vernier style rear sight. The forearm does have a crack on the right hand side, which is fairly common on these rifles. The forearm is secure and does not have any movement. The magazine tube sits below the barrel and is securely held in place.

The action functions and will feed and eject a .45-70 Gov't cartridge case, but it is not as smooth as a Winchester action. The action has a gray brown patina with with some textured speckled brown patina on the right hand side. The left side of the action has some scrub marks from abrasives.

If you are seeking an early Marlin rifle for your collection, or just wish to own a large caliber lever gun, consider this Model 1881. It mechanically functions but does have a very aged appearance. Order it for a ten day visual inspection. You will be delighted. Else if it does not fit you, return it in unfired condition for same-day refund. Postage is your only risk, when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.