Marlin Model 1894 — Special Order (.25-20)

Fabulous Condition — Stunning Collector’s Piece

Overview

“This doesn’t happen very often…” would be an understatement — it simply doesn’t happen at all.
This is the first time the author has encountered a Marlin Model 1894 Special Order Rifle in such genuine, untouched original condition.
Featuring a select walnut stock, 28″ octagonal barrel, and a factory-fitted Marble adjustable aperture tang sight, this rifle is a stand-out example of early 20th-century Marlin craftsmanship — elegant, precise, and completely authentic.

Calibre & Action

• Calibre: .25-20 Marlin (marked “25-20 M” on the barrel’s top flat)

• Action: Classic Marlin lever-action repeating rifle

• Magazine: Full-length tubular magazine beneath barrel

• Loading port: Nitra-blued side loading cover

• Operation: Smooth, tight, and mechanically perfect

Barrels, Finish & Markings

• Barrel: 28″ octagonal, blued finish — original and unrestored, with only minor age-related pitting in isolated areas

• Finish: Bolt, barrel, and magazine tube retain bluing; the action, tangs, under-lever, hammer, fore-end cap, and butt-plate display original smooth matte case-colour hardening

• Markings:

  • Barrel top flat reads:
    "MARLIN FIRE-ARMS CO. CT. U.S.A. / PATENTED OCT. 11. 1887. APRIL 2. 1889. AUGUST 1. 1893"

  • All legends remain sharp and at full engraved depth — no evidence of refinishing

• Serial Number: “325146” stamped beneath front of action, dating production precisely to 1905

Stock & Furniture

• Wood: Select, mildly figured walnut stock of superb quality

• Condition: Excellent; honest, light handling marks but no cracks, repairs, or damage — a beautiful aged patina throughout

• Hardware: Nitra-blued screws to action and butt-plate

• Design: Perfect balance between sporting elegance and working-rifle integrity

  Sights

  • Front: German silver foresight blade

  • Rear: Barrel dovetail blanked — sighting achieved through Marble adjustable tang aperture, enhancing period accuracy and ease of use

  ---

  Mechanical & Bore Condition

  The action is mechanically fine, operating crisply and positively throughout.
  The bore is outstanding — sharp, bright, and clean with strong, uninterrupted rifling and no pitting whatsoever.
  Perhaps the relative obscurity of the calibre spared this rifle from heavy use, leaving a bore in remarkable shooting condition even after more than a century.

Collector’s Perspective

This rifle was undoubtedly owned by a gentleman of means, not an everyday ranch hand.
Its special-order features and fine walnut stock confirm it was commissioned for quality, not economy.
Today, such an example stands as a top-tier collector’s piece, the kind that commands pride of place in any advanced lever-action or Marlin collection.
Few examples of this configuration are known to exist — fewer still in this condition, especially outside the United States.

Carries modern Nitro proofs under the woodwork for reassurance of safety and shootability.

Summary

A rare and beautiful Marlin Model 1894 Special Order Rifle, chambered in .25-20 Marlin and built in 1905.
Original finishes, select walnut, precision fittings, and superb mechanical integrity combine to create a showpiece of American gunmaking excellence.
A once-in-a-generation opportunity — rare, investment-grade, and without equal in its authenticity and presentation.

Stock No’ F 1019

 Now     £ 3550. 

 FEATURED ON YOUTUBE…….

Comments Off on Stunning – M1894 Marlin Special Order Rifle…..(F 1019)