Marlin 1881

Soakers

Soakers

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Hello all,

I'm looking for some information from the community on a Marlin 1881 I was given from a friend who's Dad had passed away. It came with a box of ammo that has 3 spent cartridges, that appear to be made from necked down 45-70. The gun has a 27 inch octagonal barrel and the bore is shiny with good rifling. The information I was looking for is the calibre (I'm guessing that it's 40-60) and what would be the value of this lever action.

Thanks for any help.
Note. The barrel length is 28 inches as explained later in the post.



















 
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Nice rifle!
The 40-60 Marlin cartridge is the same as the 40-65 Winchester, so dies are easily obtainable. (Marlin just loaded it with 5 grains less black powder)

Starline makes brass, or, it can be made from 45-70 brass simply by running it through a set of 40-65 dies.

Cast bullets and black powder will be easier on the barrel. If your going to load smokeless, keep your pressure and velocity in the black powder range.
 
Thanks for the info. That makes sense. On the back of the ammo box written in black felt pen is /40-65/ bullet : 260 GN FN/ Powder : 60 GN FG.
 
Nice old Marlin, these are fairly scarce in Canada. Condition seems fairly decent except for the pitted butt plate. I wonder if it was stood in a corner in a wet basement?
 
I should have mentioned in my post above that there is another cartridge called the 40-60 WCF, which is NOT the same as the 40-60 Marlin. The 40-60WCF was for the Winchester 1876 and is not interchangeable. There are dies available for this also, as the 1876 has been recently reproduced. Make sure that you get 40-65 dies if your going to be reloading for the 1881
 
Thanks Still Shootin. I researched the serial number and found out that the rife was made in 1887.

Does anyone have any idea what it would be worth?
I know that it's only truly worth what someone would be willing to pay for it. I'm seeing prices in the $2200 range up to and past the $5500 I saw that Cabela's USA was selling on their web site a while back.
 
It is a harder one to come up with a value for in Canada as you see so few sold here. American prices don't really apply here in general. I'm guessing the stock has been refinished at some point in its long life, that reduces value some to a collector. Maybe RoadKing will comment on it, he is pretty sharp on Marlins among a lot of other stuff.
 
Road King would know. Send him a pm. The forearm has been heavily sanded to the point that where it meets the front of the receiver, the metal is substantially proud of the wood. It should be the other way around. As Mike Webb pointed out, this will reduce the collector's value, usually by quite a bit.
 
Hello Soakers, you have a nice old Marlin 1881 in one of the more common calibers that seem to turn up. It is in average condition and has the standard crack in the fore stock which is common in these guns as the fore stock is very thin and tends to crack easily. The gun can be lettered as it is in the letterable range but expect that it will confirm it's present configuration. The tang sight has likely been added later. As far as value of a gun in that condition I would expect to see sell for around $1500.00. I have been to a number of gun shows in the US and have seen 1881s in about the same condition sitting on tables for the past 4 or 5 years at around the $2000.00 price and they are not selling. The 1881 in real nice condition will command a high price and do sell regularly without much haggling. You don't see a lot in Canada for sale because the are an antique in the US and most have drifted South. Yours is about the condition that most in Canada are found in. The real early guns with the JM Marlin name on the barrel will also bring a high price as these are very collectable among Marlin collectors. You also should check the barrel length again as you said it is 27", if it is it has been cut , (standard length is 28"), this will also effect the value.
Brian
 
Thanks everyone for the response.
Roadking, I posted a picture of the barrel with a tape measure. I don't know if the measurement is up to the receiver, or to include the amount it threads in as well.
I've seen lots of pictures of Marlins that are on the net that show the barrel even to the magazine tube. There are also some that have 30 inch barrels that protrude a little past the tube. Looking at the end of the barrel, I don't see any signs of cutting, ie file marks and such.

Any information would be greatly appreciated :)


 
I found the answer to my own question from the Marlin Collectors Association boards where the same question was asked and I'll quote it.

"The barrel of your Model 1881 should measure 28 inches. The length of a barrel is the whole barrel and should be measured to the end of the chamber, not where it enters the receiver"

So after reading this, mine is 28 inches long.
 
Soakers said:
I found the answer to my own question from the Marlin Collectors Association boards where the same question was asked and I'll quote it.

"The barrel of your Model 1881 should measure 28 inches. The length of a barrel is the whole barrel and should be measured to the end of the chamber, not where it enters the receiver"

So after reading this, mine is 28 inches long.
Click to expand...

You are correct your gun has the correct standard 28" length.
 
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