Looking for info on Marlin 1889 mod

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ccorey54

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Hi, I have welcomed a 1889 marlin into my home. I have been looking at info for it on the web. stamped on the top of barrel it says .45 colt. I can not find this as being an caliber option. Serial number is 36### so that says it was built in 1890. Can anyone offer up a reason for this?

Thanks
 
She's been rebarrelled, .45 Colt was not an option in the 1889 or any of the leverguns of the day (for many and varied reasons, some mythical speculation and some real), probably from a chewed up .38-40 or 44-40; and the bolt face probably re-worked as well since the rim diameters are not the same (however close). Not a custom option either, without a doubt it's a more modern rebarrelling.

How does it shoot? Should be a fun shooter, if it cycles well.
 
Thanks for the reply, the stamping of the 45 colt on the barrel is diff then all other stamped on it. The old girl has sat in a closet for the last 45 years that I know of. I guess I will take a better look at it. See if anything else seems off.
 
If it has a modified/changed extractor to a more reliable hook than the originals it probably will be a fun shooter, especially if you are in the "Cowboy" game. The reason .45 colt wasn't use as a rifle round way back when was the very small lip of the rim (along with the fact that the "foil" brass cases had a rounded profile) wasn't easy to grip for the action of the time. Rifles require a "retainer" on the off side of the bolt to hold the case tight against the extractor or it comes unhooked very easily.
 
fingers284 said:
If it has a modified/changed extractor to a more reliable hook than the originals it probably will be a fun shooter, especially if you are in the "Cowboy" game. The reason .45 colt wasn't use as a rifle round way back when was the very small lip of the rim (along with the fact that the "foil" brass cases had a rounded profile) wasn't easy to grip for the action of the time. Rifles require a "retainer" on the off side of the bolt to hold the case tight against the extractor or it comes unhooked very easily.
Click to expand...

That always seemed to me the most likely reason, I have some original cases and there is barely any rim at all. Especially if you're working the action fast, that would be a recipe for jams. Modern solid head cases have an extractor cut and a slightly larger rim.

Another more speculative reason that I've seen raised time and again is that Colt held the patent on the chambering for the .45 Colt round but I've always had a very difficult time seeing how that could be, given that chambering a barrel is a generic process and there isn't anything "unique" in that design to patent (not by today's standards) - but it was the early years of patent wars so you never know.
 
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